6 to 12 June: Where did you ride and what did you practise?

**Terminated** · 13th June 2007, 10:24

Thanks to Chanceyy and Zukin for their respective choices, Stella and Carbacca.

For all new riders I have and will continue to say:
Practise your slow bike control:
Counter steering routines through markers in the carpark,
Slow u-turns in a marker box,
Standing start to second gear and emergency brake (in through the box),
Figure eight and look where want to go during this routine (you can’t help but look back across over your shoulder…that is a good exercise in itself the ‘head check’)

Stella and Carbacca congratulations on your selections this week, taking it easy and having someone to ride with you now and then to review your progress is time well spent. We look forward to next week’s entries and your selections.

Originally Posted by chanceyy

my pick this week is Stella .. its only 4 months since I felt like she does, & every lil accomplishment is a huge achievment .. might not seem much to the more experienced rider but to overcome your fears & have an excellent ride sets you up to try something new next time.

on reflection, also how far you have come in a relatively short space of time is amazing .. I think back to my first half a dozen rides, & the difference in my ability since that time ..

always ride to your own ability never anyone elses ...

Originally Posted by Stella

I went out on Sunday with a South African couple I know a little through work. Absolutely lovely people and very ready to give advice in a way that didn't make me feel silly

We went from Palmy to Colyton, nice straight road, then to Ashhurst on a road with a good few bends and hills, great practise for a newbie! Then we went through THE GORGE!!! It is narrow and *very* bendy but totally flat, so all I needed to concentrate on was the bends. Thankfully I had no one behind me the whole way, and there wasn't a lot of traffic but still scary to a newbie (especially when one of the cars is a *sheep truck* coming towards you on a narrow, windy road!!). Stopped at a cafe to defrost then came back, same route.

I felt a lot more comfortable on the way back as i had some idea of what to expect and I knew I had done it before. I *highly* recommend this now. That way it isn't all new and scary.

The scariest part was hitting a small rock in the gorge!! Ok, so it was 10cm at the widest, and jagged...... I came around the corner and in about three seconds thought:
1 - It is on my trajectory and I am leaning mid-corner
2 - It is a narrow road and I don't think I have the skill to swerve safely
3 - This may hurt a *lot*
4 - Eyes where I want to go, arms confident and relaxed...
And I was fine!! Handle bars wobbled and shuddered, but I kept looking where I wanted to be and was fine.

My new friend told me about engine braking with the gears. I had been getting up in the gears out of town and staying in the same one, so I thought I would try it...

....on Monday when I went out to Tangimoana. OK, not many bends... but I tried it on the ones that were there and it WORKED

Also, with speed, I have been hanging around 80km while I get used to it (and pulling over politely

but on this trip with such nice long straight empty roads for a bit we were traveling at 95-100km and it felt fine.

I did 170km and learned some good things! Also learned the next day what it is like when a car in the lane beside you hits a large puddle and drenches you.....

Originally Posted by Zukin

Hi
This is my pick
Practice makes perfect
Sometimes all you have to do is take your time, think about it and you will figure it out just like carbacca

Cheers Scott

Originally Posted by carbacca

not so much "practice" anymore as just getting out and about and getting more confident on the two-fiddly

just riding away to whereever my heart took me today. i think the route went something like epsom, mt eden, newmarket, parnell, grafton, quay street , tamaki drive, bastion point, mission bay, st heliers, back down tamaki drive to parnell again, jumped on the north western (my first time on the motorway too) st lukes, morningside, sandringham, balmoral, mt eden (again), mt roskill, royal oak and then back home to epsom. wow that was a mouthful, i m suprised i remembered all that.

got a crash course in hillstarts when i decided to turn around at the end of tamaki drive, tried to do that by turning into a side street and doing a u-turn but i didnt see how #$^#$% the side stree was, i swear it was at least a 15 degree incline. went in the wrong gear, and ended up hard on the brakes and stopped, and in order to get myself going again had to do my first hillstart and happy to say that its not as hard as i though. got myself over the hill and turned back round the otherway, and ended up at the bottom of parnell again. quick zip up on the north western to experience the motorway. it got a little bit windy then and i was getting blown around a fair bit so only went as far as the st lukes off ramp, got off there and went home for lunch

made another quick run out in the afternoon (just now infact) to go to motomail outlet store to have a look at some pants (am still needing a pair of cordura or soemthing or rather road pants, to wear over whatever i am wearing to go to work) but didnt see anything in there i could throw my credit card at. back down st lukes road-balmoral road to go home again.

tomorrow i am going to try and practice my commuting route

Selections copied across to Newbie Update Blogg:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/bl...1728&entry=181

Heads Up and Enjoy