My 1 mile bike ride

[dizzyblonde]

its nowt to worry about. Eventually you'll get the hang and be whippin em up on the pegs. It helps with stability sometimes.......well thats wot I say anyway


Edit.....see even super riders like Baph do it,,,,phew, I get told off by a certain few for doing it.
YAY thats me feeling bettterer...lol

Practiceseems to be the only cure of what you are scared off.

Practice slipping the clutch a lot when setting off, that way you will be smooth and itll give you more confidence in the bike not reacting violently mid turn.

Thats about all I can do with words. Get out and try to enjoy

Hi
My BF is a lot better at riding, he commutes 400 miles a week. I've had my licence a lot longer than him but I've only done a few thousand miles in three years. I'm still nervous, when we go out together. He doesn't show off but he is very critical about every little thing, I do wrong. He is really putting me off. It was even worse, when I started riding. I think, I learned a lot more going out on my own, without the pressure.
Now I've found someone to go on rides with, who is on a similar level as me, doesn't criticise and is a very positive person. Riding is much more fun now and if my BF gets jealous, he has to change his attitude.
Do only, what feels right for you, don't let anybody make you nervous or put pressure on you. Riding should always be fun. Take your time, you'll get there.

Best Wishes
Linda

I should think I'll be going through all this when I get back on the road.. On the feet thing- only pull them up when you're comfortable, there's absolutely no point pulling them up before you're comfortable, it won't help things

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Thats why you need to go out by yourself and get used to riding the bike. Its another load of things to think about when you are following another rider or being followed. You need to remove that complication from your riding at the mo and just ride by and for yourself.

+1

...my OH used to shout and yell at me (old misery!) so I went out and did a few thousand miles on my own...then went and did IAM training

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

Edit.....see even super riders like Baph do it,,,,phew, I get told off by a certain few for doing it.
YAY thats me feeling bettterer...lol

Super rider? Mile muncher perhaps, but definately not super!

Any of you less confident ladies want a guided tour around North Wales - let me know, any excuse to wind the other half up.

Is it a coincidence that it is mostly the ladies admitting to feeling nervous when riding?

I have had my license a couple of years but haven't done a lot of mileage and I still get nervous when I go out. I hate getting it out of the garage for a start, it is quite a steep downward slope. Add to that, I dropped my OH's bike (TT600) on a slow speed right turn last summer , and now everytime I get to a sharp right turn I feel my shoulders tense up. I have to make a real effort to relax and not to stare at the kerb I don't want to hit! But it is getting better with practice. And that is all I can suggest to you, practice. Sometimes you just have to ride even if you don't really fancy it - cos it can be a bit daunting. I always feel better once I am out though.

We are planning to ride up to Cadwell for the weekend (to take in a little BSB) unless the weather forecast says heavy rain; frankly I am pooing myself at the thought of riding so far and loaded with gear. But I'm going to give it my best because what is the point of all that work in passing my test if I don't! Lets just hope there aren't too many right turns on the way!

Originally Posted by gemma1675

Lets just hope there aren't too many right turns on the way!

Just do 3 left turns whenever you come to a right turn, and you'll be fine!

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Baph

Why? I don't see anything wrong with it - so long as you don't grab a fist full of front brake mid turn.

I regularly ride with either one or both beet hanging down, esp when setting off. Nowt wrong with it IMO.

Because if you have both feet down you can't cover the back brake... and sometimes its useful to be able to do so when doing slow speed stuff IMHO.

But you have to learn to ride how you feel comfortable doing, so if that means both feet down as a confidence booster and that works then its all good isnt it.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Because if you have both feet down you can't cover the back brake... and sometimes its useful to be able to do so when doing slow speed stuff IMHO.

But you have to learn to ride how you feel comfortable doing, so if that means both feet down as a confidence booster and that works then its all good isnt it.

TBH, I rarely use the back brake anyway (as posted in the thread about front/back braking).

It's less of a confidence issue, and more of a laziness issue - takes me time to pick my feet up.