Finally had some time to ride during the day today and ended up averaging 13mph over 45min. I wanted to ride more, but decided to cruise around the neighborhood Is 13mph average an ok speed for a beginner?

I also noticed that I upshifted and downshifted often even though I was on flat roads. Whenever I got tired, i downshifted (harder to pedal right? trying to get my terms right) and used my whole leg to pedal because I guess when I was on a higher gear, I used the balls of my feet to pedal.

There were way too many rocks and broken glass on the bike lanes too but I decided to stay in them. I also noticed a piece of medal stick about the size of a phone in the lane, I managed to swerve around it, but what would've happened if I ran over it?

Will riding up driveways, jumping curbs, riding off curbs damage the tube/tires/something else? I was used to doing this with an old mountain bike, but even after riding up my driveway (there's that small groove to allow rain to drain), I felt the shock and worried if it hurt the bike, but i'm sure it should be able to handle something like that.

I'm still a little scared about stopping at a stoplight to ride forward because I tried once and kinda slipped even though I have regular pedals with strap on clips So if I want to go straight and the light is red, I make a right and then a U-turn and a right lol. Now, once I get more comfortable sharing the road, do I signal left, pull to the middle of the lane and wait like a regular car allowing space for cars making a right to squeeze through? Or do I wait in the bike lane possibly blocking a car from squeezing through for their right?

Today I rode 9miles in 45min averaging 13mph, tomorrow I'm going to ride for much longer because I still had energy after I finished. I just hope I don't get carried away and ride too far only to realize that I have to ride that same distance back haha

I think it is more important for beginners to focus on miles or hours than on speed. Speed will come naturally as you spend more time on the bike. Most people can do a couple of hours with little training (maybe with a break in the middle). Once you get up to 3 hours at a time, you will start to see steady improvements in both your endurance and strength.

add concentrating on a good cadence.

We don't have bike lanes here in Illinois (thanks to this: https://www.yeltonkehl.com/library/decisions/138.html ) but if I come to a red light on a 4 lane highway, I always try to take over the right lane, so everyone behind me knows I am going straight. If there is room for them to turn right behind me, so be it. If not, they just have to wait.

if you're turning left, make sure you signal. Otherwise, when you slow down people are going to try to pass you.

Follow the rules of the road. Stoopping at a stoplight would probably be easier than pulling a u-turn. that seems like a lot of extra work to me.

a longer ride with an emphasis on a steady cadence is a good idea, thanks

yeah, the u-turn is more work, but it allows me to keep moving and not block any cars. i'll eventuallly start taking over a lane when going straight.

like they said, concentrate on good pedaling and time. distance will come (speed is just a factor of time and distance). try to imagine your feet making triangles with the cranks instead of cicrles. the tip of the top of the triangle is at the top of your pedal stroke (12 o'clock). the bottom right is at 5 o'clock and the bottom left is at 7. helps smooth out the pedal stroke. it'll feel quirky/uncomfortable pulling up while pedaling at first but it'll help efficiency.

any speed is a good average speed as long as you're riding. usually average speeds arn't compairable because of outside factors such as wind, hills, etc.......

when you become more comfortable on the bike, pretend you're driving a car when it comes to road rules. make sure to signal and let everyone know your intentions. for now do what you feel comfortable with

Ive found it weird pulling at the bottom of a pedal stroke.

I agree with you with average speed, to me its only a rough measure on how you are going. I did a ride in a big westerly today I averaged 20kmph what do I compare that to?

Upshifting uses the smaller gears on the cassette = harder to turn the pedals; "Pulling Big Gears".


I would avoid jumping curbs with a road bike. Depending on what you weigh it may not ever cause any damage but its certainly not the kind of impact loading the rims were designed for.

To smooth out my pedal stroke, I imagine that I have mud on the bottom of my shoes, and I "scrape" it off while going thru the bottom of the stroke.
About cadence: It takes less muscle strength to spin the pedals at about 90 rpm than a slower rpm.
Keep riding !!

you're almost there.

forget miles/kms. always - whether you're new or a long time cyclist - focus on duration and intensity, and never distance.