So some of you may know that I recently went on a little trip to the US. The main destination was the college town of Gainesville, Florida and the reason was The Fest 8.

Before I left I knew there was a big cycling scene in Gainesville, primarily due to the big student population but also a large D.I.Y/underground scene. The Fest itself is run and organised by independent punk label No Idea records.

The first thing I noticed as soon as we arrived was the abundance of fixed gear riders. I’d have to estimate a guess but I would say out of all the people I saw riding for the 4 days were we’re there, at least 3/4 of them were riding fixed. I spent the first day checking out EVERYONE that rode past us and I’ve never seen so many unique bikes in such a short period of time.

So where does everyone get the bikes and bit from? Well there are about 8 or 9 bike shops in central Gainesville and it’s not a big city so you are spoilt for choice. On University Avenue, which runs through the centre of the city, there are 3 or 4 shops alone. Spin Cycle first caught my eye, with the little Fuji tent out front with a selection of some nice old road bikes stacked up. Then there is also Recycled Bicycles which is much smaller but as the name suggests they stock some tasty secondhand treats.

Recycled Bicycles

Recycled Bicycles

Now you may all be asking…..why is riding here so popular here? Well…..it’s flat……VERY flat. From one side of the city to the other you’re unlikely to encounter anything that we’d classify as a hill. Secondly, the roads are HUGE. There’s plenty of room for both drivers and cyclist to share to roads without conflict and after driving there for a week, I also noticed how much more laid back drivers were…..I didn’t see anyone driving aggressively once.

University Avenue

I have to say I was a little depressed on my return to the UK. I was keen to get out on my bike straight away but it was a drastic change from the +30C weather I was enjoying in Florida. I’ll be heading out next year again though and I will be so very tempted to take my bike with me next time so I can explore a bit more of the city.