Hitting the road for the first time...

Hello everyone,

I'm new to road biking and my biggest fear is stopping and starting when riding in traffic. Actually, stop signs, red lights, turning and crossing in traffic is my biggest dilemma. I get light headed and vertigo while cars speed by me. I cam ride for miles and miles on paved rail trails and wide shoulders if I keep going straight, but forget it if I have to maneuver myself in traffic.

So, today I rode 7 miles in traffic to try to overcome my fears. Thanks to all who post on rid forum. You have given me great tips and advice! I love this forum.

Today, I made eye contact w/ drivers, signaled, waved and gave them smiles and nods. Anything to help the cause for us road bikers :). Worked on stopping while keeping one foot clipped in. I'm getting better at it. Even thigh I rode most of the time with only one foot clipped in (left foot) - my fault - I made an adjustment to my cleat and not sure what I did - will have to fix. I ride w/ Crank brothers candies pedals, which I use on my MTB. I love these pedals even though they are not cosidered true road bike pedals. I triedLOOK pedals, but I was not comfortable using them.

Also came across many road bikers and runners. Love the comradeship amongst us road riders - very friendly.

All I'm all had s good experience riding today and plan to put inore miles this weekend. Even though my fastest speed was only 22 mphr (dwnhill) the joy and freedom of riding felt great.

Keep on riding :)

p.s . When hand signaling where do you place your hands on the bar for balance?

Sounds like you enjoyed your ride. I've had my bike for a year, and I'm still not thrilled with the idea of riding in traffic. I go out at 6AM on weekends to avoid it. I frequently end up riding with one foot clipped in because of the lunatic traffic patterns around here. Doesn't help that I live right next to a major entertainment area (lots of bars, restaurants and little shops), so there are lots of people wandering or driving around who don't look where they're going. :rolleyes: I also hate turning left. I try to find routes with protected left turns.

In answer to your question, I'm on the hoods most of the time. If I'm signaling, I move my right hand back a little bit so it's on the part of the bar where it begins to curve downward.

By the way, who cares if your pedals aren't "real" road pedals? If you're comfortable with them, it doesn't matter. :D

Thanks Owlie for the tip on the handle bars. Will give it a shot tomorrow. My balance today was not so good on the hoods when I tried to signal, but will try slipping my hand down, per your suggestion.

Yes, I was thinking about getting up real early too, so I wouldn't have to deal with the traffic. Oh the things we will do :)

Keep riding:)

Try putting your hand on the top of the bars near the stem when signaling with the other hand. This should give you more balance and keep you from accidentally turning the bars.

Thanks... I will give that a try. I didn't get a chance to ride yesterday, but was able to get in 10 miles today. I did lose control of my steering a couple of times when trying to signal. I almost feel like I don't have enoug strength in my arms. I'll have to work those biceps:)

Welcome to TE. :) If you feel like you lose control or balance when you signal it might be a couple of things. First relax, NOW, d@mn it ;) :)

"Play piano" with your fingers on the bars. Make sure you don't have a death grip. It's counter intuitive I'm sure but in most situations the tighter your grip the less control of the bike. You steer with your core somewhat and not the bars. So loosen up and have fun. ;)

Sing, it'll drown out the screams in your head ":eek: eeek, I'm in traffic!" ;)

Look where you want to go always but especially turning.

As for the arms, sure we all could use stronger arms but if you feel a lack of strength in the arms it could be your core strength. Core strength on the bike seems more important keeping us upright, also will help the steering/balance thing.

Off the top of my head I can think of 3 things that would make it difficult to let go with one hand (besides just needing practice)

1. Weak core making you put too much weight on the bars, so you just CAN'T let go. You shouldn't be leaning on the bars. Like Trek said, if you can't ride with just your fingertips touching the bar ("playing piano"), something is wrong.

2. Saddle doesn't fit, so your body has automatically shifted weight onto your hands to protect your hoo-hah. (again, can't "play piano" when you ride, and can't let go with one hand)

3. Bike doesn't fit, cockpit too long so you are lunging out toward the bar and your center of mass is far forward of the cranks, leaving you weightbearing on the arms (can't play piano, etc.)

Wow ladies, thanks for the great tips!!!

1) Yes, I definitely need to relax and the death grip is a problem and I'm conscious of it. Will try the piano trick & and will - sing... it's definitely in my head.

2) Core strength - both of you are right; I did find when I lost control - if I took a deep breath and squeezed the seat with my thighs and sat upright a little more that I had better control, so definitely will work on my core/waist strength.

3) Bike and Saddle fit - I had my LBS fit me to the bike. I'm 5ft 2in and the bike is 48cm frame. They tested me with a 44cm frame and a 48cm but nothing in-between. My in-seam is roughly 28in. I think the fit is ok, and I've been playing with the saddle sliding it up and back. The saddle feels comfy. Yes, I definitely have a problem riding with one hand and have a fear of letting go. But, it's definitely something that I probably need to test out more to see if the reach is causing the problem; when I bend at my waist slightly forward I have more of a bend to my elbows. Will have to think about this more and play around with it some more. Will let you know.

Thanks again!!:)

You might want to investigate a cycling skills class. The League of American Bicyclists has classes in many cities (I'm assuming you are in the US; if not, perhaps there is a similar organization in your country).

Thanks Tulip. I will look into that and check it out. I guess biking just doesn't come naturally to me and I have to work at it. But I still love it all the same. BTW on my last post I mentioned I was 5ft 2" in height. I'm actually 5 1". Wishful thinking I guess :)

Hi everyone - just wanted to give everyone one last update on this thread. I did 10 miles tonight, but could have gone longer if I had not started so late - had to get home before it got dark. I made some adjustment to my bike. I moved the seat up more, which improved my reach and gave me a little better control of the bike & steering. Yes, I did sing, which helped me relax and kept my nerves in check. Thanks again for all the great tips - you have boosted my confidence and helped me to relax and enjoy the ride.

Keep on riding:)