Originally Posted by
blackieoneshot
This is too awesome! Four coordinated replica costumes from Monty Python's Holy Grail -- on bikes!!
To the OP, I don't think motorcycle-style 'armored' clothing would be helpful. That stuff is mostly to protect against sliding on the asphalt. For a bike crash sliding would be limited.
I feel for you, being in a non-bike-friendly town. It makes me once again appreciative of my SoCal commute with nice wide bike lanes and bike-aware drivers. But there are tons of guys around this forum with commutes as bad as yours, and there is a lot to be learned. Stick around, learn about increasing your visibility, understanding car behavior from a cyclist's point of view, route selection, lane positioning, etc., and your skill at bike-commuting will increase, and hopefully you can reduce any unwarranted fear down to an appropriate level of awareness, caution, and vigilance.
Welcome to the club!