Hellooooo, TE! Glad to have found ya'll. I've spent some time reading, and you ladies are quite inspiring.

I've caught the itch to start biking (I am actually considering a tri in a few months). I made several visits to my LBS and asked around and decided to start with a hybrid. I acquired a TREK fx 7.3 off of Craig's List with all of 5 miles on it, and already oufitted with a computer, etc. I am 5'9" (and if it matters, 235 lbs), long legs short torso, and my bike is a 20" frame, per what the LBS recommended.

Well, I love it, but I am already confused about several issues that I am hoping you can help me with.


(1) Pedaling. Right now, I have plain pedals, no clips, no clipless system. I think upgrading to clipless pedals is my first upgrade, but for now -- where on the pedals should my feet be hitting. Ball of the feet? They seem to be hitting at the arch of my feet instead. When I shift my feet forward, my legs aren't getting very straight.

(2) Seat height. The LBS helped me adjust it, but it seems perhaps too low still? My feet barely touch the ground, but when I pedal, my legs are not getting very straight, plus the issues with my fit above.

(3) Gears. I have no idea what gears I should be using. I have been riding so far (my whole 4 miles so far ) basically just in circles on very flat terrain. How do I know how fast I should be pedaling and what gears I should be using?

I tried to read back several pages and can't quite find the answers to these questions, so thanks in advance for your help and I apologize if these questions are lame!