What tips would you give absolute beginners?
 

Buy a bike you feel comfortable on and buy the bike you fall in love with. Tick those two and you will ride the thing, get either wrong and you probably won't. Accept that in a year's time, your fitness and attitudes will probably have changed and you'll want a different bike... but you'll have the experience to help you choose your new bike.

Look for sales, even a Hybrid on sale for $350 from an LBS or Scheels or Dicks Sporting goods will offer at least a free tune up in the first year and some free adjustments before it goes out the door. The free adjustments could mean the difference of being comfortable and absolutely hating the bike.

Either the bike or exercise bike, can and will cause your leg muscles to fatigue quickly especially if your a very raw beginner. The thing to remember is our legs recover faster than any other part of our body. So, no matter if its ten minutes on the exercise bike or a mile or two on a regular bicycle, just getting off and walking the stiffness out can get you more ride in.

Setting goals and sticking to them is key. If you set a 5 mile goal and after 3.5 you think you can't go any further, get off, walk it off and get back on and continue your ride.

Learn the difference between pain and discomfort. Discomfort is just that and you can push past it. Pain, you stop and try to figure out the reason.

I would just take them on a short ride... show them how to do the stuff you need to do before each ride, pump up the tires etc. It's really easy to complicate this but you're just riding a bike. it shouldn't be a big deal.

Have fun. All you hope, want and expect from cycling will come in time ... but won't come at all if you don't enjoy riding at an elementary level. Have fun!

For complete beginners:
* Start with something really simple like a used bicycle or a beach cruiser. Low cost, and always nice to keep around for short rides even if you decide you don't like daily long-distance riding.
* Start by taking only short rides, and that can include just a simple 5-minutes ride around the block. IF that leaves you sore or tired, keep doing it until you feel comfy, THEN increase the distance. If that short ride works OK, maybe try something longer, and increase mileage as you feel capable of longer rides.
* Don't spend a ton of $$$ on a bicycle until you know you'll stick with riding, and have some idea of what you like (road, XC, MTB, touring bike, or . . . )

Watch out for cars.

The number one question I get about bike riding by everyone is, "Doesn't your butt hurt?" Let them know, yes, your butt will hurt, keep riding you body needs time to adjust to the saddle.

- learn/practice patching/changing tubes at home.
- left/right turn hand signals (IME most newbs use the car right turn sign with their left arm).
- don't cross cracks/rails in road at sharp angles.

Years ago, due to injuries and extreme loss of range of motion, I'd gotten back into cycling as part of the recovery and decided on this: a simple low-step bicycle with single-gear and coaster brake. (Not a choice for everyone, I realize.)

For me, given the issues I was contending with at the time, it helped me get on/off the bike much more simply. Nearly eliminated the risk of falling during getting on/off (due to range-of-motion issues). Made things simple, overall, if a bit harder up the rare gradual hills I needed to cope with. In short, it gave me a good boost for basic fitness, basic range of motion improvements, without having to worry about much else.

Choice of routes also helped, keeping those restricted to spots close enough to home and my destination so as to vastly reduce the risk of having to hoof it in case of break-down. Only had to do that once, and that was due to a part failure (through poor choice in parts, which was resolved quickly enough).

Another way: get a gym membership, and begin using the recumbent bicycles, "graduating" to the upright bikes when you're comfortable. If you get strong enough, fit enough and capable enough, then a suitable street/hybrid/MTB type bike would be suitable. If really starting from scratch.

Suggestion to consider: When you do get to the point of acquiring a bike, first head to a decent bike shop that has good fitting services. Get a proper fitting, prior to acquiring a "good" bike. You'll likely be happier in the long run. It'll fit better, you'll have fewer aches/pains when it's set-up properly, and you'll likely use it more.