donieobseo, I was re-reading your post and it got me wondering. Just what is your neighborhood like that your father thinks it's dangerous to ride bike there? I'm from small town Midwest and random violence is still relatively rare where I live, but I know that isn't the way it is everywhere, and have lived in higher risk neighborhoods in larger cities. There are neighborhoods in nearby mid-size cities where I wouldn't want my daughter to ride alone, especially at night, and she is a few years older than you. There are also areas where traffic is a big concern, narrow overloaded streets in poor condition, poor signage and control signals, no bike lanes, generally poor skills and attitudes displayed by drivers, etc. Make sure you are assessing the situation realistically and not from an "it can't happen to me" perspective too common in young people. I had that attitude at your age and found out the hard way, more than once, yes it can happen. I'm not saying give up on your dream of cycling, just step back and look at it from your dad's point of view. Perhaps talking safer routes, times of day, street smarts, riding with a club or other more experienced riders, or other accommodations would make him more comfortable.