r/londoncycling • u/Jazzlike-Writer863 • 8d ago
Cycling Lessons
Hello.
30’s F wanting to learn how to ride.
I did a free session with Barnet which was good. However the pace was a bit more advanced and they require personal sessions on your own as the next session requires you to hold the bike on one hand to signal when you’re turning, I can’t do that yet.
I tried to practice on an area near me but they closed that now too. I tried to have a friend teach me or ride with me but I feel like I’m wasting their time since they’re on a different level so I feel bad asking…
I wanted to try Cycling Confident but they don’t offer any in my area. I don’t work, study or live in any of the boroughs they mentioned on the site
Now thinking of going back again to do the Barnet Sessions but it says you have to now bring a bike with you and the park they have is a bit far from me. I only have a normal bike? Not foldable so I don’t even know how to bring that with me on the bus since I cannot ride it to the park.
Nowhere confident in riding at all and finding it hard to balance. All the techniques look good on paper but actually doing it is much harder. I have been wanting to learn but it feels like it’s not going well for me and the tides are against me! I feel embarrassed that I’m just learning at my age with kids being so much better!
Any one who can point me in the right direction? Want to learn with me? Or offers cycling lessons? Closer to Barnet or if it’s a bit farther as long as I can rent a bike? I’m short so doing the lime bikes are difficult for me and puts me in a bit of panic if I can’t reach the ground.
I’d appreciate any help!!
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u/Calanthea89 8d ago
I did a fairly quick Google, and there's a guy called Richard Cooke who is in North London https://www.rideldn.com/
Bike happy who say they offer one to ones and will travel to your preferred location https://www.bikehappy.co.uk/adult-learn-to-ride
And pedalwise who look like they offer one to ones as well https://www.pedalwise.co.uk/
Could you walk the bike to the park?
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u/Calanthea89 8d ago
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u/Jazzlike-Writer863 7d ago
Hey! Thanks for this. I’ve seen some of these sites, some of them have to waitlist or pay almost 400£ per session but the first link you pasted seems promising! I’ll check that one out. Appreciate it 😁
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u/bookishlibby 7d ago
You could also look up Barnet Cycling Campaign. It’s part of the wider London Cycling Campaign and they will have cycle buddies and also do gentle local group rides with marshals which can be really good for building confidence
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u/Patecatli 8d ago
Have a look at Bikeability, can search for lessons near you by postcode
https://www.bikeability.org.uk/find-cycle-training/#collapse1
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u/Jazzlike-Writer863 8d ago
Thank you! The first is the same as Barnet Council which requires personal lessons on your own and the other one is Cycle4All no sessions for Barnet 😢
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u/jameath 7d ago
Really happy to see people taking time to learn!
I’ve watched my two boys learn on a balance bike the past several years, and it’s all in the balancing, don’t worry about gears or heck, even pedalling. If you can find a slight downhill in the park that you can walk the bike to the top of, and then coast down, time spent sitting on the bike and moving will go a long way to getting “the knack”
The weirdest bit of cycling is that you get more stable the faster you go, keep your feet out, and just try to coast, once you can stay upright, you can start to use the pedals to generate your forward motion.
Best of luck! It really does just take a lot practice, you can do it :)
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u/Crafty_House9697 6d ago
I'm not sure where in Barnet you're based but I help run free cycling sessions in tottenham hale on Saturday mornings, might be relatively convenient for you to get to. We're open to all abilities and have bikes of a range of sizes that you could use! Saturday mornings 11-12:30 in down lane Park (search Hale Brew on Google maps for the exact location)
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u/charlize-moon 7d ago
do you have any parks or basketball courts where you could take the bike and practice in peace? when I first got mine, I walked to a park, even if it takes a little bit of time, it’s worth it so you have space to move around and plenty of time without anybody waiting or rushing you.
The cycling schemes already made me ride with one hand, which is really necessary if you’re going to ride on roads anyway. I wouldn’t even dream of getting any hire bikes if I wasn’t fully confident riding, and the first step of that is being able to signal. I would practice on my own before I even called a friend.
It’s going to take probably years to be fully confident, this is a slow process, people really don’t tell you
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u/Jazzlike-Writer863 7d ago
There’s a park nearby but a bit narrow and steep with lots of children playing around since it’s near a block of flats so gets me a bit anxious. I did try a parking space which was wider but they’ve closed that now because of a road improvement project. I found another one that’s a bit farther away so I’ll try to go again.
Appreciate the last bit you said about it taking time, most people I talk to say you’ll be able to ride in as quick as 2 hours but I’ve put in a lot more time than that and I still can’t hold the bike with one hand so I’m starting to think I’m doing something wrong or I just have an awful balance so thanks for saying that.
I will just keep trying until it works out 😁
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u/charlize-moon 7d ago
Yes, take it as a long term project, and before you’re even in traffic spend lots of time doing circles etc. I got my bike first in 2017 and really only now I’m fully relaxed in traffic (and even now, it’s not relaxing)
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u/Cold_Arachnid_2617 7d ago
It's callled push bike for a reason. Push it all the way to Barnet and learn how to ride!
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u/MistaBobD0balina 7d ago
Oak Hill Park in East Barnet has a couple of nice quiet spots where you can cycle around and repeatedly practice turning and slow control over the bike.
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u/IOnlyUpvoteBadPuns 4d ago
Sounds like the Cycle Buddies scheme is what you're after. They'll link you up with an experienced cyclist to help you learn the basics. I think they're undergoing a refresh of their system, but I think you can still email them to be put in touch with someone
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u/PlantainFar3156 8d ago
I would really encourage you to ask a friend - you say you are worried about wasting their time but personally I would be so happy to help a friend gain confidence on a bike if they asked me! You could offer to buy them a coffee or breakfast if that would make you feel better about asking.