scared to death!

[tulip]

So, when I read your post, your spin instructor says you should do all those things...what do YOU want to do do?

DO you want to ride outside?

[PscyclePath]

There are only two kinds of cyclists, clipless or not. There are those who have fallen, and those who are going to fall at some time in the future.

For the mathematically-inclined, the first group is a subset of the second group.

Everyone starts off new... it's mostly a matter of building your skill and confidence. get out and ride your bike... dance with it, and learn just what you can get away with on it...

Spinning is mostly about building strength and or endurance. It lacks one critical factor in cycling, the need to balance. Sort of like Calvin here:



The way to get good at riding your bike is to go ride your bike!

[IGGY]

So, when I read your post, your spin instructor says you should do all those things...what do YOU want to do do?

DO you want to ride outside?

I don't know! My husband is uber competitive, long distance runner who is amazing, gets up at 4 am to get his training in before his 12 hour work day. I could never keep up with him, and as I don't have competitive-ness inbred in me, I don't understand him fully.
I know that I want to do something that I enjoy, that keeps me motivated, and is group-friendly. Since we move around a lot, I always am lacking in friends.
All my other hobbies are sedentary. (quilting, reading) I am also timid by nature, it took me a few classes to get comfy in cycling, but then I"m the one going, "yah, I LOVE THIS SONG!", or "wooooooooooo"! Once I find a group that can handle my loud voice, I'm not afraid to use it.

Are you a psychiatrist? You hit in on the head in one post. Man, my therapist would have an attack if I told her that! You could be earing 150 an hour for those skills!

[tulip]

Are you a psychiatrist? You hit in on the head in one post. Man, my therapist would have an attack if I told her that! You could be earing 150 an hour for those skills!

No, I'm not, but I'll send you a bill .

Just seems like common sense to me...it's your life, what do you want to do? Of course, you may not know until you try it out for a while.

[denny]

I've never ridden a bike in my life until now at age 40. Got hooked on spinning and my tri friends convinced me to take it outside. As of today:
I have had a total of 6 falls (4 of them moving) with 2 nasty cases of road rashes "ruining my fab legs",as a result. 2 sprained fingers that hasn't healed since April, 3 panic attacks at the very sight or sound of a vehichle. I'm extremely fit but need to work more on core strength for balance. Fellow riders call me chicken butt (bad posture) and I can barely make it up the hills in my local park for a 5.75 mile lap. Why do I hang with it? Because it's really true, the more time you spend in the saddle the easier and more skilled you'll become. We'll eventually get over the panic if we learn to "own" our right not only to the bike, but to the road too. By the way, i've found MTN bike pedals work great for a first time newbie trying to clip in. Hang in there.