Road biking in the Tampa Bay area?
07-29-18, 10:31 AM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Road biking in the Tampa Bay area?
Hi friends. Will be relocating to the Tampa Bay FL area soon. Curious what the road biking is like down there? Best routes? Best shops? Is the Tampa area generally bike friendly? Are there good routes up the coast? Any good clubs or groups for the recreational rider? Love to connect with some new friends when I get down there in September. Thanks for any info!
07-29-18, 12:19 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 156
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 70 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I used St. Pete Bicycle and Fitness when I was in the area. https://www.stpetebicycleandfitness.com
I found Florida to be bicycle-hostile compared to California and D.C.
There are nice bicycle paths and trails. Group rides at non-peak hours are safe enough.
I found Florida to be bicycle-hostile compared to California and D.C.
There are nice bicycle paths and trails. Group rides at non-peak hours are safe enough.
07-30-18, 09:19 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: LF, APMAT
Posts: 2,752
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 624 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 397 Times
in
226 Posts
Tampa Bay is a pretty big area. Riding in Tampa vs. St. Petersburg vs. Clearwater can be very different (I live in the urban core of Tampa). I use Ridewithgps and Google maps to plan my routes around town. Basically, you want to stay off the main roads even if they have bike lanes. Infrastructure is not great, but getting better. There are tons of shops in Tampa, but I rarely go to them. Mostly do my own work and buy online. I almost never get harassed when I'm out bike riding. The problem is drivers don't pay attention, so you have to be on your guard. I'm also a solo rider so I don't know much about clubs.
07-30-18, 11:17 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,491
Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE
Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7652 Post(s)
Liked 3,479 Times
in
1,836 Posts
I think Tampa, St. Pete, and Orlando have swapped "Deadliest Cycling City in the Nation" for the past 35 or 40 years. So, yeah .... great places to ride.
I did about a decade and an half in the Greater Orlando area (before bike lanes) and it okay as long as you keep your eyes wide open. You will need a car to get to any rural roads but with in ten or twenty miles you should have plenty. I'd use RideWithGPS or some similar free app to track down rural roads, then Google maps to make sure they are paved.
And of course, google bike clubs for the hidden insider routes.
I did about a decade and an half in the Greater Orlando area (before bike lanes) and it okay as long as you keep your eyes wide open. You will need a car to get to any rural roads but with in ten or twenty miles you should have plenty. I'd use RideWithGPS or some similar free app to track down rural roads, then Google maps to make sure they are paved.
And of course, google bike clubs for the hidden insider routes.
