hsuBM

I too have it. The forward momentum smoothes out my twitchiness.

1) super bright lights... >900 lumens on front, >300 on back. On the road, you’re a vehicle. Be lit like one.

2) instead of focusing on being not-weird looking, work at being awesome looking. Practice stopping hard enough that you feel the rear wheel come up in the air. It prepares your brain-body connection for emergency stops, and when you teach your body to do it with style soooometimes people will give you a thumbs-up which always feels kinda good. Practice sprinting, it sometimes is a very polite gesture in thick traffic to be at least trying to get out of the way of narcissistic drivers.



Also, I find riding a single speed bike with fenders makes the whole of maneuvering around/through road obstacles (potholes, debris, puddles, dead animals) and being mindful of traffic coming from all directions a lot less mentally taxing than dealing with gears. I can probably write three paragraphs about all of the potential explitive-inducing issues shifters and derailers yield.

Regarding being at the bike shop and getting fitted... if you make an appointment, they’ll appreciate that a lot- especially if it’s on a rainy Tuesday/Wednesday before 3pm. Show up thoroughly bathed and even if you’re like me and have a stutter that takes ten minutes to get two sentences out, they’ll be a lot less uncomfortable with you than they are with a lot of their regulars who tend to bring a strong aroma with them.

I often have to have all of my questions and priorities written down on a piece of paper when I go to the shop as I do get overwhelmed and quickly get wanting to leave within seconds of walking in- a feeling that grows the longer that I’m there.

Welcome to bike commuting! Have fun and be safe!