Good Brakes

Hello, I went out on the bike trail close to our house for my third bike ride of the year. I have not ridden this new bike much. I miss the toe clips which allowed me to get my pedal in the right spot for takeoff. Now I have to put my foot under the low pedal and move it up. My habit is to stop with the pedal low on the left side, but start with the pedal high on the left side. I noticed that Leroy uses his pedals so they are always in the right position. I am scared of falling if I do not have them in the position that I am used to. Then there are these high-tech brakes. They must be more powerful than ordinary bike brakes. I apply too much pressure and come to a very quick stop, wondering if I could flip over the front of the bike. I will definitely have to spend more time on this machine so I can get used to some new ways of doing things. It is hard for me to relax and enjoy the ride when I am thinking about stopping and how to do it. I did use the battery power when trying to put on more speed to get through a stop light. I was behind Leroy, who was at the intersection, and he sailed on through. I managed as well, but I had to get to the intersection first. I will say that the power is noticeable, especially when I used the second level. I know people who have electric assist and they use that battery power all the time. But they sped along which I am not ready to do. Paula