Follow-up: New bike panic

[mimitabby]

6 miles isn't wimpy for a first ride! take it slow, at YOUR speed, you'll get more comfortable with the idea of being on the road, I promise!

[tulip]

I can't remember if someone suggested taking a road biking course in your last post about this bike. You might want to do that to gain some confidence and skills. League of American Bicyclists has such courses, and your bike shop might know of some, too.

You look great! Take the time you need. Nothing wrong with 6-mile bike rides!

[Grog]

Great ride!

+1 on the "league" or other bike handling + traffic skills course. They do wonders for your confidence, handling, and safety of course!

[RoadBunner]

haha! Kano, I reread what I wrote and it is unjustifiably harsh. DBF was not really making me feel bad about the speed, more giving me reality checks of what we were accomplishing. He did make me nervous, though, because I felt more comfortable with him leading and sometimes he'd go behind me and I'd be worried about not only what was going on ahead, but me braking suddenly and him rear-ending me. At one point we were coasting downhill and I had to yell for him to take the lead because I was braking all the way and was afraid he'd hit me since he's more comfortable going fast. I'm probably not giving him enough credit for his own bike skills and common sense, but I had enough to think about!

I just signed up for the Velo Girls bike handling clinic. Hopefully I won't be too much of a newbie for it! I'm hoping to join their Mellow Velo ride soon, too. The next REI tire change clinic is this coming Sunday and I'm planning on attending that, too (I think at that clinic they also go over road safety, too). Baby steps!

[KSH]

Hey, it sounds like you are working on getting the hang of it! Keep working at it. It will get easier and better.

Nice bike! So pretty!

Oh, and the bike on the back of the car... the Cervelo... that's my tri bike too! HA! I call her Buttercup.

[RoadBunner]

KSH, the Cervelo is DBF's bike. He'd be happy to hear someone else has one but I think I'd better not tell him you named yours "Buttercup!"

We used our rack for the first time yesterday. Of course we were both paranoid whether we did it right, the whole thing may fall off the back of the car, etc. As we were driving DBF said, "You know, if my bike fell off right now, I'd have to be honest...I'd cry." And I said, "You!? What about ME?! I haven't even gotten to ride mine yet!" (He's had his bike at least 5 years now!)

[VeloVT]

btw, is that a hitch-mounted rack? how do you like it? we had a trunk-mount rack briefly (decent quality, I don't remember whether it was Thule or Yakima) and didn't like it too much because a) it was hard to load two bikes and be sure they wouldn't scratch each other and b) the straps fastened over the top tube and the cradles for the top tube didn't really accomodate bf's shaped carbon top tube very well.

Yours looks like it would avoid those problems, while perhaps being a bit easier to load than a roof rack...

I'm actually quite happy with my roof rack -- but it is interesting to see all of the options and how they work.

edit: and duh, how could I forget -- what a gorgeous bike! Congratulations!