Cycling lessons and other tips how to encourage beginners?

Hello,

just wanted to ask wether anyone has experience with the cycling lessons offered by Southwark council?

I am trying to get my G/F on a bike. I sold her to the idea of a wicker basket and shopping without carrying. Bought her an old Raleigh 20 shopper, and forced her to go around the calm streets outside our house.
While first she had agony in her face and white knuckles from holding onto the handlebar she now gets to a state where she rides more relaxed.

However, as known in most working relationships advice from the partner is not really without negative reaction cough and I wonder wether it's worth to get her some cycling lessons and all that. Has anyone experiences with this sorta thing?
Also, any other tips to raise road confidence and safety would be massively appreciated.

Did anyone of you get someone into cycling? Any useful experiences / interesting stories?

you can get tuition, but personally I think riding in a group of similar abilty people (along with one or two coaches, or experienced cyclists) is the best way to build confidence and awareness.

Obviously joining a cycling club, or an informal group is the easiest way to get into this if you don't have lots of cycling friends

My GF is the same. Okay on quiet roads but very nervous as soon as traffic is involved. I hate to be hard but I think that at some point you just have to bite the bullet and get out there and mix it with the traffic. She hates me commuting in London. I think its a confidence thing really. Once you have done it a while it doesnt seem so bad, and it helps to ride aggresivley I find. Do you go out riding with her?

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Obviously joining a cycling club, or an informal group is the easiest way to get into this if you don't have any friends

Fixed

Well, the council offers two hours for free or something.
I guess that would be a bit to much, trying to convince her to join a cycle club. She'd just look at me with this "yeah right" look ...

For now the goal is to get to the road confident enough to go to the closest Sainsburys in New Cross Gate and back, which is about 5 min on a bike. Unfortunately there is Old Kent Road on one side and Qeens Road on the other of our house, both quite busy and all that.

Do you go out riding with her?

Yeah, she has ridden 4 or 5 times now, never on her own.
First I made her ride in the yard of our house, then I put her onto the dead ends around our house and kept cycling around the block with her.
Also a friend of mine made her ride around the Hackney marshes with us, which was the perfect training ground and gave her a real boost in handling confidence I felt.
The last time I got her onto roads with a couple of cars and then dismount and push across really busy streets. The whole time I rode behind her, so cars wouldn't squeeze up thightly.
I'm trying to teach her to stay away from the kerb and the car doors, and be assertive and take space. All together she kept up well, and I am sure she's gonna get it.

To get her more relaxed and confident, forget about roads and go on some weekend rides along bridleways etc (round Richmond Park / Wimbledon Common / Hampstead Heath / along the river etc wherever is close to you) finishing with a pub lunch. That normally goes down well.

Let her do the lessons, see how she get on with the free ones and buy hr more if they help. Also if she is anything like my girlfriend starting off on familiar roads helps. Also my girlfriend prefers to be show things like this by other women so that may be an issue too.

speak to vee vee, think she's away on holiday for the next couple of weeks, but she's done some cycling training, and is an advocate for it, drop her a pm and she should be able to give you a balanced opinion. Check her posts as well..

Also my girlfriend prefers to be show things like this by other women so that may be an issue too.

That might be a really good strategy! Didn't think of that. Cheers

I gave up with my wife. It just descended into an argument within about 5 minutes of leaving the house every time. Was well stressful

dude. you sound like me not long ago. bought my wife an old stowaway folder. quiet streets firstly, parks and cycle paths. TdF came along, she really got into it and wanted to have a go on a road bike so i got her one. she loves it.

take it easy at first. start slow and in quiet parts. if you want her to get into commuting with the bike, do several early sunday runs of the route first. experience is the key. she'll enjoy it only when she gets the confidence to ride in traffic. my wife was commuting for a bit...that is until it got too cold and too wet and too dark for her liking

london freewheel is a great day out for cycling newbies

a workmate did a cycle lesson. she liked it. she said it gave her the confidence to ride.

i'd also suggest a different bike.
i got my gf into cycling recently and she started off with one of the little shopper bikes. they're pretty hard work to ride, insanely heavy, awkward to carry up stairs, and feel pretty unstable to ride.
she wanted the shopper because it was "cuter" than the tourer on offer for the same price despite my best efforts to disuade her.
i built her up an ss conversion for her birthday and she's been a lot more confident and happy riding that since.
she even rode the 14 or so miles from her old place in harrow to central london with me!

you can get tuition, but personally I think riding in a group of similar abilty people (along with one or two coaches, or experienced cyclists) is the best way to build confidence and awareness.

+1

When I first got a bike a year ago, I was scared to death of riding in the street, simply because I didn't know what to do in traffic. I found that riding behind an experienced cyclist friend was the best way to learn, just to watch how they behave. If I was a pedestrian at a big junction or roundabout, I kept my eyes peeled to observe how cyclists handled themselves.

Of course, there are a lot of bad riders out there that shouldn't be mimicked... I guess this is where common sense kicks in.

Does your girlfriend know how to drive a car? A lot of the necessary "skills" are transferrable, such as always scanning the road, checking behind your shoulder, etc.

Still got my cycling proficiency certificates somewhere. God knows how, I was anything but proficient. Teachers back then'd give you anything as long as you let them watch you in the school toilets.

Just me then?

I am currently running down the road with my four year old on a 16" bike, holding him under his armpits. It works a treat. He's learned to pedal, adjust his foot position on the pedals when needed, and braking. This morning he learned moving onto the saddle from standing over the frame. I'm so bloomin' proud. Soon I will be letting go... and waiting for him to realise I've stopped.

As for getting a nervous rider on the road, I have failed bit with my other half, though she will go to the park and the swimming pool very local with me no probs. But recently we went to Holland for a holiday and rode loads and loads, with the kid on the back and whatnot. Me Julie seemed to get much more into it there, with their super-system of paths and/or priorites. Its so damned civilised. And you can get herb in cafes. FYI

@mister_k:

Yeah, it's frickin heavy.
But she insisted to have a bike that was low enough for her to touch the ground, and the shopping basket on the front was the biggest incentive. Also, is it just me or is the Sturmey Archer on a really heavy gear by default, even in the lowest gear? Might get her a larger rear cog fitted when I get the gear service done (which it needs, that bike) ...

So what are the factors for stability then? Larger wheels? Or is it just a weight issue?
What kind of frame did U get for your g/f? I know anything but a stepthrough will not even be considered ...

If you want to give her a present, I'd recommend a session or two with this chap. He's very very patient and reassuring, and I've heard he works wonders with nervous cyclists. I think even just having had a bit of 'official training' will make the world of difference to someone's confidence.

And if she wants a bit more experience of riding away from busy roads, Brian Wright at Hillingdon
track does ladies' sessions on a Friday afternoon (about 1-4) which are very easygoing. (Most people there start off unable to ride a bike - some are now up to racing standard, others are still wobbling around on MTBs, so there's a huge mix of abilities.)

Oh, and introduce her to some of the girly retailers, like Minx and CycleChic. She may end up doing more miles just to justify some bling new kit. (When I first started commuting, I decided to spend all the money I was saving on travel cards on pretty lycra. That was fun.)

Big Train has some great advice on this subject.

YouTube - Big Train - Child on Bike

'Great, but next time, try not to go on fire.'

larger, narrower wheels make a big difference (and putting enough air in them makes a big difference too). also, the geometry on the shopper is just not at all great for riding on the london roads and the frame has a lot of flex in it.
having a normal frame (not a step-through) makes it a lot easier to carry as you can put it on your shoulder, which is why i didn't get my gf a step-through.
the frame i got her was just a small, lugged steel tourer, which i sprayed up neon pink for her.
i think being ss helped a lot as well, because for a novice cyclist gears are just an added bit of confusion and aren't even that much of a benefit when you don't know how to use them properly and live in a pretty flat city anyway.
personally, i'd buy an old step-through tourer for £50 second hand, then convert it to ss, maybe change the bars if they're drops, add your basket, and you're away!

and i agree with emilia on girly bike kit! my gf is always looking for nice bike bits now!

Cheers guys, will look into that.

On a side note, the raleigh 20 bikes seem to attract quite a lot of appreciation though:

raleigh 20 - Google Search

Wonder how light you could make it?

hmm, it doesn't really look too much different to the shopper.
i'd have a look around for some 700c bikes

like this maybe...

Tell her to HTFU, and go down the OKR to some where she doesn't know how to find yelling "speed up if you want to keep up" over your shoulder.

^cute bike... what cranks are those???

As for teaching females to ride a bike I think getting them to go with other women of equal or more experience is going to be the winner. Parks, some roads and then pub lunch or shopping.

I'd volunteer but last time I got told I was impatient and too tough. ;(
too much like my dad i suppose, so best i leave it to a gentle soul.