Getting started

I started cycling about 3.5 years ago, after over 20 years without owning a bike. It was quite a shock in lots of different ways:

• I knew nothing about maintaining a bike. The last time I had a bike, the way to get it fixed was to say, "Daaaad, it's broken…"
• I knew nothing about cycling technique. The last time I had a bike it had three gears (it was a Chopper:-), and suddenly I had 21 to figure out. Then there's the "front brake or rear brake" question, and lots of others.
• I knew nothing about cycling in traffic. My route to work is all road, and most of it quite busy. I've been driving for a long time, but driving techniques don't always translate to cycling.

I've figured much of this out now, through reading books, suggestions from friends, helpful discussions on my blog, and experience.

I wonder if concerns about this sort of thing contribute to people's reluctance to start cycling, and that maybe it would be helpful to build up a body of advice for people who are just starting out, so that the learning curve isn't so steep.

Steve Rumsby : 22 Mar 2005 09:49 |  Comments (2) |  Report a problem