How to Improve Handling Skills

Bike handling skills also have to be developed over a period of time. Those who learned to ride as children have an enormous advantage over late learners. Riding in a straight line is an important first skill; motor vehicles often pass with just a foot or two of clearance, and motorists often honk at cyclists that they see swerving. Other important skills are gear shifting, mounting and dismounting the bike in various ways (especially at a traffic light or stop sign), avoiding stones, holes, or glass on the road, looking back while cycling straight ahead, turning sharply and suddenly, climbing while standing, descending rapidly, and avoiding the bites of dogs or kicking back at them to keep them away. Before riding in much traffic, a cyclist should be comfortable with the bike, even under emergency conditions. As children, we used to play lot of games or perform tricks that were actually bike-handling training rides. An adult learner can do the same thing. A large empty parking lot is an excellent place to practice. Try to maintain a straight line along a painted line, both looking ahead and to the rear, and to swerve to avoid some colored paper cut-outs prepared ahead of time. Practice almost stopping without putting a foot on the ground and then starting again. Practice mounting and dismounting under different conditions, including on slopes. Glancing back while riding straight ahead is difficult to learn, so many will want to get a rear-view mirror. Mirrors are sold which attach to the bike frame, the handbars, the glasses, and the bike helmet.