How to get over fear of cycling?

[lisasian86]

When I was a child I loved being on my bike, I rode it everywhere, but after a couple of nasty falls from it I became frightened and this appears to have carried onto into my adult life. I don't drive and I live 4 miles away from my workplace so being able to cycle to work for the commute would be really helpful and I also want to get the joy of cycling back again. Does anybody have any ideas on how to build up confidence when cycling? Also I should add that my fear is mostly based on being near to roads and traffic, I can get on a bike and ride around a field without too many problems although I do still get nervous, but the thought of being near to traffic terrifies me.

 

[jhuskey]

When I was a child I loved being on my bike, I rode it everywhere, but after a couple of nasty falls from it I became frightened and this appears to have carried onto into my adult life. I don't drive and I live 4 miles away from my workplace so being able to cycle to work for the commute would be really helpful and I also want to get the joy of cycling back again. Does anybody have any ideas on how to build up confidence when cycling? Also I should add that my fear is mostly based on being near to roads and traffic, I can get on a bike and ride around a field without too many problems although I do still get nervous, but the thought of being near to traffic terrifies me.

Try and find someone in your area that is experienced at cycling. They will have confidence and will have the ability to instill confidence in you.

 

[sharkantropo]

Look for suitable help. And take it slow but do it almost every day, a few miles riding through a well paved road wthout much traffic. Dont pick rough rocky roads or dirt, the irregular surface will make you more nervous and lose balance.

 

[lisasian86]

There are plenty of quiet streets in my area so that actually sounds like a pretty good idea, also the journey from my house to my workplace has cycle paths almost all the way there, it's just trying to get that confidence up. Also, because I haven't ridden in so long when I do get on a bike I find that I'm not so good at controlling it anymore but I suppose that will come back with practice, thank you for your input!

 

[Destiny3614]

I think the best way to do that is to just get back on the horse and conquer your fears. Start small and ride for longer periods of time.

 

[NDI2]

Make sure you get that confidence all the way back up before you go to work. Not only do you tend to make more mistakes when you aren't confident, if something happens now you may not get back at it for a while. Take it one step at a time.

 

[Belovedad]

Just do it. When I was younger I always assumed I could never ride a bike no matter how hard I tried. I soon realized it was a block placed on my brain due to fear. I decided to just get on and whatever happens happens. I got on and immediately started to fall but naturally I would not want to hurt myself and before I knew it, I was doing laps around my community.

 

[lisasian86]

I think the best thing for to do is utilise the fact that I live in an area with tonnes of fields and easy, level, off road tracks. I could go for miles without coming into contact with a car. I'm going to take my time though, it would only take one mishap by a road and I would be right back to square one.

 

[Corzhens]

Riding a bike is all about balance. For an adventurous child, the fear of balancing is not an issue especially when the bike is small. But adults have that fear of crashing because aside from the pain, there is also the embarrassment. That's why the advice for a beginner is to learn riding in a place where there are no people. The feeling of being watched adds to the consciousness that it gets out of focus. But in fairness to the non-adventurous adults, they are careful on the road once they learn to ride. I am one of those with fear of riding before and maybe that's one reason why I am careful especially when there are people on the road that I might hit.

 

[lisasian86]

Riding a bike is all about balance. For an adventurous child, the fear of balancing is not an issue especially when the bike is small. But adults have that fear of crashing because aside from the pain, there is also the embarrassment. That's why the advice for a beginner is to learn riding in a place where there are no people. The feeling of being watched adds to the consciousness that it gets out of focus. But in fairness to the non-adventurous adults, they are careful on the road once they learn to ride. I am one of those with fear of riding before and maybe that's one reason why I am careful especially when there are people on the road that I might hit.

Good advice there, I completely agree with children having a lack of fear, I was fearless about most things when I was young because I wasn't focussing on consequences, just having fun. I would definitely feel more comfortable practising where there weren't any other people.

 

[Damien Lee]

Yes, riding close to a field where there are hardly any cars around is a good place to start riding. That's providing that there aren't vagrants or any other undesirables near that area. Spend a couple of weeks, or even months if you need to build up your confidence levels.

 

[cycle93]

It was a long journey for me, because I always hated cycling when I was a little kid.
I think that experiencing it as an adult and finding joy in it was really the whole point of getting over my own fear and bad memories.

 

[glreese]

I think the best thing you can do is just to get determined and start doing it again. I would suggest practicing a little bit in a safer area (not with traffic) when you first start out. This will help you gain confidence. Once you have you confidence built up then you can take it a step further and ride your bike to work. But just remember to be safe and careful!

 

[glreese]

Try and find someone in your area that is experienced at cycling. They will have confidence and will have the ability to instill confidence in you.

This is a good piece of advice. I never really thought about that. I remember my uncle helped me learn how to ride a bike. He was experienced and that made me feel safe.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

I guess familiarity is the key here. No tips, no tricks, just cycle and get familiarized with it. No matter how many times you fall, no matter how many scrapes and bruises you get, if you keep going at it, you will eventually get the hang of it and would make these accidents or injuries less and less, making your fears lower each time you go for a ride. As long as you have a decent enough bike, and enough protective measure like pads and helmets, there won't be a problem you wouldn't be able to handle on the road.

 

[artyarson]

I never thought there's such fear or a phobia, whatever you want to call it. However, in a bigger picture, we all are afraid of falling down from a bike, especially those who are beginners. It tends to go away after you feel you've mastered the skills of a simple riding.

 

[Novelangel]

Being as I'm a person who, as a child, once skidded down a gravel hill on one side of my face, I completely understand your sentiments. I tore up my right arm, and right side of my face pretty bad and for years, I refused to ride my bike down a hill. Everyone else had to wait for me while I walked the bike down, but I was scared and it took years to get rid of that fear, although it never went away completely. Some people can ride down a hill at full speed with reckless, happy abandon. Not me. I have to ride the brakes all the way down, terrified that I'm about to eat dirt again. (Or pavement) I guess the best way to get rid of the fear for the most part, is to just simply get it into your head that you're going to do what scares you... no matter what. Then you take a deep breath, and do it. Once you have successfully accomplished your goal, you will gain back some confidence and feel like you might be able to tackle it again sometime. You don't have to ride all the way to your work that first time, but ride a short distance along the route, and build it up a bit more each time you ride. Before you know it, you'll be commuting all the way to work on a regular basis.

 

[tgthewriter1]

It happens to everybody. You got to get back on that bike and try again. I recommend ridding a bike you feel comfortable in. If you afraid to ride because of other people, you really need to realize that people are ****. They do not matter to your life.

 

[9lines]

You will first need to get used to cycling in a group. You can follow your friends or family members whenever they go out cycling. You will also need to know basic road signs and rules so that you won't get yourself breaking them. You must be forced to avoid cycling on busy roads until you get used to cycling.

 

[SkerleeWerg]

I used to be afraid of closets, specifically closets. Long story. If I can get over that, you can ride a bike. I got over it by standing in closets, you get over it by getting on bikes.