What is the best state in the USA to live in for riding a bike?

hypnobassman

Hi Group,

I'm thinking about moving from the great state of Minnesota to find a place where the winters aren't so long.

If you could live anywhere, and riding a bike was one of your favorite things to do for exercise, where would you live?

Ideal conditions would be:
1. Lots of paved bike trails.
2. Lots of days when I can ride (65 to 85 degrees).
3. Lots of nice scenery to look at as I ride around.

Minnesota would be great, but we have snow almost 6 months out of the year!

All input would be appriciated. :)

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Kev

Let's see as for weather, California or Hawaii have excellent weather for cycling. Los Angeles are most of the roads have a designated area for bicycles on the roads, and a few long paths along the rivers to ride along. I've heard San Diego is alot more bike friendly though.

hypnobassman

Kev,

Thanks for the input! I'm from LA and have thought about returning, but it would be nice if I could find some place that is even nicer for us bent riders. Hmm, San Diego sounds nice.

The nice thing about Minnesota (near Minneapolist/St. Paul) is that there are so many bike trails and 13,000 lakes across the state! The scenery is great. I can ride my bike on 35 miles of paved trails that start only 7/10 of a mile from my house. While I am riding I see rabbits, deer, even phesant and other assorted small critters.

But there has to be a better place (remember I have 5 months of snow and only about 5 to 6 months of decent riding weather.

Thanks again!

Guest

I've been to LA and San Diego- I'd definitely pick San Diego over LA just for the craziness of the LA traffic alone. But San Diego is a lot more peaceful, and you can go into Mexico, which opens up a lot of possibilites too.

sch

Although Hawaii sounds nice, all the islands are mountains and the road system is a bit cramped. Another poster elsewhere went on at extravagant length over his search for glass proof tires: he was flatting almost daily. He also mentioned "50 stoplights" on his daily commute to the beach and back
over a 12-15mi route one way. Recent price hikes for inter island flights have a lot of Hawaiians in a stew, formerly an island hop was $75 -100, now $150-200. Steve

SteveE

The State of Nirvana.

The Rob

Portland, Oregon is considered one of the most, if not the most, bicycle-friendly cities in the U.S. if you don't mind riding in the wet nine months of the year.

temp1

Move to Chicago, biking here is awesome, head downtown and get in traffic

izgod

My best biking experiences were in Albuquerque, NM. Inescapable breathtaking scenerey. The city is at the foot of monutains to the east and huge mesa to the west. Lovey trails along the Rio Grande River and the large aroyas that criscross the city. Mostly flat in the city.
You can get to the top of the 12,000 foot Sandia Mountain by tram and ride down the back side for hours. All the busses accommodate bikes. There is winter, but it's mild and sunny. A pretty hip college town.
I cried when I had to leave there.

hypnobassman

This is really helpful!

But, I didn't think Hawaii was where I wanted to live. It is just too far away from everything else.

Albuquerque, NM sounds interesting though. It’s mostly desert right? If that is the case, it doesn't sound very beautiful on the eyes (I like green trees, rivers, lakes or beach, etc). Is it like 120 degrees in the summer? Are there lots of paved bike trails? (My EZ Sport prefers paved trails to dirt/gravel, etc.)

Oregon is beautiful and so is Washington, but does it really rain all the time?

What about Northern California, Colorado or Utah?

I'd like to also hear about great bike riding states in the South East.

There has to be the ideal place to live if you want to ride your bent every day.

HypnoBassMan

The Rob

Originally posted by hypnobassman
Oregon is beautiful and so is Washington, but does it really rain all the time?

HypnoBassMan

Nah. Not all the time. Well...not every minute...

I spent most of my first eight years of existence in Roswell, New Mexico, and I loved it even as a kid. Cycling in the Southwest sounds like Heaven to me. I love the desert. If the gods live in the mountains, they go to the desert for vacation. :)

-Rob

hypnobassman

The desert is too hot and not green enought to be the best or ideal place to live and ride.

Does anyone on the list live in the South East (or at least know a lot about it)?

How about Colorado or Utah?

Tilly1

I personally am a huge fan of Utah! Lots of mountains to climb, good paths, and mostly friendly people. Fantastic views as well!
It is cold in the winter but you can usually still ride if you just bundle up. Except for Jan. and Feb.! Icky, cold, wet months!
I love it! :p
And it's only 30 min. to the mountains for some good Mtn Biking!
;)

hypnobassman

Thanks for the information on Utah. What would you say is the best city for bike riders, considering all the criteria I have laid out?

Raedeke

Denver Colorado!!!
We have one of the best Cycle Advocacy People running the master plan for Denver and we have miles of paved bike paths with more in the works as we speak.
Denver has 300 sunny days a year. Even in the middle of winter, you can ride in Denver! And get a sun burn. We do get snow... but those days you snuggle with the wife or ride the trainer in the basement.
Scenary - now let's talk .... It's a beautiful place out here and if you don't like just looking at the mountains, then go ride in them. One of the best mountain trails is the bike path from Lake Dillon to Vail. Absolutly stunning and one of the nicest paths I've seen at altitude.

And if you can afford it and don't mind being apart of "The Peoples Republic Of" Boulder Colorado (my home town) is a dream.

I'd suggest you make a list of all these wonderfull places and take a road trip. Visit each and find out for yourself which one you like best.
Good luck on finding a new home. Or should I say - Welcome home to Colorado!

Olyroller

Check out Olympia in Washington State

hypnobassman

Raedeke

Colorado sounds great. How many months of snow do you get in Boulder? Is there a good web site about bike riding in Dolorado?

Olyroller

Same questions to you. I lived in Tacoma for a while. Point Defiance Park is great. I once saw it rain every day for 40 days!

Thanks guys!

Cintibiker

This is just the question I have been looking into! I live in Cincinnati which has a great club and pretty good riding - just too much winter! I did visit Colorado since I love hiking/camping also, but it is just so expensive - plus there is a lack of water issue. I am focusing on the southeast because it is more affordable and there are mountains and pretty good year-round climate. Knoxville seems to be a nice location, near mountains and very affordable. As you get to Florida - not many hills, different kind of terrain, but alot of water, wind can be an issue (makes up for not having hills!). The carolinas look pretty nice - but I have not been there yet. Recommend you check out clubs in each area via internet to determine who has a strong club, then go visit. You might also consider a putting week long tours in your cycling mix - they can be great and not very expensive!

Krispy

Have you thought about Oklahoma? It is a lot greener than the desert. There are long stretches of flat road and leg burning hills if you want them as well as everything in between.

I believe there was only about one or two weeks last winter that I didn't ride one of my bikes. It does snow occasionally in the winter but it usually melts off within a day.

There is a large cycling population here and every year there is a cross-state tour called the Oklahoma Freewheel. http://www.okfreewheel.com. 2003 was the 25th year that it ran. It is also the third longest running bike tour in the US.

bentrox!

Originally posted by SteveE
The State of Nirvana.
I prefer the state of bliss myself...

hypnobassman

Krispy,

So what about paved bike trails near the city? I like getting up in the moring and going for a ride without having to drive to a nice place. :)

Krispy

Originally posted by hypnobassman
Krispy,

So what about paved bike trails near the city? I like getting up in the moring and going for a ride without having to drive to a nice place. :)

City paved bike paths are in the works but are not complete yet.(moving rather slowly) Otherwise there are lots of bike friendly roads in the Oklahoma City metro area as well as Norman OK. Traffic on most of these routes is usually light.

Depending on where you choose to live in the area you can usually jump on your bike and ride without having to drive anywhere.

Here are a few bike route maps that some of the local clubs have posted;

http://www.bicycleleague.com/ look under the section "Where to ride"
Also;
http://www.oklahomabicyclesociety.com/Maps/maphome.htm

If you mountain bike there is a lot of nice single track to ride around the OKC metro area as well as around the state. This is the local mountain bike club's website; http://www.okearthbike.com/

The club president of the Bicycle League of Norman was also the Director of Parks and Recreation for the state until recently. While he was in office he was very influential in allowing the local clubs to help develop and maintain mountain bike trails in many our state parks.

mrfix

I would think the warmest driest one you can find. It's not Mass.

pointyhead

Originally posted by hypnobassman
Oregon is beautiful and so is Washington, but does it really rain all the time?

YES!, the city mascot for Portland is a slug. Really.

sch

One subtle and not easily changed consideration of a place, if you work conventional hours is the location in the time zone. The central TZ is the largest in the US and if you live, as I do 80mi from the eastern edge, then even in the summer the sun sets at 8pm. In Texas, the western end of the TZ
the sun sets ca 9:30, a big difference for after work riding in the summer. I take trips in April to the Smokies and the sunset is about 7:45pm in April, something I don't see at home til late June. Mountain TZ is narrow and less
dramatic in its E-W differentials. The SE is much more humid than Mn, typical
summer time is 80-98% humidity. Below 90F this is tolerable but in the mid 90s
it takes a good bit of adaptation. N Mexico splits the difference between extremes of Az and Tx/Ok. It has all kinds of terrain: flat, hilly , mtns, greenery and the desert is much more attractive than it sounds. Steve

caloso

What about Northern California?

Well, in Sacramento we have 200 plus days of sunshine each year. No snow and the winters are cool and rainy. Our biggest weather hazard is the tule fog in January-February.

The American River Bike Trail (http://bikewaymap.com/american_river.asp) is like our own bike highway from the eastern suburbs. Lots of great bike shops, bike clubs, and group rides.

And there's Davis, 25 miles to the east, which is known as the bike capital of the region. Notice the city logo (http://www.city.davis.ca.us/) . And then there's the Bay Area, the wine country, gold country, Tahoe, and the north valley. All great biking areas, every one.

DnvrFox

Originally posted by Raedeke
Denver Colorado!!!
We have one of the best Cycle Advocacy People running the master plan for Denver and we have miles of paved bike paths with more in the works as we speak.

The Denver metro trail system is scenic, well-maintained and an absolute pleasure to ride. Here are some pics from my ride this morning. I could duplicate these same pics for any number of similar interconnecting trails.

bman

I live in Southern CA and feel this area meets your criteria.

1. We have Lots of paved bike trails throughout So Cal.
2. We have days in the 65 to 85 degree range almost all year
3. Scenery.....gotta say So Cal Rocks.....just go for a ride along the beach and you'll see lots of good scenery..And I'm not talking about landscape scenery...I'm talking about FEMALE SCENERY! but being serious, I think you find the So Cal scenery on the good side.

Krispy

Originally posted by sch
.....if you work conventional hours.....

Wait a minute! You want a good place to ride your bike and a job too? Well that disqualifies Oklahoma! :lol:

nathank

Colorado (especially Boulder), New Mexico, northern California, Utah (if you can deal with the conservative culture), Oregon (year-round cycling, great support for cycling, but it is cloudy 9 months a year)

sch

I thought only the eastern part of Oklahoma had hills. Still remember a visit for a weekend in some smallish town in central or west central OK in mid '70s, flat as a pancake and wind blew 15-20mph the same direction the whole weekend. Bad for DF riders but reclined bents would have less trouble. Also recall road maps showing all roads on sectional grids, either N-S or E-W. Steve

Krispy

Originally posted by sch
I thought only the eastern part of Oklahoma had hills. Still remember a visit for a weekend in some smallish town in central or west central OK in mid '70s, flat as a pancake and wind blew 15-20mph the same direction the whole weekend. Bad for DF riders but reclined bents would have less trouble. Also recall road maps showing all roads on sectional grids, either N-S or E-W. Steve

Yes west of I-35 is pretty flat. East of I-35 can offer you more hills than some people want.

Yep it's windy. We ride in it every day. It just makes you a stronger rider! :D

A popular summer ride in the area is to jump on the Amtrak train with your bike in OKC or Norman and get off in Ardmore. From Ardmore you have a century ride with a south tailwind all the way home!

Yes the whole state is on a grid.

izgod

Albuquerque, NM sounds interesting though. It’s mostly desert right? If that is the case, it doesn't sound very beautiful on the eyes (I like green trees, rivers, lakes or beach, etc). Is it like 120 degrees in the summer? Are there lots of paved bike trails? (My EZ Sport prefers paved trails to dirt/gravel, etc.

Actually, at elevation 6,000 feet you would not find Albuquerque "too hot." Today is Aug 1st ant the high was only 86• Being dessert, it gets quite cool at night. There are beautiful palm trees and cottonwoods. The Rio Grande River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. If you want even cooler temps, take the tram to the top of Sandia Mountain, 12,000 feet, where it is always 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the city.

And yes, paved trails in New Mexico!

hypnobassman

Hello Fellow Bent Riders,

Thanks for all of the input. I have been in New Hampshire at a hypnosis convention so I haven't been reading or posting your input for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for all the input, but while I was away, someone told me that Fresno, California was the place to live if you ride a bent. Anyone know anything about Fresno?

:D
HypnoBassMan
www.HypnosisCenter.com (http://www.HypnosisCenter.com)

carlbikes

For 8 months the climate in north central Florida is hard to beat. Lots of back roads in the Gainesville area with little traffic. Several trails in the area. Search the net for the Gainesville Cycling Club. The upcoming Gainesville Cycling Festival is one of the best in the country. I believe it is Sept. 27 & 28 this year. We usually spend the winter near Gainesville and head to the Midwest for the summer months.

tim walton

Is your State of Mind. For me, that's what cycling has always been about. It clears the cobwebs and re-charges not only the body, but the spirit. After 40 years of riding, I am still in love.
Having offered that opinion, I would also say that the State of Idaho is a wonderful place to ride. It is rural and desert, Cities and outrageous mountains. A moderate climate allows cycling, golf and snow skiing in the winter (and I've done all 3 on the same day!). Outside my door is a 20 mile bike path along the Boise River, and mountain bike trails that lead into the mountain wilderness just to Boise's north. Traffic is reletively light. There are only 1 million people in a State that is geographically huge and diverse.
But in the end, is there really a bad State within which to ride?
Tim Walton

bentrox!

Hello Fellow Bent Riders,

someone told me that Fresno, California was the place to live if you ride a bent. Anyone know anything about Fresno?
www.HypnosisCenter.com (http://www.HypnosisCenter.com)

Fresno is along the eastern edge of the Central Valley, near the Sierra mountains with gorgeous country at several alpine lake resorts and Yosemite National park a relatively short drive north. Fresno is not in the mountains, but rather is a sprawling city located on flat terrain with only modest rainfall, however, consecutive 100+ degree days in summer and 3 months of frosty winter days is less than ideal IMO. I personally know several Fresno residents that keep a vacation home in my hometown here on the Monterey Peninsula (central California coast) so they can escape Fresno weather. We have temperate weather year-round that allows for a range of outdoor activities, including many miles of bike paths right along the Pacific Ocean with side routes inland to coastal hills and valleys, some of which feature vineyards and wineries or other pastoral fare.

cyclezealot

I have lived in four different states...Hands down . California.Climate, definitely..Biker friendly, facilities, climate.California, definitely top three positions..
From what I see Oregon might be bike friendly in terms of law and facilities- (bike lanes,etc.), But that climate. I would cycle far less..

zonatandem

kubla khan

Dchiefransom

I live in Davis, CA (norcal) and it's REALLY bike friendly

http://www.city.davis.ca.us/topic/bicycles.cfm

Some really good rides around here too, empty long roads with no stoplights, ever.

A ride to Napa Valley and back is a good 70-110 miles, and man is it beautiful there.

You could live in the Napa Valley and ride out to Davis. Anywhere in the Napa/Davis area would be beautiful. Lots of club rides in that area, and also the Davis club does Randoneurring riding. I live between Oakland and San Jose, Ca, and love doing the rides up in that area.

NuTz4BiKeZ

Forget the USA... New Zealand is the only place to ride.
The whole country only has 4 million people :D... Heaps of space for riding.

cyclezealot

Forget the USA... New Zealand is the only place to ride.
The whole country only has 4 million people :D... Heaps of space for riding.
I know of one member of the San Luis Obispo, California bike club who bought a condo. down there(North Island) so that she would never, ever have to endure winter, ever again.
Not that she will be there during your winter- she summers in Europe and California; but, what is a New Zealand winter like.? New Zealand is chillier than Australia, lets say.?
I thought Central Coast of California is pretty nice. Traffic congestion is less there, than So. Cal.... At least for a couple more years.

Harperdream

Actually, at elevation 6,000 feet you would not find Albuquerque "too hot." Today is Aug 1st ant the high was only 86• Being dessert, it gets quite cool at night. There are beautiful palm trees and cottonwoods. The Rio Grande River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. If you want even cooler temps, take the tram to the top of Sandia Mountain, 12,000 feet, where it is always 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the city.

And yes, paved trails in New Mexico!

Izod, I am sorry to differ with you as I enjoy your posts, but I found Albuquerque most unpleasant to bike in. I grew up in Albuquerque and have since lived in Minneapolis, Princeton, Washington DC, Boulder, Little Rock, LA, and Madison. I agree with you that Albuquerque's elevation is nice, but the dirt and grime of the area got old. Not just the graffiti sprayed everywhere, but the lack of green or water, I mean the Rio Grande is a joke, it's not even a stream much less a river. But the worst part is the crime. There are many areas you absolutely could not go for fear of your life or witnessing a drug deal, even during the day. Every weekend is a given someone will be killed in a gang related shooting. CNN just ran story reporting that New Mexico is the worst place to live in the US in terms of crime, and ranked 50th, by a large margin, for education.

In terms of best places to bike, there are so many great places in the US it's hard to pick just one.

But if I had to, I would pick Minneapolis-St. Paul. There is so much in and out city biking, so many paths, 15,000 lakes around the state, as well as the Mississippi, St. Criox, and Minnesota Rivers, you could bike an entire season and never bike the same route. Downtown Minneapolis is popular, with all the arts and theaters, the energy level is so high, it's so clean and surprising safe, even the few bad areas around Lake street I biked, never had a problem or fear I did as the southwest parts of Albuquerque. As well, with two dozen college campuses around the Minneapolis area, the excitement that young people bring, it's really fun.

Second I would say Colorado had some really good biking, stricktly for trail mountain biking. It's just awesome. Paved road biking is OK, nothing to write home about. The paved road biking around the ski resorts suck, but in and around Boulder are pretty good, Denver so-so.

But again, there are so many places in the great Unites States to bike, it's hard to pick just one!

Harperdream

AZcommuter

Howdy from Tucson!
Have lived in the midwest and tandemed in about 30 states, but we live and do 90 per cent of our riding in southern AZ!
Lived here since '78 and have had snow on the ground (briefly)3 times. Winter riding is ideal. Temperature spread in one day is usually 30 degrees. Mornings can be 30s in winter and rarely does it rain . . . 10 inches of rain in all of 2003.
Summer time can be hot. One year we had 30 days of over 100 degrees. The hottest its ever been in Tucson was 117 . . . and yes I commuted to work (cool in a.m. 117 in p.m.).
In winter we ride late mornings or p.m., summertime start at or before sunrise and you can get in 50 miles before the sun gets too hot and after the ride, hit the pool. Scenery is incredible, even if this is a desert and yes you can climb all you want: Mt. Lemmon at 9,000+ ft (and into the pines) or Kitt Peak at about 8,000.
In our younger says and still working full time we used to average 10,000 miles a year in AZ.
So how much do you want to ride?

Hey, I'm from Tucson too!

I'd have to agree, the riding (both road and mountain) is superb. The weather is phenomenal, even in the summer. It can get warm, but you can always ride in the mountains outside of town where the warmest it gets in the summer is the high 80's. That and it is a completely different bioregion (ponderosa pines, aspen) than in the valley, and you can ride about 7,000 vertical feet if you need to train. Lance trains here in the winter! Rain is hardly ever an issue. Winter is not existant - I wear shorts year round, just arm warmers and a cover for the ears when it is colder out. Bike paths are numerous for commuters.

The mountain biking is also great. Warm rides in the desert valley duriing the winter and cool rides up in the pines in the summer. Can't beat it.