Getting over fears

[maryellen]

Nice to know I'm not the only one who gets scared. I've only been biking for a little over two weeks so everything is new.

Bethany, what you are doing is amazing for 2+ weeks!

[Lavigne]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I thought I was the only newbie having to learn how to clip in, start, unclip, stop, turn, etc. I actually had to LEARN to remember that I have brakes. My biggest fear right now is making a u-turn on a street without a shoulder. I was successful at it a couple of times in my neighborhood on my second ride, then I tried it on my third ride and hit the concrete (got some road rash on my leg AND my beautiful Orbea). I'm not ready to ride in high traffic areas yet and I'm no where near ready to try hills (which we don't have many of in south Louisiana).

My husband bought a bike for me so I could ride with him. I have a total of 63 miles in four rides so far. Each time gets a little better, but I have a long way to go.

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone.

[Antaresia]

I'm new , I'm afraid, but I'm doing it anyway.

I read the "crazy drivers" posts. Whenever I tell someone about my new bike they relate to me the time they got hit by a car, or how their buddy died. A good friend of mine lost control of his bike once and ended up with some pretty serious nerve damage. I think someone beeped at me in traffic today, but ffs I had to take the center lane (I didn't cut anyone off) because I *live* here and I know the right-turn-only lane disappears after the intersection, and I'm NOT tuning right fu fu fffffuuuuu...

My friend, who had the really bad accident, is still riding. He's really encouraging of my new found zest for biking. For me, it is scary, but it's *worth* it. Oddly it helps me to think "well, I could die of some other thing tomorrow, might as well live it up".

And I have never met a down-hill I haven't breaked on.

[Dogmama]

Traffic - as Westtexas said - wear very bright clothing. Yellow is most visible against black streets - be very bright. Hot pink, lime green, bright reds.

Signal all of your intentions. Act like a slow moving vehicle. Ride WITH the traffic, never against it. Think about how you drive. When you come to a stop sign, you look left because that's where the traffic is coming from. More cyclists get hit because the driver isn't expecting anything coming from their right.

In a bike lane, ride closer to the LEFT of the lane rather than hugging the curb. Drivers merging into your lane will see you easier (they often won't crane their necks all the way over to the curb. Also, you stay out of the debri = less flat tires. Any trees or other shrubbery blocking their view of you will be less likely to do so.

Coming up to an intersection where you have the green light or right of way - if I think somebody is going to do something stupid (I can see the driver is texting, eating or otherwise not looking at me), shift into an easier gear where you are pedaling faster and slowly apply the brakes so you can stop if you need to. Drivers think bicycles = slow but if you're pedaling faster, they think you are actually going faster. Be prepared to stop.

Unclip - I always unclip with my left foot. That way, I can't fall into traffic.

I took an Effective Cycling course through my community college that taught me these things & lots of other tips. I recommend it.

[MollyJ]

This thread could have been designed for me.

When I got my new bike, I avoided my favorite down hill for at least TWO Months. Just went down it in the last week. Frankly, I did a lot of braking. It's a faster down hill (I live in Kansas--how bad can the hills be) that curves.

Nonetheless my ED experiences give me lots of bad mind pictures and so I know that my fears are not groundless. Road rash with asphalt in it. and oral-dental trauma. I HATED oral-dental trauma as an ED nurse having spent more than my fair share of time in the dentist's chair.

But what is that with bridges? Like a river monster is going to grab you pull you over the bridge's edge? But me, too, and my fearless DH too.

In Kansas the wind is strong enough to push you around.

My motto is breathe and push through. Do the things that scare you under the most optimal conditions possible. Low traffic. Dry roads. Reduce your speed but like some other posters, low speed can make things worse so keep moving.

I would love a safety oriented bike ed class but doubt that my little LBS sponsors such things.

I need to do a ride with other riders which I could do through the LBS. Believe it or not, that's one of my fears. Riding with other riders so that I know where my puny self measures up. I am not a competitor but I have gotten to where I am by improving compared to myself. Competitive people crush my spirit and led me to see myself (when much younger) as a not coordinated, non-competitive person. All of that is true but it crunched me down so much that I didn't try to be physical and everyone has to try to find a way to be physical--our bodies are meant to be in motion.

So this thread has helped me to see the way ahead. Yep. It's a group ride. I also have a goal to ride to a nearby town but my two flat tires have made me see that I have to have a someone who can come and get me if my bike goes wheels up (or I do). My other bike _never_ had flats and I felt I could ride anywhere and be okay. Silly, lucky me.

Great thread.

[Bethany1]

I have a new fear. The rickety straight plank bridge near my house. It's the best shortcut to my house but yesterday I got the back wheel stuck between the planks and nearly crashed face first. I think I'll take the longer way around instead of trying to be cool. It's at the bottom of the a hill so it's hard to get the angle right.

I'm thinking of dumping the clipless pedals. I nearly fell into traffic trying to stop yesterday and forgot I had my feet in. I LOVE the shoes and the idea, but the pedals suck, even if you have normal pedals on the side. Can I just take out the cleats on the shoes? Hate to waste the 80 bucks I spent on the pedals though. That would mean a 20 mile trip up to the LBS just for 5 dollar pedals. Ick.

The last is the fear of frustration. DH says I push myself too hard, but it's no fun going out a mile and having to come back so you can make it up the two/three hills to get back home and you've been doing it for weeks. And those are the "gentle" ones.

I'm seriously considering an a) electric bike or b) buying a gas engine kit to put on my mountain bike. My neighbors would just love to have me riding around town sounding like a lawn mower or weedwacker. The guy I met at Taco Bell in Lincoln yesterday has one and loves his. We talked for about 10 minutes about engines and how to put one in your bike until my DH showed up for our lunch date.

[Owlie]

Bethany, what kind of pedals do you have? If they're the platform/SPD ones, just take the cleats out of your shoes. If they're "regular" clipless pedals, swap them for platforms next time you go to your LBS, or if your bike came with the toe cage-equipped pedals that you swapped out, take off the toe cages (they're held on by a couple of screws.)

As for the hills, I understand. Give yourself permission to walk. They'll get easier as you keep riding. It may not seem that way, and it may take a while, but you'll be able to ride up those hills eventually.

[MollyJ]

Bethany, I am beginning to understand why bike "nuts" have more than one bike. Apologies to any one who might fit this description. But today I rode my beautiful bike on paved roads in the county. I even passed a lady who was far more fit than I. I went the furtherest on a bike I have ever gone. I rode 38.5 miles. It was windy because this is KS. I had a great ride. And my clipless shoes help me work with my bike in the most amazing way. It's why I got the bike I got. I told the guy I wanted a bike that would let me go further in less time. Ta-da. It was perfect.

BUT if I did most of my riding in town, I'm not sure the clipless shoes would be worth the hassle. I have had my new bike for probably two months now and I'm really starting to feel at home on it. It really took that long and I'd say I'm not there yet. I have to be pretty conscious about my clipping in town.

And conversely, this bike isn't the bike to run errands on. It's expensive enough that (even though I have a bike lock) I worry about it getting ripped off.

How can I be thinking about "another bike" at this point in my love affair with my Madone, and yet...

Bethany, if you don't have a trip odometer on your bike get one. They help you notice how you are getting better compared to yourself. I also have a Polar FT7 Heart rate monitor and so I also monitor my heart rate and calorie burn on my rides.

And, I spent two years riding my ancient Raleigh down many of the same roads I rode today. I have come a long way from someone who thought an 8-10 mile ride was pretty good (and it was when I first did it).

So trick your bike out so you are doing the kind of riding you want to do. Think about what kind of riding you want to do and where you want to do it. And do that. But track your miles and your tolerance and your average speed. If you keep at it, it will get better.