Patellapedler

Due to banging up my knee pretty badly a few weeks ago I can not run, my choice of exercise. I do not want all the fitness I have worked so hard to build these past 8 months to fall by the way side so I have to bike. I do not own a fancy smancy bike but one that is pretty comfortable for me to use never the less for my current interest in this sport. It does not have a kick stand nor a water bottle holder so I am in the market for that as well as a lock because I will use it to commute to work (once I start working again that is) which is 3.5 miles from my home. I know that is a warm up for most advid cyclist but it is a start for me. I hope I am not coming off bad, but I feel very inadequate when it comes to this sport and I really don't know what to expect. The fact that I am not so mechanicly inclined scares the heck out of me. Here is a little history of me and my bike.




Now, I bought this bike about a year and half ago. It was a b-day present or something. It is a diamondback and it has big thick tires with lots of traction, it is purple and I payed around 300$. Oh and it has two totally different gears on each side of the handles. I know I sound ridiculous, but I really don't know how to ride. All I know is the gears on the right say 5-1 and the ones on the left are H-L. If I got a flat tire on the road(something that has thankfully never happened to me in all the years since my Grandfather taught me how to ride)I would not know how to fix it which is probably the reason I don't have any fix-it tools either or a spare tube for that matter. LOL. My husband has promised to help me with some of these things. I think secretly he is laughing his butt off but still he has agreed to do it. LOL


Besides my introduction to my first bike with a banana seat way back when, my other introduction into the biking world happened a few years ago when I was asked to go on an organized ride years back (many years back). I saw bikes I had never thought existed and I was in AWE. It was about mile 10 when my K-mart special (not my current bike) and I were pooping out BIG TIME and my girlfriend offered to give me a break and switched bikes. WELL,,,it was like getting into a Cadillac...it rode so smooth and it was so light, I never wanted to get off it. I did poop out at the first fork of the ride where if you were doing this amount of miles go here,,but if you were doing the century go here..so I went home with a taste of the good life in bikes. That began the lookout for a comfortable bike within my budget. Second was when my best friend met this great guy really into it and that was the first time I saw those special pedals (clip/less??) But I still have never gotten into biking, it was always running for me.

Now speed up to yesterday. After this morning of a failed attempt to run yet once again I was determined not to let another day go by the way side without a good workout so I was facing the bike. I know I have to start off small like with running and we all have to start somewhere. I have LOTS of questions. It could be a few weeks before I am able to run again and I don't want for those weeks to be so dreaded cause riding can be so much fun but it is the dangerous part that, like many, I hate. I am hoping to maybe make this transition into something of a love for the future. It is not that I don't like cycling but I really don't know much about it and I guess it is the fear of the unknown I am afraid of. So that is why I am here, to learn about something I really have no idea about. Thanks for reading this far and I hope you all can be patient with me and my ridiculous questions.

JavaMan

Welcome to BikeForums!

I would suggest finding a cycling group to ride with. Many bike shops sponsor group rides on Saturdays. Find one with a ride for beginners. If you can find one, there will be nice people there who can tell you, and more importantly, show you the answer to all your questions. Good luck and don't be shy!

Joe Dog

Welcome to the Forums!! No need to be afraid of the unknown. As far as I can tell most of the answers are here. You might want to get a bike on maintenance (I like the Park "Big Blue Book" and the Bicycling Magazine repair guide), but beleive me - bike maintenance is not as hard as it seems. Also - check out the commuting forum. There is a long thread on advice for new commuters. Lots of good practical advise that will serve you well wether you commute or not. This is a great, friendly group and you'll find plenty of help and humor to ease you into biking.

Stubacca

Welcome!

Everything you wanted to know about gears but were afraid to ask.

I highly recommend browsing around Sheldon's site - there's a wealth of great information there to help you get on your way.