Cycling lost all confidence

What was it that made you feel unsafe? Were the pedals clip-in ones? If so, yes they take practise to master but you don't HAVE to use them - start with toe cages (not the right name for them!) if you don't want the full clip thing immediately.

Was the bike frame too big for you? Or the reach?

I've only been riding a road bike for a couple of years and when I come to junctions or places I have to stop, I still chant in my head B(rake) U(nclip) G(ears) S(teer) or S(top!). I slow down for a stop much earlier than my more confident cycling buddies and always make sure I'm in the smaller chain ring to move off.

Its all about practise tbh

I transitioned from hybrids to a race bike and for long rides there's a huge difference. I did one solo Century on a hybrid but it hurt and I was slow. I also tried to keep up with friends on race bikes and you just have to work so much harder you burn yourself out.

It really doesn't take long to adjust to the different steering feeling (feels twitchy at first, you tend to over-correct and steer with your hands not your eyes...).

Did you have your hands on the hoods or the drops?
(Hoods feels a lot more natural at first.)

Was the bike in a low gear to allow you to easily push off and get the stability from the wheels turning?

Did the one you tried have an extreme high seat to low bar riding position?
(My Roubaix is quite high at the front which gives me a more natural riding position.)

Keep trying! It's worth it.

Don't get discouraged! Maybe you'd feel more comfortable once you're out on the street, not in that bike shop, which I'm guessing was narrow and small. It takes some time, but I'm sure you'll adjust to it.

You can do it. As everyone says it takes a bit of adjustment. Don't let a brief nervous experience deter you.

jorichards2 wrote: »

I wasn’t prepared for it to feel so twitchy and I was very self conscious in the middle of a busy shop with a narrow short path to try and cycle through without hitting the rows of bikes on either side.

I didn’t even manage to get both feet on the pedals I kept missing with the 2nd foot and running out of space. It had flat pedals but I’m used to cages I have them on the hybrid so they weren’t the issue and the 2nd bike I tried felt like a nice position when I just balanced on it.

Beginning to think I’ll stick with the hybrid unless I can find a cheap second hand racer to practice on first. I feel like such an idiot!

Just go back by yourself without an unhelpful and critical audience.
I'm sure the shop would let you have a spin around the block where you would have space for an odd wobble.

The wobbly feeling goes within a single ride.
You live in a beautiful part of the country for cycling and it would be a shame to limit yourself.

I ride a hybrid, yes when we go out for club rides I'm generally at the back. I keep getting told I would go faster with less effort if I had a road bike (drop handlebars) but quite frankly my hybrid has similar gearing, frame geometry and weight as the road bikes so I really don't understand what the difference is.

I did a 100 mile sportive on my old hybrid (it weighed about 50 pounds, was a real sit-up-and-beg style one), the following year I did it again but also cycled the 25 miles home as hubby was working so couldn't give me a lift home. I would have done it the year after as well, on the new lighter weight hybrid bike (I was looking forward to see what my time would be like) but they cancelled it and haven't re-run it (it was an overnight one, start at midnight, cycle round London, out to Twyford and back via Windsor with a bottle of wine!), I've not found another one that I fancy.

I've just bought myself a new lighter hybrid, this one will remain 'naked' and not have the luggage racking/stand etc added to it and be kept for 'events' ('race' doesn't really describe what I do). I'll be taking it out on its first ride after work this afternoon.

One of the ladies from the tri-club got herself a new road bike and was selling her old one. I borrowed it for a couple of days with a view to buying it. I was OK riding it on the flat (around her local roads), the position was good, the steering was a bit more sensitive than I was used to, drops were OK (I rode a drop handlebar road bike back in my teens) and it felt good. So she let me take it home for a longer test drive. I rode it down my road (slight hill), then turned down the next road (steeper hill) and scared the living daylights out of myself! Up on the hoods (which seems to be where 90% of riding is) I couldn't pull the brakes hard enough to stop! On the flat it hadn't mattered. When on the drops I was fine with the brakes, getting from the hoods to the drops wasn't a problem if I had time to do it; but in an emergency situation where a car pulled out in front of me or overtook and turned across I wouldn't have time to stop. So I said thank you and returned the bike to her. However it did me an understanding of why one of the other tri-club ladies gets off her bike and walks it down hills!

jorichards2 wrote: »

Went to get sized for a racer and once on it I couldn’t even get both feet on the pedals and pull away. I felt ridiculous as if I’d never been on a bike before. All hubby kept saying was you’ll never feel safe on it and I can’t see you mastering corners you’ll just kill yourself. I feel so disappointed and annoyed with myself.

jorichards2 wrote: »

I wasn’t prepared for it to feel so twitchy and I was very self conscious in the middle of a busy shop with a narrow short path to try and cycle through without hitting the rows of bikes on either side.

What a supportive hubby.

Racing road bikes are meant to go fast, and it sounds like you weren't.

Racing bikes are designed to be incredibly stable and easy to control at high speed.

Hybrid bikes are made to feel stable at low speed.

The "twitchy" you felt was partly from riding it slowly inside the store. Seriously, if you take it on a test ride outside and get it when to 15 mph or thereabouts, it will feel much better, and the corners will be very easy.

But the "twitchy" is also partly from the geometry. Race bikes are exquisitely sensitive to steering input. It's a matter of taste, some people like it (I like the feeling of immediacy) and some people are more comfortable on a more ponderous bike.

You might do well to look at endurance and gravel road bikes. They have a lot of the face features (compared to a hybrid) but put you in a more comfortable position, and from the sound of it you may be more confident in that position. Also they tend to be less twitchy.

Final point, you can be fit for comfort or for speed. Looking at a race bike, they may have assumed you want to optimize your position for speed. Meaning you could feel better even on that bike.

You could also consider a road bike with flat handlebars....

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q6-yz1qJrUc

Hi, I belong to a bicycle club. Spring, Summer and Fall the club members and myself ride road bikes. What you need to stop calling racers. The road bike typically has the "tear drop" type of handle bars. Going to this type of bicycle would require going to a bike shop and getting measured for proper fit. I do suggest looking for a bicycle club that states they are a "touring" club. The pace is slower but as you become more comfortable and fit your speed will naturally increase. Stopping hint - you can see ahead of time when you need to stop so slow down before you actually have to stop and remove 1 foot from pedal before time until you feel comfortable. If you have a proper fit on the bike there should be no problem. Do not over think the stop. Cornering, with many rides this will become more natural to do.

I love my new hybrid. I love the ability to ride anywhere, and it's light, so very fast. Don't be do hard on yitrdekf.. To be honest I don't think many people would've been able to trial a bike like that in those tricky circumstances!! Especially someone new to road bikes.
Get a second hand one. The shop doesn't warrent having your money.

jorichards2 wrote: »

I had about 1.5 m push of get on and stop, I think it was a bit too slow and I was worried about other customers getting in the way, they wouldn’t let me take the bike outside so I’ll find a different shop.

Yeah, find another shop. That is an unacceptable expectation of the shop to expect you to throw down hundreds of dollars w/o being able to get a good feel for it. That is the kind of response I would expect from Walmart.

You should be able to ride around the block or parking lot for 5 minutes or so (after having the shop set it up w/ some rough adjustments to the seat/stem) to get a good feel for it. Also make sure to try out different bikes...subtle differences in geometry, stem length, etc can make for a huge difference in feel.

I'll second the notion of looking at an endurace speced frame (if the budget allows) as a transition from an upright flatbar bike. Heck, I'd like one for longer rides. I was looking at an Orbea Avant that was for sale locally...but ended up buying a different frame. Maybe next year.

Also don't be afraid to look around on Craigslist or other classifieds. You can find some pretty good deals on private party sales once you know what frame size you are looking for.