New road rider in PA

[Slk41]

Good morning everyone! I'm Sheri and just wanted to introduce myself and thank you for the awesome info on this site and in the forums! A little background...
About 5 years ago, my hubby decided that he wanted to MTB. Took out our dept store bikes to the trails and him and my son, 11 at the time, and him had a blast enough to go buy real mtb bikes, my daughter, 14 at the time, and myself were sufficiently traumatized enough to swear off ever getting on a bike seat again. Not that I was doing anything else to keep healthy but that's another story. So, while dh and ds were out enjoying mtb, I was home thinking they were crazy. Dh upgraded a few times until he built his first bike, his "baby" niner, and my son even built up a Sette with Christmas present parts. Then, about 3 years ago, my son was away and dh wanted to mtb. Since I'd started rail trail biking a few months earlier as well as running, I decided to give it a try on his bike. And I had a good time. Not like crazy in love but a good time. So, we bought me a Jamis Durango and I love my little bike and it loves me. I'm still scared of the more technical stuff and hate single tracks that are crowded but I'm still out there!!
And, all the while, I've gotten very comfortable at rail trails and upgraded to a Trek 7100 last year from my Raleigh comfort bike which made a world of difference! We've logged over 50 miles in a day easily.

But I was still road resistant! However, I took the plunge last weekend and bought a Specialized Dolce Sport and hopefully will get the chance to ride this weekend. I won't say I'm not scared because I am but I'm ready to face my fears. I'm still a runner first and foremost these days but biking has definitely become a love as well. Now, if I could just find somewhere to swim....a tri might be in my future!! I did a half marathon last year, and am working on training now for my 2nd and then maybe a full...but dh has been working on talking me into a 100K bike ride that is held near our house. We'll see, I guess....I'm learning to never say never!

[TsPoet]

Welcome!
Just make sure you have fun. If riding on the road makes you nervous, choose your first ride wisely - to make sure it's fun. If you have a low-vehicle route, or a bike trail, whatever, use it.
You also might consider getting a book like _The art of urban cycling_ to give you some pointers.
Let us know how your first ride goes.

[Slk41]

Thanks for the book suggestion. Reading about other's experiences on here has helped a lot too. Sometimes I don't think my dh really understood the terror that comes over me facing a steep descent, especially when rocky, so I have been lurking here for a few weeks and it has made a difference already in my approach as well as how I communicate it to him. I no longer feel weak (he never made me feel that way, I just couldn't understand why it was so hard for me if it was so natural to him!) but I feel like it's just something I need to conquer and the fear of trying has kept me down too long!! I will choose a good low-traffic place for my first road ride. I am very comfortable on the bike trails with my regular bike so it's just the matter of moving that comfort to a new bike and new terrain.

[Slk41]

Thanks! I felt like it rambled a bit but that's me, lol! This forum really has been a great source of info as well as inspiration. I never would have had the courage to even go out on the road because I thought I was the only one who had fears, etc. Knowing it's fairly normal made me realize that I'm okay and it's okay to be cautious but I can still be out there! I even let dh buy my clipless pedals - a HUGE concession - for my rail trail bike. They are clipless on one side and flat on the other so I'm not overwhelmed but I'm getting there....