Adult Bike Lessons - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

photon · 07-11-2009, 04:53 PM

Anyone know where they might have adult bike lessons in Calgary? To teach an adult to ride?

Yes I know how to ride a bike.

4X4 · 07-11-2009, 04:55 PM

Lol. An adult bike with training wheels.

Rerun · 07-11-2009, 04:56 PM

I've never heard of adult bike lessons.

Cliche · 07-11-2009, 04:58 PM

Wouldn't that be more of a rules of the road type of thing?

The actual physical skills are easy to learn, but signalling, and navigating your way through encounters with traffic is another thing entirely.

mikey_the_redneck · 07-11-2009, 05:01 PM

Like.............pedal bikes??

I can save you some money.
1. Get on bike.
2. Place feet on pedals and push with legs.
3. Keep hands on handle bars at all times.

photon · 07-11-2009, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliche

Wouldn't that be more of a rules of the road type of thing?

The actual physical skills are easy to learn, but signalling, and navigating your way through encounters with traffic is another thing entirely.

Actually it's a lot harder for an adult to learn to ride. Higher center of gravity, a lot more mental history to interfere with doing the right things. Some adults might be able to just jump on and go, but not all, for some it's VERY hard to learn. I know I've seen them, just not in Calgary.

After they learn then yeah I know where to get an actual bike safety course.

Maybe a bike shop would know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Like.............pedal bikes??

I can save you some money.
1. Get on bike.
2. Place feet on pedals and push with legs.
3. Keep hands on handle bars at all times.

Yup, it's easy when you already know how.

valo403 · 07-11-2009, 06:02 PM

Maybe you could try to find a very large person, like Shaq, who could hold on to the back of your seat and run along beside you until you're ready to break free. Shaq will be proud, but if you fall he might do this.

4X4 · 07-11-2009, 07:09 PM

Looks like the makers of Shrek just ripped off that guy's ugly mug and painted him green so as not to get sued.

Antithesis · 07-11-2009, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Yup, it's easy when you already know how.

Which is why the phrase "it's like riding a bike" refers to a task which is easy to do, even after years out of practice, once you've learned how to do it, but learning the task often results in skinned knees and gravel in your palms and a whole lot of bactine and polysporin!

Are you thinking of opening a business like this or asking on behalf of someone you know who can't ride a bike?

photon · 07-11-2009, 08:05 PM

Asking on behalf..

..which is funny, we went out tonight and within about 20 minutes she was riding! Been trying on and off for a few years, I guess things just clicked today. Nice.

Now the bike safety class I guess.

Cliche · 07-11-2009, 08:16 PM

Ahh if it's a physical skill visualization is pretty much the only way to go.

Then after that, Analogy calibration is needed so that a person can correctly form the image of themselves doing the task.

Then repetition.

Some things you can only repeat until you succeed.

AvsJerk · 07-11-2009, 08:29 PM

Perhaps she would be better suited with one of these....

Vulcan · 07-11-2009, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvsJerk

Perhaps she would be better suited with one of these....

One of my kids was slow to learn how to ride, so I told him I was going to build him one of these for him. He was riding the next day.

Bibtin Tex · 07-12-2009, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vulcan

One of my kids was slow to learn how to ride, so I told him I was going to build him one of these for him. He was riding the next day.

Really?
You built your child a bike?

I'm sorry I just found that funny

Dion · 07-12-2009, 12:39 AM

I-Hate-Hulse · 07-12-2009, 08:39 AM

There are others with your plight...

http://www.stabilizerwheels.com/

Kybosh · 07-12-2009, 09:52 AM

I'm pretty sure Bowcycle would have some good suggestions if you phoned them. If the person you are asking on behalf is a woman she can contact the Spinsisters and they might be able to help.

Riding a bike is all about practice.

sclitheroe · 07-12-2009, 11:35 AM

I wonder if starting an adult off on a fixed trainer (the kind that locks into the rear axle), so that they learn the mechanics, and then moving them to rollers (the trainers where the bike is free to balance on its own gyroscopic force) would work...with the rollers, you could straddle the front end and assist with balance by keeping the handlebars steady.

The principle difficulty with starting an adult newbie on a bike on the road I would think is that they weigh so much - with a kid, its easy to help them along because they are comparatively light. With rollers, between you and a wall along side them you could do a lot of work developing the balance needed without having them run you over.

One interesting thing is going the other way, learning to ride rollers feels a lot like learning to ride for the first time all over again....For anyone that hasn't tried rollers, you really should, its quite a neat experience.

Just random thoughts since apparently the person is riding already...