Uptown is getting old and busted... I had a decent apartment there and the building sold to new owners who nearly doubled the rent- granted I had a bargain to begin with, but the bang for the buck factor is a bit low. Northeast is a better value- or in my case, I moved downtown after the upscale rental market collapsed- and I had a luxury apt begging me to move in with huge discounts and incentives.

St. Paul probably has the most affordable lofts, but then you'd be living in St. Paul. Actual artists tend to live in art lofts in St. Paul...

There is quite a bit of bike culture here... another fixed-oriented shop is The Hub.

There's a velodrome in Blaine... FWIW.

The Greenway is an amazing project that makes biking faster than driving... and they are about to spend another bazillion dollars with a bridge over Hiawatha.

Winter riding is winter riding- the thing is, we have a real winter here- not some temperate 40 degree weather. It gets very cold- way below zero- and it is just too cold to ride as far as I'm concerned. I can handle the 20s... but much below that, no thanks.

If you want hills, go to St. Paul.