I don't mind it on trails. Although hate the uncomfortable seats and the posture....prefer to be more upright like the old ape hanger bars on kids bikes.
But in traffic....I'd be terrified lately. And I'm in a rural area. Even here people are on their cell phone, lighting their cigarette, reaching down for that donut they just dropped....they literally aren't even looking out the damn windshield at all.
And 40++mph winds are common here, with blowing grit. A crosswind like that can easily toss you into traffic.
But on trails for a few miles...not too bad. Prefer hiking/horseback riding though.
I think there are parts of the country (CA/Bay Area and Colorado) that have smarter/wider bike lanes and are more bike conscious. But I don't think it's as prevalent as the 'average' mustachian assumes.
I ride around in Atlanta traffic and have had no accidents in my 1605 bicycle miles logged so far, 90-95%+ on roads and not on dedicated bike trails. And the majority of the roads I ride on do not have any bike lanes. My 5.5 mile one way commute doesn't have any bike lanes and I've gotten around just fine.
This is not to say that just because I have had a safe experience that you will too. I'm saying this because it seems to me that you have reached the conclusion that it would be unsafe without ever actually having ridden in traffic where you live (though you don't specify, so I could be completely wrong about this). All I'm saying is don't make judgements about the safety of cycling in your area without
a) trying it for yourself, or
b) actually looking at data on bicycle accidents in your area (but even then, I'm sure quite a few bicycle accidents in your area were caused by the cyclists being morons)
As for the uncomfortable seats and posture, that is a more efficient setup for riding. A wide saddle with a lot of cushion may seem comfortable but it restricts your ability to use your glutes while riding. An upright position on your bike is aerodynamically inefficient. if you ever cycle for long distances (where the crossover point from short to long distances is somewhat ambiguous), you will feel the effects of a wide saddle and/or upright position.
Of course, if you're only going a few miles, you probably won't notice any difference.
Well, another factor is that I don't live in a bike-friendly area. I would be taking my life in my hands to do shopping/errands on our local roads.
You do realize you take your life into your hands when you drive anywhere right? It's not about whether cycling leads to accidents, it's about evaluating the risks of cycling vs the alternatives, and weighing them against the benefits of cycling vs the alternatives.
Drivers are not bike-conscious--I've heard horror stories from the neighbors--, and whether on the four-lane "strip" or out on the rural two-lane speedways (haha) I would most likely get killed.
A couple of anecdotes are nowhere near sufficient to reach a statistically significant conclusion.
If I lived in Portland, Oregon or Longmont, CO, or Denmark--it's possible that I might be more interested.
There are literally thousands of people who live in cities and towns that are less bike friendly than the places you mentioned who safely commute on a bicycle.
I would be worried about breakdowns or flat tires when I was miles from home with shopping or children with me.
Okay, but is this any worse than when you get a breakdown or flat while driving a car?
My sister-in-law always said that she didn't worry about the mechanical problems because she would just call my brother to come and fix her bike. So she was leaving Walmart (they live in western NY) with her groceries and the bike had a flat tire. My brother was on a business trip out of town, so she locked the bike to a light pole or whatever, and walked home a couple miles with the groceries...just left the bike there till he came home a few days later and went down and fixed the flat. It all just sounds like it can get troublesome and complex. But I do think if it were me, and I was going to be a bike rider, I would learn how to maintain the thing, and also carry a tool kit.
I agree, I wouldn't recommend to anybody to start using a bike as a car replacement without learning how to change a flat. Your sister in law's plan is terrible if you ask me.
Where I live, cyclist like to ride on narrow, 2 lane mountain roads with no bike lane. I dont understand why you would want to risk getting run over? Stay on the trails or the bike lanes.
I have yet to hear of a state that forbids cyclists from riding on the road (unless we're talking about interstates, where a cyclist wouldn't be able to keep up with traffic). If there is, please let me know, I'm genuinely curious.
So are you just saying that all these cyclists are just outright morons? Or is it something else?
All of them have the right to be on the road. Respect that right.