Cruisin' on the beach  Down here at the beaches in Jacksonville most people use their cruiser bikes to get around. 1st Street runs from Atlantic Beach through Jacksonville Beach nearly all the way to Ponte Vedre Beach. It's a block or two from and parallel to the water. It has two-way traffic without any painted lane markings. It's blocked for through motor traffic with cut throughs for cyclists and others. It's pretty much a free for all on the weekends, with cyclists dominating. Anyone driving a car on the road yields to everyone else, even at four way stops. I've tried to stop and let cars pass, but they all insist on letting bikes go through first. They're surprised when a cyclist stops. Running stop signs isn't a good habit to get into, but it feels great to always have the right of way.

My usual ride is about 10 miles from Atlantic Beach to Ponte Vedre and back. There are always interesting sights along the way. There is quite a collection of beach bums, surfers, tourists, etc. riding and walking, especially in the summer. The road is mostly deserted in the winter.

Most everyone rides a crank-forward single speed with swept back handlebars, cruising at about 10 mph. It's easy to get into that crusing groove. I need to get a bottle holder on my handlebars so that I fit in with the locals. Of course my Bike Friday wouldn't be mistaken for a local bike no matter what I did.
posted by Bruce Wright at 7:44 PM #