Jumpy

I've been riding the new bike after work to get in some extra practice time. This is not the ideal time to practice because of busy roads and impatient drivers on their way home from work. I almost decided against evening practice when I had trouble with jerky transitions between gears on Monday. Imagine my happiness when a co-worker explained that dirt bikes (and hybrids like mine) are supposed to be a bit "jumpy." This was confirmed by a review I found online. To quote the experts (in an otherwise favorable review): "Backing off the throttle is nearly impossible to do smoothly and picking up the gas is only slightly easier to control." Far from giving me buyer's remorse, this review gave me new rider's relief.

Knowing I wasn't doing something wrong completely transformed my enjoyment of the ride. I had a blast on Wednesday and ventured onto Geary for the first time. No mishaps -- except for sliding downhill for a few feet when I tried to start from a stop sign in neutral...