How can you tell.....

[tulip]

I can usually tell a newbie if they seem uncomfortable--either on their bike (it doesn't fit and/or they don't have a good position or core strength) or on the road (nervous riding in traffic). An experienced rider will generally seem confident and at ease, have a good position on the bike (although not always), and be drinking from the water bottle while riding.

[zoom-zoom]

I've only been riding since Nov. and have had several people express shock at how comfortable I seem on my bike and my ability to keep up at a pretty decent clip for many miles (my hubby says I took to cycling "like a duck to water"). Of course, the fitness/endurance thing has more to do with years of running.

My MIL has been biking for decades. Yet I suspect she doesn't know how to pump her own tires (I pumped hers for her one time and she hovered so closely that I had to ask her to back up when I was preparing to pull the nozzle off of the stem) or know how to remove/reattach her quick-release front wheel (as we have had issues with her refusing to take it off so that she can fit her bike in the back of her Rav 4 and not have our 9 year old in the front seat where he's at risk from airbag. Repeatedly she has been told that he cannot be in the front seat and there is no reason for her to have him up there when we can fit 2 bikes and 3 people in my tiny Mazda 3 hatchback). She also has fairly regular falls with her clipless pedals.

[schnitzle]

I figure everyone knows I'm new because when they say "On your left" to pass me I oversteer in response and get all "squirrely" XD Also the grip of death on the handlebars!

[zoom-zoom]

I figure everyone knows I'm new because when they say "On your left" to pass me I oversteer in response and get all "squirrely" XD Also the grip of death on the handlebars!

Ha, that was me just a few months ago. The bike-handling comfort comes pretty fast when a person keeps riding on a regular basis. Now I look back and can't believe how un-natural my bike felt at first (I had a really tough time on group rides taking my hands off of the handlebars to signal or take a drink from my water bottle). Now it feels like an extension of me. It's kind of like when I first learned to drive stick. It took all of my concentration and coordination to do it. Now it's just second-nature.

[Crankin]

Well, I guess I must appear to be new... sigh, ten years later.
I don't think I'm squirrelly, but I can barely drink from a water bottle, my (right turn) cornering sucks, and I am a downhill weenie. I know how to do the quick release, though, but I don't want to have to do it. That, or any other mechanical thing. I *know* what to do, but have never been tested on the road. I have serious mechanical anxiety when I ride, although nothing bad has ever happened. Yes, I have taken more than one class and nothing changes. I am fine in the class, but when I practice at home, I end up with my bike in pieces on the ground and a lot of tears. So, then I stop practicing.
I generally hide this very well when I ride. I ride with one group who actually think I am a "strong" rider or a couple of close friends who know they have to wait for me on the downhills.
But, I can climb.

[FlyingScot]

An experienced rider will generally seem confident and at ease, have a good position on the bike (although not always), and be drinking from the water bottle while riding.

Yeah, so I got all cocky on my last ride and grabbed my water bottle while riding. I tried to pull the spout up with my teeth but instead pulled the entire lid off with a pop...splashed water all over the front of me. I'm too sexy for my bike...

[malkin]

Yeah, so I got all cocky on my last ride and grabbed my water bottle while riding. I tried to pull the spout up with my teeth but instead pulled the entire lid off with a pop...splashed water all over the front of me. I'm too sexy for my bike...

I hope it was a warm day!

I can see that happening to me!

[Jane Honda]

I can usually tell a newbie if they seem uncomfortable--either on their bike (it doesn't fit and/or they don't have a good position or core strength) or on the road (nervous riding in traffic). An experienced rider will generally seem confident and at ease, have a good position on the bike (although not always), and be drinking from the water bottle while riding.

I have yet to be able to keep pedaling and drink from my water bottle at the same time.


Although, this isn't saying much... I have trouble typing and breathing at the same time...



*choke*