Learn to Ride - Children
“The BEST SESSION! Our instructor Lee was FANTASTIC! She was excellent and kind! The method was PERFECT…We loved the whole thing!” — A.C.
“I feel great and I learned biking without training wheels. My instructor helped me ride without touching the ground. I really liked her. My sessions were very fun.” — M.M., age 8
“I am writing in regards to my son, Lucas learning how to ride his bike w/o training wheels last night.…I was excited because I wanted to do this with him since last summer but was really unsure of how to start. …By the end of the night, by using your techniques, Lucas has become an “Official Bicycle Rider”. I am so glad I joined up for the course — not only for Lucas to learn to ride his bike — but also I learned about the safety aspect of gearing up for riding: how to fit the helmet properly and making sure the tires are fully inflated by checking the PSI. Those techniques you teach are so valuable. We thank Lee and the other staff members for the great experience. They are awesome. Happy Biking!!”
"You are a miracle worker. I can't believe I'm riding!" - J.C., age 14
Learn to Ride - Adults
“Riding a bike was something I always wanted to do and was afraid to try, and I had no one to really teach me but Coach Lee and Coach Jeni made it easy for me. I am elated that I did it right before my 75th birthday!” — N.P.
“With no history of riding a bicycle, I was nervous to start as an adult but needed to do so before moving out of NYC. Coach Lee was invaluable in helping me get over my fears, discover my tendencies and areas to improve upon, and once I could ride (much to my shock), she stayed helpful well after I was done with lessons. There’s no better way I can imagine to be taught how to ride a bike as an adult.” — E.S.
“As an adult who has tried to learn how to bike with friends, family and alone, I wanted someone who knew how to teach the first steps to bicycling Coach Lee was knowledgeable, encouraging and patient — but firm. She calmly answered all my questions by giving pragmatic explanations to which I was actually able to use. During my lessons, Lee was very attentive which was helpful because she was there to guide me whenever I had trouble moving on to the next step. With Coach Lee’s affable manner and positive attitude, I had a fun time learning to bike!! — S.S.
General Bike Coaching Sessions
“Lee was a great instructor. As someone who has not been on a bike for over 10 years, I needed someone to work slowly with me and understand my concerns of falling. After the first 20 minutes Lee made me feel so comfortable on the bike, I was ready to take off! Her attentiveness and support raised my confidence, I hope some day soon to own my own bike and ride it all around town! This is all thanks to Lee!!” — L.N.
“5 STARS! I feel much better, I want to do it again, soon!” — M.A.
“I had lost my confidence after an accident, and in a two-hour lesson, Lee had me handling my bike much more confidently. Her firm, yet understanding manner, sense of humor, and effective drills allowed me to do my first Central Park ride this season without panicking. The lesson was awesome, and Lee restored my faith that I can ride well again with some dedicated practice. She is part sports psychologist and part sensei, which is a great combination for a coach.” — S.T.
“We rode on the street, a great confidence builder! I’m more confident, and I learned proper braking!” — S.P.
“As a tri-athlete, most of my riding had been on closed courses with no vehicular traffic. My main focus was shifting for efficiency and going as fast as I could. Last year, however, I decided to start riding my bicycle to work and quickly realized that the anxiety produced from riding through Manhattan streets was not worth the exercise and cost benefit. After talking to Lee about my goals and my fears, we went out on a few rides to assess what I needed to do to increase my comfort level. Lee literally changed the way I ride and my way of thinking….We discussed visibility issues, bike maintenance, and keeping the lines of communication with other commuters clear… Now I feel much more comfortable riding in traffic, knowing I’m being safe and getting all the benefits that come with cycling to boot. I’m grateful!” — R.F.
“I said to myself, ‘Why don’t I just go back to CBC and Lee?’ So I did, and now I can navigate hills. Totally worth it.” — S.S.
So You Wanna Do a Triathlon 101
“I was immediately pleased that it was you because I was very at ease. I knew you from that ride from a year ago. You are genuine and sincere, so that I felt I can listen to you…When you said it could be done, because I already do most of it, that got the wheels in motion. You asked questions about day-to-day life, ‘What do you do? Oh, dog walker? Then you already do part of this, you can do this.’ But then, you are not blowing smoke up my a–, you said, ‘You are not going to win, you are not going to place, but you are going get one under the belt.’
“You pointed out the obvious to me that I already do this, showed me how it relates to the goal, and you are realistic about it. You said, ‘You are just going to finish and that’s what’s important.’ That’s what made it realistic for me.
“The days up to it, when you said, ‘This is what you need, this is how you lay it out it,’ went above and beyond….
“The day of the triathlon, I was still psyched, not so nervous, just excited and anxious about doing it — and confident because you were thorough in telling me what my needs would be for the day. Even when we are there, telling us how people were going to be. You had every aspect down pat, and shared it. ‘This is what might happen – people may be….….’
“And then during the race, you were encouraging, like the times that we saw each other. You were encouraging, it felt good to have you there! Then you were at the finish line. And then after I finished, you said, ‘S——, you are now a triathlete!’ You don’t ever expect to hear those words in your life! It was good.” — S.H.
Clipless Pedals 101
“It was very scary. It’s a scary thing, and…I found it very helpful. It was very helpful. I was not able to do it by myself. It could have been hurtful, messy, and you are just very thorough. And what you are saying is okay to follow. I didn’t realize how hard it was, and you had every answer for every bit of it…Most definitely I would recommend the class. I’d say, ‘Don’t do it on your own, and go see Lee because you might hurt yourself.’” — S.H.
City Cycling 101
“This was a very informative class, and the instructors were very knowledgeable and helpful.”
“I definitely plan on recommending this course to a friend. I think everyone in the city should take this. We learned about safety, the law, and the rules of the road.”
“What I found most useful and helpful about this course is when we were on the road riding and putting what we learned into practice.”
“I learned how to change a tire, riding in traffic, and had great teachers!”
“Our April course with Chuck and Lee was a success – they were fabulous and really gave us a great class.”
“Gears and shifting demystified — finally! The instructors were knowledgeable and patient in letting me progress as I needed to. I also learned many useful tips.”
CBC’s Bike Rides and Private Tours
“You really do take care of the details, from how to get there to where to park the bikes. The guides were amazing, friendly, and knowledgeable. It was so much fun! Did we have to finish so soon?!” — P.T.
“You guys obviously care about every rider, and we had so much fun! When’s the next one?” — A.E.
CBC's Other Services
“The folks at Bike New York connected Coach Lee with my son, Stormjames, who is working on his Boy Scout Eagle Project so that he earns the rank of Eagle. Stormjames’s project was to teach bike safety to children…Lee came prepared, she was full of enthusiasm, energy and ideas.
When Lee gave her safety talk, she presented the information in a way that engaged the children and held their attention. Clearly, the children were interested in what she had to say and show…On our drive home that evening, Storm reported that he thought that Ms. Lee was ‘pretty cool’ especially that she took the time to talk to him after [the presentations]. Now, from a fifteen-year-old boy, that speaks volumes.
All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.”