Living Car Free - Most Bikeable Large U.S. Cities?

Walk Score ranks the 10 most bikeable large U.S. cities.

http://www.walkscore.com/bike

Did they take climate into account? Is Minneapolis bikeable year round?

I find it odd San Diego does not make the top 10

Plenty of bike lanes dedicated bike paths and year round weather that invites biking and huge biking community

weird

Of course Minneapolis is bikeable year 'round. It merely comes down to putting on mountain bike tires or keeping a mountain bike for winter and a road/hybrid for summer. If you mean how bikeable it is according to the temperature... well, that's just a matter of iron will and most people in Minnesota are used to the cold temperatures. Not everyone in Seattle will ride a bike during a torrential downpour and not everyone in Minnesota likes to bike below X temperature. Still, a lot of people bike year 'round here no matter what the conditions... just like anywhere else.

Fort Worth still gets the stealth award. They always show up in the lower 10% or so, but I find the city to be quite rideable and steadily getting better.

There is a big difference between what walk score says bout bike friendly and cities where cyclist actually ride.:D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_bicycle_commuters

http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/09/america-s-top-20-cities-of-bicycle-commuters--12986.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/06/americas-top-cities-for-bike-commuting-happier-too/240265/#slide7

http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/bicycle-commuter-data-for-american-cities.html

Did they take climate into account? Is Minneapolis bikeable year round?

I know people that bike there year round. I probably would if I lived there.

Aaron :)

I find it odd San Diego does not make the top 10

Plenty of bike lanes dedicated bike paths and year round weather that invites biking and huge biking community

weird

It's much more spread out than most places on that list (say, San Francisco or Portland). The only dense urban neighborhoods are around downtown / North Park / Hillcrest. Moving out from there, it's ghettos or suburbia in all directions.

Commuter-friendly cities are dense and flat. Portland is both. San Francisco is not flat, but it is extremely dense (17,000 people per square mile). Berkeley is dense and mostly flat. San Diego north of the 8 is neither.

Also, I'm not sure about a huge biking community. When I worked in a company with 400 employees in the UTC area, on a typical day I'd see 3-5 people coming to work by bike. Now I live in Escondido, and, on an average 1-2 hour training ride, I might sometimes see one or two other "real" adult cyclists, most days I don't. The only people I do see riding bicycles are children or homeless.

It looks like Tucson is the only city in a red state to crack the top ten. No surprise there.

Commuter-friendly cities are dense and flat.

Yup. Generally true, at least in the developed world.


I might sometimes see one or two other "real" adult cyclists, most days I don't. The only people I do see riding bicycles are children or homeless.

Why aren't homeless people on bikes "real" to you? And how do you know if a person you see on a bicycle is homeless?

And how do you know if a person you see on a bicycle is homeless?

Garbage bags tied to the bicycle are a dead giveaway :) But even in their absence, there are other signs, it's a generally recognizable pattern, it becomes familiar after a while. There are many homeless people in San Diego area (year round weather that invites more than just biking), some are traditional American bums, others are Mexican migrants and day laborers. They often have camps in canyons and they walk or use old bicycles to move around during the day.

I'm surprised Houston isn't in there somewhere. Honestly, I'm impressed by the number of bike trails and bike lanes put in place. There are "Share The Road" signs all over the place.

I MUST check out some of the top 10 cities one of these days. If I find Houston impressive then I can only imagine what I'd think of any of the top 10 cities.

Obviously never checked out Sacramento, CA. More bikeways/paths in/around the city than most. Suburbs (Roseville/Rocklin) totally comitted to safe and effective biking.

I commuted through two Winters in NYC and, frankly, got burned out and not looking forward to another Winter. So I was wondering how colder and snowier it gets out there.

I commuted through two Winters in NYC and, frankly, got burned out and not looking forward to another Winter. So I was wondering how colder and snowier it gets out there.

It's honestly getting warmer and warmer each year. I think this year we had only a couple of days below 0 and even if then it was in the single digits. It's usually 10-20 degrees in January now and snow is very hard to come by for some reason as it was in previous years. We go until December now with dead grass and wet, cold days more than anything. Global warming? Anyways, Minneapolis is not the Minneapolis it was in days of old.

I commuted through two Winters in NYC and, frankly, got burned out and not looking forward to another Winter. So I was wondering how colder and snowier it gets out there.
While it is cold in winter, that's not what burns you out IMHO. If the city clears the roads well and there is enough infrastructure (bicycle or not...) to let bikes travel safely... winter biking is a hoot.

On top of that, winters are often pretty mild, like our last winter.

It's honestly getting warmer and warmer each year. I think this year we had only a couple of days below 0 and even if then it was in the single digits. It's usually 10-20 degrees in January now and snow is very hard to come by for some reason as it was in previous years. We go until December now with dead grass and wet, cold days more than anything. Global warming? Anyways, Minneapolis is not the Minneapolis it was in days of old.

I would agree for Des Moines as well. I arrived here 15 years ago and my first February the temps never went over 0F.

Nowadays -- even in a bad winter -- temps below 0F are a rarity... even overnight.!!

Having biked in Portland and live in SF, Portland deserves to be above SF. The motorists there are actually respectful to cyclists. Portland is a lot more flat, safer, and nicer to bike in. They have better infrastructure and equal if not better bike culture. Also it is a smaller city which makes getting to places quicker. It's no wonder it has 6.5% of commuters are by bikes vs. 3.5% in SF. Oh yeah they have food pods in many areas of the city, great for bike stops.

But biking in SF is more fun due to its scenery, diversity, and architecture. A bonus favoring SF is a very large market for bikes and the weather is slightly better.

It's much more spread out than most places on that list (say, San Francisco or Portland). The only dense urban neighborhoods are around downtown / North Park / Hillcrest. Moving out from there, it's ghettos or suburbia in all directions.

Commuter-friendly cities are dense and flat. Portland is both. San Francisco is not flat, but it is extremely dense (17,000 people per square mile). Berkeley is dense and mostly flat. San Diego north of the 8 is neither.

Also, I'm not sure about a huge biking community. When I worked in a company with 400 employees in the UTC area, on a typical day I'd see 3-5 people coming to work by bike. Now I live in Escondido, and, on an average 1-2 hour training ride, I might sometimes see one or two other "real" adult cyclists, most days I don't. The only people I do see riding bicycles are children or homeless.

Ok I get the not flat and not dense part. If those are the metrics then so be it we will not rate well.

As far as the biking community I am a little taken aback. If you are only going to count commuters as cyclist than I would guess the numbers will be low in almost every city.I rarely see children or homeless riding on my training rides. I am in PQ. I do see cyclists however, allot of them. Not all are club level (present company included) however they are out there. I see recreational cyclists regularly of varing degree of skills. Especially on the weekends. With the ATOC going on and TDF coming up I am sure I will see more as is the pattern every year. When I ride the 101 I always see a number of very fast riders that would be considered cyclists in any community.

The San Diego Bike Collation is strong force and the City Council has always been open to their suggestions. In past years I have seen Bicycle Magazine rate our city high on their list.

Last Sunday I was doing repeats on Torrey Pines and I saw more than 50 cyclists and at least another 20 on the 56 bike path to PQ. The week before a couple hundred at the Alpine Challenge. On any given weekend there are thousands that hit the road and trail here in San Diego. Maybe because we are spread out it makes it seem like less. I live near the 56 bike path and see a steady stream of cyclist almost everyday. Maybe my perspective is off based on my location near a dedicated bike path and the fact that many of my friends ride.

Of all the cities I've biked in I found Denver to be the easiest.

I lived in Seattle, biked around in Portland, and visited SF. I don't think any of those cities came close to Denver for ease of using a bike.

While it is cold in winter, that's not what burns you out IMHO. If the city clears the roads well and there is enough infrastructure (bicycle or not...) to let bikes travel safely... winter biking is a hoot.

On top of that, winters are often pretty mild, like our last winter.

I think it is the cold and the need to bundle up that gets me. I feel like cold weather sucks my energy out and all the extra clothing adds to the feeling of tiredness. Breathing is hard in cold weather too. I can take a few days, but few weeks of freezing weather fatigues me too much.

As far as the biking community I am a little taken aback. If you are only going to count commuters as cyclist than I would guess the numbers will be low in almost every city.I rarely see children or homeless riding on my training rides. I am in PQ. I do see cyclists however, allot of them. e.

I'm counting recreational cyclists as well as commuters. My point was that numbers of commuters are low, and numbers of recreational cyclists are also low. I think your perspective might indeed be off because you live next to the 56 bike path. On a given day, if I wanted to find recreational cyclists, I'd go to the 56 bike path, 101, and in smaller numbers on San Luis Rey River bike path. Outside of these few pathways, you can ride for tens of miles without seeing another person on a road bicycle.

Couple hundred participants in Alpine Challenge is not a lot, considering that we have 3 million people in San Diego County alone and 15 million or so in neighboring counties to the north.

Poking around in Strava.

In Portland, there are many segments in different parts of the city which were ridden by more than 80 unique people since May 1st:
http://app.strava.com/segments/685621 134 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/794031 125 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/627385 120 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/796207 103 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/1259111 97 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/682489 94 people
http://app.strava.com/segments/655266 84 people

(I might have missed some, I don't know much about Portland).

In San Diego (North County), Torrey Pines hill is the most popular (281 people), with large numbers all the way north along the 101 and south through UCSD, along Gilman and continuing on to the bike path next to I-5. The middle part of the 56 bike path was ridden by 152 people going east and 134 people going west.
130 people were here (http://app.strava.com/segments/616958), 101 people here (http://app.strava.com/segments/700515), a couple of segments going to & from UCSD saw 90-100 unique riders, 110 rode the middle part of Del Dios westbound, 86 rode Elfin Forest / Harmony Grove eastbound.

Elsewhere in the county, around 100 people rode Dehesa Road eastbound and 100 people rode Coronado Strand.

As far as I can tell, that's the complete list, there are no other segments in the county with more than 80 riders since the beginning of the month.

Looks like the differences are not as big as I thought in absolute numbers, but San Diego is much bigger than Portland, and San Diego cyclists are concentrated on a small number of routes and particularly near UCSD.

Interesting thread and good comments from all previous. My area, Orange County (CA) would score high with infrastructure but low on other factors - Nearly two thousand miles of bike lanes and hundreds of miles of bike paths. We are the 5th highest county population in the US but the southern half of the county where I live is not densly populated and has abundant hills. Nonetheless it is a near bicycle paradise for a relatively small number of transportation oriented cyclists. Probably less than one percent bike commuters around here.


I have visited or lived in (or near) many of the top 10 cities on the walkscore Top 10 Bike Cities list. I tend to agree that they got a good list going for something in startup Beta mode. San Diego would not be on my list of Top 10 Bike Cities and I am not surprised that it missed the Top 10 list. Orange County is ahead of San Diego with respect to miles of good, well designed bike infrastructure, especially in the category of on-street bike lanes. Plenty of hills in SD and not very dense in most places. Lots of traffic choke points and not a lot of alternative streets for getting from A to B.

I need to vist Ft Worth sometime and check it out and pedal around. Other places that might not be in the top 10, but have a lot of promise are Denver & Philly. As previously mentioned Houston might be something to consider. I have spent a bit of time there and many areas of the city are bikeable even if there are not many formal bike lanes. And I've been to New Orleans many times - although the place is flat and dense and lots of grid oriented streets, the crummy pavement will shake you apart on a skinny tire bike. I pedaled with Big Apple 2" tires on a mountain bike in NOLA to smooth it out a bit.

Nice job on the data mining.

I think strava data is a good snap shot of cyclist but not complete( I did not post a number of months data myself)

I really don't know if we are more or less active as a city in all honesty. But I would guess that with our weather we have a better chance of year round participation of cyclist.

The fact that I live off one of the more traveled routes and participate on it might askew my perspective. I often train on the bike path from PQ and often head out and go either north or south on the 101 for longer rides

Thanks for the links I found it interesting

Maybe we will cross paths one day

I ride a white Wilier with a one piece Most bars (total vanity buy but they look so damm sexy)

http://app.strava.com/rides/8651458

today's ride and I counted after I posted my reply 23 total riders on my one hour + on the path 2 immigrant workers 2 High School the rest commuters and exercisers

I am probably on the Dehesa and 101 unique riders

I think it is the cold and the need to bundle up that gets me. I feel like cold weather sucks my energy out and all the extra clothing adds to the feeling of tiredness. Breathing is hard in cold weather too. I can take a few days, but few weeks of freezing weather fatigues me too much.

Really? My observation is that you have to take things a bit slower and put just enough clothing on...I normally try not to ride more than an hour (cold feet...). But last Christmas Day, for example I did a 4 hour trip in weather around 40F.

250713
250714

Not very winter-like, but it was Christmas Day.

If there is no wind and it's sunny I can ride in 40F for a few hours, but it's not much fun, I don't enjoy it much. It's the freezing temperatures that make it a serious chore.

What is that saying from those cold weather climes..."There isn't any such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices?" :D

Aaron :)

I know, but that's part of the problem. Even the best, most advanced clothing creates bulk that lowers my enjoyment of riding. And there isn't much you can do about breathing freezing air. Ride slowly? Won't warm up. Cover your mouth? Hard to breath.

I know, but that's part of the problem. Even the best, most advanced clothing creates bulk that lowers my enjoyment of riding. And there isn't much you can do about breathing freezing air. Ride slowly? Won't warm up. Cover your mouth? Hard to breath.

I know you have been thinking about it but for me the solution to bad weather is to move. If you have the skills that allow travel then living where the weather fits your lifestyle choices will make for a happier person. I have lived in several different parts of the country and a place is just a place unless it makes you happy to do what you like to do. If you look at the places where people actually commute the most by bicycle in the US you will see a lot of the cities are in fair weather states. (Even if I never understood how Portlandiers can take the damp):lol:

I know you have been thinking about it but for me the solution to bad weather is to move. If you have the skills that allow travel then living where the weather fits your lifestyle choices will make for a happier person. I have lived in several different parts of the country and a place is just a place unless it makes you happy to do what you like to do. If you look at the places where people actually commute the most by bicycle in the US you will see a lot of the cities are in fair weather states. (Even if I never understood how Portlandiers can take the damp):lol:

Yeah, I do want to move. Some health issues last Winter caused interruption to my plans. Right now, I'm not sure if I can pull it off this year.

Yeah, I do want to move. Some health issues last Winter caused interruption to my plans. Right now, I'm not sure if I can pull it off this year.

Good luck and I hope you can find a place where you can ride all year in comfort.

If you look at the places where people actually commute the most by bicycle in the US you will see a lot of the cities are in fair weather states.

And a lot of them aren't. Look at Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Madison, Washington, D.C. ...

The weather's just another excuse people use to keep their butts in their cars and off of their bikes. Here in Europe, it's cities like these (http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/07/worlds-most-bicycle-friendly-cities.html) that lead the way. Not many of them are known for balmy winters, are they?

And a lot of them aren't. Look at Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Madison, Washington, D.C. ...

The weather's just another excuse people use to keep their butts in their cars and off of their bikes. Here in Europe, it's cities like these (http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/07/worlds-most-bicycle-friendly-cities.html) that lead the way. Not many of them are known for balmy winters, are they?

That is what I was wondering about, seems the northern cities like MSP or Chicago have much better infrastructure than many southern cities. I have also been told that it is too hot to ride in the south in the summer time...

Aaron :)

hey gerv, nice RRVT pics. :thumb:

And a lot of them aren't. Look at Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Madison, Washington, D.C. ...

The weather's just another excuse people use to keep their butts in their cars and off of their bikes. Here in Europe, it's cities like these (http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/07/worlds-most-bicycle-friendly-cities.html) that lead the way. Not many of them are known for balmy winters, are they?

Did you even bother to read his post? :lol:His complaints were specific towards weather. Or didn't you notice? :eek: If he feels New York has bad weather and is depressing moving to Chicago, Minneaoplis or even Washington wouldn't seem like a move to better conditions would it? :innocent: Based on the desires he has expressed in his wishes, not yous of course. He also didn't indicate he wanted to move to Europe or did I miss something? :D So unlike you I still wish him good luck at finding a place he would like better even if it were Spain. I simply wouldn't discourage him from leaving a place he isn't happy with like you seem to be.

Garbage bags tied to the bicycle are a dead giveaway :) But even in their absence, there are other signs, it's a generally recognizable pattern, it becomes familiar after a while. There are many homeless people in San Diego area (year round weather that invites more than just biking), some are traditional American bums, others are Mexican migrants and day laborers. They often have camps in canyons and they walk or use old bicycles to move around during the day.
I was homeless in San Diego many years ago. I met a lot of bigoted people who made assumptions about people they'd never talked with..

If there is no wind and it's sunny I can ride in 40F for a few hours, but it's not much fun, I don't enjoy it much. It's the freezing temperatures that make it a serious chore.

Remember that cold air is denser, so it takes more work to move through it, which accounts for much of the "energy sucking."

Getting warmer you say???
We already hit 101 degrees the last week in April; ususally does not happen til end of May.
Had several 100+ events already this month.
So what would your choice of clothing be?

Remember that cold air is denser, so it takes more work to move through it, which accounts for much of the "energy sucking."

I think it's the fact that your body burns more of that energy to stay warm. I doubt air density makes such a difference ;)

Getting warmer you say???
We already hit 101 degrees the last week in April; ususally does not happen til end of May.
Had several 100+ events already this month.
So what would your choice of clothing be?

http://a-world.net/files/cycling/yehuda/too-hot-for-clothes.gif

hey gerv, nice RRVT pics. :thumb:

No... this is the Great Western Trail, south of Des Moines to Martensdale. In winter I'm reluctant to head down the Racoon River trail because there's 15 miles of suburbs before you hit the countryside... nice in summer though.

http://www.yehudamoon.com/images/strips/club/2011-06-02.gif

Adam, I can't see the cartoon, but Yehuda Moon at a strip club?

Did you even bother to read his post? :lol:His complaints were specific towards weather. Or didn't you notice? :eek: If he feels New York has bad weather and is depressing moving to Chicago, Minneaoplis or even Washington wouldn't seem like a move to better conditions would it? :innocent: Based on the desires he has expressed in his wishes, not yous of course. He also didn't indicate he wanted to move to Europe or did I miss something? :D So unlike you I still wish him good luck at finding a place he would like better even if it were Spain. I simply wouldn't discourage him from leaving a place he isn't happy with like you seem to be.

Yes, I did read Adam DZ's post, and I've seen his past comments about wanting to move somewhere with a warmer climate, but I wasn't responding to that. I was referring to a statement you made in your post which I believe to be erroneous. That's why I quoted it. :rolleyes:

I was homeless in San Diego many years ago. I met a lot of bigoted people who made assumptions about people they'd never talked with..

+1

No... this is the Great Western Trail, south of Des Moines to Martensdale.

huh, thought it looked like another bridge...

Yes, I did read Adam DZ's post, and I've seen his past comments about wanting to move somewhere with a warmer climate, but I wasn't responding to that. I was referring to a statement you made in your post which I believe to be erroneous. That's why I quoted it. :rolleyes:

I rsponded specifically to him and his desire to move not you. "He" wanted to move to a warmer place not a colder one and many places in the US where people commute are warmer. Several cities like Davis and Austin have a high percentage of cycling commuters and better weather. If that upsets you so be it but I still can't see any harm in wishing him good luck in his search. Does it hurt you to wish him good luck as well? I don't remember stepping on your foot.

I rsponded specifically to him and his desire to move not you. "He" wanted to move to a warmer place not a colder one and many places in the US where people commute are warmer. Several cities like Davis and Austin have a high percentage of cycling commuters and better weather. If that upsets you so be it but I still can't see any harm in wishing him good luck in his search. Does it hurt you to wish him good luck as well? I don't remember stepping on your foot.

The fact that I made a comment about something you wrote doesn't mean that I'm upset. Have you forgotten that this is a public forum? I, too, wish him luck in his search for a new home.

I think it's the fact that your body burns more of that energy to stay warm. I doubt air density makes such a difference ;)

http://www.icebike.org/Articles/SlowerWinter.htm

Adam, I can't see the cartoon, but Yehuda Moon at a strip club?

Hm... Can others see it?


http://www.icebike.org/Articles/SlowerWinter.htm

So it's a combination of many things. And I'm not crazy :) It is harder to ride in Winter!