Originally Posted by
Dirkhead
Yes, I went to law school in Ann Arbor, so spent three years there. Although I had a car, my main transportation was a bike. It's a great biking town, as others have said, but the Siberian climate will seem quite harsh to someone from the UK. I think I saw -30C one winter! You will need to take great care in selecting clothing for cycling in the winter.
Make sure and buy a good lock, and use it. I had a bicycle stolen there -- one I built myself and had ridden all over Europe
Scrotes . . .
The winters can be wicked, that's for sure. In addition to the sharp cold, you know they get sloppy, too, with the snow and the briny slurry created from it when they salt the roads.
I've lived and ridden here my whole life-- aside from a 5 year stint in E. Lansing and 8 months in Avon, Colorado-- and although I don't have the opportunity to really commute by bike anymore, I did spend '94 through '07 doing it full time, year round, and did assemble a very specific set of gear to get through those winters.
Spring, fall, and summer are great, though, and in addition to the civilised in-town riding, there are great road rides through the countryside right outside of town, and a network of great singletrack dirt riding nearby, too.
If only we had mountains, I'd call Ann Arbor a cycling paradise!
I'm sorry I didn't catch this thread before Gringo Gus arrived and left; it would have a been a pleasure to show you the town by bike, Gus!