Originally Posted by RideMyWheel

Sorry, I was only referring to the laws of self-preservation. We're probably 100% in agreement. As a child when I scraped my knee falling from a bike, you couldn't keep me from getting back on it. I've read two threads today where someone over 50 mentioned a previous accident that has deterred them from getting back in the saddle. Irrational fears lead us to take extra precautions, that's all. No matter how hard we try to reason those fears away, subconsciously we end up doing what the O.P. does, check and double-check, etc.

I stated that I'm not as good a rider as the O.P. because I probably am not. I've only been back in this game since mid-April, and although I've made a tremendous amount of progress in a very short time, there is no substitute for time in the saddle climbing hills and building confidence in traffic. I'm another 6-9 months away from being where I want to be, depending on the severity of my winter.

Your signature is brilliant, by the way.