It'll probably be easier after they take off the rest of the mountain top. :(

I have 5-6% hill that goes on for quite a while where speed limit is 45 and cars whizzing by at 50-60mph. I think you have much safer commute than I do for whatever it is worth.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262016

No way I would do this. One hit from behind and you are toast. No amount of lights, hi-vis clothing, riding all the way to the right can protect you.

Don't get me wrong, I can get hit too on my route. But because the speed limit is 25 with slow, dense traffic I pretty confident I will survive a crash.

I don't understand the problem. It's a good shoulder, you can ride it on any bike. If you're concerned about flats, get flat-resistant tires.

This weekend I spent 23.4 hours on similar highways and roads...I was just riding my brevet bike. A road bike with big cushy tires:

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...a/IMAG0062.jpg

I'd do it with views like that! I ride 10 miles worth of a 65mph 4-lane highway too. It is all rural and the shoulders look similar to yours (width, debris). I have the added benefit of rumble strips between me and the traffic though (couldn't see any in the pictures you had). I went through a pair of cheaper tires and about 6-8 tire tubes last year, but it was worth it.

That shoulder looks solid (not sure why you're talking about loose gravel, Slim), and probably no more debris strewn than most of the bike lanes in my fair city. I definitely prefer that kind of riding, includings the high speed traffic, to riding narrow roads with no shoulder, no bail out (high berms to both sides) and impatient traffic. Is it risk free? No way. As others have mentioned, the impact of getting hit at 60plus is going to be pretty serious. However, the likelihood of that impact is pretty low, I would think, as long as you can stay to the middle or right of that shoulder.

I would do it (but I agree with folks about the need for bullet proof tires).

So you're not sure about my not being sure about the texture of the shoulder material. Well, I'm also not so sure about how you got to be so sure of the shoulder's consistency.

What do you observe that so many of us are missing here?

* I'm not the only dog in this fight...

Get you a mountain bike and take it off road.

Ooooh, pretty. Now I want a bike computer so I can make this for my commute. Especially fun to look at the derivative or integral of all this juicy data.

This is my ideal bike. I have never liked the MTB geometry. I tend to stand on the pedals all the time, or sit and coast. But the sitting hurts because no bike seat was ever designed to take all my weight. (230lbs) Maybe a MTB with a huge comfort bike seat... In any case. I think the road geometry is much more comfortable because you can put weight on your handlebars. In the case that you need to go off road, BIG TIRES!

I'm very happy with the result. Unexpectedly so, frankly. It's a very fast, comfy bike. Ideal for randonneuring, the purpose to which I put it. I still have to sort the pedal situation though, I'd like to use MTB pedals but I'm not happy with the small platform.

I encourage you to keep looking for a suitable saddle. Perhaps a Brooks B17 or B68 would suit.

I hate to be a buzzkill, but I would not do it. I am super paranoid about riding on busy roads. If one of those coal trucks busts a tire, you could have large chunks of rubber shrapnel flying at your head at 75mph. Not to mention the myriad of sharp debris likely strewn on the shoulder.

Oh no, I think I was not clear. Its only on the mountain geometry that I have the seat problem, because of the more laid-back geometry. I can find comfort on an upright road bike, and currently have a brooks b67 on my road bike. It is great.

I should ask though, Commodus, what frame is this? I know of just a few road frames that can handle big tires and cantilever brakes, this one does not look familiar.

It's actually quite easy to get a cross country MTB rig with which your weight will be nicely balanced. Look especially at mid 90s MTBs.

This is my "time trial MTB" setup. Controls on the barends are so nice. When in flatbar mode, I use a longer, flatter stem and even then weight is nicely balanced between saddle and bars.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5302/5...9a15a2b0_b.jpg
Time Trial MTB by Lester Of Puppets, on Flickr

Well, there you go, that looks pretty balanced. Am I confused though? Isn't the point of a MTB frame to get the weight further back? If your weight is evenly balanced, does it even matter what type of frame it is? I mean, you could put a flat bar, canti brakes, and big tires on a road frame, would it be any better/worse than a flat bar, canti brakes, and big tires on a MTB frame that is evenly balanced?

sorry, looks like we are hijacking the thread. I still dont like that stretch of asphalt ricky, but certainly understand your desire to ride.

Cantilevers can be installed on touring road frames but not on "fast" road frames. Big tires depends on how big; a few road frames can take up to 32, or 28, but many cannot accommodate larger than 700x25c tires. Other than that sure, nothing wrong with putting bigger tires, a flat bar and canti brakes on a road bike (and the idea is attractive). The balance will be slightly different however.

It is a Velo Orange Polyvalent. http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...lent-mkii.html

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...ent_v2-5_2.jpg

It uses 650B tires, which allows for widths up to 42mm in a racing type casing. This gives the same diameter as a 700c wheel running a 23mm tire, and avoids too much complication when it comes to geometry.

This allows you to build a fast, responsive bike with big tires. If you tried to put these balloons on a 700c bike, the handling would quickly get clumsy.

This particular bike is a bit overbuilt for me at 155lbs., but even with the heavy crankset, unnecessarily heavy-gauge spokes, heavy cassette, steel seat post and the quill stem, it comes in under 28 lbs. as shown.

Now that I know for sure I like the configuration, I'll probably a Boulder All-Road and build it up lighter.

Pfffft. No big deal. I'd do that commute on my Kona Coiler. (Presently running Maxxis Ridgeline 2.1's; dual suspension, about 37lb. I'd use anything from Kenda Kwest 1,.5's to Michelin Country Dry 2.15's.)

Very cool, I had not heard of velo orange, but they seem to be right up my alley --though I'd have to go with the Rando for frame size. Thanks for the tip.

They seem to be similar to what I currently ride. I have been able to get 38c tires on it, 40c is just a hair too big in diameter and they touch the rear triangle brake bar.

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/x...7-20091847.jpg

What part of KY are you from? I'm from KY too, and have ridden on highways similar to that with no problem. Sure, cars, trucks, big trucks, monster trucks, and whatever go by, but seriously, what are the odds of being swiped by a car while riding safely on the side of the road? I know it has happened before, but you, being in the same location as a truck that wrecks, at the same time is not probable.

Ride it.

Well, the odds of getting doored are pretty low.

Older asphalt, methinks.

Is it legal to ride on the highway? In Atlanta, they have signs at the onramps stating that pedestrians and bicycles (and a few other things) are prohibited.