I ride my bike to work most days. On the days that I do not ride it is because I have business that does not allow me to ride my bike. Most errands I can do on my bike but on occassion I have to drive. Anyway, last year I rode through a rough area in the city. I work with people who have either an addiction, homeless or mentally ill. Many times it is a combination of all three. Anyway, I did not have a problem with riding. I have learned to change a flat in less than five minutes. During the winter, you really can not tell what my sex is because of the winter clothes I wear. I have several routes that I took to work. The earlist I have ridden in the streets has been 7:30 am and the latest has been 8:00 pm. I never had a problem. I am aware of my surroundings and I tend to ride at a faster pace in the jrough spots, i.e. 19-20 mph instead of 15-16 miles per hour. I have tried to get my co-workers to ride with me but they were not successful. Now, I commute to work into the suburbs, it is only four miles away and it is boring. I still ride alone. . . when I get the chance.