'Muscle memory' - ?

[simongt]

Arrived back home from work a few days ago and had to nip out again pretty sharpish. Off my SPD equipped Galaxy straight onto my wee platform pedalled Brommy without changing shoes. At the first compulsory stop, presumably because my feet were aware they were still inside SPD shoes, I realised that I'd 'unclipped' my left foot - ! Then readying for the off, I raised my right foot and momentarily wondered why the pedal didn't come up with my foot - !
Oh dear - !

 

[figbat]

Similar tale, although not cycling. I used to own a Honda CRX - loved that car - and I was also a moderator and founder member of the UK owners‘ club, hence I got to see a lot of them in various guises.

One peculiarity of Hondas of that era (and many Japanese cars actually, as well as older British cars) is that the indicator stalk is on the right of the steering column. Perfectly sensible for a RHD car if you ask me but overtaken by mass manufactured European and America designs with LHD steering columns transplanted to the RHS. I digress.

One day I got to have a drive of a heavily modified CRX, fitted with a turbocharger. That was a well-done project - idled as smooth as anything, but pulled like a train in any gear. Anyhoo, as I approached a junction I went to indicate and flipped the wipers on. Despite this being a CRX with the same setup as mine, because I wasn’t in my car I automatically flipped to “every other car” mode, since every other car I drove had the indicators on the left.

 

[Sharky]

Flipping between automatic and manual cars are problematic. After a prolonged time on our auto, when I go back to my old manual, often arrive at the bottom of a hill or T junction, still in 5th and surprised that it hasn't moved into a lower gear by itself.

 

[MontyVeda]

i had those old fashioned toeclips on my bikes through my teenage years and 20s. Switched to flat pedals aged about 30, but spent weeks still doing the toe flip on the pedal as i set off.

in other news. I used to have very long hair tied in a pony tail. Every night as i got into bed, I'd pull out the bobble. Then i went for a crewcut but spent a couple of weeks automatically reaching for the bobble every night, only to find nothing!

 

[Slick]

Flipping between automatic and manual cars are problematic. After a prolonged time on our auto, when I go back to my old manual, often arrive at the bottom of a hill or T junction, still in 5th and surprised that it hasn't moved into a lower gear by itself.

I did that for the longest time.

 

[Brandane]

Flipping between automatic and manual cars are problematic. After a prolonged time on our auto, when I go back to my old manual, often arrive at the bottom of a hill or T junction, still in 5th and surprised that it hasn't moved into a lower gear by itself.

Been there, done that. After a 2 week driving holiday incorporating 2000 miles around California, I got home and jumped into my manual VW Golf. Got to the and of my street and promptly stalled it!

 

[fossyant]

I'd call that old age TBH !

 

[CXRAndy]

I flip between RHD and LHD vehicles weekly. Takes a few minutes to familiarise different controls and road position

 

[simongt]

On a related point, many years ago when I was driving HGVs, it was when synchromesh gearboxes weren't that common. Thus, I learned to double declutch up and down the box as a matter of course. But even now,over fifty years later, I still have an instinctive habit of double declutching a gearchange in our car in certain circumstances.

 

[cyberknight]

changing from shimano to sram i sometimes try to press the brake lever to change gears