Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)

You'll get the hang of them soon bagheera. it's compulsary to forget the spds in the beginning and fall off s l o w l y while clipped in. Wear ther knee scabs with pride;p)

You're right about cycle training though. People who learn anything from an expert will do the thing better and self teaching through reading is good to a point but lacks the feedback angle. Our cooperative cycle training uk has marketed training as advanced skills cycle training and we put together a package called 'faster commuter' including the cycle skills training with bike maintenance training. It wasn't succesfull 5 years ago but may work now

I suppose it depends if there is anything to learn from an expert. What if I am an expert too? (built from 30+ years experience and willingness to learn/open to feedback)