Originally Posted by
europa
However, on this part of the discussion, it's time for the OP to chime in. Just what is bothering him? If it's the traffic, I'll agree whole heartedly, I go to silly extremes to avoid playing with cars, but I've spent all my life either on push bikes or motorbikes or both and am a tad wary of the ineptitude of your average driver.
Richard
OK, I'll chime. I'm enjoying the discussion, but coming to the realization that perhaps I'm looking to solve a non-existent problem. More likely than not I simply just need more time on the road to further build my confidence and biking skills. What originally launched my thoughts in the trike direction is cold weather and probability of ice. That got me to thinking about what happens if I fell in traffic, etc. and I started to worry myself about stability on two wheels. There are people at work who stare at me in amazement every day I arrive by bike - they simply can't believe I haven't been run over yet, given the local traffic. Now that it's cold and dark, they think I'm insane and have talked about an "intervention" to stop me from bike commuting...
My recreational bike is a modest crank forward design and it is a true pleasure to ride. I can't stand the bent over position on more traditional bikes - hurts my back and neck and I can't see/enjoy what's around me as well. I'm just an upright kind of guy. I know it's not aerodynamic, but I don't care about high speed. That said, I don't think the crank forward bike makes me feel any more stable than my Electrec. In fact, the mass of the Electrec seems to make it feel more stable than a light, non-electric bike if that makes sense to you.
Concerning my route, I've spent unbelievable hours scanning Google maps, driving and biking to seek alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic. I have found a few shortcuts through developments with low speed roads, but that only helps a little. Between my home and work, I have to cross an Interstate highway (I-95) and a busy state highway (NJ Rt. 33). There are only a few points to do that safely (overpasses and lights, respectively) and those crossings dictate which roads I can take to and from. The busiest, narrow road I travel doesn't even have sidewalks should I be inclined to use them. The few dedicated bike paths and trails that exist around here are in the opposite, more rural, direction from home. In NJ, they put bike trails where they might be fun or scenic to ride, but not useful to commuters in most cases.