I have trouble b/c we have no bike lanes here, and rarely large comfortable shoulders either. How or where do you ride if you have a bike with wider handlebars or a trailer behind you when there are no bike lanes, shoulders, and usually no sidewalks as well??
I have a narrow bike (and I'm a narrow person) but I prefer to ride in the middle of the lane unless there's enough room for me to ride off to the side without being passed at less than a few feet of distance by passing cars. Riding on roads where people like to pass while going 50mph, it becomes even more helpful to force cars to move to another lane while passing. I wear a mesh safety vest, which I hope signals to motorists that I'm not riding in the middle of the lane because I
don't care about my safety (which will make them want to honk at you) but quite the opposite. Many motorists seem to be able to grasp the concept that if there's no room to share the lane safely, a cyclist may as well ride where it's dead obvious he doesn't want to share the lane unsafely.
Originally Posted by bragi
Panniers add a bit of width,
On a bike with wide handlebars, typical panniers won't add any width.