falling for no reason

[Torrilin]

My big question is....how do I get over the fear of hitting a pothole when going downhill and there are cars nearby? I am terrified of crashing while going really fast.

Go down more hills.

Your bike can take relatively large potholes with no trouble if you keep after tire pressure and use suitable tires for the road conditions. 28-35mm on a road bike should handle most small potholes, even if you don't steer to avoid 'em. Plus, as you practice riding a moving bike, you'll learn that it's very easy to get it to twitch to avoid obstacles.

Unless you have very steep hills or very long ones, you won't get going very fast downhill if you coast. I would top out at 35 mph or so coasting off an 18% grade, which was the posted speed limit for the hill (thus, no pedaling down it trying to go faster). If your speed feels excessive for the conditions, use short gentle bursts of braking to slow down, and make use of both the front and rear brake. Slamming on the brakes or trying to hold your speed to a comfortable flat speed are good ways to have accidents. Comfy flat speed means there's a chance of your brakes overheating and not working as well. And slamming on the brakes is a good way to go over the handlebars.

It is *very* sane to be scared of going down hills if you haven't practiced it. But the more you practice, the better you'll get. Keep reminding yourself that you go the posted speed limit in a car, and it's ok for a bike to go that fast. Roads are designed to take traffic going a good 10 mph over the posted limit.

About the only thing I wouldn't do is try to walk down the hill if it's too scary. Bikes can get really squirrelly on downhills, and it'd be easy to lose control of the bike.

[AmyO]

Thanks, Torrilin. that all sounds like good advice. I think you're right...I just need to do more of it. Never having had a bike this light or this responsive before, I think more time and more frequency is what I need. I've only gone about 80 miles or so. One of these days I'll find a group to ride with.

Zencentury, thanks for letting me know I'm not the only squirrelly one. Love the monkey!