I love riding bike but around here it's just not feasible. There are no bike lanes, roads are narrow, there are no bike paths and we have lots of hills. I grew up riding bike a lot and I really miss it.

I live on a VERY steep hill. It's 1.3 miles to get to the main street. Coming home is the worst! I've never gotton a flat when I'm alone either. I carry tire irons, pump & patches. Breathing car exhaust, yuck. Or crashing on a mountain bike is painful. Hikers, horses and dog walkers hate you. I'd rather go jogging or do yoga. Spinning, elliptical or stair stepper is fun!

I just purchased flower bulbs for the new house. Actual "gardening" is a LOT of sweat & work! :0) I have border gardens....I like the look...but ....

I agree, it depends on where you live. My daughter and son-in-law are avid bike riders--road, mountain, and even snow--and have a large group of friends they do it with. They even started a mountain-biking club for middle-schoolers, and put a lot of time into that. I see cyclists all over the place.

I loved riding my bike when I was a kid and all through my teens. When we moved to this house I bought myself one, but our poorly maintained dirt road discouraged me. Too easy to skid and slip, for one thing. And like Casey's situation, regular roads weren't friendly to cyclists then. Things have improved, but my dirt road hasn't. In any case, I'm not about to start riding a bike now. I can just imagine how my knees would react. But I wish I'd been able to keep it up over the years.

I live in a 'neighborhood development' in my city. It has wide roads, sidewalks, and 25 mph speed limit. It's fun to see all of the activity with people of all ages walking and biking. But other than the greenways and bike paths here and there, bikers just can't be safe on the roads, I don't think.

We ride! We ride (and collect) vintage bikes (my fave for long rides is a 1938 Elgin Special.) There are hundreds of people who ride vintage here and lits of opportunities to ride together. This is one group we ride with: www.cyclonecoaster.com Last month was the 10 year anniversary of the monthly ride!

Its great exercise- vintage bikes are single speed and MUCH heavier than modern bikes. I'm a veggie and fruit tree gardener, too. :)

The only place I feel safe riding a bike is in my Florida over 55 community where it is flat and there is relatively light traffic. I would never ride one here in Massachusetts where I spend the summer months. I was in the Netherlands last April and the entire city of Amsterdam has bicycle paths all over. They have the right of way and you have to watch out for them more than for cars. And they don't wear helmets.

Near the train station in Amsterdam, I saw a "parking garage" for bikes. It looked pretty much full.

Not much in the way of bike riders where we are but my daughter and SIL enjoy riding their bikes now and then. As for gardening??? Not for me, I'd rather get a tooth pulled than have to garden.

I have a nice bike, 7 speed. But this summer it has either been 100º or over or else it has been raining, so I haven't had my bike out at all. My neighborhood isn't good for riding, though I see people occasionally doing that. But I have a rack and I take my bike to the bike trail. There is about 76 miles of trails. I have covered about 22 of those miles! I garden as well but hate weeding and mulching. :)

No bicycles for me. I hate that bicycles (per the law) must share the street with cars. No bicycles allowed on sidewalks.

My area is just too dangerous. Everyone drives so fast.

Plus, in 2010 I sat on a jury where a bicyclist was run over & killed. It was dark out, he was wearing a dark black bicycle Lycra outfit.

They couldn't prove his bike had a rear reflector because his bike was smashed to smithereens. Some parts of his bike were found in the grill & engine of the truck that hit him.

He was riding in the middle lane of a 3 lane road. The truck that ran him over was going 45 mph & didn't see him. He was hit so hard he flew over the top of the truck & died 4 days later. But it was still very hard to prove who was at fault because the driver didn't see him until it was too late.

The biker was in the traffic lane & following the laws. But in my opinion, he should have been wearing bright orange & not riding in the dark.

To this day I get mad when I see bicyclists riding at night with black clothes & a reflector that's hard to see.

I don't ride after dark. I may this next year look for more bike paths, there is a local one nearby but it is fairly short. I mostly cycle in my quiet neighborhood near a high school.

I'm thinking that next spring I may try some longer distance rides. I'm slowly gaining strength and endurance, even the local riding I do is more than I could do a few years ago.

Lucille, as long as you're safe, that's good. Because when it comes between a car versus bicycle, the car always wins.

We do have bicycle outings in my city where people can ride together. I think that's safer in numbers because it's hard NOT to see 50 bikes on the road.

pawprint I think the cyclist was at fault in your post. He should have had lights, not just a reflector on his bike. Anyone riding/driving after dark should have lights on!

and I disagrees about safety in numbers. Depending on the size of the group they impede driving, and feel safe, and don't move over to let drivers pass. Group riders also often disregard red traffic lights! It infuriates me, when I am stopped at a red light, and a cyclist, or even a group rides past me, and runs a red light.

See, I ride. I don't ride in to setting or rising sun, cause a driver is already way to impeded! I don't ride in fog, cause I can't be seen.

I have VERY powerful lights, to be seen and to see forward, and a very powerful tail light to be seen.

Yes, cyclist have the rights to the road, but lets be reasonable, and give the way heavier vehicle space.

Moni

Moni, what excellent advice from an experienced cyclist. I see them (the experienced, serious ones) here quite frequently and so often they are biking in an unsafe manner and in crazy locations.

Moni what kind of lights do you use?

They are no longer available. I found them on Amazon, they came from China, and they are rechargeable. VERY BRIGHT.

Many cyclists around here don't have lights at night.

Once, going over an overpass over a railroad in the city, I called to a cyclist that he needed a light so that we could see him.

He had one of those boxy flashlights with the big battery and a handle over the top, which he swung around so that I could see the light, and I offered that there was no red light on the rear to help avoid him getting run over.

Lacking a light at night while on the road - should get a biker a ticket, like it does me when piloting a car.

ole joyful ... who can get (a bit) crabby, on occasion