Hiya!
"The thing about one dowhshift at a time is simple--you know what gear you are in."
You mean I'm not the only person who has temporarily misplaced the gear I thought I was in? That's a comfort. (We won't say 'lost'--how can anyone be lost if they can find the same gas station 3 times within an hour? And how could one lose anything in something as small as a gearbox anyway? It's not like we could leave the lid open and have 3rd just wander off somewhere. They're all still in there, aren't they?)
The parallel and contrast with the pattern stick shift is enticing. The up/down box requires that we rely on memory (though mostly tactile, I suppose) while the pattern box gives us a 'you are here' pin on a nifty map. However, I suspect that (like the temporarily misplaced traveler) the moment we resort to that map, we are admitting we have erred. We have interrupted the smooth flow of change with a hesitation which in turn requires an adjustment necessitating an estimation which introduces a chance of further error and so on. So, while the cager has a map, it's only useful after the critical moment has passed, having reached for 3rd and come up with a handful of air because the stick was actually in 4th. Or was it 5th? Hmmm. Maybe I am the only one who has done that.
Should you decide to have a class in unintentionally misplacing gears, I believe I am well qualified to serve as an instructor. I'm a dedicated member of the Eternal Quest for 7th and can shift aimlessly on a whim.
Thanks for the books. They're my #1 gift for my two-wheeled friends. Thanks for this site. Just found it and already learned some more. --Hal
the journey is all
