Originally Posted by
TheHen
Okay, reality check here. If you come back into town via Lorane Hwy from McBeth Rd., choose your times very carefully. This portion of Lorane Hwy. has no real shoulder and the motorists are quite aggressive, especially around right curves. Don't expect anyone to give you the required legal space (room to fall towards them), you will need to assert your right to the road by your lane position or risk being buzzed/struck. Always leave yourself an out to the right. This is generally difficult for a beginner to do, especially if you haven't seen anyone do it. That said, if you avoid the morning commute (traffic your way), lunch time (traffic leaving town that will create problems for cars passing you), post lunch (cars going your way) and the "witching hour" (4:00-5:30) then you should have a reasonable go of it. The Lorane Hwy portion is less than 2 1/2 miles so you won't be there long. You can stretch this ride out by skipping McBeth and taking Fox Hollow to Lorane Hwy. You'll have to finish on the same yucky part, but you get more miles of safe (Fox Hollow) and shouldered (half-dozen miles of Lorane Hwy added).
While it is certainly possible to ride in the Eugene area, it is one of the worst places for cycling that I have ever been. Don't believe the P.R. you will hear in this city. Unless you consider being cursed at and attacked to be "bike friendly", Eugene is anything but. However, the more people ride the better it will get. I just hate to see people head out with rose-colored glasses and then quit at the first sing of trouble because they didn't know what they were getting into. A group of EPD officers regularly ride and they always keep a uniform in the front and rear of their group. They do this to keep from being treated like the rest of the cycling community.
As far as where to get a decent road bike, don't forget to check out Bill at Wheelworks. He is a real old-timer who often has some good deals. I like him; he builds relationships as opposed to pushing hard to make a sale. I like Hutch's too, but Bill is my favorite.
Be safe, be cautious even, but don't be alarmist. I've ridden plenty, without an EPD uniform on Lorane and elsewhere, and i've never had a problem. You're more likely to encounter problems, IMO, near the university where student traffic, parked cars and distracted drivers make every 10ft a close encounter. And sure, Eugene isn't perfect for cycling, but if you've ever had to ride your bicycle in SoCal then it'll sure seem a heckuva a lot closer to heaven than hell. If it's one of the worst places for cycling you've been, then you need to get out more---and make it less worse while you're at it.