Am I too old to learn

[Dontbeme]

As the title says, am I too old to learn to ride a bike at 44? Grew up dirt poor and in neglect so never had the option to learn when young, I have now decided to try to learn to ride a bike but where do I start? I am thinking a second hand bike may be best to start in case I just don't enjoy it or cannot learn as too uncoordinated/old/fat. But what should I be looking for when buying my first bike? I just want to be able to cycle along canal paths and we have some greenway cycle paths near our house too.

You are never too old, go for it. You need to make sure you get the right size frame, pop to Halfords and try a few out.

Also get a good helmet.

Personally (I'm a cyclist) I'd try your local bike shop, have a chat with them.

There is a course run help people with nailing the basic skills and you can work through different levels, Bikeability.

Cycling UK is good for locating local groups and, once you have got to grips with the basics, it'a good to join a club and ride with like minded others. Make sure you find some with a slower paced group initially as some lean towards fast paced rides. Often the rides are of varying distances with a coffee and cake stop half way.

British Cycling is a good site too, I joined them for the benefit of their insurance.

Happy to help you further if I can.
Happy cycling

Ps you aren't too old to learn. I was pants at cycling and very nervous, used to go ride on the pavement because I was scared of traffic (I know this was bad🤦🏼‍♀️)
I got a better bike on C2W, joined a Cycling UK group and went on lots of rides with them.
Now I'm at least 4 bikes and thousands of miles further into my journey x

You are not too old to learn!

I would start riding in a park maybe, rather than straight on the road, and then build your confidence :).

Slightly different I know, but I learned to ride a horse at 50! you are never too old to learn new things.

Get a good helmet and a comfortable ladies' bike on Facebook marketplace or similar.

Never too old to learn - I taught my mum to cycle and swim at 50.

Get in touch with your local council or active travel group - they might be able to help with adult cycling and confidence lessons. Here is the Greater Manchester one as an example https://beeactive.tfgm.com/cycling/

Breeze is a women’s initiative run by British Cycling to support women of all ages and abilities.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/search/article/vw20130522-Breeze-0

Also check out community groups - some have “bike libraries” where you can try out different types.

Thanks all, I am feeling a bit excited about the idea now, I will check out some local groups as I'm in Ireland but it's a great starting point. Thank you all for the encouragement.

I encouraged a dr friend to learn to ride so that she could ride with her kids, and she did! She rides around Central London now as well as with her kids in the parks etc. I’m dead proud of encouraging her. Do it! You can! There are loads of instructors who will get you riding and if you want more support with road sense they can also do that.

You're definitely not too old, it's actually really not difficult to actually ride a bike on pathways etc. the more difficult part is riding on the road amid the traffic (especially these days!!)

ask around your friends, there are bound to be a few hanging about unused in sheds that you can borrow to have a go. The exact 'fit' isn't that important unless you're planning on the Tour de France femme.

definitely do NOT go to Halfords, they're utter shite at measuring you up for a good fit & their bikes are 💩 Heavy and badly assembled.