Riding To Different Places

[shootingstar]

Me too! True, I sometimes get myself into some sticky situations (e.g. going down hills I have to walk back up), but it's always an adventure. I often feel safer on a bike than I would in a car in some of the... less savory neighborhoods near my house.

That being said, I'm less likely to be willing to deviate from a plan on rural roads (if I've never taken them before), because I'm such a city person at heart; I always feel isolated in a scary way.

Since my whole cycling history has been in cities, crowded and traffic thick cities, I find for rural roads that are far out of town, I need to know in advance where I am going. Especially the highway interchanges, etc. Of course these are cities are over 1 million people.

For instance I moved to a city I am new and still have not cycled out to the edges of city because I know darn well the cars get faster and there are highway interchanges. There are unpleasant areas of urban sprawl ..what this city is getting notoriously famous for.

Where I am, the city (Calgary) is close to 1 million people and it is growing fast.

so I have to go with another cyclist first to get out to the edges so I feel comfortable on my own.

[Velocivixen]

Its exciting to hear about the adventurous nature of those who pedal to see what's "over there". I guess I didn't make it clear in my initial post that I have already been down every one of these streets and to these locations, only by car or foot. I just have never ridden my bike there, so it was no surprise to me what I would find. It's just that things are different on a bike because you're "out there" uninsulated. I love the wind on my face ane, especially, the smells! On a bike I am very big about planning safer routes than vs by car. Roads that I know by car seem very different by bike.
Hope that explains better.
Thanks all for continuing to share.

[jamijo]

On a bike I am very big about planning safer routes than vs by car. Roads that I know by car seem very different by bike.
Hope that explains better.
Thanks all for continuing to share.

This.

I'm in a suburb about 20 miles north of a major city. It's a 'nice' area, lots of money... and no sidewalks, bike lanes, or bike paths outside of the two township parks. Roads that I don't think twice about driving down definitely make me stop and think before thinking about maybe taking a bike trip down them. The first few times I was on the (somewhat) busy road that runs in front of our neighborhood, I was extremely nervous. I'm getting a little better about riding that one, but it's going to take some gut-gathering to get out onto other roads on my bike.

[Owlie]

This.

I'm in a suburb about 20 miles north of a major city. It's a 'nice' area, lots of money... and no sidewalks, bike lanes, or bike paths outside of the two township parks. Roads that I don't think twice about driving down definitely make me stop and think before thinking about maybe taking a bike trip down them. The first few times I was on the (somewhat) busy road that runs in front of our neighborhood, I was extremely nervous. I'm getting a little better about riding that one, but it's going to take some gut-gathering to get out onto other roads on my bike.

I'm in a similar situation--15 miles north of a city, no sidewalks or bike lanes. We do have a really nice rail-trail, though. The speed and density of traffic around here, and the fact that people here aren't that used to seeing cyclists is why I don't like road riding around here. I stick to the rail-trail or my neighborhood roads. (The rail-trail is probably why no one around here is used to seeing cyclists.)

When I lived in Cleveland, I had no choice but to ride on roads, and I learned a lot of the streets around my apartment that way...after getting lost a few times. The traffic density was a lot higher, but I went out in the evenings and weekend mornings and it wasn't bad. Speeds were slower, they're gradually getting better at putting in bike lanes, and drivers and pedestrians were used to seeing cyclists because of the university.

[Velocivixen]

I live within 10 minutes of farmland (by car) and a lot of cyclists ride the rural highways. No Bike lanes and lots of gravel & stuff on the side of the road. That doesn't interest me at all. I much prefer city riding, because there are always side streets or busy streets that have dedicated bike lanes. I find that out in the country there just aren't that many options about how to get somewhere. I guess there are pros & cons with each. I just get nervous at the thought of cars/trucks whizzing by me going 55 MPH! :0

[Bike Writer]

Roads that I know by car seem very different by bike.
Hope that explains better.
Thanks all for continuing to share.

Yes entirely different by bike than car! You see and notice so many different things by bike, including smells

Rural roads can be an adventure in more ways than one. In big city downtown traffic cars often move at lower speeds due to the congestion. Out here, once you get away from the small downtown, cars whiz by at dizzying speeds regardless of whether the road is paved or gravel. Last year I had a car pass me on a gravel road that was going in excess of 65 MPH, it's so easy to slide out of control at those speeds on that kind of surface. Once you get outside of town on one lane roads the average speed is 60 and the only available space for a bike is on the edge of the road so cars are driving by within inches. I try to stick to the paths and trails.