Well, I did it! (long)

[Biciclista]

Ha, you did everything I did wrong, but all in the first ride! congrats on that.
You will surely get better with time. I still mess the chains up sometimes when i think i am on the middle chain ring and i'm NOT.

About your sit bones being sore,that is to be expected. About your girl parts being sore, that means either the bike is not fitting you properly or the saddle needs to be replaced. That is unacceptable.

enjoy your new bike but go back and complain about that saddle pain!

[redrhodie]

Yay! You did it!

All these kinks are normal at first. Soon it will be second nature, and whole new world will open up to you!

[indigoiis]

+1 - it's always a learning experience at first.

Practice your gears on a neighborhood street. Don't worry about what gear or chainring you are in/on. Just flip through the gears and get the feel for them.

[allismarie]

Thanks for the encouragement. The feminine pain isn't severe. I'm thinking of angling the seat forward a little bit to see if that makes a difference.

I'm sad that I'm not going to be able to go again today. I've got a birthday to attend, and it's going to run late. I've been cruising the website looking for good places to go ride. I need nice and flat for the first little while.

Also, what does the +1 mean?

Thanks again! I'm looking forward to growing with you all!

[Biciclista]

+1 means she really liked it

[indigoiis]

+1 I did.
And I recommend not angling the seat forward, although some folks do. But you may find yourself "scooching" all the time and that will give you worse pain.

What you may want to try is moving the saddle forward or back on the rails, depending on where you are feeling pressure. If you are feeling pressure on your front bone, you may be stretched out too far? So maybe if you move the saddle forward just a tad on the rails, it may help.

Also I think with time you do get used to the leaned over position - and Pilates or core strengthening really helps. But the best thing to do is get a good bike fit. Also read the threads on here about saddles and saddle issues. Are you wearing bicycle shorts?

And for gearing practice, look for a bike trail or a big parking lot. Works wonders to be able to practice at low speeds and in a safe place.

[CyborgQueen]

I've said it before, not sure if you read it.

Did you have your saddle replaced? Male saddles will HURT..seriously, ESPECIALLY the girly parts. Get it replaced right away.

With a new saddle (and do not try to mess around with it, it has to be pretty much level for a reason), it will feel a little soreness for a little while. It took me about 5 to 7 days of riding for it to feel comfortable and not sore at all. It does get better over time. I made my big mistake at first by just accepting the male saddle, I was sore for days because of that.

Now I have a silly question - I know people have said not to use the smallest front gear with the largest back gear...I've done it, and I haven't had problems...unless if I'm missing something. I have double crank set, I'm not sure if that makes the difference.

If you want a nice flat trail, you definitely should try MapMyRide.com and do a search for your area - "Beginners", or put a search for a number of miles you want to do, etc. Once you get the map - click on "Elevation", it will tell you how big of a climb things are. Usually flats are between -1 to +1%, occasionally 2%.

I started out at 3 miles, and i was pooped out!! After a couple weeks of solid riding, I can go to 17 miles with climbs. I'm still learning all the time! Best of luck!

[Biciclista]

I've said it before, not sure if you read it.

Did you have your saddle replaced? Male saddles will HURT..seriously, ESPECIALLY the girly parts. Get it replaced right away.

I'm sorry, this is not accurate. Some "female" saddles are going to hurt too. Many woman ride "male" saddles happily and comfortably. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.