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Front
Fork
Brake Lever
Metro
Shifter
Handlebar
Stem
Crank &
Chainrings
MainFrame
Headtube
16
release the brake, and push
forward firmly on the pedal.
As you start moving, lift your
other foot up and keep ped-
dling. At first you probably
will wobble a little, but don’t
panic and tense up! Just relax
and concentrate on making
small corrections with the
handlebars. The most com-
mon beginners' error is to
overcontrol the bike, ending
up steering a set of “S” curves
down the lane. If you relax
and let your hands sit lightly
on the handlebars, you will
find it easier to avoid this syn-
drome. Lean back! You are
probably trying to lean forward, to mimic that "other" type bike you've been riding.
Another common first time mistake is to stare at your feet — after all, you’ve never seen
them before! Look ahead, see the scenery you’ve been missing.
Once you’re riding smoothly in a straight line, it’s time to practice looking around. Now
don’t laugh, I’m not being funny nor condescending. Compared to a traditional bike you
will find yourself looking at the world from a whole new perspective, a comfortable one.
The biggest problem you will face is keeping your mind on the road. Since you are riding
in a relaxing reclined position it’s all too easy to forget about everything except the
scenery in front of you. Looking behind you is not difficult, but it does take practice. As
you ride in a straight line—and are sure you’re not about to take a long ride on a short
pier—practice swinging your head to the left and right, taking quick glances behind you.
The first time you do this you will inevitably shift your weight and hand position, causing
the bike to swerve. Don’t panic, this is why we are practicing in the park instead of a
congested street. While many riders like to use a helmet or bicycle mounted mirror—and
we sell a beautiful unit that mounts onto the handlebar, see Chapter four of this manual—
it’s important to be able to actually look around behind you. This not only gives you
options on checking out traffic, but practicing this will increase your skills and confi-
dence on the bike.
At this point you should be feeling pretty good about life, zooming along nice and com-
fortable, relaxed and thinking about how much fun you are going to have on this thing.
Well don’t get too cocky yet. Before you hit the open road there are a some more exer-
cises you should do. Practice circling, both to the right and to the left. Start out with
gentle curves, and progress to tighter and tighter radius “U” turns. You should really try
to master turning slowly in as tight a curve as possible quite a few times, this gets you
ready for the real world of poor directions and detours. If you find yourself wobbling or
jerking the handlebars around, you are probably too tense. Relax, let your hands grasp
Foot Starting Postition
Idler
(R30NT only)