Originally Posted by
baron von trail
Commuting is by nature different than recreational riding. For one, when commuting we have to go from point A (home) to point B (work) regardless of where point B happens to be located. When rec riding, I never purposely go into a city and ride on busy streets.
It shouldn't matter. Any public street can and will have motor traffic at times. I see no difference at all in how one should ride and behave whether commuting or just rec riding.
I personally DO NOT intentionally seek out 2-lane country roads because of generally higher speeds, no shoulder, and more difficulty for motorists to pass. Unfortunately that's the only choice I have for my commute, so I take the route of 2-lane roads with the lowest traffic volume. For rec riding I ride around my town, or even venture up into Memphis. I find it far LESS stressful to ride in the city than to ride out in the country, personally, because in the city there is generally plenty of space for motorists to pass easily.