Riding a bicycle is quite simple. Most people who ride bicycles do it for a variety of reasons. They could be saving on gas or exercising amongst other reasons. Whatever the motivation for riding a bicycle, you should always have fun. Riding a bicycle, however, demands a lot of precaution. You should always ensure comfort by dressing appropriately and ensuring awareness of the surrounding. To ride a bicycle safely, you should always consider following the steps for maintenance, riding preparation, and riding (Stapleton 1).
Riding a bicycle is best done by people who are experienced in it. However, for an amateur rider or somebody who does not know how to ride a bicycle, the following riding steps are helpful. To start with, make sure you are safely dressed before going out for a bicycle ride. Make sure you have a helmet to protect you from injuries in case of an accident. Secondly, it is wise to always ensure that your bicycle is in good condition before riding it. Check if the brakes are in working properly. In addition, check if the tires are properly inflated. You should also adjust the seat of the bicycle to a height that you are comfortable with. Start by resting your right foot on the pedal on the right-hand side of the bicycle while supporting yourself with the left foot. Push the right pedal with your foot and simultaneously remove your left-leg support to rest the left foot on the left pedal. Next, ensure that the handlebars point ahead as you start pedaling. Try to obtain your balance as you pedal. Cover the longest distance you can and then turn and repeat the same process. Once you can obtain and keep balance when pedaling straight ahead, try turning the handlebars. Begin by slight turns of the handlebars until you can turn them and still keep your balance. Next, practice on speed and balance. Try to attain faster speeds while balancing, pedaling, and turning until you become conversant with these three actions. When riding, make sure that you obey riding rules and street signs. Stop when you encounter stop signs, signal to other road users when turning or passing them, ride on the right etcetera. Make sure that you are always alert when bicycling because bicycling is pretty quiet and you can easily hit cars or people. Lastly, make sure that you keep your bicycle in good condition. After a ride, check its condition and if repair is necessary, make sure the bicycle is repaired promptly (Stapleton 1).
There are several tips and warnings associated with the process of riding a bicycle. The first one is that you should never give up on training when something goes wrong. For instance, if you fall, just get back up and continue trying. Next, you should always make sure that you drink water in large amounts while riding. Ensure that you a visible as a cyclist on the road by using reflectors and wearing bright clothes. This will potentially save you from a lot of accidents. Make sure that as you try new and dangerous tricks, you have safety equipment. You should also make sure that you do not overdo bicycling (Stapleton 1). Failure to comply with these safety procedures may lead to a lot of bicycle accidents. We should, therefore, always do our best to keep these safety procedures.
From the explanation above, it is evident that learning bicycling is a continuous process that requires the successful completion of each step. Avoiding learning one step in the bicycle learning process could be very disastrous. It is the drill described above and experience in bicycling that makes one an expert bicycler such that he/she can control the bicycle in several dangerous situations and avoid fatal accidents. The learner gains skills progressively with skills gained in previous bicycling lessons helping him/her learn new skills in the subsequent lessons. This necessitates the presence of a tutor while one learns how to bicycle since there is a need to plan the order of bicycling lessons (“How to ride a bicycle 1”).
Normally, how fast one learns how to cycle and cycle safely depends on their attitude and determination to learn. Bicycle riding lessons can take a very short period, like a day, for the learner knows how to ride. They can also take a period as long as one year before the learner knows how to ride depending on the factors mentioned above. It is always helpful for the learner to maintain a positive attitude towards the learning process. The learners should never feel embarrassed when they accidentally fall while practicing. They should always try to discover the mistakes and through this, they eventually become expert bicyclers. Another important thing in bicycling lessons is being consistent. The learner needs to be consistent with his/her bicycling classes. Otherwise, they find themselves having lost the skills they acquired during their previous riding lessons in their subsequent lessons (“How to ride a bicycle 1”).
Works Cited
“How to ride a bicycle.” eHow. 2010. Web.
Stapleton, Christine. “How to ride a bicycle.” 2008. Web.