wroomwroomoops

Most of Spain, UK and Italy is crap for cycling. Most of France is OK for cycling, but nowhere top-10 material. By the way, I was in both Rome and Milan, and really don't see how either is any good for cycling, at all? And I am half-italian to boot, so I'd have some partiality in the matter. Rome and Milan are congested like a rinoceros rectum after over-eating on gummy-bears.

le car

I think all these countries are actually quite good for cycling, if only because the general driving population shows cyclists respect and gives them space (esp. in France). Talking about rural riding here.
Where is top 10 material then?

In regards to urban cycling, between Rome and Milan I've only ridden in Milan and it was OK: flat, smallish, and with a growing fixed gear scene. Mind the tram rails and cobblestones though.

Dumpsterlife

i lived in Iraq for 13 months, I left an Anarchist tho...so...if you wanna try Bucca for a bit let me know!

Seriously, I've been to a lot of countries and I liked Iceland the best...go find out why...pale girls FTW.

radioactivflesh

tokyo is up there on my list. fun place to ride. lots to see and do. friendly and small cycling community. safe, with almost zero bike theft. totally awesome and equally bizarre culture. and the best damn service in the world has all kept me here for the past two years.

dmotoguy

I didnt like Milan or Rome for cycling, but the people in Italy give you soo much room and actually pay atention while driving, so its much safer than the usa in general. If you want nice riding think Florence, there is a velodrome and you are minutes away from beautiful climbs in the countryside.. its perfect.. I'll be there for a while this summer.. I'd like to move there in a few years.

Last time I was there, I talked to a few people about moving there, they all said it was very easy, just get a job and you can be a citizen in a few months. Be careful though, there are many undesirables (terrorists) using Italy to get into the EU because of this, there is rising crime and many people I talked to said its getting pretty ****ty. Their economy sucks too... so longterm I'd pick Switzerland.. I love the place.

wroomwroomoops

here
Sorry, I really thought you answered that post.

As I said, Finland spoiled me.

As for Milan and Rome, I still maintain the rinoceros rectum + gummy bear assertion.

But I give a big +1 for Florence, mentioned by someone above. Florence and all the other little towns in Tuscany get a thumbs up of approval.

gcl8a

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that German culture isn't going to jive too well with the OP. A giant assumption, but what the hell, as worthy as any other suggestion...

If I'm reading the OP correctly, and he or she seeks a more 'alternative' lifestyle, try Copenhagen. Christiana, to be precise.

Good luck.

Aldone

I'm italian, I live in Torino (Turin)

Milano is really hard to ride, the only nice thing is that the traffic is so congested that sometimes ALL the cars are not moving at all.
Rome is no better and it's built on seven different hills.
Tuscany is good.

If I had to live somewhere in Europe, my first choice would be Copenhagen, second Amsterdam, I would also check Germany and Switzerland, I dont' like France or Spain even if Barcellona is a really nice place to ride and party

antiguru

Basically I'm telling him not to do this. Not in Canada anyways, the border services will track you down and kick you out of the country, I've watched it happen and it's pretty hilarious that people think they can just show up and live in another country forever because they are Americans.

If you overstay your visa you're pretty much an illegal immigrant. You'll get one sternly worded letter and then people show up at your door.

Cyclist0383

And they also don't ever let you back in the country.

familytrain

Bogota, Columbia

https://walkandbikeforlife.com/_wsn/page10.html
https://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2002/04/04/of/

mconlonx

<snip>
is it just me, or should this guy learn to read and write before he continues planning his magical vacation getaway? i've never seen so many inappropriately used ellipses in my life.
<snip>

Maybe you could make a deal with the OP: OP will stop using so many ellipses if you'll start using capital letters?

Amsterdam was incredibly bike friendly. Brugge looked excellent as well. London looked like it would be suicidal. Europeans in general seem to have a better attitude toward biking than in the US. China seemed a great place to ride, lots and lots of people on bikes, except motorized traffic is so chaotic, it could get... confusing to say the least.

sp00ki

Ok, deal.
But seriously, I'm pretty sure this has more to do with the fact that he's too lazy (or incapable) of figuring out how to establish a comfortable life for himself than having a genuine need to find some magical country with bike lanes and a government that'll love him and raise him and tuck him in at night.
I really can't sympathize with someone who lives in a country where making a custom tailored HAPPY life for yourself is so simple, yet claims to have such a terrible problem that he has to ESCAPE just to maintain sanity. I have a job that pays great which I LOVE. I cycle at least ten miles every weekday and for hours on weekends. I'm healthy. I eat well (haven't touched an animal product in forever). I participate in local (LOCAL, not "I hate Bush, let's get high and march about it", but "I actually give a **** about the things that are happening in my face that I'm going to work at changing"), have friends I love, and live comfortably. Why? Because I'm not lazy. I wake up and fix things about my life that bother me rather than choosing to blame a nation for my woes. I make efforts to surround myself with productive people whom I enjoy. I take responsibility for my actions. If he can't figure out how to live in the UNITED STATES without being miserable, he's obviously doing something wrong. The fact that his priorities are to live somewhere with an inviting fixed gear culture (and isn't capable of doing so without lazily posting about it in an online forum) is one hell of an indicator of just that, IMO.

BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION!!!

Just kidding! Good luck finding utopia, homes. I'm sure the country you chose will invite you in with open arms, and you won't have to get a job or anything stupid like that.
<3

PS, Bush sucks!

Johnny_Monkey

They lock you up too. There was a case of a Canadian model who overstayed in Sydney and she had to spend a few nights at the illegal immigrants' detention centre with the Iraqis, Afghans etc... before she was deported.

wroomwroomoops

When I was a little boy, I wanted to live in the USA. Then when I was a teen, I really wanted to live in the USA - I just missed out on a student exchange program, and was sad. Then, almost 20 years later, I traveled to Irving, near Dallas, TX, and spent 10 days there. Shortly after I arrived, I thought "wtf is this?". Highways everywhere, here and there some steel-and-glass skyscrapers and shopping malls, jaywalking forbiddeen, heck, WALKING is forbidden, and even just to cross the street to get to that fast food, you need a car. wtf? Is this the USA I wanted so much to live in? Apparently so.

Now, you might say there are cities in California where it's marginally better. But the problem is, you will use Texas as a comparison, you will say "it's better than Irving, TX". Sorry mate, but screw that country that has the "opportunity" to use such a place as a comparison point.

As a corollary: how do visually impaired people EXIST in such places? Are all blind people banned from texas? Because, obviously, if one can't drive a car he or she must be sub-human and rightfully used for hamburgers. At Billy-Bob's.

I was furious back then, like a tiger in a cage. And nowadays that I do voluntary work with blind people, I am even more furious.



So, yeah, there probably are decent places in the USA, and there's a lot of good about the USA, but having cities like Irving (and many more like that) in the USA is a sad thing.

the pope

Keep in mind that the USA is much much larger than Europe in it's entirety.

If I spent a few hours in a Krakow ghetto, would it make sense to assume Helsinki is a sh*thole?

wroomwroomoops

The USA is a bit less than twice as big as Europe (without the Ukraine). This by being very conservative as to considering what Europe geographically is. Actually, according to Wikipedia, Europe has a larger area than the USA.

In any case, "much much larger"???


There are no ghettos in Krakov. Krakov is, in fact, a very nice city. One where people are allowed to walk.

doofo

texas really ****s up our rep!

efficiency

Nitpick if you want, but his point still stands.

deathhare

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of cities and towns in American that are just like you described. Yes, its sad, pathetic and disgraceful. But what is more sad, pathetic and disgraceful is that the majority of the residents dont think there is anything wrong with the way it is.
One problem in America is an overall lack of perspective on what a great city consists of.
They seem to think it equals good shopping, great parking and flags on doorsteps.

sohi

Living in the USA must be awesome if you are a serial killer.

wroomwroomoops

Actually, no, it doesn't. There is no city in Europe where you would be forbidden from walking. There is no city in Europe where not having a car would make you unable to survive. There is no city in Europe where a visually impaired person would be made completely dependant on someone else driving them around, robbing them of the most fundamental need - to be self-sufficient and autonomous.

I can't even begin to imagine how visually impaired people feel living in places like Irving. Their complete loss of self-sufficiency probably negatively affects their other capacities. That makes me sad. And angry. It's like throwing away a large group of people, instead of helping them being productive, thriving and giving members of society.

doofo

the op is blind to some things but i think his vision is okay

the pope

deep, dude.

Momentum

I find it odd that so many people on this thread can't see why someone would want to live abroad. America may have many good aspects but, just like any other country, there is a lot that it lacks. The fact that so many Americans seem blind to this and to why someone would want to experience a different culture probably explans (a) why the OP wants to move; and (b) why so many people outside the US have a pretty dim view of it.

BTW I think most of the suggestions for European cities are good, but remember that all of Scandanavia gets fricking cold in the winter and so cycling is a bit more challenging.