FAQ

Q: How do I register?

Throughout this website you'll find yellow buttons that link you to our registration system.

• Choose by instructor. Click on a photo for info and registration links. Select your desired service, date, and time.

• Choose by  location. Scroll down that page for regional registration links. Select your desired service, instructor, date, and time.

• Choose from all options. Select your location, then follow the prompts from the next page.

Q: Am I too old to learn how to ride a bike?

If you can stand on one leg for 15 seconds you can almost certainly learn to ride confidently. Since 2001 we've taught thousands of students, ages 2 to 82. We often work with students with varying levels of physical and cognitive challenges.

Q: How long does it take to learn?  How long is a learn-to-ride lesson?

Learning rates vary. Many adults are pedaling in one 2-hour lesson and master all "Level 1" (learn to ride) skills in 2 lessons. For a first lesson we suggest 2 hours for adults and older teens, 90 minutes for young teens, and 60-75 minutes for younger kids. Some lucky students learn in just one lesson but usually it takes two or more, even many. It is impossible to predict how long it will take to learn.

Q: Do you provide bikes for first-time riders?

Some of our instructors have bikes for students, it depends on the location and number of students. Our instructors may or may not have enough bikes for 2 or 3 person lessons. Let us know your height(s) when you book your lesson.  If you already have a bike, please bring it so we can do a safety and fit check for you. We bring tools for adjustments and minor repairs. Please bring your own helmet.

Q: Will my bike work for the lesson?

For new learners, a bike you can sit on with both feet flat on the ground is best. A hand-brake is best because we remove pedals for learning to balance. More experienced bicyclists should have a bike where the seat can be raised to tip toe length or higher.

Q: What are the prerequisites for your handling skills lesson?

The student should be able to ride in a straight line using only one hand on the handlebars so they can signal with the other. It is best if you can ride with either hand steering but most important in the US is to be able to use your left hand for signaling. Students must have their own bike and helmet.

Q: What are the prerequisites for your ride along coaching lesson?

The student should be able to ride in a straight line while looking directly back over their shoulder as well as be able to signal a turn with either hand. Students must have their own bike and helmet.

Q: Where should I buy a helmet?

Bike helmets are best purchased from a bike shop such as the ones we recommend on our resources page but a helmet bought from any brick and mortar store is ok because they are all legally required to have undergone verified safety testing. Please do not buy a helmet online because helmets bought online may not have been safety certified. Used helmets are risky as there's seldom any information about whether they've been involved in a crash or mistreated and may no longer function properly if you crash.

Q: Where should I buy a bicycle?

It's best to buy a bicycle from a bike shop that also repairs bikes so that it has been assembled correctly and the shop can fix anything that might go wrong with the bike. We highly recommend the shops listed on our resources page. And we strongly discourage buying bikes from big box stores like Target, Walmart, Costco, etc., despite their often attractive prices. These bikes are very poorly made, hard to adjust or fix, and usually not assembled correctly. For much more information about e-bikes, see our e-bikes page.

Q: Where are lessons available?

We meet clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, at schools, parks, and parking lots we've carefully selected to be ideal for learning to ride. Cities include San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Sunnyvale, Alameda, Fremont, Hayward, Los Altos, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Stanford, and Marin County. Our Handling Skills lessons can be done at many more locations and our Ride-A-Long coaching on streets can be done from wherever you would like to start to wherever you would like to go. For lessons away from an instructors normal location, instructors may add an additional time & transportation charge to be paid directly to them either in advance or at the time of the lesson.

Q: Is this 1-on-1 or a group class?

We offer 1-, 2- and 3-student private lessons by appointment booked thru BicycleSolutions.fullslate.com.
We also offer classes and other educational services for schools, businesses, and governments. Contact us for more information about these. For 2 or 3 student lessons and group classes, you need to provide the entire group of students. Bicycle Solutions cannot find other students to join your session. We often teach friends together or parents and kids. Siblings can sometimes be challenging due to competition or jealously and we often have better success teaching them individually. If you do have siblings attend together make sure they all know (even twins) that different people learn at different rates, don't give up and keep trying and everyone can learn!