catalinl

Hi everybody,

I just moved to London after a long three years in New York City, and decided that it's about time to learn how to ride a bike. Yes I'm one of the people that never got learn how to do it when they should have done it, so had to go through the whole learning process at the age of 29 (and still learning ).

I'm still mastering the art of signaling, starting to pedal when stopped on a slope and all kind of things that seen at other bikers seems to come so naturally.

I use my bike mainly to get around London and to commute to work. That is right now only 3 km, but our office will move soon and i'll have to go for 9km each way. I must say that not having to take the tube makes my life feel so much better.

Even if the commute is going to be that long during the winter i will still try to make it. The first 2/3 of the trip is nice - through hyde park - but the rest will be through the city and that still scares me a little bit.

London has its own set of challenges: is hard to get around without a map, and looking at one while being a beginner makes trips to new places a little longer than I wish. But I have to admit that it also has some very courteous drivers, i know that if I would have tried learning to bike in manhattan it would have been a much scarier experience.

Now i'm researching winter gear to make my longer commute easier. Until now I have been spoiled by a great weather and a short commute, but i'm sure this won't last that long

Oh, yes - find below my bike, a Specialized crossroads 2006 parked somewhere around bricklane - the best uninformed choice that i could make. Kind of regret now that i didn't buy a more city bike with an internal hub, but so far it has been working flowlessly and worked without a glitch.



I'm still tweaking all the variables (seat height, position of saddle...) and hopefully will soon arrive at an optimal arrangement.

Great to meet you all, and will start digging for all kinds of advice as I have plenty to learn

Catalin

jyossarian

Welcome Catalin! Nice bike you got there. Definitely head on over to the Commuter forum where you'll find plenty of info. The Winter forum will also be useful although I understand London winter's are milder than NYC winters. As for city riding, be predictable and stay out of the door zone so you don't get hurt when someone opens a car door right in front of you. Good luck!