Phoenix, AZ

I haven't been out there to ride, but I've spent a good amount of time there
on business. Haven't seen any bike paths, but, depending on the area, there
are lots of roads suitable for bicycling. The thing is, it's really hard to
find a good route by the ocean in Arizona.

"Marshall Lake" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In the near future I'm planning on relocating. I currently live in
south NJ.

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there? Is cycling in the city good? Is cycling on the outskirts of the
city good? I'm interested in which part of the outskirts are good or bad.

Are there paths or is it all road riding?

Thanks for any input.

Hi Marshall,

There are two major bike paths across Phoenix plus others and lots of
bike lanes. The paths will get you into the suburbs where there is
often a lot of traffic.

Two of the bike clubs have several chapters and links to other chapters
http://www.sportsfun.com/gaba/
http://www.azbikeclub.com/

If I had to pick an area, I'd choose Paradise Valley or a little N of there.

Pete

Marshall Lake said:

In the near future I'm planning on relocating. I currently live in
south NJ.

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there? Is cycling in the city good? Is cycling on the outskirts of the
city good? I'm interested in which part of the outskirts are good or bad.

Are there paths or is it all road riding?

Thanks for any input.

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:48:11 -0500 in rec.bicycles.rides,

Marshall Lake said:

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there?

from my one year at arizona state, years ago --- you better like
cycling in 120 degree heat! from march to october, daytime temps
are over 90 degF, far too hot for comfortable cycling as far as
i'm concerned. plus, phoenix has a hell of a smog problem.

if you're retiring and relocating, i would suggest you find some
place not so hot if you want to ride regularly other than in the
winter. coastal california, for example, or oregon.

Dennis P. Harris said:

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:48:11 -0500 in rec.bicycles.rides,

Marshall Lake said:

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there?

from my one year at arizona state, years ago --- you better like
cycling in 120 degree heat! from march to october, daytime temps
are over 90 degF, far too hot for comfortable cycling as far as
i'm concerned. plus, phoenix has a hell of a smog problem.

if you're retiring and relocating, i would suggest you find some
place not so hot if you want to ride regularly other than in the
winter. coastal california, for example, or oregon.

Riding in the heat = Ride early. I live in south Florida it doesn't get
to 120 but it's hot and humid. I ride early in the morning and have no
problems getting in my miles.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there?

Quoted message said:

from my one year at arizona state, years ago --- you better like
cycling in 120 degree heat! from march to october, daytime temps
are over 90 degF, far too hot for comfortable cycling as far as
i'm concerned. plus, phoenix has a hell of a smog problem.

I don't mind the heat, and as another person mentioned, riding early
helps avoid the heat.

But smog might be another story. I wasn't aware that Phoenix has a
smog problem. Is there smog all year round? What causes it? Is Phoenix
overindustrialized?

Quoted message said:

if you're retiring and relocating, i would suggest you find some
place not so hot if you want to ride regularly other than in the
winter. coastal california, for example, or oregon.

Coastal CA is very nice but the areas I would be interested in are too
expensive for me as far as I can tell. And Oregon is nice. Ashville was
a city on my list but I like warmer weather more of the year.

Marshall Lake said:

In the near future I'm planning on relocating. I currently live in
south NJ.

One of the areas I'm contemplating is Phoenix, AZ. How is the cycling
there? Is cycling in the city good? Is cycling on the outskirts of the
city good? I'm interested in which part of the outskirts are good or bad.

Are there paths or is it all road riding?

Thanks for any input.

I have a vacation house up in North Scottsdale, AZ. Scottsdale is part
of the Phoenix metro area. On the weekends, I always see packs of road
bikers going around. So, I know that there is an active road community
somewhere in Phoenix. The north part of Scottsdale and Carefree/Cave
Creek communities are slightly higher in elevation than Phoenix proper.
We are usually about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix and we don't have
the smog problems - we just get to look down into Phoenix and see it.
Do a web search for bike clubs in Phoenix or Scottsdale and see what you
come up with. Send emails to the clubs you find and ask questions.
That is probably your best bet for information.

Thanks to all those who provided their input.