Question on Gearing

[Owlie]

Do what feels right. A cadence of 90 rpm may work for some people, but it may not work for you. Take the sensor off and listen to your body. Try not to attack hills--it'll still be there when you get there, and you won't have blown up on the way. (I still have problems with this.)

On the Madone: Get a fitting with the Madone if you can swing it. What kind of pedals do you have? If you can adjust the tension to a close-to-loosest setting, it'll be easier to get in and out. (Of course, I've had mine for a year and they still don't want to engage on the first go-round sometimes.)

Relax. Even on flat ground, if you're tense, the light bike will magnify every twitch. It'll also help keep the arm/shoulder/neck pain under control. Can you get out early in the morning on weekends? Are there rail-trails nearby where you won't have to worry about semis?

Keep riding. Your handling skills will improve and you'll start to feel more comfortable--it took me a few months to get used to the road bike. She still can be a little twitchy, but she's behaving much better.

[ny biker]

I found this article to be very helpful for clipping in:

http://outside.away.com/outside/body...-20070330.html

It really does help if you sit right away. However I still struggle with clipping in while going uphill. I need to be in my lowest gear.

[pll]

Do what feels right. A cadence of 90 rpm may work for some people, but it may not work for you. Take the sensor off and listen to your body. Try not to attack hills--it'll still be there when you get there, and you won't have blown up on the way. (I still have problems with this.)

On the Madone: Get a fitting with the Madone if you can swing it. What kind of pedals do you have? If you can adjust the tension to a close-to-loosest setting, it'll be easier to get in and out. (Of course, I've had mine for a year and they still don't want to engage on the first go-round sometimes.)

Relax. Even on flat ground, if you're tense, the light bike will magnify every twitch. It'll also help keep the arm/shoulder/neck pain under control. Can you get out early in the morning on weekends? Are there rail-trails nearby where you won't have to worry about semis?

Keep riding. Your handling skills will improve and you'll start to feel more comfortable--it took me a few months to get used to the road bike. She still can be a little twitchy, but she's behaving much better.

Big +1

Relax and ride with the cadence that feels right to you at this point. As you gain experience, your body is also adapting to the exercise. Your cadence may go up gradually (or you may chose to work on it, perhaps with some intervals during your rides), but I would think being more comfortable riding in traffic and handling your bike have precedence over cadence.