Why is not being able to ride a bike such a bad thing?

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I’m starting in first gear. The seat is down as low as it can go so I don’t struggle so much getting on and off. No grassy hills, but a section of the drive is downhill. Doesn’t seem to help much, except that even slight uphill is nigh impossible. Wheels and pedals spin freely. Don’t know about the tires. They might be lowish.

The main problem may be total lack of smooth, hard riding surface. Although my husband has no trouble. The drive to our house is a rutted, rocky, sandy, lumpy two-wheeled track.

Thanks.

Keeping your seat low after learning to coast and balance is the cyclist's version of doing the duck walk. You can't really use your muscles without getting your knee almost straight. The proper seat height is such that with flat shoes, you can slowly back-pedal using your heels, with your knee coming completely straight, but not rocking your hips. Then, to ride, you put the ball of your foot on the pedal, and use your ankle to keep your knee slightly bent through the bottom of the stroke.

Despite trying, I couldn't ride a bike without training wheels until age 11 or 12. One day at vacation care, they'd brought some bikes down to the oval and despite the fact that they had no training wheels and I'd never successfully ridden a bike with no training wheels before, I gave it a go and was surprised to find that I had no trouble with it.

Now I have an e-bike that I use to commute to and from work, and get around generally when I need to travel a few kilometres.

Agreed. You don't want your seat too low as, even though it might be easier to get onto it, it makes it more difficult to ride.

I feel like going to hire a bike, we have them on the kerb for hire just so I can try it. Haha

How does one get on a bike if the seat is higher? I can't remember how to do it.

I don't know if it is relevant here, but since I broke my ankle, I have not been able to do things with my feet that used to be automatic. I have to stop and actually think and repeat to myself exactly what I want my foot to do. For example, I was unable to get into a canoe, which used to be a totally automatic and elegant maneuver. I have taught myself to get in, but it still requires thought and a rehearsal in my head.

I was able to learn to ride a bike and do [some] other things but when it came to learning things like potty training took way to long.

The most basic way to get on is to use something as a step. More popular is leaning the bike towards yourself, and lifting your heel well off the ground on one foot while swinging the other over the frame. Rather than going to full vertical while stopped, you steer so that your first pedal stroke brings the wheels under your center. Most elegant is to start off by crossing your legs and stepping onto a pedal to get motion and balance happening, and then swinging your other leg over.

I knew a guy who had polio, and after many months in the hospital, he had forgotten how to turn while standing. He would take many little steps until he finally saw that other people would swing their shoulders first, and use that momentum to turn their feet without lifting them.

^ The third method is what I used to use. I don't understand how one gets enough forward momentum with the first two not to just fall immediately.

For canoeing, I had to have a canoe on land and practice stepping in and out of it. But that really didn't do it because water displaces when one enters a canoe on water and you lose your balance. I spent a LOT of time wet while learning to get in and out. Sometimes I had to crawl in and crawl out. Very embarrassing for someone who used to be elegant.

With the second method, you can also get the momentum of a full pedal stroke right away. If you want to launch from fully upright, hold on to a pole or wall. A minute with an assistant might also restore your reflexes, and tune them to your new ride.
Yes, canoes can be lots of fun for the unwary. Leaning over the stern can really destabilize a solo paddler. I've also seen a video of a girl in Indonesia stepping onto the gunwales of a dugout sunken at the dock, and just rocking it back and forth to rapidly bail it out.

Not having the ability to ride a bike is no more a liability than for someone who cannot play a musical instrument. Don't loose sleep about it.

I commend your dedication for assisting with suggestions, ideas and tips! Your enthusiasm to help someone is great to see and forms part of the reasons why WP is such a great place! Keep it up!

That is quite an accomplishment, stepping on the gunwales like that. I'm sure I couldn't do it. I did spend some time in Indonesia and the agility of the country people was amazing. I watched a small child climb high up a palm tree, just right up the trunk, hands and feet.

I will try your suggestions this weekend. I do so appreciate you taking the time to help me out here.