LittleBigMan

Try it in summer

"Hey, it looks like rain! Maybe it'll cool things off a bit."

"Naw, it'll just make it hotter."



I never understood why Disney World doesn't have benches to sit on instead of standing for an hour in line for the next ride. For that matter, Six Flags doesn't either.

A vacation for masochists. (I dread it when my daughter asks, "Can we go to Six Flags soon?"

Schwinnrider

Rain? That would be the stuff that comes down in buckets every summer afternoon, accompanied by gusty wind and crashing lightning? Yeah, it sucks for sure. But---if you decide you'll only bike commute on days with minimal chance of rain you'll never do it here in the summer.

KingTermite 

Don't forget the "quick" mid day rains that turn the parking lots into a natural sauna. Ugh!!


I found that summer was more pleasant to ride in the afternoon, but you had to take your chances with the storm gods. Mornings didn't usually rain so it was easier for that...but not as pleasant.

OMNOMNOMNOM

Hi. First post here. I used to live in Orlando, and I'm originally from South Florida. Thought I would chime in.

Orlando is actually more then the the tourist area. The actual downtown area is pretty nice for cyclists. Lots of small roads with little traffic going slow. A lot of old neighborhoods that you can ride through (not subdivisions like a lot of newer Florida housing). I was able to ride downtown to the bars, or over to the coffee shop, or to work, or my friends' homes, all without getting on a traffic heavy street.

Now, that being said. Basically, any thing outside of that area in Orlando is downright terrifying. Over by the university, you have to ride on the sidewalk if you want to live. All the roads are just as big and dangerous as the tourist areas. They did finally connect a trail close to the downtown area that goes almost to the school, so you can almost ride there car free. It's about 6 or 7 miles. But to get to the trail you have to ride about half a mile down State Road 50, which is a death zone, and then ride behind a mall. So, they are trying but barely.

The community has gotten stronger though. I noticed two new bike shops when I was down there back in October when there used to be like one good one and a few crap ones. Now there are options. Orlando also got the Bronze award for being a Bicycle Friendly Community, but I'm sure as you all know, that means nothing.

I biked everywhere for two years there, but I feel safer biking here in NYC now. When I lived in Orlando, the street that my house was on was one of the few streets with a painted bicycle path. The street itself was old brick but the path was paved. I could never ride out of my driveway onto the path because basically all cars coming down the road would drive with half of their tires on the path so it was less bumpy. That's Orlando for you.

BarracksSi

It really depends on the city, too.

My dad's parents lived in a small, quiet town on the Gulf coast, and we always rented bikes (or borrowed Grandpa's) to ride around. Most streets were wide enough and lightly traveled, so it was no problem going from one end of town to the other.

cyclezealot

a friend was once an insurance adjustor in Fla. - Fla, NJ. , I think statistics have shown just to drive in Fla to be suicidal.

cyclezealot

Fla is ok. Particularily if it is February or March and you select a city that is not overun with tourists.

Artkansas 

I grew up all around the Tampa Bay area. That must be why I'm pretty much a fearless cyclist. Since I first took to the Tamiami Trail in Sarasota at age 7, traffic really doesn't bother me much. St. Pete drivers made me know how out of touch some drivers can be. By the time I got to Tampa proper, I was a skilled teenaged cyclist.

Artkansas 

My tactic was to ride west in the morning and turn around when the clouds got close and then race them back towards the east. It almost always worked.

KingTermite 

I did that a few times too. Didn't always beat them though.

stonecrd

I grew up in Chicago, spent about 10 years in CA East Bay and have been in S. Fl for about three years now. The traffic is more chaotic but less overall cars than I had to deal with in IL or CA. Cycling varies depending on where you live, in Weston where I live it is heaven. About 20mi of perfectly maintained bike lanes and I get a 20mi daily or couple of loops in for 40 with no hassles. Going further and venturing out is probably best left for Sunday mornings. As for weather I will take Nov-Mar purfect with Apr-Oct hot/humid over Nov-Mar cold/slushy in Chicago and really when I lived in the East Bay the temps would get into high 90s low 100s in the summer and winter into the 20s. No humidity makes a big difference. So no place is perfect but so far I get more riding done down here in Fl than anywhere else I've lived.

randall t

flat? maybe most of the state, but in north fl around tallahassee its very hilly,its like when i tell people i lived in texas,oh its all desert,well i live there 11 years and never saw a desert

KingTermite 

Even up north isn't that hilly compared to true hilly country. The highest point in the state is only about 350 feet....some people (not me as I'm from FL) barely consider that more than a rolling hill.

High/Low points
https://www.unc.edu/~echoate/highestlowest/extindex.html

-=(8)=-

Fl. is a nice change for me, geographically.
I commuted in PA in some very hilly areas and
then Vermont for a few years. Here, you put it
in 8th or 9th gear and just roll. Fast.......
Other than having to get a geared bike, its a nice
change of pace for me, personally. I actually did find
what might be termed a 'hill', the Intercoastal bridge from
Riviera to Singer island. Wow....My commute times have
gotten better but I sure have lost my Vermont lungs and legs !!

BikeNinjagirl

...living in S. Florida does have it's challenges. I moved here a year ago from a rural area an hour outside of the Orlando area - I'm a full time commuter ( 4 years now ) with a round trip of 16 miles. Yes it has it's moments but I'm surviving and thriving. I've learned more about commuting, navigating and negotiating in the last year than in the 3 previous. Like Martha Stewart would say "That's a Good Thing"

iflyka200s

Hi All,

Coconut Grove native (Miami for those that don't live there) Live in Ft. Lauderdale now by Executive Airport and I must say, everyone I speak to in Portland & Seattle calls me a wimp when I tell them how much Flori-duh SUCK till they see my leg. Got hit by the shuttle bus driver at Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Airport.. Busted me up pretty good. I've had bottles thrown at me (never hit thank goodness) and all sorts of crap shouted at me.

Riding here is a sidewalk thing to stay safe but lots of glass on the path, they end without warning and drivers are so cycle unfriendly. I hit Pompano Airport for just riding and no thinking or Key Biscayne. Sigh... Come ON Portland Or. JOB!

iflyka200s

Hey CE, where do you fly? I'm at Banyan/FXE and use Payton at Bicycle Spot

KingTermite 

You are so right on the money.

As I stated earlier...I just moved TO the Seattle area (Bellevue) from Florida (Tampa/St. Pete). People here complain about Bellevue being bad....but to me its a DREAM compared to Florida. Like you said...I've had a few comments sort of backhandedly imply "what a wimp" I was for not commuting to work when I was in FL. They just don't understand how different it is.

I remember when I first started Bikeforums a few years ago somebody posted an article that had a list of the top 10 worst cities for bicyclists (in terms of accidents/injuries due to automobiles). Tampa/St. Pete was #1 on the list, and I think Florida may have even had another city or two in that top 10 list.

redfb

jacksonville wasn't bad for cycling. Here in ga you have to ride the sidewalks but they're everywhere and everything is pretty close.

iflyka200s

Small world, Steve is now at Banyan and I learned at Cav Air too so we must have some in common, I used to fly for Scotland Cay but now drive a CE-550..

-=(8)=-

From my Brothers 737 of Lauderdale.
Continental.

Lamplight

Welcome to the south.

Hmm, that must just be a Florida thing.

randall t

Not hilly by most people is true but short and steep,i have done tons of miles in the real mountians,i even had a new guy to town tell me it was not hilly,my question to him was then why did your get dropped from the group

stevelon

Sorry guys holding water was exactly the point. That way you don't have to pump it out. Where you have elevation changes water runs down hill. In florida you have to contain it or pup it away.

Artkansas 

Tourists don't spend as much money if you're not friendly to them.