When riding a road bike, the choice seems to come down to riding on the road or on the multi-use paths in the region. 

Obviously the trails offer easier grades for flatter riding, but can be heavily encumbered by foot traffic during the evening hours. (Last night navigating through 3 separate clusters of girl’s cross country runners that didn’t understand “Passing on the Left” as they spread across the entire trail was a treat).

Roads are nice for greater speed, moderate hills, and almost no pedestrian traffic, but can be more intimidating due to roads with zero shoulders, low visibility corners or vehicles topping a hill not expecting a bike.

When do you choose the Road or the MUP? Why?

I ride a combination of Road and MUP.  Wednesday’s I ride with two others on Greene County Trails as a Greene County Trail Sentinel.  Assisting other riders/walkers/runners as needed, i.e., information/maps/tire repair or whatever.  Saturday’s I ride as a 5Rivers Metro Parks MVP (MetroParks Volunteer Patrol) along with other MVPs on varied MetroParks trails.  Friday I road ride with friends out of Brookville to Arcanum about a 30 to 35 mile ride.  Sunday I rode ride with friends out of Miamisburg toward Farmersville for about 30 to 35 miles.  Other days I run errands around Fairborn on the city streets and the path to Wright Bros Memorial, Huffman Damn, and Wright Bros Flying Field.  I prefer road riding as it gives you a more varied terrain to ride on and more things to see and the most important – more places to eat.  Eat – isn’t that why we ride, or is it we ride to eat?  Either way it is usually good eats.

rtool - 07 October 2008 06:54 PM

I prefer road riding as it gives you a more varied terrain to ride on and more things to see and the most important – more places to eat.  Eat – isn’t that why we ride, or is it we ride to eat?  Either way it is usually good eats.

LOL!

More places to get a good piece of pie. And it’s about time for a pie run soon,maybe
this week-end. Anyone know a good pie place, any kind of pie is ok.
I grew up riding the road, back in the 70’s when I started commuting to work. I love
riding the road, for the different type of flats and hills. Today you have to be careful on
the roads, since there seems to be more in a hurry drivers.
Most every day I ride from my house in Centerville to the bikeway at GrangeHall
road, once there I put on my Trail Sentinel hat, and ride the bikeways, which around
here are usally flat. I quess you could say the bikeway is like the roads, with some
hazzards too. Walker/joggers with I-pods, that can’t hear you call, On your Left. Dog
walker with lashers stretched out across the bikeways.
I’m trying to become Car Free, next year, since I drive about 10 miles a month, and
ride the bike about 6,000 a year while doing most errands.
I guess if I had to pick, I would say road is my favorite, but bikeway are a close
second. So I have the best of both worlds everday, road and Bikeways

I like the paths best.  Having ridden the bulk of my 2,200 mile ride on highways this summer (except for Belmont area of Dayton to Miamisburg going and returning) I much prefer paths, but I will ride roads even when traffic is heavy and shoulders are narrow.  I liked the highways that had 10 food wide shoulders… Just had to be very watchful for trash though.  Broken bottles & such were quite common, especially near towns.  Riding grades is fun for a few minutes, but after about the first 30 minutes it gets a bit tough, and after a couple hours, it is rather trying.  I liked the scenery on roads though.  And I just loved the screaming downhills so fast that even in my highest gear, I was spinning out!  (cleans bugs from teeth)

I came from LA California 16-years ago. I like the bike ways so much I changed my commute from 7-miles to 13 miles one way. Now that I tried them all I tend to like them all and will ride what I can to get from point A to point B.  If asked a few years ago I would have told you different.  I find the paths and streets equally changing. People are people and if they are driving a car on the streets or walking on the path. occasionally you will find someone that feels that they are the only one in our universe. My wife mix it up by riding 4 to 10 miles around our local streets or drive our van to Factory Rd and ride the tandem with dog in tow to the Xenia Dog Park and back. Other times we take to the streets in Corwin and ride back on the path.
I do get a big kick out of the guys that say that they will never ride the bike paths because of the flats they get or because the paths are busy with all kinds of people traffic. 
I ride all year round and the paths are better for me when covered with snow. Too bad the plows block most of the corner rams.

Blocked paths due to plowed snow has been one of my biggest winter peeves!