Hi weepingwillow. I'm glad I didn't have the benefit of all this advice when I re-started when I was nobbut a lad of 42. However, since you've already started and tested the waters, can I suggest that you see if there are any League of American Bicylist courses near you? https://members.bikeleague.org/membe...?action=search

Im not familiar with the details of their courses but I'm assuming that they include pretty standard, triedandtested methods and a good instructor will be able to give you useful tips about your strengths and weaknesses, as well as taking you thro' the basics of riding in traffic as part of the traffic.

Of course, if you're a native-born Missouran, you'll already have said show me to everything we've told you.

Finally, welcome to the club. We are, as you've already discovered, a fractious and disputatious lot, but our hearts are in the right place and in much better condition than the majority of your fellow citizens

Ooops - I misremembered your location as Missouri, rather than the mid-west . Log on to http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/e...e_schedule.php instead