A lot of good responses and questions.

I have worked at my company for 13 years and so the dangers I speak of are not media induced stereotypes. Our production manager was carjacked in front of our building, the gang unit has real presence in our area. There are two bars 2 blocks over and in the last year there as been 4 shootings all resulting in death. So as far as imagined vs real, I'd say it's real. Now, having said that, most of this crime is gang related and obviously I'm not in a gang. Also, the presence of the gang unit, officer patrol and community invovlement has greatly reduced the crime in this area. But even with all it's bad, I still love this area. It's a very eclectic mix.

To be honest, I agree with harrnjos. The path that I ride, especially with winter coming on worries me more than the streets. It is very secluded and there are very long stretches before you come to a trail head. Which do you pick? The safety of no traffic or the safety of being seen.

After I read back over this post, it may have seemed like I was overly worried and that really isn't the case. There is nothing I hate more than that whole "damsel in distress" attitude. I didn't mean to convey myself in that manner. I just found it odd that the majority of posters seemed to think that women do not ride because of vanity, laziness, ect. I really feel that most women are more worried about safety; personal, traffic, ect. I was also shocked at myself for not thinking more about my habits and how I my actions could be a contributing factor to a possible bad situation. Shame on me.