General Cycling Discussion - best state for cycling?

Taking all factors into consideration: ie. weather, bike-friendliness, mtb accessibility, road riding, racing, clubs, etc...What's the best state for cycling?

I wonder how many people have cycled in enough states to really give a complete opinion. Me, I've ridden significant miles in just four states: New York (upstate, Ithaca area); Connecticut (Fairfield County); Illinois (western suburbs of Chicago); and Virginia (Richmond area). Of these, upstate NY and Virginia were my favorites for their scenery, terrain, and lower traffic density. But such roads exist in nearly every state if you know where to find them.

North Dakota, no hills :D

A state of exuberance. If you're riding home from the bar, a state of drunkenness. If you're riding home from the bike shop, a state of poverty.

Kinda like Arizona myself. Year round cycling. Mountains if you like em, flats too. Drivers are not overly antagonistic (granted we have teenage drivers here just like anywhere else but I haven't had too many troubles with adults over the past 15000 miles). Anyway, I don't have anything to judge against except my time in Japan in which case cycling is vastly superior in terms of Share the Road signs, bike racks and bike lanes and bike culture. Do we have as much bike culture as Seattle or Portland, well no. But we have a lot more sunny days :) .

Virginia.

What ever state you are riding in and having a great time. We are a rather adaptive species, and I bet I can find something spectacular just about anywhere in the country, at the right time of year. Some of my favorites are Colorado, high in the mountains, the Canyonlands of Utah, the Oregon Coast and Pennsylvania's mid section. Places I'm not fond of riding, Florida and Texas.

Taking all factors into consideration: ie. weather, bike-friendliness, mtb accessibility, road riding, racing, clubs, etc...What's the best state for cycling?

Florida - Orlando, Florida was voted the most bike friendly city in the USA.

Virginia.

Must be some great rides in February! :D

Kinda like Arizona myself. Year round cycling. Mountains if you like em, flats too. Drivers are not overly antagonistic (granted we have teenage drivers here just like anywhere else but I haven't had too many troubles with adults over the past 15000 miles). Anyway, I don't have anything to judge against except my time in Japan in which case cycling is vastly superior in terms of Share the Road signs, bike racks and bike lanes and bike culture. Do we have as much bike culture as Seattle or Portland, well no. But we have a lot more sunny days :) .

Since Arizona is where I live and have my bicycle, I guess that's my best state also. My other adult experience, like yours, was in a foreign country.

Kinda like Arizona myself. Year round cycling. Mountains if you like em, flats too. Drivers are not overly antagonistic (granted we have teenage drivers here just like anywhere else but I haven't had too many troubles with adults over the past 15000 miles). Anyway, I don't have anything to judge against except my time in Japan in which case cycling is vastly superior in terms of Share the Road signs, bike racks and bike lanes and bike culture. Do we have as much bike culture as Seattle or Portland, well no. But we have a lot more sunny days :) .

I bet it's fun cycling on those 107 degree days. I know it's dry, and melting bicycle tires is no big deal! :D

Taking all factors into consideration: ie. weather, bike-friendliness, mtb accessibility, road riding, racing, clubs, etc...What's the best state for cycling?

Oh, that's right. You don't have a British Columbia, do you?

Well, I have it on good authority that Washington State will do almost as well. Mountains, ocean, small, bike-friendly Islands, freshest air you're going to find. Virtually bug-free, too.

Must be some great rides in February! :D

There's usually a 1-2 week "thaw" period in VA in February where 60 & 70-degree days are not uncommon. Then it's usually back to winter for another 4 weeks.

Florida - Orlando, Florida was voted the most bike friendly city in the USA.

Really? Seemed like the traffic was pretty crazy down there last time I visited. Lots of tour buses, minivans, campers, etc. Maybe it's bike-friendly because there are no sidewalks.

I wonder if residents of Seattle and Portland got to vote in that poll.

I also will vote for Arizona, after all it is a dry heat. ;) The winter riding here in Tucson is phenomenal, and even summer riding is great too. I was just up in Flagstaff last weekend and mountain biked through patches of snow. I like that you can drive an hour and be somewhere 25 degrees cooler (or warmer). All the sunny days are nice, and I never freeze in the winter. I got by with just knee warmers, arm warmers, and a cover over the ears this year. Plenty of 5,000+ foot vertical climbs if you are looking for some punishment too, and less air pollutants than CA.

I have also lived in Arkansas and Illinois - not great. Colorado is good too, but the winter limits things a bit.

New York is pretty bicycle friendly. I've only lived in NY and CA.

Really? Seemed like the traffic was pretty crazy down there last time I visited. Lots of tour buses, minivans, campers, etc. Maybe it's bike-friendly because there are no sidewalks.

I wonder if residents of Seattle and Portland got to vote in that poll.

You left out the biggest hazzard of all, senior citizens, last time I rode in Orlando was the closest I've ever come to death, and the pert didn't even realize what had happened. Bike friendly? I wouldn't have guessed that, not even close.

New York is pretty bicycle friendly. I've only lived in NY and CA.

how is nyc? the thought of cycling there is scary. is it even possible to mtb? what about the pollution?

You left out the biggest hazzard of all, senior citizens...

uh oh.

Virginia.



I agree with this one. ;)

i've only rode in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Puerto Rico. (and Guadeloupe, Curacao, Uruguay and Italy).

for the US, i'd say Puerto Rico - with my native SC a close second. Texas wasn't bad, but rather uneven in driver temperament. NC and TN are fun for mountain biking, but i've never done any road cycling there.

outside the US - Guadeloupe, hands down. great people, climate, terrain, low traffic density, courteous drivers, etc. Curacao was nice, but real touristy - plus, bikes aren't allowed on the Queen Juliana Bridge. Uruguay is very interesting - but bring a good lock, chain and cable. or two. or more. Italy is Italy - crowded, crazy, hectic and fun.

My vote is for Illinios. Hundreds of miles of bike paths. Mountain bike trails, bmx tracks, even freestyle parks. There is mountain bike racing, downhill racing, mountain cross, bmx racing, and road racing events.

I bet it's fun cycling on those 107 degree days. I know it's dry, and melting bicycle tires is no big deal! :D
I read a DOT study on pavement that found that when air temp was about 110 in AZ, pavement surface temp was ~180. We go up to 120 sometimes, 118 is not unusual.

Ditto to Pauls and webists comments on AZ riding - great variety, great scenery, cities try to be bike friendly (although some city riding during certain parts of the day can be unpleasant). I get more friendly driver gestures per week than unfriendly.

But I also don't have much adult experience in other states. I remember from high school riding all over Mass, up into sourthern VT and really enjoyed that as well, but certainly not year round.

Al

North Dakota, no hills :D

As one who has lived and ridden in NoDak, I can tell you that while the terrain is flat (assuming eastern NoDak) and you can easily cruise all day at 20MPH, it does get boring and you really have to watch out for the traffic. Granted there's not much traffic because the population is generally low but some of it is downright hostile and dangerous. Avoid riding through NoDak during the beet harvest in the fall!

I read a DOT study on pavement that found that when air temp was about 110 in AZ, pavement surface temp was ~180. We go up to 120 sometimes, 118 is not unusual.

Ditto to Pauls and webists comments on AZ riding - great variety, great scenery, cities try to be bike friendly (although some city riding during certain parts of the day can be unpleasant). I get more friendly driver gestures per week than unfriendly.

But I also don't have much adult experience in other states. I remember from high school riding all over Mass, up into sourthern VT and really enjoyed that as well, but certainly not year round.

Al

I'm generally an early morning rider. On a day which might reach 113+ degrees, the 6 am temp is usually around 80 or so. The hottest part of the day seems to be around 3-4:00 PM. It is important to slurp a lot of liquid out here in any season. I live in the southeastern part of the state at about 4600 ft altitude. We come in around 10 degrees cooler than Tucson and often 15-20 cooler than Phoenix.

I bet it's fun cycling on those 107 degree days. I know it's dry, and melting bicycle tires is no big deal! :D

I cycled alot in the Arizona summer, start riding at 5:00 AM, 80 degrees and less traffic, it's actually very nice. Cycle in the morning, swim in the afternoon.

California - 365 day per year cycling, races galore, groups, race teams, crazy Ca drivers... the best!

California - 365 day per year cycling, races galore, groups, race teams, crazy Ca drivers... the best!

Wrong, California is aweful, don't come here you will be disappointed, Virginia rules. There is no mtn biking in California, it is all a Hollywood lie.

Can't really comment on Mountain Biking since I mainly do road, but I think there are some nice places to Mountain Bike.
Road biking is nice where I live, once you get in to the hills. Although it's kind of depressing looking down on the coast, can barely see SF so much damn smog.

Florida - Orlando, Florida was voted the most bike friendly city in the USA.
One city doesn't make a state. Riding in the Tampa Bay area is not for the weak willed

Tasmania.

Dont know what states you guys are talking about. There is only NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Unless you are all talking about some foreign place.

a

This has been enlightening, I thought it would be unanimous, all for California. I'll vote for CA but I'm biased, and it's refreshing to hear the "Heartland" is considered good for biking. When gas is $5 or $7 a gallon, there's hope.

I vote Cali, since I live there and it's the only place I have ridden so far.

South Carolina SUCKS for cycling. Shoulders are almost always grass. 90% of bike paths/lanes are on Hilton Head Island, and those suck as well. At least the town I live in seems to be more tolerant then the the little crap hole of a town I grew up in (Hartsville). Here many working poor, and there are many working poor, ride beat up old clunkers around town, and the locals tend to respect them for working instead of loitering.

I've only ridden in two other states, Flordia and Georgia, and everytime I was in an organized ride or on a closed road.

I remember seeing a fair amount of DUI riders in Colorado Springs. Probably many were not DUI but the Noble Working Class (tm)

come up to Charleston, man - it's nice up here. Hilton Head sucks for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with cycling - it's the ******s that vacation (and live) there...

i have no problems hopping on my bike and riding into town for a beer - with traffic, roads, or anything else. i live in Summerville, not Charleston proper btw. but even when i lived in Charleston, i didn't have any problems riding anywhere anytime.

it is not, and will never be nj.

I live in the southeastern part of the state at about 4600 ft altitude. We come in around 10 degrees cooler than Tucson and often 15-20 cooler than Phoenix.
I spend memorial day weekend around your parts - north of Wilcox about 30mi around Muleshoe Ranch. Very beautiful land and the rains were fantastic.
Durring the hottest part of the summer in the city it can be 100 deg just as the the sun is rising. I once went running before sunrise when it was 101.
Al

Of the ones, I've cycled in, Wisconsin. But then, it's also the worst.

Wrong, California is aweful, don't come here you will be disappointed, Virginia rules. There is no mtn biking in California, it is all a Hollywood lie.


Hmmm seeing that Mountain Biking was all but created down there you must be in the wrong place. I find California to great for both MTB and road cycling. Not the best i reserve that for Washington/Oregon

I've only done any significant amount of cycling in Central/Northern NY and Western Michigan. NY is better, no comparison.

There are so many contributing factors to what makes a great place to cycle. Are we talking about cycling all year round, commuting, touring, training….? Assuming warmer months, two states that have a very strong infrastructure of roads to ride and get lost on in a positive way are Vermont and New York. They have the added benefit of little traffic and great warm weather riding climate. The backroads in New York State surpass everywhere in terms of overall road surface. Vermont has the small town feel throughout the entire state.

Mental images of many of the western states bring to mind beautiful views all painted in acrylic paints, yet Upstate New York and Vermont are done in beautiful watercolors.

If truth be told, the absolute best state to ride in is the one your are in with your bicycle right now!

Wells

Any where that dosent have those things called "hills or mountains" or anything else that would slow me down on the FLATS!!

New York City is a very small part of New York State (geographically) The vast majority of New York is rural, bicycle friendly, nice rolling hills, scenic, with wide shoulders on roads--great for biking about 9-10 months a year. Not too sure about NYC--I only went once in my entire 27 years living in the state!

it is not, and will never be nj.

I enjoyed a surprisingly nice bike ride in New Jersey a few years ago, the next day it was Long Island, which was also very nice. It's good to confront strereotypes from time to time, and enjoy a positive result, or relish confirmation.

Taking all factors into consideration: ie. weather, bike-friendliness, mtb accessibility, road riding, racing, clubs, etc...What's the best state for cycling?

I am so glad you asked this question, by the way. I posted a similar question, but with too much other info. Ultimately this was my question as well (original post: "home sick road biker . . ."

Interestingly, my two favorite states so far were mentioned frequently: Upstate New York and Vermont. The other two states I suspect are great: Oregon & Washington--purely from internet searches and one friend who lived in Eugene, OR.

If your in to MTB then Colorado is an easy choice as the MTB capital. The road biking is great too but I also enjoyed Washington (st) and Northern Cali.

I have lived in Texas, Missouri, and S. Cal, I personally don't like the southern climates and you have to do your riding in the morning or evening...partly to avoid traffic and deadly heat.