BigDLou,

Welcome to cycling. I'm brand spankin' new myself, so can completely understand how intimidating it is.

I was really worried about shifting gears, too, and I still mess up and make awful noises with my bike sometimes as I try to find the right one, but it's much easier to do than it is to understand in theory. It really helps when you have the bike in front of you and you start to remember what different things feel like. I tried reading the descriptions of shifting before I rode a multi-gear bike, and just got lost. It also helped me to find a few that could get me through most situations and not mess with all of them at first.

I don't know what's in your area, but I started out riding a year ago with a used one speed that I got for about $150 from my local bike shop. It was an easy, not-intimidating, low-commitment way to start. I think you should go for gears, though. It's so much more fun to be able to go a little faster. And believe me, the one-speeds can be killers on the hills. I think you'll have more fun with gears, even if they're a little scarey at first.

I think this site is especially helpful because it just shows us how many different types of women get out there and ride.

Good luck!