I sometimes see a fellow commuter on my way to or from work. She rides a turquoise cruiser bike (I think it might be a 3-speed). She wears a helmet and an N95 respirator dust mask (she takes no chances with Houston pollution). The woman can SPIN - she really moves! Sudden acceleration? No problem. She sticks to the bike lanes, and then when the bike lane ends and turns into a 3 lane "shared bikeway" she moves to the sidewalk. It really doesn't slow her down much.