Hi everyone,
The last time I routinely rode a bike, I was probably 12. Now here I am, some 27 years later, and I've decided to do a sprint-distance triathlon. To that end, I dragged out my old Schwinn Worldsport 10-speed that I bought before college. Got it all cleaned up, new tires, and went out on my first ride, and almost immediately remembered why it's been in storage for 20 years. Because I was never comfortable riding it- I don't like leaning forward to ride, I don't like hand brakes, and I don't like gears. Also it made my hands and shoulders hurt. So, now I don't know what to do. Is my sprint-distance triathlon doomed? What I would really like would be to have the kind of bike I has as a kid- the kind where you stepped down on the pedals to brake, and if you wanted to pick up speed, you pedalled faster or stood up. Is that crazy? Do they make such a thing for adults? And would it work for the triathlon? Sprint-distance is 12 miles, which doesn't seem like it should be too hard. or it didn't seem like it, before I tried. Any help would be appreciated, as I don't even know the right name for what I want. Thanks!