best cycling city in the USA

swimmeronwheels

I'll second the positive experience in Madison. The re's loads of riders, lanes, paths and bike shops. Winter is tough, but so are Wisconsinites.

To add to your list ... Chicago is a pretty good place to bike for the major city that it is. There's been tremendous improvement in the last few years as we have a biking mayor who is on a bike lane & path kick. There are routes all over the place and plenty of residential streets you can fly down once you figure out a route for yourself. Drivers here (at least up north where I ride) are fairly respectful and reasonable. And we have some really nice forest preserve trails in the vicinity.

bioguy

OK--I have to admit that I may be a bit biased. There are a number of reasons I didn't like Madison that much.

1. I'm a moderate--most Madisonites are to the far left of the political spectrum and are intolerant of everyone else--though they claim they are open minded.
2. UW-Madison is a wonderful research school. This is a plus if you are interested in research. It may be a great place to do a post-doc. I was interested in learning how to teach, and it was suboptimal at best for that.
3. Madison aspires to great heights and is, at best, a second-rate city. It wants to pretend to have the culture of NYC or Chicago, but doesn't come close. It wants to need light rail, but the economic situation really doesn't call for it. I found it pretentious, and I can't stand people who think they are better than they are.

As for a biking environment, I've told you that I found it to be less than it claims. I'd suggest that you take your bike and test it when you go to interview. Ultimately, the most important part in your decision about where to do your postdoc should be the person you plan to work for. In that respect, if you find someone whom you have a personal connection with--you can handle them as a boss; and you share common research interests, Madison will be fine for you. Get good winter cycling clothes, a strong headlight, a bright blinker for the back, and don't forget to drink the beer. Wisconsin has some excellent beers. Take up a hobby like cross country skiing. And don't forget to get into the country side. It really is beautiful. You can get some good hill work if you head out to the west, toward the Mississippi. If you're a mountain biker, there are plenty of trails. North of Madison, there is a good bar/restaurant in Waunakee called O'Mally's. Definitely worth a stop on a morning ride. There's another pub in a small town called Two Taverns which is north and east of Madison. Ride in before noon and order a bloody mary--they make a bloody mary that is more salad than drink (my mouth is watering). Wisconsin, and Madison definitely have an up side. My main point in my previous post was to make sure that you don't simply take the Madison "we're so tolerant and wonderful" crowd at face value. There's lots to love, and lots to hate. They claim to have wonderful bike paths, but they really aren't that great. I've had better cycling in southern redneck PA than in bike-loving WI. The rednecks are impressed that I rode up that mountain on a bike. Wisconsinites think a speed bump is a mountain. It's been 5 years since I lived there and I still have good and bad memories but nothing in between. Madison certainly is a city of extremes.

If you do decide to settle in Madison, the best cycling shop I found is Michael's cyclery. It's over by the arboretum (which is a wonderful place to cycle). I can't remember the name of the street, but I'm sure one of our Madisonites can tell you. Mike is an honest mechanic who always treated me right. He is one of my good memories. Look him up.

-Bioguy

swimmeronwheels

Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are SO TRUE. The beer is great and as far as hillls go ... head to Southwestern Wisconsin (toward Dubuque Iowa) and there are some hills!!!

sea

Well, it's not Seattle.

The funny thing is that Seattle is a very outdoorsey place and has a reputation as a good place to bike. It isn't. I've lived in 11 cities over the 50 years I've bicycled and this is the worst.

There is a very bad driver attitude toward bicyclist and it's openly expressed by dangerious and inconsiderate driving behavior. Beside being the lowest of the low, we are denied the right of way as a matter of course. It's an attitude by moterist that were not big enough to hurt them and are not important since we only ride a bike so why wait for us.

The lack of trails and bad road conditions are the other major problems. The city is very unwilling to spend money for bicycle improvements. There is only one seperated trails (Birk Gilman) which is about 20 miles long and in some places quite safe but in others, poorly maintained. It also only follows one indirect commuting route, does not go into the center of town and is heavly used by pedestrians. We do have some bike routes on regular streets with seperation lines but all allow parking inside of the bike lane and aren't wide enough. (Being dored is common here.) They also poorly serve the downtown area and only two have sufficent bridge lanes. Finally the road design & maintance here is really bad with lots of bicycle traps.

circuitweed

My wife and I were just in Seattle last weekend on a short vacation. I kept thinking to myself that the conditions for bicyclists were very poor. Indeed the driving conditions were not good either.

My parents were attending college in Seattle in the '70s, and cycling was their main mode of transportation. I felt humbled, as I would have felt very uneasy about riding around the city.

Additionally, Seattle has some monster hills. We were having dinner in a small Italian restaurant on a steep hill near Lake Union, and I watched a number of cyclists blasting up the hill--which must have been an 8% grade--seemingly undaunted by the insave climb. Kudos to you brave Seattleites, I was thoroughly impressed with your fortitude.

OregonYankee

Add me in re Portland (as in Oregon). Go East from city center and you can ride alongside the Columbia River on a spectacular old highway. Take a slight right, climb up Mt Hood - a great climb for any roadie. Go North and you can climb along Skyline Road overlooking the city or even head into WA and ride the other side of the Columbia. Go West, head through farms and reach the Pacific Ocean. And go, South into open farms and orchards.

It takes no more than 60 minutes of riding to get out of the city to these areas. And, for the most part, Oregon drivers are friendly and often stay back when you're rocketing down some fo the cool 6% to 10% grades!

msrw

Miami, Florida is great for the weather, but mediocre as a bicycling locale. While the roads are generally broad and flat, there are so many different cultures in this town, most of whom have entirely different ways of driving, that the roads tend to be chaotic. Nevertheless, lots and lots of people ride for transportation, recreation, fitness, competition etc.

jhubble

I'll put in another plug for Chicago. For post-doc work, you have University of Chicago south of downton, and Northwestern in a suburb just north, as well as other smaller schools. (Illinois-Chicago, etc.) The strict grid pattern of the streets means there is almost always a large number of routes that can be taken. There are also miles of bicycle lanes, with many popping up everywhere, thousands of bike racks, as well as a very active biking community. Bikes are also allowed on all buses, and on rapid transit trains at all times other than rush-hour.

Also, most traffic lights are on rather short cycles, so there is rarely the eternal wait for a light.

As for Davis, it seems like a nice town, though it doesn't have much more to offer than the university. (It is nice, however, to go to a movie and see families unlock their bikes and bike home.)Yolo county is as a whole a rather nice place to bike, though it does get awfully hot in the summer. Even though there are a ton of cyclists, I still got the impression that cyclists were second-rate citizens. Sacramento is nearby (with a bike line there) However, once you get there, I haven't seen much in the area of bicycle facilities.

e_space23

The Denver, Colorado, metro area has an excellent bike lane and path system. The dry climate rarely hinders bicycle commuters. I've been commuting by bicycle in Denver for 30 years. As anywhere, motorists have the usual attitude problems. Wisely choosing a route is very important. Streets and intersections have personalities. Get a bike route map. I can ride from my home into downtown Denver, 18 - 20 miles, and stay 95 percent of the ride on off-road, dedicated bike paths.

gord

Arcata is very bike-friendly with racks and bike lanes everywhere. Lots of bike commuters and an ideal year-round climate. Dedicated bike path that runs along the Pacific beaches.