Yesterday I took my new spiffy 7.6 FX to a local church parking lot for another practice session. While the lot wasn't very wide, it was long enough for me to practice circuits around the lot - so I went around and around and... you got the idea. Over all I was pleased with how things went - starting/stopping was much easier and I felt like I had the bike under control. My body seems to be getting the idea

My bike wasn't wobbly, and I was even able to pick up a little speed! Ok, perhaps it might be a little early for that but it was fun. Shifting is a mystery, and riding in a straight line is a challenge, but I am working with an instructor who will help me with that. (With 50-year old bones, I figure that working with an instructor might save me some bruises).

During my ride I basically had my thumbs on the handle bars and my fingers were touching the brakes - not putting any pressure on them. I do have smallish hands though relatively longer fingers. Of course, by the end of my 45-minute session the base of my thumbs were aching. Is this a good hand position for a beginner, or am I teaching myself a bad habit? I like having my fingers there just in case I need those brakes...but I also know bad habits learned early are hard to break.