All right, I’m figuring this biking thing out.
I’m up in Maine for April Break to be near family and the ocean, and having a great time riding on less trafficked roads, gaining confidence in a safer area than suburban Massachusetts.
I can shift up and down, and I understand that the left hand controls the 3 big cogs (which I think of as like changing the “10s” place) and the right hand controls the larger number of small gears (which is like changing the “1s” place).
I figured this out from watching a YouTube video on changing gears (searched for the brand name listed on the bike) and from reading “The Everything Cycling Book” all about how gears work, and from having Greg hold up the bike and show me the gears changing while we pedaled by hand.
I have gone for two 5 mile bike rides where I didn’t fall over, lose control, or ever really fear for my life.
Current challenges:
Clipping in: It still takes me too long to clip into the bike (clipping out is easy, just lead with the ankle). I can circle the parking lot 4 times just trying to clip in. This will need to be addressed. More YouTube videos perhaps.
Looking over my shoulder: I need to practice this in a driveway or empty lot; I’m scared to practice much on the road here because if I lose my balance it could be really dangerous.
Signaling: I’m scared to let go of the handlebars to signal. This is currently fine since the 5 mile loop I do is straight with no stops until I get to a dead end, where I circle around and head back. It’s also 25 miles per hour with a steady police presence… couldn’t ask for better cycling for a beginner! But not being confident enough to lift a hand and signal is not acceptable long-term.
Shifting: I’ve got it figured out, but need to gain experience and finesse at being in the right gear to cycle more efficiently. I also need to shift better in advance of hills; there was one hill where I didn’t shift in time, and it was only thanks to spin classes at CycleBar that I made it up the hill without falling over, it was so hard to pedal. And shifting when you’re barely upright didn’t seem like a good idea, so I just powered through rather than risk falling over into the road.
So… progress.
A little at a time.
I’m used to that.
