Adults who can't ride bikes

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

To find it unusual when adults have never learned to ride a bike? (Health/disability isdues aside)?

I was out for a walk with a friend and his baby daughter. The path also doubles as a cycle path and several people wizzed past with toddlers on bike seats. 'Another few years and they'll be you and [baby name] I commented.

He then sheepishly admitted that he couldn't ride a bike. He'd never learned as a kid as he'd never been interested. His older brother's hand me down bike had been kept for him, but he'd never shown any interest and his parents never forced the issue.

He's quite sporty and active and has been since he was a kid, so I was slightly surprised, more so that his parents didn't encourage him more. Bombing around with your mates seems such a big part of growing up and I didn't know anyone who couldn't ride a bike even if they didn't own one themselves or ride that often.

Now he has a daughter he regrets not learning as he won't be able to teach his daughter. So odds are it will fall to me to teach her how to ride or teach him first.

Out of interest, would an adult need to 'learn' to ride a bike in the way a child needs to work on their balance, confidence and coordination? Or would a reasonably competent and fit adult be able to just hop on the bike and pedal away despite not learning as a nipper?

[DoYouRememberJustinBobby]

Also, as a child you are lot more fearless. You will fling yourself around without a thought for your safety. As an adult learning something like this is scary, you are aware you could fall and break something which could take longer to heal or have you off work for a time.

[3Eggses]

I can ride a bike. I learnt when I was around 6 on a bike that was far too big for me, in my nan & grandad's tiny garden. I remember being shouted at for falling in the flower beds...

I checked a couple of years ago and I can still ride a bike but I have no desire to. I definitely don't think it's an essential skill and can see why many children wouldn't be taught. My mum never would've taught me. My dad probably wouldn't either.

I can't swim. That pisses me off. I really wish someone had made sure I could do that but they didn't. Much more useful and enjoyable than riding a bike. People REALLY don't understand if an adult can't swim. I've tried and failed to learn and don't have appropriate teaching facilities available where I currently live so guess it won't change for a while. It's very difficult to conquer aqua phobia as an adult.

Your friend can teach his child to ride a bike though. They just need encouragement and a bit of a push.

Don't make any twatty comments to your friend though. There's nothing worse than someone ribbing you about something you're already painfully conscious of. & don't harrass him into learning if he doesn't want to.

[Mermaid36]

I can't ride a bike....I was just off stabilisers at 8 years old when I had a really bad accident - I ended up needing plastic surgery on my face to repair the damage done.

I've never really been bothered to learn after that...

[tomtomthepipersson]

I learnt at 21 years old! Learnt to drive at 35! Late starter I guess

[CarrotVan]

I never learned. I wasn't that bothered as a child and my parents weren't interested. All of my older siblings learnt and taught each other and there were a variety of knackered bikes and loads of space at home. My next oldest sibling was taught by a friend of my brother who visited during a university vacation and was horrified we didn't know. At the time I wasn't big enough for the smallest bike we had so he couldn't teach me.

I also can't swim for much the same reasons but did do lessons at school and got my badges to 25m.

DH keeps threatening to teach me to ride a bike but given that he's not ridden one in the last 15 years and we don't own any I can't see it happening anytime soon.

[GreatFuckability]

i can't ride a bike. i'm just hideously uncoordiated with no balance.

[RunningLulu]

Husband can't swim and it really pisses me off that he won't even bother to learn. That's partly why I'm learning to ride a bike- we have a bet that when I succeed he'll learn how to swim.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

DH taught me to ride a bike in my twenties (he taught me to swim as well). We used to practice cycling down a quiet little alley after dark because I was embarrassed.

You don't need to be able to ride a bike to sit on the back of a tandem by the way; we did that before I learned to ride.

Actually I think lots of people can't reside a bike nowadays. We live near a canal towpath and have a garage full of bikes. Many times we, or our teens, have suggested to visiting friends that we go for a bike ride, only for them to confess that they can't.

[Hmmnotkeen]

I learned as a kid (cycling proficiency and all!), and I know I can still do it now because weve hired them when visiting forests. But I can't bring myself to cycle in the city - too many horror stories! Even with much improved cycle paths I'd be worried about doing something stupid.

Fully intend to teach DS though - but we are lucky to live near lots of parks and open spaces.

[tabulahrasa]

I can't ride a bike...never had one as a child and after trying a couple of times as a teenager decided I preferred to have skin on my knees...

I taught my DC to ride a bike fine, bought them bikes at about 3 with stabilisers waited until they were pretty competent with them and then took the stabilisers off, both of them just cycled off.

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

Don't make any twatty comments to your friend though. There's nothing worse than someone ribbing you about something you're already painfully conscious of. & don't harrass him into learning if he doesn't want to.

Of course not! I was a bit surprised, just like when I discovered a friend I'd known for ages had a tattoo in an unusual location. I didn't rib him about it.

Great I'm really badly coordinated in real life, but am oddly competent on a bike, quite good at swimming and ice skating/roller booting. It is just on my two feet I'm a mess.

[frankie001]

My mum can't ride a bike but sucessfully taught 3 daughters and a few of our friends!

[SparklyUnicornPoo]

I can't ride a bike, I could as a child but tried again a few years ago and just kept falling off, so apparently you actually can forget how to ride a bike.

[FishinthePerculator]

My family were not at all outdoorsy nor sporty so riding a bike just didn't feature in my childhood. Fast forward a few years and I married a keen cyclist. For the first decade of being together I just dismissed cycling as "his thing" and something I couldn't do but, at age 35, I decided to give it a go. Bought myself a bike and asked DH to teach me. It was slow progress - really not helped by by the amount of arsehole adult cyclists (always men btw) we'd meet in parks or on the canal path who would cycle right up behind me moaning that I was too slow, or just laugh at my wobbly attempts. I went home in tears at least twice but I persevered. Then, the first time I went out on my own, without DH, I was clearly not as ready as I had thought as I fell off and broke my collarbone. It was over a year before I felt confident enough to get back on the bike and try again. DH and I now try to go out at least once a week. I'm not confident about going out on my own again yet but I've just started to leave the canal path and actually tackle roads, with DH behind me.

it's a useful skill to have and I'm enjoying the fitness aspects.

[3Eggses]

I wouldn't be able to ice skate now. I could when I was a child. I need a penguin now and I could still end up on my arse/face

[myfavouritecolourispurple]

My husband only learnt to ride a bike about 5 years ago. He didn't learn as a child because he was the youngest of four and his parents said his older siblings didn't ride their bikes so they got rid of them and didn't get him one to learn on. Although he can ride now, he doesn't like and it and has no confidence. It's a shame.

I do think it's an essential skill. like swimming and learning to drive. Your chances to do hobbies are reduced without these skills, it does restrict what you can do. And if for some reason you can't drive, it really helps to be able to ride a bike. Parents should take it seriously, and all kids should be able to do bikeability in school.

[MoonriseKingdom]

I learnt to ride a bike aged 33.

Didn't learn as a child mainly as there was no where safe nearby to ride and parents hadn't seen it as a priority (we did learn to swim). My brother self taught as a teenager but I was too scared of falling. I learned by watching a YouTube video which gave me the confidence that it was possible. We took the pedals off a bike and I practised going down a hill to learn balance. We then put the pedals on. I practised every evening for a week and since then have been able to ride.

I'd really like my children to learn as we like to go to places like Centre Parcs on holiday. Have just bought my toddler DD a balance bike to get started.

[AveEldon]

I grew up in a town where cycling was essential so everyone learnt to ride
I'm raising my kids in London so they are only riding when we visit my family
We have no storage for bikes here and I wouldn't let them ride on the roads anyway

[FuzzyCustard]

I wasn't allowed a bike as a child because of safety issues (where we lived). I got my first bike aged 32. OP, I think you're being rather judgemental here.

[gillybeanz]

YABU both my ds2 and dh can't ride a bike.
Dh was never taught/ shown or encouraged as a child despite delivering the shops newspapers and ds2 didn't take to it and didn't want to learn.
I learned as a child as did ds2 and dd.
Unless there is a good reason adults aren't going to learn to ride a bike, so YADBU to ask why an adult wouldn't learn.
Dh managed to help the 2 dc who learned though, even though he can't do it himself.

[acsec]

I learnt to ride a bike aged 7 but can't now as my balance is dreadful (slightly deaf in left ear which has something to do with it).

[HeadDreamer]

I don't see either swimming or cycling as essential life skills. You can easily avoid going to a beach holiday. (Honestly when is the last time you are near water if you don't go to the beach or pool)? Same with cycling, it's nice to know if you go to centre parcs and the like for holidays. But you can avoid it if you want to.

That said, I can cycle, swim and drive. I think driving is the more essential of the three. I don't like in London or a big city and driving is the only way to get around. (Growing up in NZ also affects this. I lived 30min walk to the nearest bus stop in Auckland). DC who is 5 can cycle but we live in a cycle friendly place with cycle paths directly to the shops and school. I wouldn't bother with it if we are not in a place like this.

[jobrum]

I do think it's odd not learni g to ride a bike when young but only because everyone I know did.

However! I last rode a bike when I was maybe 11 or 12 and at the weekend rode a bike for the first time in 19 years! I probably wasn't on a cycle path with you as you would be in mn saying "some idiot who can't ride a bike was nearly crashing into everyone!" I think the older you get the more daunting it is as you have a fear of injury children don't possess and a big fear of being judged. If you dont learn aa a child its hard to pick up in later life.

[Youarenotprepared]

Ours haven't learnt. They have never shown much interest and bikes are expensive so other stuff took priority. We have literally just bought bikes the last few months in prep for Christmas. Oldest is 12.

[honkinghaddock]

I learnt in my late 20's. Dh taught me and I practised in the summer evenings in empty supermarket car parks (in the days before they were 24 hours.) I grew up in an inner city plus my parents couldn't afford bikes.