picking a road
10-03-07, 09:55 PM
#1
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picking a road
What do you folks look for in a safe road?
I’m still new and just wondering what makes you look at a road and say “AAUUUUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I want to ride this one”.
I get off of work at around midnight so there are a few country roads I can hit with zero traffic at night. I road 15 miles the other night and didn’t see one single car. But what about during the day light hours when traffic is up and running?
I’m still new and just wondering what makes you look at a road and say “AAUUUUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I want to ride this one”.
I get off of work at around midnight so there are a few country roads I can hit with zero traffic at night. I road 15 miles the other night and didn’t see one single car. But what about during the day light hours when traffic is up and running?
10-03-07, 09:58 PM
#2
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Low traffic flow. Bike lane if possible or pretty wide shoulder if not. Good lines of sight. Good pavement with as little broken glass etc as possible. Fewer driveways and cross roads is better.
10-03-07, 10:07 PM
#3
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It's a complex equation, involving many variables including:
My speed
Traffic speed
Traffic volume
Number of lanes
Lane (and shoulder) width
I used to think about it a lot, but now I go just by feel. Sometimes you have to ride on a dangerous road for a few hundred yards or take a three-mile detour.
If I had to pick one factor as most important, it would be traffic speed, possibly in combination with traffic volume. I actually love heavy, slow moving traffic. It's exciting. But once cars start buzzing you at 50+ mph, it just becomes terrifying.
My speed
Traffic speed
Traffic volume
Number of lanes
Lane (and shoulder) width
I used to think about it a lot, but now I go just by feel. Sometimes you have to ride on a dangerous road for a few hundred yards or take a three-mile detour.
If I had to pick one factor as most important, it would be traffic speed, possibly in combination with traffic volume. I actually love heavy, slow moving traffic. It's exciting. But once cars start buzzing you at 50+ mph, it just becomes terrifying.
10-04-07, 04:41 AM
#4
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What do you folks look for in a safe road?
I’m still new and just wondering what makes you look at a road and say “AAUUUUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I want to ride this one”.
I get off of work at around midnight so there are a few country roads I can hit with zero traffic at night. I road 15 miles the other night and didn’t see one single car. But what about during the day light hours when traffic is up and running?
I’m still new and just wondering what makes you look at a road and say “AAUUUUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I want to ride this one”.
I get off of work at around midnight so there are a few country roads I can hit with zero traffic at night. I road 15 miles the other night and didn’t see one single car. But what about during the day light hours when traffic is up and running?
10-04-07, 04:42 AM
#5
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There's this road up in the boonies, it's one lane for parts, but I see a car about once every 30 minutes. And it's on a steep mountain. What more could I ask for? 
10-04-07, 05:10 AM
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Scenic country roads, with little traffic, variations in terrain--some hills, some descents, some flats (where you can get a nice cadence and routine). Farm land, semi-rural countryside, places the developers haven't destroyed yet with "little boxes made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same."
Rural riding is meditative, and the sound of my wheels like a koan.
Rural riding is meditative, and the sound of my wheels like a koan.
10-04-07, 05:43 AM
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There are many factors in picking a good road. I look for:
-Relatively low traffic
-Good pave
-Hills
-Scenery
-No backtracking! (a loop never crossing my own path)
... Brad
