i know i posted once, but i feel like i should once more....
as i said before, fat tires, so i won't be busting 20mph on level ground any time soon for a sustained period of time -- a few seconds here and there.... besides the wonderful utility and versatility of the MTB, i require the assistance of suspension to preserve the weak link in my personal chain, the 3 herniated lumbar discs i have seen in MRI's. suss posts on HT or tourers don't do the job.
i commute, because any time i can get on the bike is good time; i'm never as alive as when i'm on the bike. that may be sad to some, but it's reality. the weight of the many other things in my life just isn't felt in the saddle. i can be alone or with others, just passing time or pursuing a destination, having a good romp or communing with my Creator -- all of it in a frame of mind that's more positive and receptive.
i do agree that, on the road, bikes should ride according to the law. that means not against traffic, going from curb to curb between cars, or meandering in rush hour, things like that. cyclists have a responsibility to ride properly, as drivers have a responsibility to drive properly. that quite a few drivers do NOT do so requires an extra measure of safety awareness on the part of the cyclist. it means, occasionally, that i will jump on the sidewalk to get where i'm going; it means that i have to endure vitriol from motorists who do not know the law and couldn't care less about it.
i frequently ride either with my daughter and/or my nephew (who rides in a trailer). my daughter is approaching the end of the "novice" stage of development, but there is no way she is ready for "v.c." she doesn't yet possess the skill set, reflexes, or ingrained training to react appropriately. so i shield her as she develops. (i remember a time when she rode in the same trailer at a much younger age; a discourteous driver approached too closely to the trailer, scared her, and it was two weeks before she'd get back in the trailer. i was riding 'vc' at the time.)
except for these family rides, i generally ride in a 'heart-rate zone' instead of a specific speed; if i'm not above 140 bpm, i'm slacking. (i'm a clyde who's close enough to 5-0 to see it on the horizon) i am carfree, happily so, and will remain so as long as humanly possible. my health numbers are good, so i will continue doing what i do.