Originally Posted by
Sharpshin
The other thing almost no one here relates to but which is important to me: As a teacher in a big urban high school I often end up riding home after dark through lower-income urban neighborhoods. Much of it I ride without lights so as to be less conspicuous. Flashing safety lights, helmets and bicycle outfits in that setting would just spell "V I C T I M". Usually if anything I get mistaken for homeless, which describes most older bearded White guys where I live and work.
It's interesting to read others experiences. I am more the odd one out here as a rural country fella, most on the forums seem to be more of the urban dwellers. On a typical short ride, say 10 to 20 miles I can probably count all the houses I go by on my fingers. I don't have hardly any urban riding experience other than hopping on the MUP that is a block away from my parking garage at work (I drive about an hour each way to work in the city).
We're going off on a tangent though, back to your regular scheduled program
Even on my short tours I rarely take much roads. I live just a few miles from the Ohio to Erie Trail which spans the whole state, that's where most of my cycling is done as well as short tours/bike camping trips. I just don't usually have free time to take off on long tours, I have my son myself and no sitter or family in the state except my ex. Maybe in 10 years when he is off on his own...