Southwest - Is the Tucson are a good place to live if you are a roadie?

I'm thinking of moving from San Diego to the Tucson area. In my opinion San Diego is an excellent area to ride road bikes. Lot's of good roads and the weather is pretty darn good. I'm wondering how Tucson compares. Not really interested in racing or large group rides just wondering:

1 - How are the roads/bike lanes/drivers awareness of bikes?

2 - How is the weather for riding? Is it just too hot in the summer or what? The rest of the time it looks pretty nice though.


Thanks!

The bike lanes and roads are a bad joke. The drivers are inattentive, impatient, and incompetent. The weather sucks, except for the winter in which it blows. Stay in San Diego.

^^^
Sweet!!! I'm totally there!!! I can pretty much tell you are just trying to save it all for yourself....

I live in Phoenix so I can't comment on the bike lanes, traffic, etc in Tucson. I can comment on the weather though.

I've averaged 750 miles in both of the last two months. If it's going to be 110+ I make sure to get up and ride at 5 am. Once in a while I'll take a drive up to the mountains and take a nice long ride in some cooler weather.

I'm pretty sure rent/real estate will probably be much less expensive in Tucson than it is in San Diego!

Oh, and the local government/police don't care if you get killed on a bicycle.

TPD Officer Allen Johnson was killed on Old Spanish Trail while on a bike last March. The killer (who was allowed to move out of state and should really be charged with manslaughter) was just charged this week with:

1. driving in the bike lane

2. violating the three foot rule (the first person cited this this year, only three people were cited last year.)

And she killed a COP! If she just killed a regular guy, she would have gotten off scot-free.

Seriously, don't move here.

I don't live in Tucson but do live in the desert southwest in Las Vegas. The temperature swings in the desert are much greater than along the coast. Spring and fall are heaven, summer and winter are less so. I can ride all year long which I couldn't do when I lived in the midwest.

I spent a week in San Diego recently and rode a recumbent trike there every day. I still prefer the dry climate even though the heat can get oppressive. You can acclimate to it and stay hydrated to stay alive. I've ridden as hot as 117 without any problem by using the technique of keeping my shirt wet.

I hear the same things about the dangers of riding a bike in Las Vegas (mostly by non-riders). Everybody on the road is an idiot. They are all out to kill you. My answer is to ride the same way I always did on a motorcycle. Be aware of your surroundings and expect the unxepected. I ride about 4,000 miles a year for the past decade without ever having a bike-car accident.

Here's a good blog (http://triplebranch.blogspot.com/) from a bike commuter in Tucson.

PS: There is a rare Not-Safe-For-Work picture if you scroll down far enough.

It is really hot, summer mainly. Winters are the best. There are lots of hills. Riding varies depends on where you live. Foothills area is pretty bike friendly with good size lanes. Central isn't that great. There is a lot of different places to ride like the Sahuaro National Park, River walk and so on. Besides cycling there isn't anything to do here to forewarn you. I mean nothing.

^^^
Besides golf, you mean.

Thanks for the feedback. It is still very up in the air if I will be moving to the area. I would most likely be living north or the city if and when I do though. My other hobby is golf so it's a big draw for that obviously. Just considering my downsizing options right now. It looks like beautiful country to me.

Compared to San Diego, probably not good. Coming from New Jersey, England & Atlanta, it's heaven.
Driver awareness is improving. Be ware of Snowbirds and keep your defenses up on the road.
"Rillito Linear Park" sports a long bike path that's pretty serviceable. Good routes to/from around the University too. You can get a good ride in from 5:30am - 7:30am before work in the Summer. On weekends I can ride 'til 9 or 10am before the heat wears me out. You can drive part way up Mt. Lemon 'til the temperatures approach San Diego degrees, then ride 15 miles up at 6-8% grade with great driver awareness and good road conditions. Or ride the whole thing if you start at the crack of dawn. Rode up Mt. Wrightson last weekend and enjoyed it enormously... 'til about 9:30am. Soon, we'll be riding anytime.Saguaro Monument East loop is heavenly for workouts. The scenery is spectacular though, no ocean.
Every new or renovated road gets a decent bike lane; "Share the Road" signs are popping up everywhere. We have A LOT of cyclists and there are accidents, I won't lie to you - especially in the "thirty-something males" category. I know lots of people who successfully commute year-round 4x a week 25 miles/day. "Tucson... is one of only nine cities in the U.S. to receive a gold rating or higher for cycling friendliness from the League of American Bicyclists." We're making progress.

The Gold rating from LoAB is a sham, really. TPD needs to get serious about actually enforcing the laws to protect bicyclists.

See: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/62010.php

Compared to San Diego, probably not good. Coming from New Jersey, England & Atlanta, it's heaven.

I agree with this. I moved to Tucson from Poughkeepsie, NY, so I find it heavenly. I never biked on the road in NY out of fear for my life, but in Tucson I've always felt safe (but not without taking the necessary precautions, of course). I've never heard that Tucson has a higher rate of bicycle accidents or deaths. But with the large numbers of cyclists on the road there are going to be incidents. I agree with the others who have said that bicycle awareness in Tucson is decent and improving.

The golf is great too, but quite expensive in the winter with the snowbirds and vacationers in town.

I go to U of A in Tucson, and the bike lanes and driver awareness around the campus are very good. The problem is getting enough distance for the ride.

I would most likely be moving to the foothills and not riding in Central Tucson. Thanks for all the feedback. My main motivation will be financial/quality of life based. I'll figure out a way to ride as safe as possible if I do end up living there.

I'm thinking of moving from San Diego to the Tucson area. In my opinion San Diego is an excellent area to ride road bikes. Lot's of good roads and the weather is pretty darn good. I'm wondering how Tucson compares. Not really interested in racing or large group rides just wondering:

1 - How are the roads/bike lanes/drivers awareness of bikes?

2 - How is the weather for riding? Is it just too hot in the summer or what? The rest of the time it looks pretty nice though.


Thanks!

SD is an excellent place to ride. I have always taken my bike when I go there... why would you want to move to this place is beyond me.

1 - Some roads are excellent and some suck. You will find this out and determine which roads you will never ride on again and which ones you'll favor.
Thanks to Jean Gorman and others, bike lanes are part of all road rebuilds/modifications.
There are some scary drivers out there. Beware of dudes in pick-ups. Group riding is your safest bet on the country roads without bike lanes. Ride at your own risk level.

2 - Excellent weather for riding IMO. There is a 6 week period in the summer when you can only ride in the early morning for about 2-3 hours. Riding in the winter rain is a blast.

Been riding in Tucson area for 31+ years . . .
Like anywhere else, you adapt. If you live in Seattle, you buy raingear. If you live in Tucson you buy sunsceen.
Do have to use my sunshine shovel to get to my mailbox . . .