(Geoff Allen on vacation in Paris, France)

When I first started commuting into work, one of the first cyclists I met on my ride in was Geoff Allen.  I had only been commuting for a week or so, and Geoff was a source of inspiration and encouragement in my early days.  Geoff had been commuting into work for some time (and of course riding a bike for quite a bit longer) and was a great source of information.  Over time, I found out more about Geoff personally and the firm he works for, Glatting, Jackson.  I asked Geoff if I could “interview” him about his riding and the firm he works for, Glatting Jackson. He graciously agreed.

Tell me your personal story about cycling — how did you get started, how did you progress, where are you now.

I started about 12 years ago, when the doc told me “quit smoking and start exercising or you will be dead by 50″.  I used to run but my feet and knees are shot, so I bought a starter bike, a Nishiki Hybrid and started riding on weekends, on the W&OD trail in Leesburg Va.   A year later I bought a K2 Zed X mountain bike and began exploring all the country roads and the C&O towpath alongside the Potomac.   My favorite ride was across the Potomac at White’s Ferry, which puts you right on the C&O towpath, then up the towpath about 20 miles to Harpers Ferry, cross the river again, and come back down over Furnace Mountain and the back roads and hills of Loudoun County.  Great air.  I also rode from home out to the end of the W&OD trail in Purcellville, all farm and horse country, about a 25 mile round trip, and in my 3rd year went for a road bike, a Klein Quantum.  All of my bikes were bike shop bikes, and they are all still in great service, I just sold the Nishiki (well, I actually haven’t been paid yet) and someone else is starting out with it.

Where I am now? We moved to Florida in 2004, and I’ve just finished my 5th year of riding to work every day.  I gave up my car 4 years ago January, finding the extra $7,000 a year is handy with the 2 girls in college.  I’m just over 17,000 miles and have 2 more bikes, a Bilenky Tourlight steel frame all-rounder, and just got a 2007 Kona Sutra which I’m setting up for touring.  Right now both the Bilenky and Kona are setup with a rear rack, panniers, and lights, I use them both for the daily commute.  My health at 54 is un-be-lievable!   So much better shape than 40.  My doctor each year says, whatever you’re doing, just keep doing it!  Nice… I ride about 10 miles a day on the commute, and take a couple short (2-5 day) tours each year, and I eat vegetarian almost all the time (sometimes have an egg for breakfast but it doesn’t hurt).  And I eat ice cream or sherbet just about every day!  Other than bike riding I do 30 push-ups and 35 sit-ups first thing every morning and weigh myself every day.  My weight hasn’t varied more then 5 pounds in 3 years.

What’s your daily commute like, and tell me about being car-free — pros and cons.

I commute about 4.5 miles each way, in the city of Orlando, from the Fashion Square area to Orange ave downtown.  Usually about 20 minutes, a good bit on the Livingston St. bike lane.  It’s a great way to start and finish the day I like having time to decompress on the way home and to organize my thoughts on the way in.  About 5-10 times a year I ride in the rain, sometimes it’s heavy.  I have lights and rain gear and a change of clothes at work, we have showers too so it’s no big deal to ride in with sandals and shorts then shower and dress for work, or change before going home.  Most times I just ride with my work clothes on because they’re going to get washed anyway when I get home the water doesn’t hurt anything.  Usually I try to wait out the storm or cloud if I can, WESH Doppler radar weather is great for showing thunderstorms and when they will be here and which way to go to skirt the storm.

Being car free almost 4 years, it’s awesome!  The first year or two I rented maybe 10 times a year, it’s down to maybe a couple times a year, and I can really do without it we have excellent bus service here if you take the time to study the route map Lynx has everything online at http://www.golynx.com/.   But I do rent for a special weekend or if we have a car prob or need 2 cars which is more rare than you think.  My wife Marian has the 15 yr old minivan booked pretty solid with the 2 girls still at home, so I try not to use that, except on weekends to the hardware store when the load is too much to fit on the bike.  Cons… there are none, well, OK, sometimes it takes a little longer to get somewhere if you’re going to take a bus or taxi or your bike… nothing you can’t overcome with a little planning.  Pro’s are too many to mention:  really feeling like you are making a difference with global warming, feeling healthier, hardier, interacting with more people more often, the money you are saving, the “it’s OK to rent a brand new car any time I feel like it” feeling, 10 rentals a year are still less than 1 months cost of owning, and at the end every time it’s like wow that was cool, but I’m sure glad to be back on my bike again.

My daughters are biking, busing, walking much more than most kids, my oldest Julie has a Vespa which Ruth is getting ready to take over.  Did you know a 50cc has no insurance cost?  Before I was paying over $300 a month for my car insurance with one teen on there …. So again, the money you save… we are taking some great vacations (like 3 weeks in France, Canada, and we’re going back to Europe in ’11).  It’s pretty liberating, except asking people for rides is still awkward, they don’t get it.  I’ll go to a professional association meeting and see 3 or 4 people that work within a mile or two of me… they could all fit in one car but they take 3 or 4?!  Crazy… but it’s like a big thing for people to go 5 minutes out of their way so I usually bike, bus, or borrow a company car (we have shared vehicles at work for people that don’t drive to work).  So being car free is awesome, and I think the wave of the future will be rentals by the hour, like ZIP cars, or say 3-4 neighbors sharing a car… each person gets it 7 or 8 days a month, something like that.

Tell me about your bike(s), how it’s set up, what plans you have for it, or your next one …

I have 4 now, my original road Klein, it’s set up for Saturday/Sunday rides 25-50 miles, one under seat bag with a flat change kit and multi-tool.  My mountain bike has street tires on it with a rack, it’s used for bad weather mostly, or if I have a problem with my main commuter and need a backup, or the kids borrow it for a friend sometimes.  My Bilenky 56cm is my favorite, it’s a steel frame all rounder road bike w/Campy components and a Brooks sprung saddle, it’s green w/yellow bar tape and a Blackburn expedition rack w a trunk bag, and one large and one small Crosso pannier. The Crosso’s are major league top end panniers that would rival Arkel or Ortlieb  (they’re made in Bialystock Poland and a full set plus 2 large wet bags cost only $330) they’re not mainstream and come in GREEN!.  It’s got 3 red lights on the back, one little flashing white light on the bars, wireless computer, and reversible clip/platform pedals.  It’s so sweet and smooth of a ride and without all the gear pretty quick.  I average about 12.6 mph for the 4,000 or miles a year, top out about 26 on a flat.  I have some Honjo hand hammered fenders which are now off but I’ll be putting back on when I get the powder coat done.

My new to me 2007 Kona Sutra is just getting set up, it’s green too.  Tiagra/XT kit w beefy tires, disc brakes, Brooks B17 saddle, tubus logo rack w a detours trunk bag and Crosso panniers one large, one small on the rear. It’s a 54cm– a little smaller than the Bilenky —  but I put on an adjustable stem and it’s feeling pretty good.  Have some Schwalbe Marathon tires on the way they’ll be here tomorrow then I’ll put on the stainless fenders too.  I’m hoping the Kona will be the touring bike I’ve wanted a little more durable than the Bilenky.   I busted some spokes on it in the Ocala forest last winter on a tour and it isn’t as stable as I’d like when loaded… we’ll see.  I’m looking at that Thanksgiving weekend and trying to find a 250 mile or so loop to give it a good test.

My next one?  I’ve wanted to try a recumbent and that may be an option, but we’ll see.  Depending how the Kona works out my next one will probably be the best combo of durability and speed I can afford, a Bilenky Midlands or Co-Motion Americano or something like that.  I might try out the Surly Long Haul Trucker but I’ve had such fun learning to tour on the Bilenky I know it will work no doubt about it.

Tell me about Glatting Jackson, what they do, etc. and your position there and what you do.

Glatting (http://www.glatting.com) is a community planning company, offering professional services to design and build livable communities.  They are by far the best place I have ever worked, and have a reputation for integrity and professional excellence.  We plan communities, help communities re-invent their public spaces, park systems, bike trails, transportation networks, and related services too varied to mention.  Check out the website you will get a good feel.  We are advocates for less auto-oriented development and more pedestrian and multi-modal transportation networks.

I am the Office Manager, which I think of as being “an enabler” that helps people get done what they need to do in the most efficient manner.  I do the facility management, for our main office here in Orlando, and smaller offices in Atlanta, West Palm Beach, and Denver.  I also help out with many of the office services, IT, purchasing supplies and services, engaging vendors, and making sure the place is a world class office ready for business and to entertain clients and guests every day.  I am our Lynx rideshare coordinator, I keep the bus passes (we distribute to employees as a “transportation benefit”) and keep a supply of route maps, books, and bus schedules at my desk.  I’m one of the “champions of cycling and non-car transportation” here, but we also have some real heavyweights like Dan Burden and Ian Lockwood who get whole cities to think differently about non-car transit, they are nationally recognized experts.

Who at GJ bikes to work, rides buses, etc.?

Glatting Jackson has their bike racks inside their office!

There’s about 10-15 regular bike riders, and about the same number of walkers, bus riders, and ridesharers.  Out of 75 people I think that’s pretty good.  I encourage people to bus, bike, rideshare, carpool, whatever they can.  On Friday at noon I have a “biketalk” session at the bike racks in our front lobby, and people stop by to chat or if they have a problem or want to learn how to fix something on their bike or just talk bikes.

How did this culture get started at GJ? How is it maintained?

There was a bike rack in the lobby of 1S Orange when I started … I think Troy Russ had been riding for a while, he told me he commuted for 8 years until he bought a Stella scooter and loved that so much he stopped riding.  He’s a principal now and has moved to Denver to open that office.  It’s grown over the 5 years I’ve been here because it’s a big part of what we do and what people are thinking about.  We have lots of smart and some younger people who want to “practice what we preach” and “walk the walk”… I mean how can we tell cities and clients to stop planning for cars when we don’t set an example?

How it’s maintained? The folks keep it going, there are constantly emails and links going around, people are plugged in to much of the cool stuff that’s happening in North America.  I send out an email to the “biketalk” list every week, usually telling what’s happening Friday at noon biketalk, and include a link to the weekly League of American Bicyclists email and also the weekly Adventure cycling email.  Recently, a number of people have gotten serious and started doing tri’s and competitive races.  At least 5 people have participated in the past couple months… they’ve gotten way beyond my plowhorse-commuter style, but it’s still the same thrill of being self-powered and doing something healthy that is so much fun.  Another group is training for the Horrible Hundred next month (I won’t be one of them, either).

What do you see (cycling-wise and culture-wise) for both yourself and for GJ in the future?

Culturally I think cycling has a bright future.  Cities are being planned around town centers with bike and walking trails standard requirements now days, I think this will only become more prevalent as urban area’s are retro-fitted to be more livable, meaning taking out roadways and putting in more bike lanes and sidewalks.  Ian has led some discussions in Detroit about taking out a highway and re-building the city back the way it was before.  Rail and bus transit are huge contributors to the viability of such an approach, so I’m hoping to see SunRail and the high speed train come to central Florida in the near term.  We will probably have light rail where you can ride to the station and take your bike on board by the time my kids are raising their kids… so about the time I stop working it should be a lot easier to be a bike commuter.

GJ is continuing to expand it’s geographic reach and where most of our business has been in Florida and the southeast in the past, now we are doing much more in the West, where places like Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, and California are years ahead of Florida in setting trends, and also in Canada, where a high quality of life seems to be important to everyone.  I think GJ will prosper as doing things smart, like planning communities with a greater emphasis on the health and safety of it’s occupants becomes a norm.  For myself… I want to do more touring, and learn to be a tour leader.  I’ve only toured by myself so far, and would like to try with another person or two to see if I like it.  I’ll continue to commute as long as I can, I’ll be 65 in only 11 years and I would like nothing better than to ride home on my last day with my personal effects strapped to my rack or in my panniers.  Then, something to do with bikes and helping people get started and keep riding (we’ll probably have headsets and mics built into our helmets by then, don’t you think)?

Anything else you want to say?

I’d like to encourage all beginners to just do it.  Take the plunge, buy the best thing you can afford and you won’t regret it.  Buy your equipment like it will be the only one you will ever own, go for quality, and just start riding for purpose, to the store, for a weekend picnic, have a destination.  I’d also like to thank CommuteOrlando.com and all it’s volunteers for putting Orlando commuter cycling on the map.  It’s great to have such a resource in the community, with things like the forums and bike mentors to help people get started.  Keep it going, and I’ll see you out on the road!

Jesse and Angie Ross and their two daughters are a one-car family. In January, they traded their SUV for an SUB. The family rides bikes to the store, church and for family fun.

The Costco Haul: 2 kids; 6 lbs of apples; 4 lbs of strawberries; A case of beer; 2 gallons of milk; 3 bottles of juice; 2 dozen eggs; 3 lbs of bananas; 2 lbs of coffee; 1.5 ml bottle of wine; 3 3-lb tubs of cottage cheese; 5-lbs of ground meat; 2 large bottles of Hershey syrup; Box of Boca burgers; Rotisserie chicken. (Photo by Angie Ross)

Jesse’s vehicle is a Madsen Bucket bike. I asked him how he chose the Madsen. “We were looking at the Xtracycle and the Yuba Mundo when we came across it on Google.” The price was good and the bucket holds a lot of stuff, plus has seats and seat belts for kids. He’s done some work on it and plans to do more mechanical tweaking, but he really likes it. He uses it to bring their two daughters home from daycare/preschool every day, and to haul mind-boggling loads from Costco and Home Depot.

Robert Seidler and I had the pleasure of joining Jesse for his commute home on Monday. We met him at Colonial High School, where he teaches. Getting to Colonial High was a challenge. It’s a poster child for the metro area’s lack of connectivity—isolated from anything resembling a useful grid in the southeastern corner of Colonial Dr. (SR50) and Semoran Blvd. (SR436).

Possibilities on display

The kind of teacher you never forget

Mr. Ross is teaching more than high school English. His Madsen sits on display in front of his classroom every day—a silent symbol of freedom and possibilities. His enthusiasm for utility cycling is infectious. It can’t help but make a positive impact on his students.

“I have such a great life!”

Jesse rides to work early in the morning, enjoying an exhilarating workout. He showers at school, parks his bike in his classroom and begins his workday happy and refreshed. Later in the morning, Angie drops one daughter off at her nearby school and the other at the high school’s daycare, which happens to be right outside Jesse’s classroom window.

After school, Jesse does a quick change into shorts and a T-shirt, picks up 2-year-old Vivi, and rides to  5-year-old Sofie’s school. We rode past the endless line of idling cars, went right into the walk-in entrance, picked up Sofie and then rode past the rest of the line (until we got to the parking lot where it was more prudent to queue up for the exit).

The girls are adorable and clearly love this form of transportation! As we rode away from the preschool, Sofie extolled the benefits of human transportation.

Problem-solver

Click for map. (What the satellite doesn't show is that the whole area is under construction to turn that intersection into an interchange and widen Colonial to six lanes.)

I was most curious to see how Jesse solved the connectivity problem. Robert and I had quite an adventure getting there (a topic for its own post). I have a hard time getting out of the Home Depot on that corner with a car! To go north, as Jesse does, the connectivity issue could be solved with a traffic light at Tucker Ave. and SR50 (it’s nearly impossible to cross there without one, even in a car). You can see his solution here.

Jesse has discovered the power of gaps. He uses  an eastbound gap to cross to the median (which, at the moment, is a dirt construction zone). He then waits for a gap in the westbound lanes, turns left and controls the right lane for 450 feet and turns right onto a quiet street. (He uses 436 on his way to work and tried it with the girls, but they didn’t like it — it’s hot, loud and the cars kick up construction dirt.)

A few cars caught up and passed us courteously in the left lane as we rode on Colonial. Another waited behind in the right lane, to make a right turn at the street just beyond where we turned. Jesse noted that drivers seem extra careful and considerate when the girls are in the bucket. Every one we encountered was patient and considerate. When we were waiting for the light at Old Cheney and 436, the driver of a minivan behind us leaned out and chatted with me for a moment about how cute the girls are and gave Jesse a big thumbs-up.

Robert Seidler runs video as Jesse fills water bottles on the Cady Way trail. Video footage will be used in several projects we are doing for FBA.

A community amenity

Jesse handles himself like a pro in traffic. He’s benefited from watching Dual Chase videos. But a wonderful feature of his commute is that most of it is on the Cady Way trail. In May, he and Angie bought a house in Winter Park near the trail. Imagine taking your kids for a ride on the trail on the way home from work!

Not just quality of life, an entirely different kind of life

Jesse never liked driving a car. It made him feel stressed out, impatient and bored — just trying to get there and being obstructed by all the other motorists just trying to get there. He’s discovered that biking to work not only increases his enjoyment of the journey, it actually saves him time!

“No matter what, I never got out of the house in less than an hour,” he says of when he used to drive to work. Then he had to sit in traffic in his car. Now he gets up, makes coffee, loads the bike, fills the travel mug and is out the door in 15 minutes. It takes him 25 minutes to get to work and 15 minutes to shower, shave and change. So, “in less time than it used to take me to get out the door, I’ve had my coffee, a good workout, a shower and I’m at work and feeling great!”

Jesse chats with Sofie about her day at school

He’s getting quality time with his daughters from the moment he gets off work and he has the freedom and satisfaction of not being dependent on a car with all its associated stresses. That is a different kind of life.

“I am an Engine”

That’s the title of a beautiful poem he is writing for his daughters. He read a few verses of for Robert and me and hope he’ll share it with you here when it is finished.

Jesse is not just the engine of his vehicle, he’s an engine of the changing traffic culture.

The LaserVue team on Bike2Work Day: Dr. Magruder, Dr. Harris, Cassie Abear, Tamara Driesse & Bailey Magruder

The enthusiasm of a bike commuter is infectious!

When long-time bike commuter Brock Magruder, Jr. built his new surgery center, he made sure to provide a shower and secure bike parking. Now two more of his staff have become regular riders, and several doctors and nurses at Orlando Aesthetic Center (downstairs) are riding to work as well.

On Bike2Work Day, Dr. Harris joined
Dr. Magruder on his tandem, and four other members of the team rode their bikes to work. They proudly shared their stats:

Cassie
Miles = 13
Calories burned = 500
Estimated gas savings = $3.25

Tamara
Miles = 10.6
Calories burned = 400
Estimated gas savings = $3.00
“it only takes 15 minutes longer on a bike!”

Bailey
Miles = 10
Calories = 442
Estimated gas savings = $4.00

Bill
Miles = 19
Calories burned = 700 (at least)
Estimated gas savings = $4.00

I met Dr. Magruder several years ago when I decided to be free of the glasses I’d worn since 4th grade (I should have done that sooner!). At that time, the LaserVue center was near ORMC. His commute was 24 miles round trip from Maitland. The new facility in College Park is just 8 miles from home—but there are plenty of options to extend the ride on a pleasant evening.

Dr. Magruder has outfitted a Rivendell Atlantis touring bike for his ride. The classic steel bike sports a Brooks saddle, mustache bars wrapped with leather and twine, fat tires, fenders with serious mud flaps, a sturdy rear rack with a Jandd briefcase pannier on one side and a grocery pannier on the other. (see more photos in the Gallery.)

To light the way on those dark winter mornings, he uses a helmet-mounted Night Rider Flight. I can attest to its brightness,
Dr. Magruder rolled up behind me one evening at a traffic light, I thought he was a truck!

“I do like to see the potholes and irregularities of the many brick streets on my route.”

The helmet mount also comes in handy for getting the attention of motorists at cross-streets. He uses a flashing red tail light on the back of the rack, and another on the back of his helmet. He’s applied reflective tape to the bike as well.

When asked what motivated him to commute by bike, he told me lack of parking at the old office was the final kick in the butt. But as many of us have discovered, the initial motivation is soon replaced by the other joys and benefits of riding a bike to work.

“I love watching the sunrise over Lake Sue in the mornings in the spring and fall. And I really love car-free days. I notice I am more relaxed and less frazzled.”

He also enjoys riding in the rain (always better on the way home).

“It makes me feel like a little kid.”