I rec ride on the trials, avoiding roads like the plague. I can't do that when commuting. So, for me, commuting is a totally different animal.

We have close to a 1000 miles worth of paved bike trail here in SW Ohio. Much of it is rural and free of people. There are some nice long stretches that are empty, even in the dead of summer. The only negative is that the rail to trail grade is lacking in any challenging hills. But, i can live with that.

Not ll roads and all traffic are equal. I prefer being on the road, and riding into different municipalities. I have some nice routes for the road rides. My commute ride is boring, and generally no redeeming sites to look at. But it's time on a bike. The only roads I really don't like are 1 lane and 2 lane, high volume & no shoulder roads. I stopped going to a shop ride because the last ~5 miles is all on a 1 lane high volume road with no shoulder and it is not fun. Doesn't help that they don't start the ride until 8:15 or so....leaving 45 minutes earlier would probably help a lot. The country roads around here are great because traffic is low and cyclists tend to ride those areas a lot. gravel rails to trails rides are a lot of fun, but that's a different type of riding.

I roll up to a T intersection near a school. Left, right? no tun signal, everyone looking down at their phones. I position myself in front of the left turning lane and wait until all the other cross traffic has stopped but our light hasn't turned green yet. I jump across the intersection as my light turns to green, then when everyone looks up from their phone, I'm already pedaling left down the road. Through the intersection, safely. As to me repassing cars? it is a 20 mph school zone with crazy, late drop off parents lining up to let their kids off. I take the lane here. This works for me, YRMV. No preaching allowed unless you have driven or pedaled in MA. Really a different world, really.

Commuting is a fairly restricted activity with a set goal, where as recreational riding allows more choices in where and when to ride. The considerations may be the same, but actual conditions can be very different.

Pretty much the same mindset as the OP. 20 miles commute everyday. I start to get defensive when there's mad traffic around aka city driving.

When I started out I rode with an excited, yet fearful mindset - excited from just learning how to ride a bike and enjoying the ride, yet fearful of cars and other motorist traffic.

I think now it's closer to a Zen thing. I just roll with it if I get passed too close by a car, a car makes a sudden U-turn right in front me, a car cuts in front of me even though I have the right of way on my protected bike lane, etc. At first, I was getting upset at those things but now I just accept that things like that come with the territory - if I can't accept that, it means I have to give up bike commuting and go back to just public transit and/or driving a car to commute, neither of which I find as rewarding. When I'm riding my bike I'm truly living in the moment, not thinking about stuff at the office, what I should have for dinner, etc. Irritations like bad behavior from motorists, pedestrians, other cyclists, etc. come and go, and once they're gone I tend to forget about them. It helps when there's beautiful views.

I really, honestly, enjoy riding a bike more than sitting in public transit or driving a car. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother with bike commuting or the disadvantages that come with it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! And yes, for me, commuting is a very different animal than going on a rec ride for the reasons previously stated (not on streets of choice and during rush-hour). And yes, I to roll through an obviously empty stop sign intersection.

As far as my earlier comment about being preyed upon, that was back in the mid-70's in Cleveland Ohio. I would go on long-ish rides as a teenager 20 miles or so out of town and back. I was always a courteous rider but frequently was ridden off the road, punched off my bike, forced off the road to fall 15 feet down into a creek, yelled at, honked at, had items thrown at me, etc.

Other riders in Cleveland experienced similar things happen to them as I did. When we moved South in 1978 (North Carolina) it was actually better in most respects and worse in others. Better in that the roads were more rural and the drivers generally speaking more courteous (none of the former but I did get ribbed for wearing Spandex) but the farm dogs!! Oh gawd, let's not go down that path! Let's just say that they were my sprint and interval training motivation.

It was amazing to me that a different part of the country had drivers that actually were friendly to cyclists. The difference was quite stark.

Funny story....When I moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 1987 I encountered a pickup truck full of Navy guys heading out to the beach. The cause-way to the beach had a draw bridge which opened frequently to allow sailboats on the Inter-coastal Waterway to get by. I saw these guys coming and heard them to. I turn my head as they came up along side of me. I got showered with beer, boiled peanuts (which were hot out of the kettle and smelled divine), got a moon, and well, you get the picture. All out of fun. Well, the horn sounded and the bridge opened which stops all traffic.

As I approached these guys they just knew I was going to give them grief. One guy offered me a beer. I kindly refused but said I'd take them up on that if they caught me on the way back. They laughed, I laughed and I think they knew they messed up but hey, they were probably on leave and needed the downtime and I thought it pretty funny actually.

Guys like that go off to far-away lands so that the rest of us can sleep soundly at night.

This is my commuter mindset as well. In fact, I think bike commuting has made me a better motorist because I'm much more patient and tolerant of little annoyances than I ever was before I rode.

My practice nowadays:

• Head on swivel.
• Eyes on stalks.
• Wave hand, head nod and smile brandished generously.
• Middle finger holstered, locked, rarely to be used. Preferably never, other than to ring the bell.
• Avoid the busiest routes when I'm not energized enough to sprint briskly, even if it adds a few miles.

I prefer to acknowledge -- and, especially, remember -- the vast majority of courteous and considerate drivers I encounter. Every time a driver clearly pauses to let me pass, even they could have safely pulled out ahead of me without actually crowding me, I smile, nod, and offer a parade wave (so it's less likely to be mistaken for middle finger salute). Corny, mebbe. But I'm gonna keep doing it.

A couple of days ago a fellow was apparently zombie-driving and blew through a four-way stop sign intersection, but not quite close enough for any panic. If I'd been riding a little faster or was a couple of yards closer, sure, maybe. But I can't forget the other half dozen drivers who showed obvious courtesies in many little ways, such as waving me ahead at four-way intersections, pausing and dropping back rather than right-hooking me, not leaping in front of me from driveways, etc.

I still disagree. Road riding is road riding no matter where you're going or what the purpose of the ride is. Same rules same behavior. Obviously riding other places without motor traffic is completely different. But if you take an off-street trail or path as part of your commute, you should still act the same way there as if you were just on a rec ride in the same location.

Cycling behavior shouldnt be purpose specific (commute vs rec riding), it should be location specific (street vs MUP vs gravel or off-road path, etc).

+1 - I was going to say the same thing. Just because I am doing a different type of riding doesn't mean I should behave differently. I'm out on the road sharing space with cars either way I go.

Are you just disagreeing to disagree? It seems to be an Internet thing. So, that's why I ask.

Commuting is 100% different than rec riding. First, you are on a time schedule. Second, you are probably carrying something: lunch, clothes, computer, whatever. And, third, you are taking a specific route with a very specific goal (get to work on time) and destination (get to work). Rec riding is nothing like that at all.

I don't think we are disagreeing just to disagree. Why should you have a different mindset in how you ride if you are rec riding or commuting? In both instances, you are sharing the road with cars doing whatever it is the drivers are doing (or not doing). Sure, the purpose of the ride is slightly different (bc can you really say you aren't having fun in both instances?) - but as a cyclist in both instances, you should still have the same mindset with a preference to following laws and rider safety. Just bc you are rec riding, are you gong to start running red lights or be a jackass on the road? I didn't think so. Maybe it's different for you because you "avoid roads like the plague" - but for all of us who don't mind riding on the roads for fun as well, it's the same game, different ballpark. The only thing I do differently is not to bother chasing Strava segments while commuting, bc I know that's never gonna happen on my commuter, especially when I have done the same route numerous times on my carbon road bike carrying nothing.

I just see the two rides as completely different animals. Although, I do agree, from a safety standpoint, they would be the same. But, the over all mindset sure is not.

The most simple description of my commuting technique is that I ride defensively. I assume that drivers do not see me and/or are likely to misjudge my speed or closeness. I wear bright neon-color jerseys and jackets most of the time and use multiple lights front and back all the time. My commute route follows lightly traveled neighborhood streets as much as possible and avoids heavily traveled roads that I consider dangerous.

I am polite to drivers and do not block lanes unless necessary to insure my safety, such as when going through intersections or going around obstructions. I signal my turns. I obey traffic signals -- to a point. Most of the traffic lights along my route will not change from red to green unless a car or truck trips the sensor. Most of them do not detect bikes. So, after coming to a stop, I will run those red lights when the traffic is clear. I also will make rolling stops at stop signs if there are no other vehicles present at the intersection. I will sometimes filter past cars on the right when traffic backs up at red lights, but only when it's clear that I would have to sit through multiple light cycles.

I rarely ever respond to drivers who honk or yell at me. Sometimes I will wave. On rare occasions when someone is extremely rude, I lose my cool and shoot them a bird but I've only done that a couple of times in 10 years of bike commuting. On one occasion I banged on a truck's window after the driver ran a red light and almost hit me. That was a stupid thing to do on my part, and I reacted impulsively.

That's a pretty good mindset. I too have reacted impulsively and regretted it shorty thereafter. Once I even had a chance to apologize. The guy who almost hit me said he understood, and he appreciated me apologizing for calling him a ****ing moron. We both had a good laugh.

As for assuming drivers do not see you....that is spot on. I've learned that over the years--they definitely do not see us. I ride assuming this fact now. For sure. It's had me slowing down and watching as the guy who did not see me pulls out right in front of me and suddenly develops a look of surprise when he finally notices me. I smile at those folks now. After all, I expect it.

Those things you list have no bearing on how I act while riding on the road. Time schedule? So what? I leave at a time that allows me enough time to get there, based on the time it takes me to ride a given distance. On a rec ride I leave at a time that allows me to go the distance I want to, given the speed I can ride, and make it back home at a decent hour.

Carrying stuff has zero bearing on how one should act on the road. That's completely apples to oranges there. Not sure why you would even list that as a factor.

Specific route, well who cares what the route is. It's still public roads.

The point is, one's "mindset" as it pertains to riding a bicycle on public roads should not change no matter what type of riding he/she is doing, what the distance is, what the purpose is, or what the destination is. The only difference that I can see is that I might ride slower on rec rides where I'm doing more exploratory type stuff. But that typically happens in areas without any traffic. Getting to the place I want to explore, my "mindset" while on the road is exactly the same as when I'm commuting to or from work.

I see we are looking at the word "mindset" differently. I'll just repeat what I said to BMT above.

I guess I'm just different then. For me, a ride is a ride. Only difference usually is if I'm carrying/pulling stuff or not. I like to ride a bike no matter what.

Maybe it's because 75% of my bike miles are transportational in nature - directly replacing car use, be it commuting, going to the store, riding over to my parents house or the LBS, whatever. Even riding to the start of a ride instead of driving can be a transportational ride. Even if it's a recreational ride, I try to have some type of "destination" in mind. I don't really care to ride a loop without actually going anywhere. I like to go places by bike, and for me I treat pretty much all rides the same.

Pretty much what others have said. I find myself ever vigilant, always expecting the unexpected and play "what if games" in my head to anticipate and react accordingly to the unexpected or when others are blind to my presence

Though intent, route, time of day, luggage, etc. may be different, the mindset that I have is the same because I am on a bike going somewhere (or in a circle) and I need to avoid incident. To that end I am constantly vigilant--know my surroundings at all times, anticipate problems before they occur, and take evasive maneuver to avoid a collision.

To me there is no difference in my mindset between recreational riding and commuting. I might be riding on this Saturday 35 km downtown to pick up a bike part and then heading home. This will be a mix of trails, bike lanes, and road. Is this commuting? Is it a rec ride? Would classifying it as one require me to have a different mindset?

Exactly.

Truth be told, if you're not cycling completely out of necessity, and have other options readily available to you (especially a car that you already own but choose not to use), then any bike ride really is a recreational ride, whether you're commuting to work or not.

Sure. I can relate. In my case, the difference in "mindset" between commuting and rec riding is like night and day.

Commuting: 50 hard fought miles, 20 in and 30 back, which I ride as fast as I can. For much of it, all I think about is the bike: how it's doing, what's my time, where are the cars, etc. The route involves roads I would never ride when just out for a fun spin: construction zones, school zones, narrow bridges with heavy traffic, you name it. I'm alert and doing things I normally would not do.

Rec ride: hop on trial behind the house and turn off my brain while I pedal for 50 to 100 miles. I never even once glance in my mirror and barely think about the bike at all. In fact, I spend most of my time thinking about everything but my cycling.

Reread what I posted. I'm not saying why we're riding changes how we ride, I'm pointing out that our commuting vs. recreation "mindset" can effect our choices.

The considerations may be the same, What one does to share the road with others is consistent.

but actual conditions can be very different. The dynamics of other road users changes with time and place.

Commuting is a fairly restricted activity with a set goal, where as recreational riding allows more choices in where and when to ride. The difference in "mindset" being we have more choices when recreational riding which won't effect former, but can effect the latter through our choices of when and where we ride.

I previously responded to this thread on the General Cycling Forum, “How many of you drive around with your bike in your car?”