What have I gotten myself into??? There is so much more to cycling than I ever dreamed of. Most of my rides have been on a straight, flat path thus far. I’ve not had to adjust the gears at all. I’ve been gaining a little more confidence, so I decided it was time to tackle some hills. I hopped on my bike & propped myself up while I played with my gears. Off I went. So I headed up this hill, and the resistance was unbearable. I tried to adjust the gears, but nothing was working!!! I started to panic just as I did during my zero-speed fall.
Frustrated, I found a spot to prop myself up & fought to adjust the gears. Somehow my chain popped off. I had read somewhere that you need to be very careful not to damage your chain & to head to the bike shop for help. So I did. And they showed me this simple adjustable lever to put the chain back on (which most people learned in their childhood). lol
They gave me a quick lesson on the gears & explained that even though my bike is not high-end by any means… it is far different than the 10 speed I grew up on that had the little numbers listed on a dial that you lined up to adjust from one numbered gear to another. Cycling bikes have no numbers, just clicks. The bike shop explained that the easiest way to learn is simply to practice. Eventually you just get the “feel” of it.
Nervous to learn this skill on the open road, I decided to buy a trainer. This is a stand for your bike that essentially turns it into a stationary/spinning style bike. I was pretty impressed that I set it up all by myself. Not that it was too difficult, but I am in no way mechanically inclined. lol This has been a great addition for my training as I can ride indoors in inclement weather. Still working on the gear thing, but it gets just a little better each and every day.
Just got word that I am now a FFWD Wheels Ambassador!!! AWESOME!!!
The following is a great article that explains how the gears and cogs work. http://floridabicycle.org/chapter/firstcoast/?p=1235
I’m closing with a funny joke I saw on twitter:
A triathlete, a crossfitter, and a vegan walked into a bar… I only know because they told everyone within two minutes… hahaha, so true!!!
heatherranelle 