Originally Posted by
Big Boy
I live in a semi rural area no bike lanes here. I never see cyclists around here. I should be the only one, lol.
I ride a mountain bike around suburban London (England, not Canada), sometimes on the roads and sometimes off the roads. I mention that only to put what I'm saying into context so you can figure if it's relevant to you or not.
Chances are you will come across some motorists who aren't really looking out for bikes, who aren't paying much attention to driving, or who are momentarily distracted by anything from their cellphone ringing to fiddling with the stereo to telling the kids in the back to shut up. That will be the same anywhere.
When I first got the bike I hadn't cycled in 20-odd years so was inevitably a bit wobbly on it, didn't have much fitness so couldn't reach a very good speed and if I did reach a speed I couldn't sustain it. So I stuck to quieter roads and trails while I got to grips with the bike. Now I'm stronger and fitter, and I've got a much better feel for what the bike can do and what I can do with it as a rider, I'm more confident sharing busier roads with traffic.
I still prefer smaller roads where possible (in the city I have the luxury of having lots of roads to choose from). What I've found is that if I'm on a piece of road where a car couldn't pass me safely I cycle in the middle of the lane to make it clear that I'm not going to let the car just edge past me. Then when it's clear for them to pass I pull over a bit so they can pass more easily. On a narrow bendy road where they can't necessarily see far enough ahead I'll give them a sign to either hold back or come pass, as appropriate.
Be aware that people pulling out of side roads may genuinely not have seen you. I've been carved up a couple of times by people pulling out having either not seen me at all or not realised how fast I was going. With the best will in the world, the person pulling out may be a car or a fellow cyclist.
A few times I come across the impatient drivers who don't want to wait but for the most part I've found drivers seem to appreciate that when it's safe for them to pass I get out of the way. A lot of the time it just boils down to road users considering other road users, and for the most part I don't have troubles with that.