What Lisa said... Robert Hurst's The Art of Urban Cycling (the second edition is simply called The Art of Cycling) is probably the best little handbook out there for urban and suburban cyclists.

If you're uncertain about riding in traffic or the open roads, one thing you might look for is one of the League of American Bicyclists' courses on cycling. The basic course is referred to as "Road I", though you usually see if advertised as something more descriptive like "Smart Cycling" or "Street Cycling." This is a good basic intro to getting around town or wherever on your bike, with a good helping of traffic law, safety principles, and staying out of (or getting out of ) trouble with your bike. About half the course is hands-on (or better said, butts-on) the bike. Check the web page here to find one in your community, or at least for a list of instructors in your state to call up and say, "hey, I want to take a bike class." I'm sure they'll be glad to help out: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/e...e_schedule.php .

Does one of the local bike instructors, bike shops, or bike clubs sponsor "Critical Manners" rides? This is another good way to learn good traffic skills and experience... it's worked well for us here in Little Rock, anyway.

Tom