willowofoak

That said, I decided to learn how to ride a bike at the lovely age of 27. I do wonder what is the best bike type to get as a beginner who is very much of a beginner in every sense of the word. I aim for something casual, something I could ride to town and such. Maybe a cruiser. I do very much like the look of a beach cruiser.

I am 5'6", if that matters. And I am not perfect with my own balance, so does that mean I should get a lighter bike? Wider tires?

Flip Flop Rider

training wheels maybe

BookFinder 

I'm trying to decide if this is a serious thread or not.

exmechanic89

If a cruiser floats your boat, buy one. They're fine for casual riding of the type you escribe, OP.

Lazyass

Good starter bike.

SquidPuppet

Neither of your parents, or siblings, or neighbor friends rode bikes when you were a child? How did you get to school, the store, the library, part time job, the movies, the burger joint, or friend's houses before you got a drivers license and a car?

I'm not judging, I'm just blown away. From kindergarten to high school junior, my bikes were how I got around.

Get a cruiser and learn like children do. Lower the saddle all the way down, and do NOT attempt to pedal. Just scoot along using your feet on the ground until you start to get the feeling of balance. Once you "get it", raise the saddle to an appropriate height and go for it.

Wear gloves while learning. Your hands are the first thing to hit the deck while you are trying to save your face.

BookFinder 

This is good advice.

Boondocksaints

I taught my 30 year old GF in less than one hour - no falls or hiccups.

Just get a bike and lower the saddle - enough that your feet can reach the ground while you're sitting in the saddle.(not too low but low enough where you can tiptoe with both feet while sitting.)

Then simply kick with your feet and try to balance and ride. Don't put your feet on pedals, but keep both of them hanging in the air. Keep doing this until you can go straight without tipping over. If you tip over to one side, simply put your foot down on that side so you don't fall.

Then practice a little turning. This shouldn't take that long to get to this step.

When you get a little more comfortable going straight (without having to put foot on ground,) try putting feet on pedals and pedal. This is still with the seat low. Voila - you are riding a bike.

Practice this a little bit, then when you are more comfortable, you can raise the seat to a proper height.

It's really super easy.

GoldenThiefBug

I used to work at a coop bike shop and as surprising as it might sound, I had to build a few dandy horses for adults over 40yo, not knowing how to bike or swim is sort of common where I live. They were all very happy with their cheap 5-10€ bike with 650A wheels and pegs instead of the BB/crankset. This would let them commute to work feeling secured on the bike, not scared of crashing. They'd usually come back a few weeks later, once they were confident with bicycles, to exchange the fake bike for a proper one.

willowofoak

Thank you for the tips, I will keep that in mind. However, that's not what I asked. I asked what's a good bike type for a beginner who sucks at balancing? A heavier bike? A lighter bike? Wider tires? Thinner tires?

willowofoak

There's a fake bike type? I think I'll stick with a real bike. If I spend money on something, I'd be more motivated because I don't have that much to spend around so I better get some use of it, lol.

Let's keep the bike jargon down for this newbie. All of that went over my head.

willowofoak

I ought to refer to who I'm posting to, I guess, since this thing won't let me quote people until I have a certain amount.

But yes, this is a serious post. I don't have siblings. My mother doesn't know how to bike and is far more suckier with her balance while I'm willing to take more risks than her. My father tried to teach me how to ride a bike when I was a kid for like a minute until he gave up, and never again, because he's that type of person, leaving it lightly. I didn't have other neighbor friends since I kept to myself. I just walked or use public transportation until I could drive.

Squid Puppet, I'll take that approach as well.

FBOATSB

Seriously, pretty much any bike will do. Just make sure it is small enough to lower the saddle enough to touch ground and then raise back up for proper fit. Just by one that strikes your fancy and meets your budget.

ironwood

Unfortunately there are places in the US where it isn't safe for kids to ride a bike.

If you're worried about balance try a scooter first.

When bicycles became popular in the 1890s, many adults learned to ride them. They couldn't learn as children because bicycles didn't exist for most of them.

02Giant 

None of that really makes a difference. If you like the looks of a cruiser, go that route.

Retro Grouch 

Try Googling "crank forward bicycle". They have lower seats so you can put both feet flat on the ground. You sit more upright on it so the seats tend to be a bit wider than most conventional bikes.

blakcloud

As most people have said, any bike will do (except for Lazyass, who is just being himself once again). I like the video Boondocksaints posted, not just because it covers the basic but showed a nice style of bike to ride for your first time. A step through frame with hand brakes. Retro Grouch also made a great suggestion with crank forward bicycles, something like the Electra Townie. Buy a bike that you feel you will use after you learn to ride. Good luck.

The only bike I wouldn't buy is something with a kickback brake system or commonly called a coaster brake. Brakes that use levers at the handle bars will make learning easier.

europa

Firstly, I can't believe some of the stupid responses above. For what little it's worth, my sister is in her 50s and can't ride a bike though in her case, she has some balance issues coupled with fear issues (I think landing in that rose bush as a kid has something to do with it).

For the bike, buy whatever you like and feel comfortable on. While there's a lot to be said for buying a hybrid or similar, you may not like them. Fat tyres or skinny tyres make no real difference. About the only advice I'd give is to shy away from full on racing bikes because these are less forgiving that some other bikes, but there are plenty of bikes that look like racing bikes but are designed with more stable geometry and hence are easier to ride. You will find it easier to learn to ride on a bike that has you sitting more upright, and for that, read my thoughts below.

Buy what your heart tells you to buy, NOT your head - my biggest disasters have all been carefully thought out before hand. The only caveat to that is not to buy an expensive bike for the simple reason that cycling may not work for you. On the other hand, if you love your bike, you will ride it more, if you're secretly disappointed, you won't.

Learning to ride is relatively simple if you take it quietly. Set the saddle low so you put your feet on the ground while seated, then raise it as you get more confident. Having a friend help is good, especially someone to go riding with you but you don't have to be, there's nothing wrong with being a lone wolf.

An alternatives to buying a new bike would be to find a bike coop near you. You may be able to pick up a very cheap bike and maybe get some help learning to ride. You might also consider donating the bike back once you're stable on the bike and buy a nice new one. If you're lucky enough to have hire bikes or a public use bike scheme, make use of that to get you riding.

Best of luck. Let us know how you get on.

BlazingPedals

I like the advice about lowering the seat. My additional advice is to remove the pedals while you're learning to balance. You won't need them, and they'll just catch your ankles. (Ouch!) It shouldn't take you too long to learn that steering into the fall recovers your balance. Start at a slow walk and learn to glide as you get better. When you're confident of your ability, put the pedals back on and go for a ride.

For kids, they now have 'balance bikes' which are essentially the same thing - bikes with no cranks, pedals, or chain. You just push them around in Flintstone mode. My granddaughter has one and at 2 1/2 years old she can paddle that thing all over.

jefnvk

I'm kind of curious if everyone above who can't believe someone never learned to ride a bike as a kid learned everything I did as a kid. If not, why?

Before going out and buying a bike to learn on, is it possible you have any friends that can loan you one and help to get you started? If not, or you really want to buy, cruisers are really easy to ride and fairly cheap to buy. You may not find them to your liking once you get more into it, though. I can't stand being on the things for more than a few minutes, but they are indeed easy to ride.

As others have said, something with a low seat that you can flatfoot sitting on, and hand brakes will make the job easier. If you get a bike with gears, put it in an easy gear and leave it there until you get the basics of balance and propulsion down.

BobbyG

You are on the right track. A simple single speed (no gears) beach cruiser with coaster brakes ("pedal backward" brake) with a step-through frame (for being able to stand up over it) and a lowered seat to begin with. My gut feeling is that a heavier bike is easier to balance since more of the weight is "stationary" as opposed to a squirmy human body, and newton's law, (bodies in motion tend to stay in motion).

Depending on how hilly it is where you live this single speed cruiser may be tough to pedal up hills, or not very fast, but that is not its purpose; its purpose is to build confidence.

This bike will be easier to become confident with, after which you will discover what kind of riding you prefer, and that will determine what kind of bike you will desire next. (Like an upright city bike, or a more speed oriented road bike). Your next bike will most likely have gears, which will almost always dictate hand brakes. (Although some internal-geared hubs have coaster brakes, but don't worry about any of that now.)

If it turns out you really do have some sort of physiological balance issues There are several types of adult tricycles from upright cruiser-style trikes with two wheels in back, to sportier, lower trikes with two wheels in the front.

But chances are your lack of "perfect" balance is a confidence issue, and a simple beach cruiser like you mentioned is a great bike to build your confidence.

I also liked the video boondocksaints posted.

Good luck and have fun.

Maelochs

Little kids learn to ride bikes ... and they all had to learn how to Walk first. OP can learn to ride a bike easily ... he is smarter than a little kid (though not so sure how smart it was to come here for advice on cycling.)

I second the suggestion made by Lazyass ... but make sure you get it in my size so I can buy it when you sell it at a huge discount next year.

I'd say, don't worry about taking the pedals off or any of that, and unless you have a neurological condition, don't worry about balance. You don't fall down while walking, do you? Your balance is fine. You are just a little nervous.

The reason we can ride bikes is that gyroscopic force holds them upright once we get going. The hardest part is starting out and going slowly ... but if you lower the seat enough, you won't fall over and after about three tries you will realize how easy it is.

Then you can come back here and post about how excited you are to be riding a bike ... and we will tell you you are doing it wrong, it is the wrong bike, has the wrong gearing, has the wrong components, has the wrong paint, and you aren't wearing the correct clothing ... that's what we do.

rydabent

Good advice!! Or depending on what your cycling goals are, go with a trike. Everyone can simply ride off on a trike with no problems at all.

prj71

This has nothing to do with bike type.

It's all you that affects the balancing. Not the bike.

Although I'm still wondering if this thread real or not.

Clyde1820

For truly beginning, this is what I'd suggest as well.

There are simple, step-through type frames out there that are built in a "cruiser" style. Something, say, like the Next LaJolla bike. Can be found, used, for <$50. Single gear, kick brake, low-step frame so it's easy to get on and off, and very comfortable riding position. No great shakes up hills, given it's only a single gear, but it's simple and reliable. These can support "balloon" (cruiser-type) tires, up to 2.1" or so.