I bought my road bike last winter. The first bike I test rode was at REI. They sent me out to the back parking lot all by myself. Good thing too, because I immediately tipped over and fell on the pavement (luckily, no damage to the bike). I hadn't been on a bike in at least 15 years and had NEVER been on a road bike. Next I went to my LBS. I was very nervous about riding one of their bikes in front of them. So I told them I didn't know what I was doing and that I had fallen test riding a bike at REI...I basically made fun of myself to try and keep it light. That way, I figured if I fell over or looked like a fool, maybe we could all just laugh about it. I also figured that I wouldn't be the first person they'd encountered who looked like an idiot. I used the curb to help me get on the bikes, I didn't use the cages on the pedals, and I went really slow. I didn't fall, but I was wobbling all over the place. None of the LBS folks seemed to notice. I'm sure they're very used to newbies! You can do it! It can be potentially embarassing, but oh well!