Congrats on having a successful (and fall free) maiden voyage! I find it impossible to keep a high cadence because my knees hurt like mad if I try to go more than 80rpm, this is mostly I think to having very short legs and long cranks. I think with time and practice gears will become a piece of cake. I'm still struggling as I have friction downtube shifters so I keep flailing around trying to find the things, then I have to be careful that the chain actually moves smoothly. O_o

What kind of bike is Molly?