Originally Posted by
tarwheel
I've lived in the South for nearly 50 years and I'm baffled why we don't have more cyclists compared to places like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Oregon that have much less favorable weather. Although summers can be brutal here, you can easily deal with the heat by riding at appropriate times, wearing the right clothes and drinking plenty of fluids. Winter is actually my favorite season for commuting here because we rarely get snow and ice, and I don't ride in that kind of weather. Weather is pretty close to ideal in spring and fall, but we often to get bad storms and windy weather then.
Regarding the 60% increase in bike commuters, I doubt if we have seen that sort of increase here. At least I don't see it. I sometimes go for months without seeing other bike commuters on my route, except for right downtown.
Similar for me in Austin. Downtown and by the University you can see people riding bikes every day that appear to be going to work or class. Out in the suburbs and country south of Austin where I live, not so much. Group rides on weekends are the more frequent sighting. There was one fellow who was commuting to his job at Goodwill that I used to see on the road, but not recently.