The traffic was wild. As you say, the traffic is less bad outside of cities, and if you avoid the busier roads. But even still, lots of trucks barreling down small dirt roads, weaving in and out of cows, and things like that.

I felt very safe in terms of crime. Subjectively I felt safe, but also objectively crime rates are low in India, I think. (Obviously hard to compare crime rates and I forget the exact metric I am basing this off.)

Even though my bike and laptop were probably a year's salary for somebody there, I never felt like it or myself were in danger.

Toward the end of the trip I remember being chased by a scooter honking at me and waving me down. He handed me my wallet. Turned out I had left the zipper on my bag open and my wallet had fallen out. He found it on the ground, saw me in the distance, and chased after me to hand it back. I had maybe $100 in cash in there (which is like $1000 adjusting for purchasing power) and of course it was all there.

Everyone in India is so kind and welcoming. There is no concept of personal space or privacy, but that also means everybody is your friend.

I have spent probably about a year in total in india over various trips, cities and rurally a bit of cycling though usually just for getting around locally. It’s much easier outside big cities, wrt traffic. It seems a bit easier in the south, too. I’ve never felt remotely worried about crime from a personal safety POV, but having something lifted from you on a sleeper train is not that unlikely (those steel-cable net bag things you can padlock to something to contain your bag are handy). It was never an issue in homesteads, and getting your washing done regardless of how sketchy a place you think you’re staying always just seems to work - you always get your clothes back and never anyone else’s. A bit like takuhaibin in Japan - accept it’s magic and just relax and enjoy yourself more.