Who Commutes from Sanford?

Who commutes by bike from Sanford to Orlando?  I do. Hi.  My name is Whit, and we moved here from Houston, TX, not quite 4 years ago.  Sounds like I am being introduced at an AA meeting, doesn’t it.  We lived in College Park and Baldwin Park before finally buying a historic home in Sanford, FL.  We love our town, even though we are farther away from our jobs.  We also love to ride our bikes and enjoy being outside.  Isn’t that one of the main reasons you choose to live in FL? 

But with gas at $3.60+, I am taking every chance to save money, get in great exercise, and do what I think helps the environment (no, I don’t think you should buy a Prius).   So I committed last week to ride at least three days a week to work.

My wife, Liz, and I could open a small bike shop in Sanford.  We have 7 bikes between us, and three more for our kids.  I have two road bikes, she has one.  We each have a hybrid and a mountain bike.  We use the hybrids for casual stuff around home, and we take the mtb’s to Santos Trailhead whenever we can.  I have many boxes of gear like aerobars, pedals, wrenches, cassettes, cleaners, lubes, etc.  And I am lucky that my wife lets me use the garage for all this.  But I am jealous, because Judy lets Joey use their living room for bike stands, repairs, storage, etc. 

My bike is not what I think of as typical for commuting.  It is what I have, and I don’t think Liz would let me spend another $1,000 on a new bike.  (btw, LisaB, thanks for the tips on bikes like Trek’s SOHO).  I ride a 2003 Trek 2200, set up for club rides, not commuting.  I don’t have any fenders, or mirrors.  I have Mavic wheels and an 11/22 rear cassette.  The only reason I don’t use a compact chainring is because the bike came with a triple and at 220 lbs. I need every advantage whenever I go to Clermont.  Using the road bike presents its own problems, but it gives me the most speed for the commute.  And since it already takes me more than an hour, I need to get there, not lolly-gag.

So who commutes from Sanford to Orlando?  A 48 year old Republican, from Texas, with a love of riding bikes, a desire to do the right thing for the environment and my health, and save some real money while doing it.

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