Quote Originally Posted by Tuckervill View Post
Put your hands out on the hoods and then the steering won't be so squirrely. I have interruptor brake levers on my bike and I love them. But when I'm steering through tricky territory, I use the widest part of the bars. After a while you'll get to where you can go through anything at any speed with your hands on the top, but you have to practice.

eta: and maybe your levers are too close to the stem--even so you can still put your hands as far out as possible on the top and that will help, too.

Karen

You will definitely be more stable riding with your hands on the hoods. I only keep my hands on the tops when I'm climbing because it enables you to straighten up and open your lungs up more. You should be able to brake easily from the hoods. Also, make sure you don't have a death grip -- hold on loosely so your arms are more relaxed.

p.s. what do you mean by "learning how to shift without hurting the bike"?