Comfort vs Safety
 

I'm looking to go about 60 miles from one specific city to another. I've never made this trip other than on the interstate in my car but I want to try and go with my bike. When I plug it into Google bike, they want me to take a state trail. If I take the trail, however, about 75% of my trip will be on crushed stone or gravel with the rest being paved. I took a short ride on the same stuff today; maybe 3 miles down, 3 miles back. About 2 miles in, my hands and forearms were getting pretty numb from the bumpiness. Also, I had to drop my average speed about from 18 to 13/14 to feel safe. My other option would be to take country roads until I can get to the part of the trail that is paved. This would be twice as comfortable and maybe faster, but I don't like the idea of being mixed with traffic in such a remote area. While traffic won't be as bad as in the city, I'm worried about cars. From what I can see on Google Street View, the country roads aren't too wide either so I'm concerned about safety. Oh, also I will be taking these trips alone.

So if it were up to you, would you be taking the trail for safety while sacrificing comfort or would you want ride with comfort while putting yourself at additional risk of getting hit?

This is the road forum. I, like most of the people here, are comfortable riding on the road. If you are not, ride on the road more.

I ride on country roads all the time and feel very comfortable on them. But not all roads are the same. Have you ever ridden these roads or are you just going on google maps?

I still consider myself a newbie, only have 2 or 3 months on the saddle. I'd normally not be concerned with traffic but because I am riding alone, it would be stupid to not consider what would happen if I got hit.

Never ridden, google maps is all I have.

Consider, plan etc, absolutely. But at some point you gotta just bo up and do it.

I've ridden "off beat trails"/loose gravel/packed dirt 75% - 25% road for about 30-35kms, &my arms were beat up & the end of the ride. Had my 23's on, & should've lowered my tire pressure a bit to ease the uneven ride. I was riding with guys on hybrids, & low end MTBs. I dropped them on the road section, but had to scale it down to be able to handle the bumps. If I knew there was going to be dirt I would've loaded up my CXers.

Could you drive the country road route and get a feel for it? That might make you feel a bit better about traffic.

Doesn't matter what the surface is like, if it's away from cars consider yourself lucky! :thumb:

I ride and prefer country roads out in the middle of nowhere....That being said some roads are quite a bit narrower than most, and mixed with several blind corners may become a bit sketchy. There are a couple roads I avoid due to heavy traffic, but for most of them it's just business as usual.

Try the country roads. Tomorrow, go ride out on the country road for several kilometres and see how you like it/them. If you don't feel comfortable ... turn around and go back home.

Explore! Try! Experiment! If you discover you don't like a particular road or route, try something else.



Most of my cycling is on country roads, but now and then I'll use some sort of path for a bit of variety.

^This. Or spend your time on the internet and fretting on forums.

this and buy 3 or 4 more blinkies and light yourself up like a christmas tree.

you're thinking about riding 45 miles of a 60 miler on a bumpy trail? i'd find another goal before i did that on a road bike.

Get a good set of lights. They help you get noticed even in bright daylight.

I avoid a few back windy roads that connect our city to the city I do a lot of riding in. It's a shame, because that road would be a blast to ride besides the narrow lanes, the lack of an escape route, and the speedy cars.

That being said, I, a nervous kid, have spent some time on the country roads around my college town. The occasional driver may be a nuisance, but considering you only see a car every 10 minutes, it's pretty awesome and balances itself out. I'm more concerned with the country folk's dogs than cars...

No.

Yes.

Note that rural roads have fewer intersections which are involved in the majority of car/bike collisions in the form of people who don't look when pulling out, left turns in front of cyclists, and right turns in front of cyclists.

Speed limits are higher which could make rear-end collisions more likely and drunk/sleeping/texting people crossing the center like more likely to kill you although those are not your biggest worries.

Gravel does help to build bike-handling skills.

If the "country roads" are back-roads with very little traffic, go for it.

If they are more like numbered state and county roads with a 50MPH speed limit and lots of cars, then find a back-road alternative.

If you must take the trail, use a hybrid if you can.

45 miles of gravel on a road bike?! Ye gods, no. That'd be horrible.

Speed limit isn't the biggest issue.

I'd much rather ride on a country road with a 55 MPH speed limit, decent shoulder, and rare intersections

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=345985

than something with a lower speed limit, no shoulder, intersections, and blind curves

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=345986

This is always a good idea. I like to drive the roads I ride on just to see what a driver will see.

An open road with a wide shoulder is good. This is where a very bright rear flashing light is also good. I use a Dinotte 400r+, daylight only light.

OP,
You know your state better than us (unless you tell us what your state is), but if you know the norms for the area, it becomes easier to plan.

In NY:
State Route (has a state number): Always has white and yellow lines, usually very good shoulders, almost always 55 mph speed limit. I choose these as last resort.
County Route (has a county number and a name): Always has yellow line, usually has white, shoulders narrower than state routes, and in marginal conditions, evenly split between 45 mph and 55 mph. Usually make for decent riding roads.
Town Route (has a name but no number): Never has a white line, usually has a yellow. No discernible shoulder, rarely 55 mph. Usually they are 35 -45 mph. Usually make for decent riding.

These are the Central NY rules. Figure out which ones apply to your area.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I wish I could drive a car to check out the rural roads but I don't own one lol so I might just have to ride through it. It seems like the general consensus is to take a pass on the trail and go for the rural roads so I'll have to scout the roads when I get some free time. From what I'm looking at on google maps, the roads will have a shoulder but it's small: maybe a foot or two of space, then I'd hit dirt. It's a two way road, one lane each direction at 50 mph. From the looks of it, I should get a bike lane until I get to an area where traffic dwindles down a little so hopefully it'll be alright.

Thanks for that. I'm in Wisconsin and the main route would be a county route. Fits the description you gave well. Anything else I'd need to know about riding that? like should I move over to let cars pass or let them take to the left lane to pass (even if illegal: solid yellow lines)?

Just my opinion, but your best bet is to be predictable. I always ride either 1-2 inches right of the white line if I have an excellent shoulder, or 1-2 inches left of the line if I don't. I hold the line, and don't do a great deal of veering around.

I concur.