Quote Originally Posted by Kalidurga View Post
Any cars that pass us will be an element that I'm not used to, so I'll just have to pay more attention to what's going on around me and to maintaining my line. And if I do get uncomfortable, it'll still be a learning experience and therefore a worthwhile ride.
In my experience most cars will give a wide berth, but there are sometimes @ssholes who don't seem to move left at all. They seem to be the exception.


Ok, I always get confused by what's considered 'low' vs 'high' on a bike. I usually assume it's the same as on a car, so based on that the lowest combo on my pony is a 34/25. So far, it's gotten me up every hill I've attempted, though with some huffing and puffing (and grunting) and the occasional stop halfway up.
I think you've got that right, small gear up front and biggest gear in the rear gives the lowest gear ratio.

What I might need to work on for road riding is building up the strength to get into the higher gears on the big ring and go fast. What's your average speed on your rides, Nicole?
Since getting the new bike I rarely get up onto the largest chain ring. I can push it along around 20mph in the middle chainring. Yesterday, with a strong wind at my back I think I got up to my highest gear ratio and was pushing along in the high 20's.

I usually tend to push myself hard but I'm still building up strength and endurance. In general I average in the 15's for flatter routes and the 14's for hilly routes (hilly routes still wear me out). When I was on the eastern shore I had wanted to hit 16 but ran 5 minutes too slow over 28 miles.