Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bike friendly and just friendly.

If you were to suddenly inherit say $30,000 and you were thinking about moving and starting all over
in a new town-- someplace where people were friendly and the weather was nice and the economy didn't suck where would you go? Heck doesnt even have to be the usa.

Oh yeah, someplace you can ride a fixie, there ya go mods, happy?

If you can tell me a nice place tell me what makes it nice too.

Did you suddenly inherit $30,000? :D lucky you!

I didn't say that. But God willing I might be coming into a certain amount of money in the not so distant future. But it doesnt have to be practical, it can be fun. Someplace warm and friendly-- does that exist? Someplace liberal towards bicycles where people don't yell at you to get off the road constantly.

Is there a place like that? Denmark? BTW this is kansas im in.

santa cruz is really nice. Small though. check out ped ex and contact jessie.

boulder or asheville. you may want a geared ride though if'n ya venture outta town though. jus' sayin'. word. :) :beer:

Austin's pretty nice. Liberal. Bike friendly. It definitely doesn't have the scene that the bigger cities do, but it gets along.

Ashland, OR is bike heaven though.

I've always dug Seattle, lived outside of there for 3 years. It's the only other place besides Austin that I would consider living.

I've talked about this kind of thing with friends recently, primarily with regards to cost of living. I and my wife make pretty good wages but feel broke as hell in NYC. It seems like both NYC and SF have become expensive to the point that living here can make you feel poor regardless of how well you do... which puts a dent in quality of life.

How many cities in the country have interesting culture, decent jobs base and aren't too expensive? The short list we keep coming up with seems to be:

Seattle
Portland
Austin
Philadelphia

I'm curious about Boulder and/or Denver. Boston, DC and Chicago are all too expensive. I know nothing about some of the big midwest/southern towns (St Louis, Atlanta, Miami?) so it's hard to say, at least in the states.

Amsterdam is gorgeous, less expensive, and has a great bike culture as well. Wish it was easier to move overseas ;)

Sorry for the moderate derail, urban living just interests me a great deal...

I'm curious about Boulder and/or Denver.


I think they are too expensive, unless you have a very good paying job. There are lots of tech jobs tho. But I moved from Cleveland, where the living is cheap. But the biking, weather and air quality is not so good.

Were I you, I'd head south or southwest.

i've heard portland is awesome. my friend is moving there soon. :(

Look into Atlanta. Moved into a high rise condo in '95, and a friend just bought herself a four story townhome in the city, so there's lots of options for urban living here.
Great for fixed gear, you'll see bikes everywhere. Look up Atlantic Station on the web, that's a great new neighborhood that recently popped up with intergrated bike lanes.

haha, good old hotlanta

Look into Atlanta. Moved into a high rise condo in '95, and a friend just bought herself a four story townhome in the city, so there's lots of options for urban living here.
Great for fixed gear, you'll see bikes everywhere. Look up Atlantic Station on the web, that's a great new neighborhood that recently popped up with intergrated bike lanes.
i think this was actually in this forum, a few months ago-- someone in atlanta had a story about being chased around by rednecks in a huge truck and off-duty cops in a ford taurus and getting slammed on the ground and arrested and lots of other utter bull****... doesn't sound like a sweet place for bikes if you ask me

ive always been fond of the towns in new mexico. lots of brown though. just bring a plant. i also had a lot of fun cycling around montreal. the people and bike scene are great there.
outside of north america, i would suggest prague first, then reykjavik. but i like the cold.

my first 3 years in NYC was was making $40,000... now i'm making $0... NYC is definitely nicer when making $40,000.

however, if i was to inherit $30,000 i would move to NYC and put a down payment on a Co-op apartment. there are good programs for first time buyers

Dunno how bike friendly they are, but if I were ever to leave this country, I'd probably go to Barcelona in Spain. Lots of sunshine and some amazing architecture, laid back people. Next best bet is any largish city in Australia. Good climate, crazy wildlife, amazing landscape, easy-going people who love sports almost as much as I do.

I'd stay in Amsterdam.

I live in NYC and often wonder where might be a cool place to move. I've traveled pretty much constantly in the last 5 years. Had my bike with me most of the time.

Asheville might be my favorite spot... university town..has a little actual downtown.. has a sorta on the rise hip neighborhood (ie...cheap/cool) West Asheville. Good music scene with some small clubs and a big one that gets national acts (the Orange Peel) some cool bike shops (Hearns calls themselves the 2nd oldest bike shop in the US) and they have this thing called the Mellodrome which I believe to be a converted stock car track that they race bikes on.

Barcelona is pretty good for bikes... lot better than Madrid.

atlantic station is kind to contrived for my tastes. if you are looking for places in atlanta that aren't a bajillion dollars look into the 4th ward, oakhurst (its in decatur, which is like 5 minutes riding outside atlanta proper), any where around little 5 points, and some parts in the heart of the city itself. there are lots of smaller lofts in the city that you jsut have to look around for.

the city is getting better and better in regards to the monster truck rednecks, they are mostly moving to gwinnett (read suburb hell), just dont ride around downtown with the rodeo or monster truck show comes to the Dome ;)

aracta ca, is supposed to be pretty great.

If money were no object, i'd live in Santa Monca my whole life. Lotta jobs in LA that pay relatively well, plus the Westside beach towns, Venice, SM, etc.. are very bike friendly. And you can't beat the weather. I was riding in shorts and a t-shirt yesterday, mid december mind you.

Also Sacramento is a nice place to live. I grew up there, and it is a great outdoors-y type of town, that has a huge bike scene. Weather is still fairly nice, and it hasn't been over developed yet. Not as much going on for the youngsters, but your $$ will go further.

good thread!

santa cruz is really nice. Small though. check out ped ex and contact jessie.
i skate there all the time.. around downtown.. but the cops wont let you skate on the sidewalks.. oh well i guess this has nothing to do with riding bikes lol :p

PHILLY! Not only is it my hometown, but it is the best place in the world to live. Rent is cheap, the city is just the right size, and everything that NYC has 10 of, Philly has at least one of. Just right.

There is good bike riding, and good trails for MTB as well.

Rent is cheap and a decent salary can get you right in the middle of town.

Then theres: Rocky, cheesesteaks, sucky sports teams and viciously loyal fans, Yuengling (but we dont call it that), bacaneggandcheese sandwitches, saltpeppaketchup, absurd and ridiculous statues all over town, lots of history, lots of funky neighborhoods, close to all of the other cities on the east coast, and they'll give teaching jobs to anyone with a MA.

Philly is the best city ever. Philadelphians are also notorious for hometown pride.

I used to live in Santa Cruz. Pretty and all, but the locals are tweakers and the college kids are annoying, and the dot commies have colonized.

I have friends in Arcata. They smoke weed and play in the forest all day. Its not real.

NYC is where I live now. Its ok.

PHILLY! Not only is it my hometown, but it is the best place in the world to live. Rent is cheap, the city is just the right size, and everything that NYC has 10 of, Philly has at least one of. Just right.

There is good bike riding, and good trails for MTB as well.

Rent is cheap and a decent salary can get you right in the middle of town.

Then theres: Rocky, cheesesteaks, sucky sports teams and viciously loyal fans, Yuengling (but we dont call it that), bacaneggandcheese sandwitches, saltpeppaketchup, absurd and ridiculous statues all over town, lots of history, lots of funky neighborhoods, close to all of the other cities on the east coast, and they'll give teaching jobs to anyone with a MA.

Philly is the best city ever. Philadelphians are also notorious for hometown pride.

you forgot the mutter museum! http://www.collphyphil.org/muttpg1.shtml

I used to live in Santa Cruz. Pretty and all, but the locals are tweakers and the college kids are annoying, and the dot commies have colonized.

and don't forget about all the horrible hippies...

you forgot the mutter museum! http://www.collphyphil.org/muttpg1.shtml

DUDE! We should like adopt you or something.

Somewhere nice...? Thirty grand ain't gonna last that long...... maybe just a few short months...

yeah, 30 grand will last maybe one yr. in NYC,u can only get a half ass car for that $

Somewhere nice...? Thirty grand ain't gonna last that long...... maybe just a few short months...


Pick whatever amount takes the sharp edges financially off the move. Enough cash that you can look for work and have a place to stay for a bit.

Wichita has urban sprawl and the attitude that if you don't own a car that your license has been suspended.

copenhagen. fun town, bikes everywhere, good beer, good times. it's like a lesser touristed amsterdam.

copenhagen. fun town, bikes everywhere, good beer, good times. it's like a lesser touristed amsterdam.

agreed. awesome city. isn't it expensive, though?

I took a road trip up to Oregon a couple months ago...

Bend is very nice if you don't mind being away from the coast or a major airport. Population about 60,000, close to skiing and great mountain biking. Elevation is about 3500 feet, so the weather is sunny and dry compared to Portland and Seattle. Bike shops and riders were pretty friendly.

In contrast, Ashland, OR was much quieter and, imo, less friendly. It's home to the UBI bike school and a couple of framebuilders, so there's definitely a good cycling element to the place...but I thought it had this uncomfortable mix of bobos, skate rats, and rednecks.

Bend is definiteley an amazing town. It's a little small if you're looking for city living, but still has some great stuff. Not sure about the fixed culture or if there even is one, but I know that road biking, mtn. biking, and skiing rule in that town. Portland is great too as long as you can put up with a few months of rain/ overcast weather in return for great climate in the spring summer and fall.

yeah, i'm partial to portland. i lived there for a while and i'm going back soon. philly is another town i hear mentioned a lot as a nice bike town. i'd move to portland, but if you made me choose an east coast town, it'd be philly.

just friendly and NYC, nope.

Philly or Portland would get my vote.

and they'll give teaching jobs to anyone with a MA.



hell they'll give 'em to BAs! They start at like 36k (which'll pay half a 2 br in downtown) and add like 4k incentives for "in demand" subjects -like spanish-.


all that said, I'm sure there are other great places to live, but Philly will always be the top of my list.

Seattle. I moved here 8 years ago from Missouri. It was the best decision I ever made.

The only bad aspect is if you're looking to buy the housing market has gone insane.

I think they are too expensive, unless you have a very good paying job. There are lots of tech jobs tho. But I moved from Cleveland, where the living is cheap. But the biking, weather and air quality is not so good.

Were I you, I'd head south or southwest.

i don't think denver is too expensive as long as you're not living in one of the white flight rich suburbs or trying to live in cherry creek. downtown denver is pretty affordable. it's pretty easy to get around by bike. boulder sucks in my opinion. too many trustafarians and yippies for me. the cost of living is pretty high there as well. some people also really like fort collins. super bike friendly. colorado springs is pretty bike friendly as well... plus we have a sweet velodrome and amazing mountain biking from your doorstep. i love this rectangle.

portland is the most bike friendly city i've personally ever been to. i love that place.

berlin is a good bet, lived there for a year , good cycling in that city. very friendly cycle wise...cheap beers, no open container laws, everyone rides some sort of bike. cheap rent. cheap food. only draw back is cold and dark winters.

Chicago was -1 today. Its pitch dark now. I just got fired...wanna be roomates?

how "bike-friendly" is the weather in portland? do you have to enjoy being rained on?
i've also heard unemployment is a problem there because so many people are relocating there. yes/no?

Victoria BC is a pretty bike friendly city. Also a handy jumping off point for the gulf islands or some good riding all round. The whole west coast is a little too rainy and dark in winter for me though.

how "bike-friendly" is the weather in portland? do you have to enjoy being rained on?
i've also heard unemployment is a problem there because so many people are relocating there. yes/no?

i had a problem with employment for a little while. but i found a few places that weren't too much trouble to get hired at that were...well, you know, decent. the kind of things you'd expect to find a broke college student doing. nothing glamorous, but it's about the same as boise is, so i didn't notice anything to complain about.

the rain is...not like a constant downpour. it's less heavy rain, and more just a matter of a little here and there. all the time. well, not all the time. but a very good portion of the time. i've never minded riding a bike in portland at all. except one time when i was drunk, riding way too fast on the hawthorne bridge in the rain and couldn't see through my wet glasses....and slipped and skidded on my face for a bit. but that was possibly due to me and the booze as much as the weather

Victoria BC is a pretty bike friendly city. Also a handy jumping off point for the gulf islands or some good riding all round. The whole west coast is a little too rainy and dark in winter for me though.
Naw. Victoria is horrible. Stay away. Bike jams at every light. The latest cold snap was soo bad it got down to -3.5 celcius at night. There was FROST in the morning. brr. Also we have been deluged with 4mm of rain this month so far.

Seattle. I moved here 8 years ago from Missouri. It was the best decision I ever made.

The only bad aspect is if you're looking to buy the housing market has gone insane.

shhhhhhh!

Dude. Chicago is NOT expensive compared to SF, Boston, NYC, Seattle, Boulder or just about anywhere else you want to look.

I'm living with two friends, each paying $450/mo and we've got a basement and a first floor. Which translates to: plenty of space and a band practice room that doesn't bother anybody.

**** is CHEAP here.

Naw. Victoria is horrible. Stay away. Bike jams at every light. The latest cold snap was soo bad it got down to -3.5 celcius at night. There was FROST in the morning. brr. Also we have been deluged with 4mm of rain this month so far.

only been to victoria once. it seemed "quaint." lots of tourists (it was summer). i take it you like it there?

only been to victoria once. it seemed "quaint." lots of tourists (it was summer). i take it you like it there?
I moved here temporarily in '82. There are 3.5M tourists per year who do not leave a six block area. Avoid that area for three months of the year and you don't even notice them.
I live two miles east of downtown in an area where some people still do not lock their front doors when they leave the house.
The downside is that currently a 'useful' degree will earn a max of $65G and starter houses are $500G. The rental market is at 0.4% vacancy. There was a shooting outside of a nightclub last week. The first shooting this year. The guy was released in the morning with a clean shoulder wound.

I second Berlin, but I gotta shout it out to Budapest, where I went to HS. Back then I was invincible and used to cycle through the downtown areas in the middle of traffic, sucking bus fumes. I was there again about a year ago and amazed at what a cosmo city it's become. Always gets overshadowed by its big sister Prague though.

Anybody know anything about Chattanooga? I've visited my bro-in-law there a few times and really dug it. Low key, cool vibe, pretty vibrant downtown. Can't say about the bike scene because I was on foot the whole time.