Originally Posted by
mjac
All of your objections involve street riding. I am just asking why give up non street riding Recreational Riding as a matter of curiosity. Don't mean to be bothersome.
Fair question, not a bother.
Almost anyplace I can think of that is away from traffic makes for great skating. So I prefer to do that. However, weather and other factors may push me towards a bike, or just staying home. I have zero interest in cycling over dirt or rocks offroad.
Originally Posted by
Eric S.
I don't ride for recreation nearly as much as I used to (I should probably sell a couple road bikes). Cycling has become increasingly utilitarian for me as a commuter, and next week I'm starting a job as bike patrol security so it'll be REALLY utilitarian!
Congrats Eric! That is a fantastic way to keep on two wheels and make money at the same time! I got paid to ride a bike a few times running documents Downtown for neighbors who knew I had to ride down there anyway. Generally not cash, but Bar-B-Q!! (Selling my beautiful Cinelli Supercorsa dripping with Campy still leaves a hole in my heart).
Originally Posted by
wphamilton
...Rush hour driving is stressful, cycling the same hour is relaxing, but for Joey Bike it's the other way around. Everything, reversed.
Correction: NO WAY ON EARTH will I drive a car to work 9-5 every day to the city grid. I would starve or live under a bridge first. Cycling to the old job is much more relaxing than driving/parking a car anywhere NEAR Downtown. I have no clue how people do that daily. And FYI, I am not constantly stressed commuting Downtown, just alert and aware, which does take extra energy as compared to a quiet MUP.
Heck, Joey even taught us that running red lights and stop signs, if you do it right and in the right places and times, is not only rational but sometimes safer. But if he's afraid to mix in traffic now, do we need to reconsider that? Does the fear of traffic contradict the confidence of flowing with the traffic while loosely affiliated with traffic laws? Maybe ...
Obviously this could be argued but my feeling is that if I had obeyed every traffic law for the past 50 years I would be long dead or at least crippled. Given all of my past commutes since the Mid '80s and as far as 18 miles each way. But this is kinda like proving a bike helmet saves lives. Impossible to know. But one thing is for certain, running red lights my way has decreased my exposure to passing cars/trucks by AT LEAST 50% and many days as much as 99%. So I am sticking to my guns that in my city, running red lights is often the safer course.
Cheers All.