(no subject)

[winterbadger]

Rupert and I went out on our first jaunt using his new computer, and now we have DATA, which make all analysts happy! (the choice of icon is because the background numbers look all statistic-y)

I used yet another distance alternative (my main street plus only one side road--Overbrook--becase the school bus was coming down Crestview and I didn't feel like trying to negotiate my way past it under the watchful eye of dozens of eight-year-olds who know how to cycle better than I do :-). So to compensate I went back down my cul de sac after climbing the hill. Distance = 2.23 miles. Average speed = 8.5 mph. Time = 15.28 minutes.

Other useful statistics: top speed = 21.2 mph. Walking speed, thoroughly pooped, pushing bike up the Big Hill = 3.5 mph. Roughly average speed when riding 9-10 mph. Speed I feel safe at = ~16 mph. Speeds I start to feel nervous at = >20mph (but it's still exhilarating until the little voice kicks in saying "You're going very fast, can't control this, AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!")

Other nonstatistical observations:

It's easier in bike shorts. Really.

I still don't have a good handle (so to speak) on how to ride with one hand and signal with the other (I tried, and almost ended up like DUmbo, only there was no policeman in riot gear to crash into).

My brakes work really well (I had an unintentional emergency stop when I overbraked and turned into a sideways skid--like the cool kids on daytime TV--when making a 360 degree turn).

Questions for more experienced cyclists:

Is there something on the Web that explains how to operate gears in very simple layman's language? I still feel as if there may be some essential principle I'm missing, especially when it comes to the left-hand (meta) gears.

Does one eventually learn how not to wobbble from side to side when moving one's legs up and down at something other than the speed one's aunty would use?

Likewise, does one eventually learn how not to joggle when shifting gears?

What's the best leg position for coasting? I always extend one leg, and sometimes brace it, but only because 1920s Oxbridge students always seem to do that in movies/TV, and they must know best, right? ;-)

Lastly, I have to confess that the Rot set in as soon as I started riding. :-( There are stop signs at each of the side streets I turn up on my route and, to my eternal shame, I look both ways as I approache them and then ride right through them if there are no cars within about 100 yards of the intersection. I am alreayd one of Those People. :-(

Comments

[sun-in-splendor.livejournal.com]

Computers are useful. I still don't have one, but I probably will have to get one since I starting to develop routes for possible group rides. Right now I follow cue sheet directions by dead reckoning and look for the turn when it seems to be the right distance.

Bike shorts might look strange, but they are more comfortable on the longer rides.

Riding one handed just takes practice.

Couple of good web sites for info:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/

And a good forum is http://www.bikeforums.net/index.php?
Over there I'm cc_rider

Gears made simple -
The best way to ride, most efficient and easiest on the body, is to pedal at a high rpm with a comfortable force level. The crank rpm is called cadence, and between 80 and 100 rpm is what most people try for. This technique is called "spinning", as opposed to "mashing" (slower cadence with more force, harder on the knees)
My rule is ride at a gear that is comfortable for a 80 to 90 cadence. If there is more or less resistance, then I shift the rear gear up or down by one or two notches until I'm pedaling comfortably again. Shift the front ring as you get into different ranges or rear gears.
When you are in the smaller gears (5 6 7 8) use the big front ring.
In the middle gears (2 3 4 5) use the middle ring.
In the biggest gears (1 2 3) use the small ring.
You'll get the feel of it with time.

Riding steady is "bike handling" and takes practice.

When coasting I usually ride with one leg extended down. I put most of my weight on that leg so I can take pressure off my seat.

Stop signs are a hot topic. I do what most cyclists do. Slow down and look. If there is no one else around, I go with the rolling stop. If there is someone else there, I try to set a good example and full stop.
At lights, always stop (although right turn at the light and a u turn on the side street is a useful trick)
There is an advanced technique called the "track stand" where you balance the stopped bike with your feet on the pedals. That takes LOTS of practice. If you ever ride with bike shoes and special pedals, it's really useful not to have to unclip and put your foot on the ground.

When you get to the point that you can do 12 or 15 miles on a ride, you'll probably be ready to try a club ride with the PPTC. The D level rides are usually 20 miles or less usually on flat trails.

[winterbadger]

Thanks so much! That is all very useful and will take a little absorbing.

I'd heard of track stands (actually, I think I heard that mentioned on an NPR story).

I wear my bike shorts under jeans (and, yes, I take care not to catch the jeans cuffs on the pedal arms), so the look is not a problem. :-)

I think you may have illuminated something that I really didn't understand. I thought that with the three lefthand gears, *each* of those had all ten gears. Consequently, I was rather wondering how one went from the top gear in the lowest ring to the lowest gear in the next ring. As you can imagine, much confusion has ensued. :-)

[sun-in-splendor.livejournal.com]

My pleasure to help.

Track stands are tricky. Took me a long while to master then, but I've been riding for most of 40 years.
If you ever see a track bike race (as opposed to a road race like the Tour du France) the racers will stand in place or roll verrrrry slowly until the time limit is almost up, then they are off and racing. The rule in track racing is the first person to go usually loses.

I use Performance brand gel-pad shorts, but without any jeans or pants over them. For cold weather I have bike leg warmers that work well. For really cold riding (below 30d) I sometimes wear sweat pants over everything, but I usually overheat too quickly.

One shifter controls the rear gears, the other controls the front chainrings. If you are set up with a triple crank (3 rings) and 10 gears, you have 30 possible combination.
But you don't need all of those combos. A lot of them are near-duplicates when it comes to power transfer, and the slight differences are barely noticeable.
And it is best to avoid "cross chaining" which is when you use the inner most ring and outermost gear (of vice versa). This tends to stretch the chain, puts a slight sideways torque on the gears and rings and is more prone to a skip or miss-shift.
If your gear numbering is similar to mine, just avoid mixing 1 front with 8 9 or 10 rear and 3 front with 1 2 or 3 rear. All the rest are good. The middle ring should work with any gear.

Until a few years ago I used to always ride the big ring and just shift gears. Never had a chain problem, but it was probably harder on my knees than it needed to be. Now I shift to whatever feels best.

[sun-in-splendor.livejournal.com]

Here's a different way to think about gears.
You can either shift the front or rear by one notch and get approximately the same gear ratio. If, for example, you are in the highest gear and start to climb a hill, and you always shift to the next easiest gear using front or rear (doesn't matter which), a 3x10 would have at most 11 gear combinations (2 shifts on the rings and 9 on the gears) to go from the highest to the lowest.
If you think of the direction you want to go instead of the exact combination of gears, shifting becomes a lot simpler.

[winterbadger]

"Because I am left-handed, I have also reversed my brakes, so my left (more powerful) hand controls the rear brake. I have been warned at bike shops that doing so increases the risk of an accident for anyone stealing my bike, but I have not been alarmed by this suggestion."

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/downhill.htm

:-)

[redactrice.livejournal.com]

I'm so impressed that you've made the effort to learn this stuff at our advanced age!

As for not wobbling/riding one-handed/etc., that just takes a bunch of practice. I remember clearly spending most afternoons in 6th grade riding my Schwin up and down my street practicing how to ride with no hands (the be all and end all at that age). It tooks months, and I'd been riding bikes for at least five years at that point.

So just keep at it, I guess.

[winterbadger]

And for once "Practice, practice, practice!" is not an anathema answer.

At times I think that even if I take no "toys" to Scotland with me but my bike and the beautiful guitar you gave me, I'll have plenty to keep me busy indefinitely! :-)