Those of us with hip or knee problems are encouraged to cycle; it's a form of exercise which provides great all-round health benefits without stressing the weight-bearing joints.
But we simply can't see ourselves doing it. At weekends, we are intimidated by the pumping legs and lycra-clad backsides crouched over racing bikes. Commuting to work, we shudder as cars pass perilously close to cyclists in their narrow, unprotected lanes.
If this is you, read on - and think again. Cycling doesn't have to be like this. You can do it your way, in different places, with different goals and different gear.
Imagine yourself exploring quiet country roads and trails; cycling home from the local shops with your purchases in a basket; joining your children on bike rides at the weekend; getting your 30 minutes of cardio exercise in the open air instead of the gym; or, yes, tackling the rail trail.
I know from my own experience that these things are possible. As a middle-aged woman totally lacking in physical courage whose previous cycling experience consisted of wobbling round a back lawn at age 10, I have bought a bike and learnt to ride it.
It was osteoarthritis in my right hip that drove me to it. My long-standing habit of wandering around hills and beaches was cut short by pain and the warning from a specialist that walking was putting extra strain on my hip joints. Cycling, he suggested. Or swimming.
For some months, I aqua-jogged at Moana Pool. But it got harder and harder to leave the fragrant morning air and the sun rising over the Otago Harbour and go inside to join the tortured souls toiling around a chlorinated lap pool.
So I borrowed an ancient mountain bike, bought a bike rack and a helmet, and wobbled around the periphery of the nearest playing field.
Starting and stopping proved tricky and so did that newfangled invention - gears. But I didn't fall off.
Encouraged, I tried the Ravensbourne cycle path. Big mistake. It's hard to know who was more at risk: me, as faster cyclists whizzed past with no warning, or walkers and dogs who wandered into my path oblivious to my panicked attempts to co-ordinate brakes, balance and steering.
Approaching an oncoming cyclist at a narrow part of the track, with a death grip on the handlebars (but unfortunately not the brakes), I scraped agonisingly along a wire mesh fence before collapsing at his feet.
He helped me up and, his face alight with the memory, recounted the wonder of his own first successful bike ride six decades previously: sailing down a steep Roslyn street on his father's bike with one leg under the cross bar which he was too short to straddle. Learning to ride a bike is much easier with the blissful ignorance and rubber bones of childhood.
That was my only real fall and, being a slow-speed crash, it did me no serious harm. But I didn't inflict myself on other living beings again until my cycling skills were better, practising furtively in the early morning around piles of gravel, the edges of sports grounds and golf courses, deserted roads and parking lots. After a few months, I rewarded myself with a bike of my own.
Eighteen months on, I still wobble a bit, am prone to botched take-offs and occasionally drop my bike while turning on gravel.
Given an easy track or empty road I can tootle along admiring the scenery and getting quietly fitter, while putting neither myself nor anyone else at risk. And unlike walking, cycling doesn't hurt a bit.
FIRST STEPS
1. Discuss your cycling plans with a doctor:
Cycling has many health benefits: it strengthens muscles, heart and lungs and keeps joints well oiled. But like all forms of exercise, it has risks attached.
If you are older, you are more likely to injure yourself if you fall, and to strain muscles and tendons through unaccustomed use. If a neurological condition has affected your balance, co-ordination, sight or reaction time, not surprisingly you may find cycling challenging. If you have heart disease or are very unfit, expert advice on how to train safely is absolutely crucial.
2. Borrow a bike:
This is important if you have never ridden before. The ideal learner's bike has fat tyres for balance, compactness and closeness to the ground for manoeuvrability and safety, and brakes that work.
A mountain bike with the seat dropped so you can sit on it with your feet on the ground would be ideal.
Note: Setting the seat low pushes your knees up high when you're pedalling and this can be uncomfortable. If your knees hurt on your practice bike, don't assume cycling is not for you. The bike you eventually get yourself will fit your body much better.
3. Get your gear together:
A helmet. It should be comfortable, lightweight, the right size and be labelled with the Australia and New Zealand Standards approved mark AS/NZS 2063.
A bike rack for your car and bungy cords to secure the bike to it, unless you can push your bike to your chosen practice spot.
Optional extras: A bike lock, a bell to warn people you're coming, a gel seat and/or padded bike pants for comfort, and a fluorescent vest.
4. Find a good place to practise:
If you are learning from scratch, a level or slightly sloping hard grass surface or an expanse of deserted asphalt is best. As you get more skilled, look for obstacles to ride around and between, and different surfaces. Stay off the road until you know what you are doing.
5. Don't listen to the knockers:
Learning to ride a bike as a child is no big deal, but for an adult it can be quite a challenge. Your friends and family might be bemused or concerned for your safety.
If you are sensible and realistic and your GP has given you the green light, don't let anyone deter you. Your pride is the thing most likely to get hurt - novice cyclists do look ridiculous. Get over it!