Visibility is certainly a good idea. I like to wear one of those construction worker vests when I commute; they are generally better made and cheaper than the cycling specific visibility vests. But I don't necessarily subscribe to the "lower-than-average-speeds" approach. For most close quarters city riding, I generally prefer getting in the traffic stream whenever possible--it's much safer than hugging parked cars and letting trucks whiz by you, hoping nobody opens a door. Defensive sure, but riding timidly in traffic has its own pitfalls. Assertive but friendly. Predictable but expecting other to be unpredictable. Scanning ahead and occasionally behind. Not worrying too much about safety but generally obeying traffic rules. Enjoying your senses.
I favor a step-through or mixte frame with upright bars, wider tires, flat pedals, some combo of rack, basket, panniers, bell, lights, fenders, rear view mirror. So in the Riv line-up a Cheviot or a Clem L. Otherwise a mixte or women's frame with the aforementioned components and accessories. On Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 11:30:55 AM UTC-4, John W wrote: > > I’ve been thinking a lot about safety, and about what it means to > “underbike” in the city, in the name of keeping oneself purposely at > lower-than-average speeds and maximally visible to pedestrians and cars. > > Naturally, most of this is in the hands of the cyclist. The best safety is > defensive cycling. > > That said, as I consider a Riv purchase within the next year, I’m > centering my decision of the frame and build kit around what would make for > an enjoyable cycling experience in the city while also reinforcing the > thought of, “Hey: slow down, be seen, be slow. Ride your bike, but don’t be > a cyclist.” > > Yes, this is an indulgence. But if anyone who overthought this as much as > I’m doing, I’d welcome suggestions or thoughts of what worked for you. I’m > ruling out single speeds due to cranky knees. But gearing and handlebar > choices are in play. So, too are frames. I’m thinking either a Sam or > Atlantis might fit the bill. > > I know I could strap a cinderblock to my bike. That sure would slow me > down. But this is all about creating a fun bike that’s purpose built for > this task. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
