Well i just finished up my first week of actually owning a bike (road bike) other then when I was 12. I was only able to get in 60 miles for the week because I've been insanely busy but this is what i've learned so far. Riding up hill sucks, riding down hill is a blast, wind is a pain in the butt, unless its in your favor. Riding on roads with cars isn't as scary as i thought, dogs can be a pain, people dont pay you much attention in cars, and i think some try to see just how close they can get to you with out actually hitting you. The more I ride the more i seem to prefer being down far on the handlebars instead of more upright. I now know why my helmets visor has holes in it, cycling is alot of fun, and i still dont know much. I'd also like to thank everybody whose replied to me so far on the forum, its been helpful. Now things i need to learn about, hopefuly can get some help on. My bike seat still isn't that comfortable, its not so bad once i get going, but when i first hit that seat the sorness seems to still be there from the last ride. I hear you need to "condition" your tush... how long does that take? or should I maybe look into buying a more comfortable seat. Are those pedals where you latch your shoe in that much better? the ones i have now just have straps on them to strap my feet in. Whats a good site that'll show me proper form and the like ? How often do you re air up your tires? And what gears do yall use? i mean there's like 21 gears, but its a 7 speed so... i guess maybe a tutorial that explains how all that works would be swell too. I'll stop with that, so much to learn... i apologize for my ignorance. Thanks again.

Check your tire pressure EVERY time you get on the bike. Do not assume the pressure it correct.
You boutie takes a long time to get used to the saddle.
You really don’t need to worry about how many gears you have right now but be sure to always gear down to an easy gear before you stop so when you take off again you don’t fall over because the gear your in is to hard to push from a stand still. When you build a cadence you will run through more gears and it will make a difference.
Clipless pedals are the way to go
peace out
t

Clipless pedals are much better than toe clips and straps. But don't worry about those right now. You're learning too many other things. You might think about going clipless in a few months.

Form is developed as you continue to ride. You might ask some of your cycling buddies for pointers about it. They can see how you are positioned on the bike.
But generally, when you are riding on the brake hoods, relax your shoulders and bend your arms a little. Don't ride with your arms straight and stiff.
Keep your cadence (number of pedal revolutions per minute) between 75 and 95. Riding at a slow cadence is hard on the knees. It may take a little practice to get used to this "faster" cadence.

Ride in the highest gear that is comfortable for the terrain, wind, etc. that will allow your cadence to be in the 75-95 range. On the flats and very slight uphills you should ride on the largest chairing and a mid-range rear cog. As the wind increases or on larger hills, downshift to an easier gear. Either the middle chainring or a larger rear cog. It will take practice and experimenting to learn where and when to shift. Always downshift just before you get to a hill.

Just enjoy riding the new bike.

ahh thanks for the tips so far, the problem with asking a cycling buddy is... i dont have any. None of my friend ride at all nor do i know anybody who rides. Thats why i pester you poor folks of bike forum so much

you're right about people in cars, the closer they get to you the better in their minds... today I was riding and I made a left (across traffic) turn and I had a green arrow, apparently the car on the opposite side of the intersection figured his red light ment "the car has the right of way no matter what that cyclist is doing" and so of course he turns right (onto the street I was getting onto) and sorta cuts me off, (I had to turn sharper).

as for the saddle, give it some time you will get used to it. Stick with the toe straps, clipless takes a while to get used to. check your air before every ride (at least give it a general look over by seeing how firm the tire is) as for gears, try to get your cadience up, and then you will know where to keep your gears at on any terrian. after a while you will find that you use them all in different situations. And since you mentioned you don't know any other cyclists, do a search on the net (or ask a lbs) about the local cycling clubs and start going on group rides... you'll learn a lot that way.

oh yeah one last thing, hills are fun... not a pain

Your butt takes a few weeks to become conditioned, so dont worry, but if you get numbness then check your riding style and position.

With 3x7 gearing on a road bike, you generally ride in the middle ring most of the time, in the big ring with the wind behind you, downhill, or when you want to ride really fast, and in the small ring when you are battling uphill or against the wind.

Some people use their gears to maintain a constant speed, but I use them to maintain a constant power output and pedalling cadence, and just let my speed vary according to the conditions.

The best way of climbing is to mix 2 techniques of honking (standing on the pedals, using a lot of force) and twiddling (gearing down and spinning the pedals fast).

For normal riding, the brake tops should be in your favourite position. This gives you the option to go higher, or lower if neccessary.
Toe clips are fine for general riding. You need clipless pedlas to race, but dont worry yet.

This I cannot understand. The best places to ride all have hills, and plenty of them. Hills are what provide scenery. I prefer climbing because I can really attack as much as I want on a climb, while a descent means I have to be watching my speed, lest some idiot in the council decides to put a sharp corner at the bottom of a 22% hill.

As far as wind goes, there is nothing better than a nice seabreeze on a stupidly hot day if one is riding into it (I know).

I find a little anti-motorist bigotry to be extremely useful here. I'm not talking about trying to physically attack cars, but I generally don't assume motorists have any intelligence at all until it is conclusively proven beyond all doubt. This doesn't happen very often.