New, but loving it.

[amy]

It's funny, but I never thought I would be looking for speed. While something was calling me to cycling, it was a terrifying proposition. I've kinda been feeling like this will be my comfy commuter and if I really get into it, I'll have another for speed. But maybe I'll just decide this one isn't working.

I actually wanted to mountain bike, but no one was interested in going with me. The funny thing is the only place I've ever done it is the U.P. My grandmother lives in Calumet. You're practically neighbors.

[RolliePollie]

Welcome! This is the best site I've ever found on the internet. Not only a wealth of information, but a great group of supportive & funny women!

Sounds like you may end up with two bikes! But that would be great, right? Then you could do both road and off-road rides. The nice thing about a mountain bike is that you can pretty much ride it anywhere. I started with a road bike and there is definitely a HUGE learning curve. I'm not quite there yet, but after 6 months of riding, I do ok. If you do end up getting a road bike, you'll probably do just great with it since you're already used to riding!

[amy]

Thanks Sara. I needed that. If I had really sucked, I probably would have given up. OK, I love my bike again.

[boy in a kilt]

Forgive me if this sounds insulting, but here's basically how your gears work. The bigger the difference between your front ring and rear cog, the farther each wheel goes for one rotation of the cranks.

I'm a big believer in playing around with things to figure them out. Take your bike out for a ride and experiment with your gears. As you get to know your gears, you'll figure out what they are good for.

[Torrilin]

I read about gearing online. I drive stick, so it sort of made sense. Then I got on the bike and was confused.

So I decided to try doing a ride on one chainring, and only change the back gears. Did another ride on a different chainring. And the third. One chainring was comfy, and gave me many useful gears. One chainring was harder, with less gears I could use, and the last one I could only use a couple gears. The small chainring had the most gears I could use (I was *very* out of shape for cycling when I started). The middle chainring was not as useful, and I couldn't really do much with the big chainring.

Now, I spend most of my time on the middle chainring. I've learned each chainring has a gear combo that's a comfy "medium" gear for me (1/8, 2/5, and 3/3). But most of the time, the bike's an 8 speed. For most stop signs, 2/3 is a good gear. After a stop, I accelerate to 2/5. If I'm feeling especially strong, I may cruise along at 2/6 or 2/7. If a hill is kicking me in the *** a bit, I may drop down to 2/1. I do use the little and big chainrings, but it's not a daily thing for me. They're mostly for hills.

As you build up your mental chart for your bike, it will get easier. You'll also get stronger. The more I practice, the more often I get to zoom past someone on a road bike while I'm carrying a load of groceries *eg*.

[rij73]

Welcome!

I've been where you are exactly. I got a hybrid in April. It was my first bike since childhood. I had to overcome some fears to start going fast on it, but once I did, I was hooked! In July I upgraded to a beautiful road bike. I needed those interim months to learn about cycling, get comfortable on a bike, and figure out exactly what I would want in my dream bike. It was an indispensable part of the process for me.

I sold my hybrid since I really can't justify two bikes. But, if you are commuting, I would imagine that the mountain bike could be perfect for that and you could have a road bike for recreation. I don't commute (work from home, lucky me) and all my errands are within 5 blocks of my apartment, so it just didn't make sense for me.

[Thalia the muse]

Torrilin, thank you for that! I'm a total newb -- I just bought the first bike I've owned since college on Saturday. Needless to say, technology has marched on since the late '80s/early '90s (and I rarely shifted on the POS garage-sale 10-speed I had then anyway, because it always made the chain fall off).

Now shifting is a piece of cake because my new bike has numbered handgrip shifters so I can see what I'm doing, but I've been staying on the 2 ring and just shifting through the middle set of gears. Even little kills totally kick my butt and kill my thigh muscles; it doesn't help that my comfort bike weighs a zillion pounds. I think you've inspired me to experment more seriously with the 1 ring for a while.

I have a stupid question, though -- When I'm in 2/1 and I shift to 1, won't I end up in 1/1 and have the peddles spinning frantically because there's no resistance? That's why I haven't used the left shift yet ... Are you supposed to simultaneously take the other cog up to 6 or 7? Or do one first and then the other? Or what???