New to Road Biking

[twixxi]

Hey guys I just have come back fron doing 2 long road bike rides....man I loved every minute of it!
Just want some general tips on trying to improve my confidence when riding...I'm very nervous of traffic and stopping!! I teach indoor cycling and are a runner so I've got endurance that's not the problem just getting comfotable with the bike. I can keep up with the more advanced riders too just not very confident.
Also any tips on getting a bike??? I'm very small about 5'2 so I'm sure getting a used bike is going to be hard to come by plus I live in a small area with only 1 bike speciality bike shop.
Any advice would be appreciated....

[beach_plums]

As far as I can tell, the only way to become more comfortable with traffic is to continue to ride in it. It's probably always going to be a bit nerve-racking (at least for me it has been), but it does get better.
The best way to go about getting a bike is to go to your bike shop and get properly fitted. If your local shop allows it, do a couple of demos and find what fits and what you like best. You might end up spending a bit more than you would on something used, but getting something that fits and that you'll use, plus the relationship you'll develop with your local shop, is worth it.

[twixxi]

Thanks for the advice....I might look for a bike in the winter when they have there clearance sale on. Right now I'm borrowing a friends who's around the same size as me I'm using her starter bike.

[bmph8ter]

You want confidence? Go practice what makes you nervous. One of the worst things for new tandem teams is stopping and starting. So, whenever Silly and I take a new team out, we find a parking lot and make them practice.

If it's traffic trouble, find some neighborhood/park streets that have some traffic and ride. As you do it more, seek out roads with a bit more traffic. Having a helmet mounted mirror does wonders for some folks. Lots of folks I know that hate traffic felt MUCH better when they could see what's going on behind them. Helmet mounted mirrors are IMO the best way too. You can look back without changing anything, and they don't flop around like the ones that mount on your glasses.

[FishrCutB8]

Ride lots. There is no substitute.

[silly]

Don't wait until winter. As it is right now, 2008 bikes are really low inventory, due to manufacturers terminating production about three months earlier than usual due to manufacturing inflation.

What that means is that 2008 inventory probably won't be discounted this winter because they'll already be 20% cheaper than their 2009 bikes (it looks like about a 10% increase on high end bikes ($3000 and over) and 15-20% on the rest). And with so many sizes and bikes sold out, chances are slimmer this year than ever that your size will be available, at all.

[twixxi]

Thanks I already took a spill trying to get clipped in!! Ha ha oh well I forgot you have to move to keep up right....
I just don't trust cars at all ....where I live cars are not very bike friendly or even runner friendly I've been run off the road running somtimes!!!
I'll try and get out as much as possible and get more confidence. The girl that I've been riding with said I was doing excellent just needed to give my self more credit than I have been.

[Mark57]

I have the Cycleaware Reflex mirror that Aaron posted and I like it a lot. Highly recommended.