Comment by prmoustache 3 days ago
Actually that is what we use to teach adults how to ride bikes. They get it much better if they get used to push the bicycle for a couple of hours, plus mounting dismounting it in a standstill. It teaches them they can control it and it doesn't appear like some external contraption whose sole purpose is to make them crash.
In the MTB world they invented dropper seatpost which allows the seat to slide up or down depending of the riders need. Usually they want it out of the way in the downhills.
Turns out it is also really useful when you are using your bike in a urban area and want the seat down at the traffic lights and I can see those becoming popular on city bikes in the next few years.
Right now there is one particular city/step-thru kind of bike that sports one because it is built to also handle dirt paths:
The Marin Larkspur 2 https://www.marinbikes.com/ww/bikes/2021-larkspur-2
So you could totally buy a bike this bike in your size, sliding down the saddle and removing the pedals to use it as a balance bike for a little before you get confident enough to use it with pedals.
Additionally I think it looks super cool. I don't need it, yet I want one for myself. I think they just released an e-bike version that I may gift to my partner.
There are obviously tradeoffs involved (weight/size & high speed stability), but a trike/e-trike might work out well too if you're looking for other options.
Especially as a cargo carrying bike they're pretty cool.
I used to have a trike in college till it got stolen. I was always skittish of taking it on the road given most 'bike lanes' are painted gutters about as wide as that trike was.
Bikes (at least used to) come in different frame sizes. If ordinary commuter bikes don't any more, at least mountain bikes still tend to, as I understand it. And those have the top tube of the frame lower anyway, and with that usually also the top end of the saddle tube (that the saddle post slides in).
At 5'10" -- which is about my height (am I 5'9½"?) -- I'm fairly sure there exist bicycles that let you put the saddle low enough that you can reach the ground with your feet. [1] Sure, pedalling isn't super-comfortable at that height; it's a bit more effort than if you have your legs almost straight at the lower end of the stroke (but then you can't reach the ground while on the saddle). But it's not all that bad, and it certainly doesn't wholly prohibit the use of the bike.
Once you've used it for a while and got your sense of balance, you may not need the option of foot-on-the-ground-from-the-saddle any more, so you'll be able to raise the saddle to the "correct" (=more comfortable for pedalling) height. Or if not, the little bit of inefficiency will mean a more efficient workout! :-)
And hey, if you're really nervous about finding your balance, do what everyone recommends for little kids and remove the pedals, and use it as a "balance bike" to begin with. Anyway, I'm convinced you should be able to find a used mountain or "ladies" (=step-through) bike to try this stuff out on. Talk to the folks at a bike shop, they're often (not always, of course) knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and therefore helpful. Good luck!
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[1]: Dunno how tall the guy in the video is, but this sure looks like it should fit you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV88C5ZK0x0 . Not that I think you need that super-heavy brute, specifically, but the frame looks like quite a lot of mountain bikes you see around. So here's a cheaper alternative that also looks OK(ish, for its price). : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLPpTFLgEb4 .
I'm an adult with cerebral palsy and it's been a lifelong dream of mine to learn how to ride a bike as an adult. I feel like I may have just enough balance to make it work.
My biggest problem with learning to ride a bike is they seem to assume the user has a certain amount of flexibility and range of motion. Also in order for me to have 'feet on the ground' I have to be off the seat. If I'm off the seat all of a sudden I'm straddling a massive metal crossbrace that's uncomfortably close to 'the boys'.
This post has me wanting to find a women's cruiser and remove the pedals. I'm ~ 5'10" I should be able to find a bike where I can easily touch the ground from the saddle