What is the best place in the U.S. for a cyclist to live?



Tucson is pretty good actually due to the constant sunshine, warm temps, dry air and the mountains. problems? bad roads, really bad traffic, and the fact that you need 100 water bottles to finish a 100 mile training ride due to the heat. actually there are some decent roads in tucson but there are many bad ones and even the decent ones aren't great. better have some strong ass tires you want to put some serious miles on your bike. everyone in tucson owns a car and drives it to their mailbox. this town is teeming with cars that ride around as if they were in the daytona 500. bicycle friendly? well there are many bike lanes but i wouldn't call all the rednecks around here friendly to cyclists. and don't look for those leafy maples and oaks that line your routes, and the nice little brooks and streams, that make you feel at ease in the countryside. nope. here we have cacti and sand and rednecks even more prickly than the cacti. but there are just enough good routes and the weather is so bountifully, liberally sunny and warm, that it offsets the other stuff. i mean everyday it's sunny and hot. that's supa!
 
Azulene said:
;) Portland Oregon/Vancouver Wa.

1.Portland has been voted as one of the cycle friendly city in USA...
I spent most of my life in Portland. Aside from the fact that it is a blue state largely being run over from the land of fruits and nuts from the S (that'd be CA), it's a wonderful, beautiful city. The weather can be a little grey & wet from late fall to early spring, but there's plenty else to do. It gets my vote for being in the top few cities for cyclists.
 
Telegram Sam said:
Northern Sonoma County, California

Why?
1.Beautiful weather
Avg min temp is 39' in Dec- Avg. temp 47'
Avg yearly rainfall 29"- most of it in Dec, Jan, and Feb
Avg Max temp 89' all year (it does get hotter though-spikes as high as 115)
2.Most beautiful place in the world-
3.Great wineries on every bike ride- good for getting some suger if you need
4.Cyclist friendly, but not cyclist burdened (there are not a lot- saw three in 60+ miles today- can go as high as twenty)
5.The further North, the less traffic
6.Great small communities (mine is Cloverdale)
7.No Marin-ites (sorry guys, you know what I mean) north of Petaluma
8. A bike rack will get you to thousands of rides
9.good local shops
10.Within reasonable distances of beaches and forests
11. LOTS of Mountain Biking
12. Lots of lakes and wild life
13.Trees!
14.Home of the VINEMAN Triathalon and many club rides that are up to speed
15.Sweet hills-hard climbs
16. very few dogs in the road
17. The river- for cooling off after a hard ride
18. Fat shoulders on most roads
19.100s of continuous no-freeway miles
20.Friendly cyclists

Why not-
1.It's spendy-coming from any where else, California is going to hurt

Just my 2c worth
but of course- this is where I live- I better love it right?
I've got to agree, Sonoma County would be an excellent choice. It is beautiful and the roads are fabulous. It is expensive, as is most of the San Francisco Bay Area, but part of what you're buying is a lifestyle that I don't quite think you can get elsewhere (I may be wrong...).

That said, I have to take Telegram Sam up on point #7. I am from Marin. I grew up in Mill Valley and have lived here for 26 years. I can not imagine any other place I would have liked to have grown up in. I'm not rich by Belvedere/Tiburon standards, but I'm definitely not poor either. I went to the expensive private schools; I went to the public schools (my parents could have saved their money - I got a wonderful education at the public schools). I don't buy the "Marin-ite" stereotype. So what if the people here are rich? Does that make them bad people? We are not elitists. Sure, there might be a few stuck up people here and there, but that's really a small percentage, when you look at it. Name me a place that doesn't have some bad apples. I find some of the weathiest people here to be incredibly geniune, caring, passionate, and altruistic.

In the time I've lived here, yes, I've seen the place change, I've seen the people change, and I've seen many transplants coming in. For the most part, I'm okay with it. I find the people in this area to be extremely friendly to cyclists and motorcyclists (my other passion) - in fact, even more so in the southern parts of Marin than the northern parts. Maybe my perspective is skewed, from "inside the bubble", but I like it here.

Anyway, I know it's said in jest (I hope). I've just got to stick up for myself where I can! If you can afford to live in the Bay Area, it's wonderful!
 
Redwood City, Bay Area, CA. Cyclist ghetto. Rent is about $1000 or so for a 1-2 bedroom. Buying is near impossible if you make under $100k a year though. 10 minutes of ghetto riding and you have cycling paradise. Climbs, decents, redwoods, flats, coastline, decent weather (voted best climate by government test) and more. Also plenty of Mexican food joints for post ride fill up.
 
Charlotte, NC is where I lived prior to being ex-patriated in Brazil... I wouldn't sell it to you as the cycling utopia, but it is very good. Very active mountain and road cycling (where else can you have a time trial at a NASCAR speedway monthly?). Good roads, many other cyclists and clubs, diverse riding (hills, flat, urban, rural, mountains close) great weather, but more importantly great job market (especially if you are doing anything related to finance or banking) and great housing options. Also many great bars and resturants (at least better than what you have in Richmond) for a good off-the-bike time.
 
Any other responses?


One modification: the warmest winter, and at least SOME hills. (I LOVE the heat, it's never too hot for me.)

BTW, anything below 60 degrees, I consider cold, and not enjoyable for road biking. I actually am not able to properly train below that temperature, muscles don't cooperate.
 
jitteringjr said:
The average highs in Denver are about 44 degrees in December and January so that definitly meets my criteria. Its not like I am going to be riding bike at 1 am when its colder. Its ok if it gets below 40 as long as the winters are not too severe. I grew up in Minnesota so I know that places up north are out.

Denver, CO Springs and Fort Collins are already on my list of no brainer places to move to. However, I am looking for other possibilites because I can't seem to get a job interview in Colorado to save my life.

Most places in California are out as well because it is not worth to me paying a half a million bucks for a 3 bedroom rancher, when I could buy a mansion in other parts of the country (i.e. Ashville NC) for that much. Areas in the central coast of California and north of San Fran seem more reasonable as far as cost of living, so I am looking there however.
Don't feel bad, I already live in Denver, and I can't get an interview either. Our unemployment is lower than most places though, like 7.5%. It sure is a nice place to be funemployed if necessary. One of the cool things about Denver is that even in January we have numerous days with highs in the 50s. Unlike Minnesota, the snow is usually melted within a couple days. The old saw is that if you don't like the weather, wait til tomorrow. We also have a system of bike trails around the metro area that has to be hundreds of miles long. Cost of living is pretty reasonable too. My 2400 sq. ft. 5 bedroom ranch is probably worth $175,000. Too bad I paid 190,000. Buy high, sell low.
 
Look at Greenville, SC. It is an hour south of Asheville, and at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. We have about 6 months of summer and 6 months of fall. Not quite as chilly as Asheville. And, Greenville is where George Hincapie lives, not Asheville. Craig Lewis also lives here. The US Cycling championships have been held here for the past 4 or 5 years, and was selected to host again next year. Cost of living is very cheap, and the economy is going strong here.
 
RoadBlade said:
Look at Greenville, SC. It is an hour south of Asheville, and at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. We have about 6 months of summer and 6 months of fall. Not quite as chilly as Asheville. And, Greenville is where George Hincapie lives, not Asheville. Craig Lewis also lives here. The US Cycling championships have been held here for the past 4 or 5 years, and was selected to host again next year. Cost of living is very cheap, and the economy is going strong here.

want a roomate?
 
Not sure which spot is the best but I know it's not Florida. Lived there for 10 years and can say it's the worst place for cycling I have ridden in my 3 continents and 25 years on the bike.

Way hot and very humid, flat as a pancake and terrible roads and drivers. If you could imagine doing a 5 hour ride sweating all the way in the traffic without a breeze or view?
 
I live in Cleveland and can honestly say that the Denver metro area is like biker utopia.
 
BigSharks said:
I live in Cleveland and can honestly say that the Denver metro area is like biker utopia.

Actually the utopia you speak of is 35 miles WNW of Denver, in Boulder.
 
alienator said:
Actually the utopia you speak of is 35 miles WNW of Denver, in Boulder.
Compared to Cleveland, even Commerce City is utopia, let alone Denver.
 
fatandslow said:
Compared to Cleveland, even Commerce City is utopia, let alone Denver.

That is a sad, very sad, but true statement. If Cleveland were a nuclear weapon test site, it would be more appealing.
 
I think you can live everywhere you cam ride to another state for example if dn't like yours
 
The best place for a cyclist to live is with your parents. In that way you can spounge off them and save all your money to buy cool carbon components and take cycling trips all over the world.
 
alienator said:
Actually the utopia you speak of is 35 miles WNW of Denver, in Boulder.


Not if the cyclist hates cold weather.

But at least they have an indoor track, that is cool.
 
That's easy... Kona, Hawaii. It is the called the 'Golden Coast'. King Kamehameha chose Kona, Hawaii to live over all of the other islands because it is always great weather... (the weather channel says 80-80-80-80-79-80 on a regular basis)... there are tons of hills and tons of flats... the highways have massively wide shoulders. The views are unrivaled. The people are way cool. The Bike shops there are world-class (due to the massive number of Ironman triathletes who live there and also visit). I can't say enough about my hometown of 10 years. Just don't tell everyone. It is a great travel secret and to me is Heaven on Earth. Visit there and you will see :D
 
I live in Jonesborough TN about 60 miles north of Asheville NC, smack in the middle of Appalacia. There are several mountiain climbs within 40 miles of my house climbs up over 5000 ft asl. Alot less traffic here then in Asheville. Homes average around 160k for 1600 sqft to about 2500 sq ft. We built our house about 8 years ago its 2200 sq ft for 95k., would be a little more expensive now to build but not too much more. Jobs dont pay as much as larger metro areas but then again cost of living is really cheap so i guess it all averages out. Temp in the winter can dip down to below freezing for the highs but that is really a cold snap and only last for a few days, its not uncommon to have temps in the 60's pushing 70 in jan also. I ride all year round with no problems. I wont go riding if the temp is below 20 degrees (this hardly ever happens) It really is a great area to ride.