Non bike rider grateful for any advice

[Ricror]

Hello there - I’m hoping for some advice here
Firstly let me point out I cannot yet even ride a bike but my local council is introducing a scheme to encourage women to take up cycling and I have registered my interest in that.
I’m getting a little confused as to which bike I need - specifically I want a folding bike that can alternate between being a traditional peddle bike and then can assist when peddling on any incline/hill
Finally - as I will probably only use it a couple of times a week price will be a major factor.

I would really welcome any advice any other members had to offer
Thanks in anticipation

 

[Woosh]

don't worry about pedalling without power.
Electric bikes are heavier than normal bikes but you can still pedal it without turning on the electrics.

 

[vfr400]

Why do you want a folding bike?

 

[Ricror]

Why do you want a folding bike?

I live in a one bedroom flat so room is scarce

 

[vfr400]

I live in a one bedroom flat so room is scarce

In case you don't know, most folded bikes are an awkward shape when folded, and they still take up a lot of space. It's much better to just fold the handlebars and pedals so it goes flat against a wall rather than fully folding it.

You can put folding pedals and quick release clamps on the stem to turn the handlebars 90 deg on any bike, so that you can make it flat against the wall. In that way, a full size bike takes more or less the same space as a folding one. It's just higher.

There are some bikes which fold up small, but they're not as good to ride as others.

 

[Gavin]

Hello there - I’m hoping for some advice here
Firstly let me point out I cannot yet even ride a bike but my local council is introducing a scheme to encourage women to take up cycling and I have registered my interest in that.
I’m getting a little confused as to which bike I need - specifically I want a folding bike that can alternate between being a traditional peddle bike and then can assist when peddling on any incline/hill
Finally - as I will probably only use it a couple of times a week price will be a major factor.

I would really welcome any advice any other members had to offer
Thanks in anticipation

When you say you cannot yet ride a bike, do you mean that literally?

If so I would recommend you get a cheap/ free (non electric) bike from freecycle/ gumtree/ ebay and try one out in various environments.

I say that because new electric bikes rapidly depreciate in value. If you buy one and decide you don't like cycling then you'll lose money trying to sell it.

Another possibility is that you'll enjoy riding, but might be nervous/ scared in traffic meaning that you want to only ride off road. This would then influence your choice of electric bike i.e. a folding bike MAY not be suitable.

 

[Ricror]

When you say you cannot yet ride a bike, do you mean that literally?

If so I would recommend you get a cheap/ free (non electric) bike from freecycle/ gumtree/ ebay and try one out in various environments.

I say that because new electric bikes rapidly depreciate in value. If you buy one and decide you don't like cycling then you'll lose money trying to sell it.

Another possibility is that you'll enjoy riding, but might be nervous/ scared in traffic meaning that you want to only ride off road. This would then influence your choice of electric bike i.e. a folding bike MAY not be suitable.

I literally cannot (yet) ride a bike. My local council is introducing a bike riding scheme to encourage women to take up riding. I hope to take this up and would like to ride a bike in my local park initially. As I will be only using it a couple of times a week I don’t really want to spend too much money. Also, at my age (58) I need a power assisted bike as I live in the north where it’s very hill

 

[vfr400]

Everybody can ride a bike as long as they don't have a mental of physical disabilty. I guess you mean that you haven't ridden one. Very soon, you'll be gliding down to the shops like the rest of us.

 

[Ricror]

Everybody can ride a bike as long as they don't have a mental of physical disabilty. I guess you mean that you haven't ridden one. Very soon, you'll be gliding down to the shops like the rest of us.

I hope so - I think the course includes bike maintenance too
TBH if it explained about brakes how to use them it would be a help

 

[Fat Rat]

Welcome