New, but loving it.

[amy]

I've been reading for a few weeks. I figure it is time to say hello. So, I bought my first bike about a month ago with the ultimate goal of commuting to work 16 miles. I work long hours at the hospital and I figured it would provide time for just me (and an opportunity to work off all the junk patients bring and I happily eat).
I got a Novara mountain bike mostly because a road bike's skinny tires terrified me and I loved the disk brakes. I took off the tires and put slicks on. I really was enjoying it and even though I was terrified, I decided to buy clipless pedals last weekend. I got Forte Campus Pedals (per someone's recommendation here) and Cannondale shoes. I played around in an empty parking lot and then rode 10 miles and I DIDN'T FALL! And I really liked it.
Now I'm feeling more confident and worried that I should have just gotten a rode bike. I'm working really hard to keep up with my sister on her road bike (She's new to it). But when I was riding last weekend my husband said it looks like I'm not taking advantage of my gears and that's why I'm slow. He, of course, is an inline skater and couldn't really tell me how to do it better (or at least not in a way that didn't irritate me) So, how the heck do I learn to use my gears better? Any suggestions?

[Di bear]

When pedalling gets too easy, switch to a higher gear. When it gets difficult, switch to a lower gear. That's it in a nutshell.

Reality: a road bike will be faster than a mountain bike minus other factors. The slicks are nice, but there is nothing like a lightweight, aerodynamic bike with skinnies when it comes to speed on the roads. With your mountain bike, you will have more "rolling resistance" than your sister does. If you want to go faster on the road, get a road bike.

As a mountain biker, I would then suggest that you put the knobbies back on the bike and take that puppy out on some trails! Oh, yeah! I like road biking, but the mountain biking helps me work out a lot of stress, but I'm a more aggressive personality.

Enjoy!

[amy]

It's funny, but I never thought I would be looking for speed. While something was calling me to cycling, it was a terrifying proposition. I've kinda been feeling like this will be my comfy commuter and if I really get into it, I'll have another for speed. But maybe I'll just decide this one isn't working.

I actually wanted to mountain bike, but no one was interested in going with me. The funny thing is the only place I've ever done it is the U.P. My grandmother lives in Calumet. You're practically neighbors.

[RolliePollie]

Welcome! This is the best site I've ever found on the internet. Not only a wealth of information, but a great group of supportive & funny women!

Sounds like you may end up with two bikes! But that would be great, right? Then you could do both road and off-road rides. The nice thing about a mountain bike is that you can pretty much ride it anywhere. I started with a road bike and there is definitely a HUGE learning curve. I'm not quite there yet, but after 6 months of riding, I do ok. If you do end up getting a road bike, you'll probably do just great with it since you're already used to riding!

[amy]

Thanks Sara. I needed that. If I had really sucked, I probably would have given up. OK, I love my bike again.

[boy in a kilt]

Forgive me if this sounds insulting, but here's basically how your gears work. The bigger the difference between your front ring and rear cog, the farther each wheel goes for one rotation of the cranks.

I'm a big believer in playing around with things to figure them out. Take your bike out for a ride and experiment with your gears. As you get to know your gears, you'll figure out what they are good for.

[Torrilin]

I read about gearing online. I drive stick, so it sort of made sense. Then I got on the bike and was confused.

So I decided to try doing a ride on one chainring, and only change the back gears. Did another ride on a different chainring. And the third. One chainring was comfy, and gave me many useful gears. One chainring was harder, with less gears I could use, and the last one I could only use a couple gears. The small chainring had the most gears I could use (I was *very* out of shape for cycling when I started). The middle chainring was not as useful, and I couldn't really do much with the big chainring.

Now, I spend most of my time on the middle chainring. I've learned each chainring has a gear combo that's a comfy "medium" gear for me (1/8, 2/5, and 3/3). But most of the time, the bike's an 8 speed. For most stop signs, 2/3 is a good gear. After a stop, I accelerate to 2/5. If I'm feeling especially strong, I may cruise along at 2/6 or 2/7. If a hill is kicking me in the *** a bit, I may drop down to 2/1. I do use the little and big chainrings, but it's not a daily thing for me. They're mostly for hills.

As you build up your mental chart for your bike, it will get easier. You'll also get stronger. The more I practice, the more often I get to zoom past someone on a road bike while I'm carrying a load of groceries *eg*.

[amy]

Thanks so much to everyone. This really helps. I spend my time in a limited amount of gears, but perhaps that is just where I am physically at this point. I will keep playing... and keep riding.

[Jo-n-NY]

I began years ago riding a hybrid which I rode for many years and wouldn't even thing of riding a road bike, for reasons like you said the skinny tires. Five years ago or (6 hmmmm) I had trouble keeping up with my husband so he got me a Specialized Sirrus, skinnier tires, but not as thin as a road bike and straight handle bars. I was very happy with that for a while, but with my confidence level increasing and everyone I rode with had a road bike, I finally took the plunge and dh got me a roadbike. I did in babysteps, but for me it was the right way and I absolutely love to ride and like most everyone else here, live to ride.

~ JoAnn