What USA city has the best bicycle trails?

[AustinMN]

dgk wrote:
> On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:36:21 GMT, "Bruce W.1"
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
> >work and recreation? I might move there.
>
> >Thanks for your help.
>
> It isn't NYC.

Not Boston either. It's not an ant-bike thing, just that commuting in
Boston (I've used bike, car, train, subway, waking, and bus) all suck.
Commuter train only sucked a little.

Austin (Now in Twin Cities of Minnesota where the winters are usually
colder but the cycling is better)

 

[AustinMN]

dgk wrote:
> On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:36:21 GMT, "Bruce W.1"
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
> >work and recreation? I might move there.
>
> >Thanks for your help.
>
> It isn't NYC.

Not Boston either. It's not an ant-bike thing, just that commuting in
Boston (I've used bike, car, train, subway, waking, and bus) all suck.
Commuter train only sucked a little.

Austin (Now in Twin Cities of Minnesota where the winters are usually
colder but the cycling is better)

 

[lwedge]

Sacramento has pretty good bike trails for Metro area and all the trails and quiet country roads in the Coastal Range and Sierra's are just a small ride away.

http://www.saccycle.com/bikewaymaps/map6.htm

Lw

 

[lwedge]

Sacramento has pretty good bike trails for Metro area and all the trails and quiet country roads in the Coastal Range and Sierra's are just a small ride away.

http://www.saccycle.com/bikewaymaps/map6.htm

Lw

 

[Beverly]

"Colorado Bicycler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There are just a very fw, and they are not interconnected at all. Here
> is a map showing the measly, segmented, puny little things. You
> definitely would NOT want to ride them, since they are covered with
> cement, kept up well, and have almost none of those exciting street
> interesections. Very boring as you ride along rivers and streams with
> noisy birds and lousy trees.
>
> www.sandcreekgreenway.org/assets/maps/Postmaplarge.jpg )
>

Thanks for all the links I'm always looking for trails to visit on
vacation.

We have several good trails in our area, Southwest Ohio, and they continue
to grow each year.
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/swot-map.htm

Beverly

 

[Eric]

I picked a nice day last summer to ride around Boulder, since it is
considered so bike friendly. The trails were very nice, but I found it
much easier to get around on the roads. There was much less traffic
than on the trials, and the cars tended to follow the rules of the
road. That being said, there was a lot of nice scenery on the trails...

I think I'll stick to the trails in Denver, and the forest service
roads in Grand County!

 

[Bill H.]

Mountain View isn't too shabby, either.

 

[NYC XYZ]

Bruce W.1 wrote:
> What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
> work and recreation? I might move there.
>
> Thanks for your help.


Isn't it obvious that NYC is #1 here? 'Cause there are lots in the
surrounding areas, too!

Think about it...where else can you host 30K+ cyclists every year for a
whole day decade after decade?

 

[NYC XYZ]

dgk wrote:
>
>
> It isn't NYC.


Well, we don't have mountains in the background, unfortunately, and
this ain't Holland here (damned redcoats), but it's got to be the best,
all things considered: lots of variety, lots of places; miles and miles
in the City alone, not to mention just outside; rivers and oceans and
you're never too far from help if you break down or catch a flat!

And of course, we have jobs here.

 

[Bill Cotton]

> Bruce W.1 wrote:
>> What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
>> work and recreation? I might move there.
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
Since the discussion have move east:
http://www.billcotton.com/philadelphia_area_bicycle_trails.htm

--
www.billcotton.com

 

[Claire Petersky]

"NYC XYZ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Bruce W.1 wrote:
>> What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
>> work and recreation? I might move there.

> Isn't it obvious that NYC is #1 here? 'Cause there are lots in the
> surrounding areas, too!

I thought to ride in NYC you had to ride like this:
http://www.digave.com/videos/red-web.mpg

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[NYC XYZ]

Claire Petersky wrote:
>
>
> I thought to ride in NYC you had to ride like this:
> http://www.digave.com/videos/red-web.mpg

Only if you're being chased -- by a camera.

That was AWESOME!!! Brings back some good memories (though I'm a full
15% less gutsy than those guys, even when I was a messenger myself!
And I always respected pedestrians...).

> --
> Warm Regards,
>
> Claire Petersky

THANKS FOR SHARING. You're my kinda gal! This inspires me to do a
video of the Greenways in NYC and around...hmm....

> http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
> Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
> See the books I've set free at:
> http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[[email protected]]

landotter wrote:
> I consider Chicago to be the bike friendliest large city in North
> America. Probably not up there when it comes to total dedicated trail
> mileage, but except for the heart of downtown, it's excellent--and
> flat.

The suburbs are a different matter, since the subdivisions channel
traffic onto relatively high speed arterials. Traditional grid-pattern
street neighborhoods are much better for cycling.

--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

 

[Steve McDonald]

Here's a link to an article in yesterday's local newspaper, about
bicycling around Eugene, Oregon and other Oregon cities.

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/01/28/d1.cr.bicycle.0128.p1.php?section=cityregion

Steve McDonald

 

[lwedge]

What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
work and recreation? I might move there.

Thanks for your help.

Some of you may have just received your March issue of Bicycling Magazine. The issue has the annual best cycling communities in the US, Portland Oregon was voted #1 for all types of bicycle transportation and activities.....

Lw

 

[Chuck Anderson]

Bruce W.1 wrote:

>What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
>work and recreation? I might move there.
>
>Thanks for your help.
>
>
I'm still getting my free editions of Bicycling Magazine (they must be
on a serious subscription drive). They have an article on the 21 best
cities for bicycling in the US. Not sure how valuable it is, though.
They naturally list Boulder, but then say the *must ride* for Boulder is
the Boulder Creek Path, so they have clearly not done any research.
There are a lot of great - even must rides in Boulder, but the creek
path is certainly not one of them. It's for walking your dog, riding
with your kids in tow, taking the baby out in a stroller, jogging,
blading, and walking in circles while talking on your cell phone. It's a
must ride if you like running over dogs and shouting "on your left"
every five seconds. They then list the best bicycle hang out as some
coffee shop (are cyclists supposed to be Starbuck's junkies?). I would
disregard anything they claim to know about Boulder - so the same may be
true about the other places they mention as well.

Once again Bicycling Magazine proves itself to be worthless, unless you
like window shopping.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************

 

[[email protected]]

Chuck Anderson wrote in part:

> I'm still getting my free editions of Bicycling Magazine (they must be
> on a serious subscription drive). They have an article on the 21 best
> cities for bicycling in the US. Not sure how valuable it is, though.
> They naturally list Boulder, but then say the *must ride* for Boulder is
> the Boulder Creek Path, so they have clearly not done any research.
> There are a lot of great - even must rides in Boulder, but the creek
> path is certainly not one of them. It's for walking your dog, riding
> with your kids in tow, taking the baby out in a stroller, jogging,
> blading, and walking in circles while talking on your cell phone. It's a
> must ride if you like running over dogs and shouting "on your left"
> every five seconds.

True but IMO one of the must-rides uses a portion
of the Boulder Creek Path as it leaves town up
Boulder Canyon, on the way to the Four Mile
turnoff. The Boulder Creek Path itself is not a
must-ride, that's for sure, although the scenery
as they say is outstanding.

Robert

 

[oilfreeandhappy]

IWedge wrote:
>Portland Oregon was voted #1 for all types of bicycle transportation
and activities.....

I was at a City Council meeting in Fort Collins, CO, and our local
Biking Coordinator mentioned that 12% of commutes in Portland are by
bicycle. That's incredible! Fort Collins tallies in at 4%. We do
have some great bike/walking trails though - both recreational and
Mountain Biking. One goes along the Poudre River, and one goes along
Spring Creek - both beautiful Nature Preserves. And of course the
Foothills and Mountains are only a few minutes away.
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

 

[dgk]

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 06:19:03 +1100, lwedge
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Bruce W.1 Wrote:
>> What city in the USA has the best set of bicycle trails for commuting to
>> work and recreation? I might move there.
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>Some of you may have just received your March issue of Bicycling
>Magazine. The issue has the annual best cycling communities in the US,
>Portland Oregon was voted #1 for all types of bicycle transportation
>and activities.....
>
>Lw

I was in Portland a few years back and that city was set up for
cycling. There are streets that can only be used by bikes and buses,
and bike parking is available on many streets using some sort of
locked black structure. Apparently the bikers have a key to open it up
and store the bike out of the weather. Very nice. The buses have some
sort of attachment on the front that can hold at least two bikes.

 

[Claire Petersky]

"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I was in Portland a few years back and that city was set up for
> cycling. There are streets that can only be used by bikes and buses,
> and bike parking is available on many streets using some sort of
> locked black structure. Apparently the bikers have a key to open it up
> and store the bike out of the weather. Very nice.

You can get bike lockers here through the Bicycle Alliance. The problem is
that in the most popular locations, it takes a long time on the waiting list
to get one. Every so once in a while our local commuter board gets a
triumphant post of "I got one!" It just shows they need more of these
facilities.

> The buses have some
> sort of attachment on the front that can hold at least two bikes.

We have these on all buses here. The problem is that the Metro (King County)
Transit buses have the arm that holds the bike in place on one side, and the
Sound (Tri-County) Transit buses have the three-bike racks that have two of
the arms holding it on the other. If I take a Sound Transit bus, I have to
put the bike in the middle slot because I have a fork-mounted light. Some
drivers are indifferent, others are interested, a few are annoyed.

An old friend of mine heads up planning for the Baltimore transit authority.
He dismisses bike racks on buses as "a middle class amenity". This is not my
experience here. I talk to a number of cyclists who use these things. Yes,
some are people like me. But there are also a lot of folks using bikes to
extend suburban transit service to times and locations that don't have
buses. If you are working a swing shift, you can take a peak-hour bus maybe
to get out to your suburban job in the afternoon, but when the job is over
at midnight, you have to ride home. Generally, these people are immigrants
who can't afford a car.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky