A newbie here, but I am very appreciative of this thread, as it is filled with information that is helpful! Thank you everyone for sharing all the insights! I will say when I first began riding again after years to numerous to count since college… A young guy at a bicycle shop who rides to and from work every day here in Colorado year round told me… He never rides on anything but bike paths because it’s not if, it’s just when, a car would hit him… In his opinion. We have heeded that advice, and it takes a lot of pressure off the ride.