wafranklin

When I moved from St. Louis to Ft. Lauderdale I discovered
that the citizens of FTL have a different vibe/attitude than those in STL.
It's hard to put a label on it, but this sums it up pretty good:
FTL guys don't put the toilet seat up when they pee.
I never saw it in STL, but I see sticky toilet seats all the time in FTL.

How is this a bicycle issue?
Answer: In FTL it is a thing to throw beer bottles out of your car window.
Broken bottle bombs are everywhere along the side of the road.
New bombs appear every week or so.
I get flats due to glass every week or so.

Why to FTL residents think it's OK to throw bottles out of a car window
and pee on seats? Are they being macho or cool?
Are there more drunks down here?

Maelochs

Google "Florida Man."

or just visit: https://floridaman.com/top-10/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ay/2629205001/

Florida supplies people for shows like "Cops" and anything involving "America's Dumbest ...."

Pretty much, everything foul drains off from the entire East Coast and most of the South East, up as far a Ohio and as far west as Alabama .... and coagulates on the Florida peninsula. Anyone with more then 23 chromosomes or fewer than 23 teeth .... I used to commute in Central Florida ... Throwing stuff at cyclists was an amusing pass time for a lot of people it seemed. Running cyclists off the road ... "What, we aren't supposed to?"

EviLDORK

Despite having a lot of bike lanes where one could ride all day long without getting in anybody's way, there's hardly anybody out riding in Florida. I'm advised every time I visit to forget about bicycling there due to the harassment. Driving puts a big damper on my enjoyment of tourist attractions there. It feels like any time gained by driving instead of biking is then lost by walking around parking lots.

Is there any effective form of bicycling advocacy in places where people harass bicyclists as if it's their civic duty?

Litespud

It’ll all be underwater pretty soon anyway. Florida Man will be too busy treading water and trying to grow gills to have time to harass people

spelger

why?

Tacoenthusiast

If you could end covid 19 by sacrificing a part of the USA, which state would you pick and why Florida?

Maelochs

I spent a Lot of years riding a lot of miles in central Florida when Orlando was the cycling death capital of the nation, and while there were certainly a lot of inbred misfits, things got noticeably better after about a decade of the city governments taking cycling more seriously.

I have no idea what the area is like now, but I had a lot of fun riding for a lot of years, back when there were no bike lanes, and extending through the time where there were actually quite a few. The really bad actors stand out, but in truth, I could have chosen routes which kept me away from the worst of the traffic.

Riding through the city centers on the major auto routes is going to be sketchy anywhere. But unless you have to take those roads (which are equally dangerous for drivers) then there is a ton of good riding in Central Florida. I know there are a lot of very active cycling clubs in South Florida. Not sure about north Florida but I have a friend who rides paths and trails up there and says she enjoys it. The Panhandle is still in the Stone Age.... the bicycle hasn't been introduced there yet. if people see you riding they will think you are magic and will run away screaming.

If I still lived there i would still ride there and without worry (but i sure would avoid Highway 50 through Orlando, SR 436, 426 at Orange in Winter Park ... and few other choice death-zones.)

John_V 

Sorry that you are having a bad time in Florida. Fort Lauderdale does not represent the entire state. You just happened to move to an area where people don't know how to vote so I'm not surprised that they don't know how to lift a toilet seat.

Moe Zhoost

I've lived in a number of US states (including Florida for many years) and can say that it's easy to generalize about the relative behavior of any of them. Bummer that a few negative things is coloring your whole opinion. Stick with it and concentrate on whatever positive things you encounter.

I had contemplated moving back to Florida when I retired, but nixed that. I have to say that it has changed significantly in the last 50 years, losing much of its charm. I attribute this mostly to the huge influx of residents from other states.

bruce19

I've spent some time in FL, most recently about 2 yrs. ago when I drove a friends' Mazda Miata home to CT for her. She had inherited it from her father who had been out walking and was hit by a pickup truck. It was on the Gulf side. I have friends and family who have moved to FL and I am fond of them. But, generally, I'm not a fan. I was going to comment on their politics but why? Not worth the time or effort.

rydabent

The pigs are not limited to Fla.

jon c. 

Florida is a big state. Up here in the panhandle I find 99% of drivers to be courteous and accommodating. With countless miles of low traffic rural roads at my doorstep, I doubt I could find a better place to ride.
Ft. Lauderdale is a whole different world. With the dense population and always crowded roadways, it's not a place I'd want to ride.

Bassmanbob

I'm about 80-90 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. I've cycled twice in Fort Lauderdale; the second time I forgot how terrible it was the first time. As it turns out, I may never bring my bicycle south of Boca Raton, and that would only be on A1A. Come up to the Treasure Coast, and have some fun with us!

bargo68 

Baldy1953

The further south you go in Florida , the worse it gets. It might have something to do with all the tourists that do not where they are going. This applies to the I-4 corridor ( daytona to tampa) Also it has a lot to do that the immigrant population has turned South Florida ( Miami area) into a foreign country. There are parts of Miami you never hear English spoken for the most part. A world away from North Florida. it has gotten progressively worse as the years have gone by.

A lot of transplanted northern people live in south Fl. They moved to get away from an oppressive tax structure and one particular parties manner of running their states. Now, they vote for the same type of people in Fl and are trying to bring the north to the sout.

People talk about how backwards Floridians are because our lifestyle is much more laid back than other parts of the country. We make fun of you also. Every region has its own quirks.

CliffordK

Make sure you choose tires with at least a little protection.
Road Bike? "Commuter"?

I've come to like the Continental Gator Hardshells on my road bikes. They generally last quite well, and reasonably few flats.

Schwable makes one of the narrowest thick-tread tires at 25mm, Schwalbe Marathon Plus. But HEAVY. I did, however, get a flat pretty early with my experiment with them, and fought the hole for the rest of the life of the tire.

I tried a set of Michelin Protek Cross Max tires. Also heavy, but I had not troubles with them, and even liked them on a couple of rides with slush on the ground.

There are a number of tire liners available. Panaracer makes a very unique fibrous lightweight "Flataway" tire liner.

A1A Rider

I have lived here and ridden here for the last 17 years. My route is between Lauderdale by the Sea and as far north as Palm Beach. Been “coal rolled” once and has a 2 liter Mountain Dew thrown at me once. Been yelled at to get off the road where “cars are supposed to be” and ride on the sidewalk. I ride Gatorskins (I know, they are heavy and roll like frozen garden hose...), because they are flat resistant and the fore mentioned glass/burrs/roofing nails on my route.

But, these issues are spread over 17 years and a lot of miles. I get to ride year round in pretty good weather.

Next time in FLL, try to start your ride north of Lauderdale on the beachside and head north to Boca, DelRay and Lake Worth.

ramzilla

Back in 1996 I was working at Tyndall Air Force Base & living in Panama City Beach. One morning I was riding my small motorcycle on the beachfront road. I stopped at an intersection with a crosswalk to allow a group of four children to cross the road. An angry motorist in a pickup truck behind me began blowing his horn at me. Then, while I was waiting for the kids to cross the road, he drove his vehicle up onto the sidewalk and with dirt & gravel flying everywhere roared past me & the children. The terrified kids went running away as fast as possible. I was absolutely stunned. Never seen anything like it. Ever. Wow. For real. That actually happened.

I'm retired and have lived in Florida full time now for several years. Continental Gatorskins, Schwalbe Marathons, Michelin Protek & other tough tires are all that anyone uses around here. Life is good. People are good. But, there are some seriously redneck idiots running around here that absolutely defy imagination.

You're all welcome to come down to Amelia Island. We've got bike lanes everywhere & it's a fun place to visit for casual & experienced riders. Be good. Have fun.

Bah Humbug

I know it's harder to spell "Massachusetts", but that's no excuse to get the answer wrong.

Worknomore

The shock Jock's morning radio show on the local rock station has a daily segment entitled 'Florida is f'ed up man! And the show comes out of Detroit. Lol!

CliffordK

The part of mainland USA that isn't a state?

Cougrrcj

Arizona is just as bad, and maybe worse with roadside glass and other flat-causing 'stickers'... Since AZ gets so little rain and hydroplaning is not an issue, people tend to drive on tires until the steel belts are showing - where do you think those steel-belt wires end up? on the shoulder. Glass bottles? The roadside literally glitters from the broken glass. With no rain to wash the road clear, there is LOTS of flat-causing debris on the road/shoulder.

Then there are the cactus spines, and Goat-heads... But we'll leave that for a whole 'nuther discussion!

tkamd73 

Isn’t the abbreviation for Florida, FL.
Tim

Rogerogeroge

And then there's the heat. You gotta finish your ride by 7am if you don't wanna fry.

But there are some places in AZ that I would love to have the chance to MTB!

Cougrrcj

I only rode out in the PHX area when visiting my mother during the Winter months. I'd fly out there tovisit her in Gold Canyon for a week visit sometime between January and March..She spent the Summer months up in Show Low where it is MUCH cooler than PHX - almost 30° cooler on average.