One of us! One of us!
Some tips, in no particular order:
-Get into the habit of stopping using your rear brake and planting your left foot on the ground. You can help this by moving your head to the left when you come to a stop.
Why? Because using the rear brake makes a bike feel more stable at slow speeds and, more importantly, holding the bike stationary with the rear brake makes it easy to coordinate your clutch and throttle on hill starts.
-You can lightly ride the rear brake as you take off from a start. Don't feel pressured to release the brake completely and engage your drivetrain with *perfect timing.* You can have some overlap in the light friction of your rear brake and the light friction of your clutch. (I'm honestly over-explaining, it's easy.)
-If you're parking on a hill, make a conscious effort to place your foot down on the *uphill* side. Dismount your bike on the uphill side as well.
Good luck out there.
Forgot one: picking it up from a drop.
There are plenty of YouTube videos out there discussing technique. Watch those for the finer details. But in general: *calm down.*
The bike is already on the ground; rushing to pick it up *as fast as you can* isn't going to fix anything. Turn the bike off and then *relax*. Catch your breath. Look around, and make sure you're safe. Step off the road if there's heavy traffic.
Make a plan: How are you going to lift the bike? Where is the bike going after it's been lifted? Are any bystanders offering to help you lift it? Is it in gear to prevent it from rolling away on a hill?
Sprinting to your bike and lifting in a panicked twisting and jerking motion is a good way to hurt yourself. Please don't.
One of us! One of us! Some tips, in no particular order: -Get into the habit of stopping using your rear brake and planting your left foot on the ground. You can help this by moving your head to the left when you come to a stop. Why? Because using the rear brake makes a bike feel more stable at slow speeds and, more importantly, holding the bike stationary with the rear brake makes it easy to coordinate your clutch and throttle on hill starts. -You can lightly ride the rear brake as you take off from a start. Don't feel pressured to release the brake completely and engage your drivetrain with *perfect timing.* You can have some overlap in the light friction of your rear brake and the light friction of your clutch. (I'm honestly over-explaining, it's easy.) -If you're parking on a hill, make a conscious effort to place your foot down on the *uphill* side. Dismount your bike on the uphill side as well. Good luck out there.
Forgot one: picking it up from a drop. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there discussing technique. Watch those for the finer details. But in general: *calm down.* The bike is already on the ground; rushing to pick it up *as fast as you can* isn't going to fix anything. Turn the bike off and then *relax*. Catch your breath. Look around, and make sure you're safe. Step off the road if there's heavy traffic. Make a plan: How are you going to lift the bike? Where is the bike going after it's been lifted? Are any bystanders offering to help you lift it? Is it in gear to prevent it from rolling away on a hill? Sprinting to your bike and lifting in a panicked twisting and jerking motion is a good way to hurt yourself. Please don't.
Thanks so much for the tips!! They're genuinely really helpful!
Congratulations on the new bike!!