Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94

Those things you list have no bearing on how I act while riding on the road. Time schedule? So what? I leave at a time that allows me enough time to get there, based on the time it takes me to ride a given distance. On a rec ride I leave at a time that allows me to go the distance I want to, given the speed I can ride, and make it back home at a decent hour.

Carrying stuff has zero bearing on how one should act on the road. That's completely apples to oranges there. Not sure why you would even list that as a factor.

Specific route, well who cares what the route is. It's still public roads.

The point is, one's "mindset" as it pertains to riding a bicycle on public roads should not change no matter what type of riding he/she is doing, what the distance is, what the purpose is, or what the destination is. The only difference that I can see is that I might ride slower on rec rides where I'm doing more exploratory type stuff. But that typically happens in areas without any traffic. Getting to the place I want to explore, my "mindset" while on the road is exactly the same as when I'm commuting to or from work.

Originally Posted by baron von trail

I just see the two rides as completely different animals. Although, I do agree, from a safety standpoint, they would be the same. But, the over all mindset sure is not.