Author Topic: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions  (Read 9904 times)

cbr shadow

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My wife and I lived in Chicago, Melbourne Australia, and now San Francisco.

Chicago (25 years)
+ Good culture, COL isn't too high
- Weather!

Melbourne Australia (2.5 years)
+ Culture, Weather, cycling culture etc
- HCOL area

San Francisco
+ Culture, Pretty good weather, best cycling culture
- Very HCOL area

Since my wife and I can find jobs most anywhere (she works in sales and just needs to be near a major airport) I'd like to find a city that has good culture (cafes, downtown area with restaurants etc), good cycling (road) culture and routes, good weather (where cycling all year is possible) and lower cost of living.

San Francisco offers everything except the low cost of living.
I was thinking maybe:

- Charlotte
- Raleigh
- Charleston
- Atlanta
- Phoenix
- Denver (can't cycle all year, but great cycling culture in summer)

Sure, not all of the above (Denver, Phoenix) are LCOL, but coming from San Francisco I'm sure it would be a good step down.
 

Morning Glory

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2017, 01:52:40 PM »
Minneapolis!!!- COL is medium, cycling is great, culture is great. Very low crime. Weather is not too different than Chicago.

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2017, 02:14:42 PM »
I appreciate the suggestion for MN, but I thought the weather in Chicago was terrible since cycling can't happen most of the year.  Also wife was bad winter blues.  I imagine MN is similar or even a bit worse in that respect.

NESailor

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2017, 02:26:04 PM »
I've considered the first 4 on your list for similar reasons.  I do not place such a high value on the cycling specific culture, though.  Wife is not up for the move anyway so it's all been theoretical but still fun exercise.  Perhaps at some other point in our lives.  That said, I'd be pretty flexible.

I live on the northern edge of the Adirondack park.  The cycling here is limited to maybe half a year but it is nothing short of awesome during that time.  Sure, there isn't much of a "culture" around it but if you just have a couple of friends it's all I really need.  Not enough racing for my tastes but again - the rest makes up for it.  I can do a century on great roads with little traffic, awesome climbs, and spectacular views all in one pretty much anytime I want.  When it's pouring in buckets and cool like it is today I'll ride indoors with Trainerroad, Kinomap, Zwift, or Sufferfest (currently only on TR and Kinomap).

If I want big city culture I can drive up to Montreal for the day.

Oh...cost of living? My 1700sq ft. house with lake rights on 2+ acres cost 120K in 2010 ;)  I have many friends who pull in 200+ as a household up here with 2 well paying jobs.  We're not quite there yet but we're just above 150 between the two of us and easily save over half of that.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2017, 02:28:15 PM »
If your wife gets winter blues, maybe reconsider Portland. It is not a joke that the PNW is grey and rainy most of the year. A lot of people can't handle the psychologically crushing feeling of no direct sunlight for months on end.

omachi

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2017, 02:33:23 PM »
Bad winter blues probably make Minneapolis a no go, but I just wanted to set the record straight on biking here. There are lots of people that cycle the entire year in Minneapolis, you just need warm gear for it. Trails are typically in better shape quicker than roads after a good snow, and we're good at clearing the roads. It's also one of the best cities to bike anywhere when there isn't snow on the ground. Lots of trails, bike lanes, drivers that are generally not rude to cyclists, and mass transit that has bike racks.

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2017, 02:41:52 PM »
If your wife gets winter blues, maybe reconsider Portland. It is not a joke that the PNW is grey and rainy most of the year. A lot of people can't handle the psychologically crushing feeling of no direct sunlight for months on end.
I haven't seen Portland come up in this thread yet, but noted!  That's the general feeling I get about the PNW.

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2017, 02:45:39 PM »
Bad winter blues probably make Minneapolis a no go, but I just wanted to set the record straight on biking here. There are lots of people that cycle the entire year in Minneapolis, you just need warm gear for it. Trails are typically in better shape quicker than roads after a good snow, and we're good at clearing the roads. It's also one of the best cities to bike anywhere when there isn't snow on the ground. Lots of trails, bike lanes, drivers that are generally not rude to cyclists, and mass transit that has bike racks.

I've heard people make the same argument for Chicago (You can still ride in the winter!) but I'm not talking about gearing up in arctic gear and using big knobby mountain bike tires.  That would take all of the fun away for me.  My cycling group in San Francisco goes out all year and the most gear I'd wear is a light base layer with a wind breaker over it, and maybe some light gloves.  There's never snow to deal with so we use our regular road bikes.

I dont expect other areas to be quite as good in every regard as San Francisco, but if we can get 80% of the good stuff for 50% of the COL I'd be happy.


eljefe-speaks

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2017, 03:02:10 PM »
I was happy to see Charlotte in your list! Charlotte is obviously not as world class as some of the others you mention but it is on the rise. Quality of life is noticeably improving here year over year. The downtown area is vibrant and booming (which is making traffic horrible). The cost of living is still relatively low. The vast majority of folks you meet here moved in from elsewhere. IMHO that makes it easier to meet people, since so many others are in the same boat. I find people here to be remarkably friendly and easy to talk to.

If you like your towns funky, Charlotte still isn't there yet. There are exceptions, but for the most part it remains a clean-cut banker's town. Lately, developers have been ruthlessly applying the wrecking ball to anything with even a hint of age or character and putting up boring, repetitive retail and multifamily.

I am a roadie. There area a lot of organized group rides here and a good amount of bike lanes. However, you're somewhat limited to riding in the city because the rural roads in and out of town are frankly scary.  You may do better if you want to drive your bike to some distant, less trafficked roads. You can pull off year-round riding if you HTFU. I ride all summer, the heat doesn't bother me too badly. I wuss out and don't ride much at all from Dec - Feb. If you want an epic ride, you could hit the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it's a 2 hour drive.
 
So, there is one guy's opinion.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2017, 03:03:34 PM »
Oh, and PM if you have any questions!

tralfamadorian

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2017, 03:29:09 PM »
Charleston

The bikeable part of downtown is HCOL and there are not many bike lanes and no dedicated bike paths.  The suburbs are medium COL but not very bikeable.  Obviously quite hot and humid in the summer and dead flat.  It's a great city and I use my bike as my main form of transportation while I'm there but I've never seen a cycling group like I see them in Virginia. 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2017, 03:33:08 PM »
If your wife gets winter blues, maybe reconsider Portland. It is not a joke that the PNW is grey and rainy most of the year. A lot of people can't handle the psychologically crushing feeling of no direct sunlight for months on end.
I haven't seen Portland come up in this thread yet, but noted!  That's the general feeling I get about the PNW.

Nerp, I totally read Phoenix as Portland. Cycling culture... I think my brain autofilled.

FWIW, In my experience, Phoenix does NOT have a cycling culture. It has a CAR IS KING culture, and can be outright hostile to bikes. If you live in the right part of town and close to work, probably. There are "Austin-lite" areas that would be okay. But most of Phoenix would be highly unpleasant to ride a bike I think.

TurtleStache

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2017, 03:46:13 PM »
Don't rule out New Orleans. We don't have any hills but we have plenty of well attended club rides.

Bicycle_B

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2017, 05:09:45 PM »
Did someone say Austin?  :)

It's far from perfect, but since no other perfect candidates have been presented, I invite you to consider it.

Pros:
1. Winters are warm!
2. Bike culture exists - ride groups, clubs that include a bike activism component, receptive City Council (more or less), cycling stores that sponsor core workouts at 6:00 pm, etc.
3. Bike paths reasonably extensive
4. Hills AND flats

Cons:
1. Ack, 6 months of summer heat
2. Most bike paths lanes are just lane striping, little or no physically separate paths.  I lied.
3. Car traffic is heavy and continually increasing
4. COL high compared to Midwest though low compared to California

Fwiw, Austin ranks #7 in bicycling.com's "50 Best Bike Cities". 

http://www.bicycling.com/culture/news/the-50-best-bike-cities-of-2016/slide/7

Chicago was #1, San Francisco #2.  Austin's weather beats Chicago for not having cold winters, and cost is much better than San Francisco. 

Bicycle_B

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2017, 05:15:38 PM »
Or you could go international.  Copenhagen?  Amsterdam?  Maybe Seville or Ljubljana for lower COL?

https://www.wired.com/2015/06/copenhagenize-worlds-most-bike-friendly-cities/

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2017, 05:44:55 PM »
Or you could go international.  Copenhagen?  Amsterdam?  Maybe Seville or Ljubljana for lower COL?

https://www.wired.com/2015/06/copenhagenize-worlds-most-bike-friendly-cities/

We did live in Australia for a few years which we absolutely loved, but it adds huge complications to visiting family who live in Chicago, so we're set on staying the in the US of A.

Lots of good suggestions and info so far!  I like the Austin idea. 
San Francisco is really hard to beat, IMO.  The cost of living here is just insane though.

Telecaster

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #16 on: April 19, 2017, 06:29:55 PM »
Consider Salt Lake City.   Cheap, and surprisingly bike friendly. 

big_slacker

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #17 on: April 19, 2017, 06:52:27 PM »
Although you said LCOL you live in SF so almost everything is lower even if it isn't low. Portland has HUGE urban biking culture. Seattle as well. Outside the city, the greater Seattle area has some epic riding as well as tons of groups of all levels, crits, road races, cross, amazing MTB if you want some dirt, etc.

The caveat as someone mentioned above is that it's grey AF during end of fall, all winter and early spring. This year has been particularly shitty and colder than normal. Mostly as long as you've got good rain gear you can be out all year. But if you can't handle the constant grey and drizzle it's a no go.

Fomerly known as something

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2017, 04:46:21 AM »
Not sure on finding other people who bike, but D.C. has a ton of great biking/running infrastructure.  Housing costs are still high but not insane like SF.

MandalayVA

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #19 on: April 20, 2017, 05:53:12 AM »
Consider Richmond.  It held the UCI Road World Championship bike race a couple of years ago and there's a strong bike culture.  The cost of living is low, you're two hours from mountains, the beach and DC and it has a very good restaurant scene.  Summers are hot and humid but otherwise it's pretty temperate, and it's hilly but not like SF.  I might even know someone with a condo for sale.  :D 

rothwem

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #20 on: April 20, 2017, 05:59:17 AM »
I'm a cyclist in Raleigh.  I ride road and mountain, and there are a number of group rides around town with some really fast people.  Its not the worst, but definitely not the best.  We don't really have any climbs around here and getting out of town to the country roads is a bit of a chore. 

I really liked Charlottesville, VA when I visited there.  It's been several years now, but when I visited, it had a really dense town structure, but it was really easy to get out of town to some awesome rural roads.  It does get cold in the winter though.  Not Minnesota cold, but highs in the teens and 20's are not unusual in the winter there.  If you're visiting, check out the Jefferson Cup course. 

Edit: Just saw that you said "Major City".  Charlottesville might not be for you, its pretty small. 

cerat0n1a

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #21 on: April 20, 2017, 06:44:22 AM »
Did someone say Austin?  :)

I was going to suggest Austin. Where I live, cycling is the primary mode of transport for a large proportion of residents, mainly because it's a small, flat city with a road system from the middle ages and so driving a car anywhere is slow and there's very few places to park. On recent business trips, I have been very pleasantly surprised by just how bike friendly Austin is, other than it being unbearably hot during daylight hours for much of the year.

Marvel2017

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #22 on: April 20, 2017, 07:27:41 AM »
I think the only way any City in the U.S. will be considered truly "bike-friendly" is if government increases the cost of gasoline/taxes on cars/increases driving standards, forcing a larger % of the population to actually get their butt on a bicycle. Because in my town, the "barrier to entry" to driving a car is ridiculously low and most drivers don't give a damn about cyclists. Only when a larger portion of the population "has been in my shoes" as a cyclist, will it be truly friendly. IMO.

Duchess of Stratosphear

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #23 on: April 20, 2017, 07:40:20 AM »
I don't live in Raleigh, but I do live in NC. I think Raleigh would have a lot of what you're looking for, BUT it would be really hot and humid in the summer. You eventually get used to it, though. You could cycle year-round because the winters would be mild. I would imagine there are tons of job ops there too.

sw1tch

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #24 on: April 20, 2017, 09:28:40 AM »
I'll throw Omaha, NE in the mix.  Winter can get depressing and long with the occasional big snow storm but has been pretty mild the last few years.  I biked all winter long this year and only really took 2 days off other than holidays/vacations.  For me, the getting out in the cold helps a lot (my wife doesn't get outside quite as much at all and the weather affects her way more than me).

There are quite a few trails and more being added in the future.  Traffic isn't bad but depending on where you live will affect access to bike paths/trails/shared lanes.

Overall, it's a pretty nice place to live (LCOL) with a fairly good amount of hills (check my Strava - I seem to get as much elevation climbs on my short rides as others get on much longer ones).  Unemployment is also low and IMO the overall feel is that it's an up and coming city all the time.

We're planning to move not because we don't like the city (definitely would be better with more food options - that's also changing for the better!) but for other personal reasons.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2017, 09:31:36 AM by sw1tch »

marielle

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #25 on: April 20, 2017, 09:36:20 AM »
There are quite a few bike shops and I think some meetup cycling groups in Charlotte, but like someone else said it's not the best. The suburbs are fairly dangerous to bike in from my experience, there aren't too many bike lanes and people don't know how to give space. You can go on Google Maps and look at the bike lane locations, there may be better areas but outside of NoDa and Uptown I don't really know of any. NoDa is a pretty popular artsy area for young adults.

Apostrophe

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #26 on: April 20, 2017, 09:55:22 AM »
Phoenix has an excellent bike trail and path system! Also, you are surrounded on all sides by mountains if mountain biking is more your thing. And there's always Sedona less than 90 mins north, which is simply stunning.

Much of the Phoenix valley can be accessed via a network of canal trails, that are paved and have their own underpasses for intersections. It is not unreasonable to bike for 25 miles across the city and have NO intersections. It's a phenomenal system, and I have ridden a lot of it.


Bracken_Joy

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #27 on: April 20, 2017, 10:15:00 AM »
Phoenix has an excellent bike trail and path system! Also, you are surrounded on all sides by mountains if mountain biking is more your thing. And there's always Sedona less than 90 mins north, which is simply stunning.

Much of the Phoenix valley can be accessed via a network of canal trails, that are paved and have their own underpasses for intersections. It is not unreasonable to bike for 25 miles across the city and have NO intersections. It's a phenomenal system, and I have ridden a lot of it.

Whoah, I had NO IDEA that was all there. Thank you! Next time I'm there, maybe I'll give biking another shot!

VeggieTable

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #28 on: April 20, 2017, 10:56:02 AM »
I live in a suburb of Atlanta (a "bike-friendly" one at that) and I would not recommend moving here if you're interested in bike commuting or just cycling for fun. I enjoy riding my bike around town, but no one - NO ONE - in the 'burbs commutes by bike. In the city, more so, but I wouldn't call it safe. I hear it's improving, but I can't recall seeing a single bike lane on city streets.

Not to mention it is unbearably hot in the summer so you have the reverse problem of a city like, say, Minneapolis. I like Atlanta and it definitely has its perks, but bike-friendly it is not.

On the other hand, it's definitely LCOL for a big city!

Scortius

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #29 on: April 20, 2017, 11:17:59 AM »
One that most people don't know about is Albuquerque.  Extremely affordable and it has a very strong cycling culture and paths that stretch for miles upon miles.  I know many people who do some impressive day trips up (or even better, down) Highway 14 behind the Sandia mountains from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, and then take the train back.  Albuquerque has its bad spots, but it also has a very unique cultural mix of people and also some incredible hiking, camping, and skiing nearby.

2704b59cc36a

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #30 on: April 20, 2017, 12:28:49 PM »
I'm in Phoenix and have been road cycling a year now. I've done ~6,000 miles so have some experience.

If you can live in the right part of Phoenix I don't find the cost bad.

The LBS's host rides during the weekdays and weekends. The LBS I visit the most has anywhere from 20 - 50 riders show up depending on the route, for the weekends. This includes, A, B, and C groups with ranges of 40 to 50 miles, less when it's hotter out.

There are several Tour de X events during the riding season such as Tour de Scottsdale, Tour de Bosa (the donuts, less serious of a ride), Tour de Mesa, and some others. California isn't that far away if you want to drive to Irvine and do the Amtrak Century.

Three months out of the year it gets hot and you have to ride later at night or early in the morning. The rides start as early as 5:30AM in July but then you're done by 8:30AM. You can go up north and ride, too, for example around Lake Mary in Flagstaff.

I've been called a fag a couple times, by teenage drivers, on my bike. And in our group rides I can remember a couple instances where we had people in lifted jeeps or trucks ignore the 3ft rule and were probably intentionally buzzing us.

Here is one LBS and their Meetup if you want to take a look

https://www.meetup.com/Global-Bikes-Meetup/


jpompo

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #31 on: April 20, 2017, 01:16:09 PM »

....
- Denver (can't cycle all year, but great cycling culture in summer)

Sure, not all of the above (Denver, Phoenix) are LCOL, but coming from San Francisco I'm sure it would be a good step down.

There are very few days you can't ride in Denver, it's a much different climate than a place like Chicago.  A lot of people have the misconception that Denver = mountains, in reality there isn't a lot of precipitation and the average winter high is about 50 degrees. 

COL isn't low, but it's nowhere near SF.  Denver is pretty similar cost-wise to Chicago except property taxes are much lower, 0.5% vs 2%+

MMMarbleheader

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #32 on: April 20, 2017, 01:32:28 PM »
Outside the box suggestion of Amherst/Northampton, MA. About 45mins from Bradley (CT) Airport, 5 colleges (Smith, Umass, Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke), low col but with Massachusetts state benefits for when you FIRE.

Winters are more mild in the CT river valley and are probably more mile than Chicago or Minnesota.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2017, 01:35:51 PM by MMMarbleheader »

hughbike

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #33 on: April 20, 2017, 04:11:06 PM »
<<Lots of good suggestions and info so far!  I like the Austin idea. 
San Francisco is really hard to beat, IMO.  The cost of living here is just insane though.>>

 Loads of folks in ATX from the Bay area....the market is hot in Austin so it may be a good place to invest in a home? Most folks I know have had theirs jump at least 50% in value the last few years, prolly more. (high property taxes too, but no state income tax) The housing costs may seem tame to you coming from San Fran.

There are a shit-ton of bike clubs and rides all year and every day...I mean a *LOT*...plenty of terrain options and second only to San Diego w/ registered USTA athletes (if you are into triathlon also).  Here is a sampling of rides: http://bit.ly/2ovUHIO and http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/search?q=ride+calendar

Good weekend to visit coming soon: the Real Ale Ride http://realaleride.com/

Summers are brutally hot but one makes "effort adjustments". Expect to wake up at 5:30 am to 80F. I remember an 8 bottle ride of 60+ miles. Got a shot of the bank temp sign: 114F!! And it's not a dry heat. So June-October can be rough...plenty of mid-90s days in October!! Heat training is almost as good as altitude training. Many of my old club would travel to CO for a couple weeks each summer and the elevation never bothered anybody. Speaking of which, other friends say that the winters in the Denver area are pretty tame- routinely in the 50s and 60s daytime? (Paired w/ some awesome snowstorms too!!)

But the winters in Austin are sublime: upper 50s low 60s by mid-day, upper 30s overnight...snow is a rarity and never hangs around. Expect 10-15 days where the temps remain in the 30s, and just as many days in the mid-70s (January/February). Great time to put in some 300 mile weeks, you will have plenty of folks to ride with- everyone seems to have a flexible schedule!



bittheory

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #34 on: April 20, 2017, 04:22:22 PM »
There are probably only 10 days a year you wouldn't be excited to bike in Denver. That is not an exaggeration. Winters are very mild. Snow usually melts under 24 hours when it does snow.

COL has consistently crept up to PNW levels, however, but still affordable vs. California cities.

Rylito

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #35 on: April 22, 2017, 01:32:48 AM »
I'm curious to know if anyone can comment on whether there is a decent road bike culture in Las Vegas?  I often visit family there and see plenty of cyclists on the way to Red Rocks, but not so much in other parts of the west side of the city, where my family lives.  The roads seem great for riding, though.

eddie

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #36 on: April 22, 2017, 06:34:28 AM »
Tulsa, OK

If you live along the river or near downtown, it's bike friendly.  There is a great trail system along the river and downtown has some bike lanes and doesn't have very heavy car traffic.  If you live in the middle of the city, there are no sidewalks, let alone bike lanes. 

There is a very active cycling community here.  Lots of different clubs and rides depending on your ability.  Lots of events too.  Tulsa Tough every June is the biggest and draws huge crowds.

The weather is decent.  Hot in the summer, cool/cold in the winter.  I went a year and a half without a car in my mid-twenties.  There are only a handful of days a year where the roads/trails are covered with ice/snow.  There will be lots of days in the winter in the 30-40 Fahrenheit range but not a lot colder than that.

Most drivers are pretty considerate about bikes, but when I used to ride every day, there would be at least someone every day that would buzz by me, honk, or yell "Get off the road". It depends a lot on the part of town too.  I flipped off more people in that year in a half than I have in the rest of my life combined.

eddie

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #37 on: April 22, 2017, 06:41:50 AM »
I forgot to comment on cost of living in Tulsa, OK.

Housing is very affordable unless you want to live in a few of the nicest square miles of midtown.  We live in midtown in a 1,500 sqft house worth about $140k.  Our whole square mile is made up of comparable houses.  We're walking distance to the grocery store, bank, True Value, park, not many restaurants though.   You go one mile west and the houses are all $300k-2mil and much larger in size.  I have an older friend who bought a 4,000 sqft house for about 1 mil and he's less than a mile away.  I consider that very expensive.

big_slacker

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #38 on: April 23, 2017, 08:12:04 AM »
I'm curious to know if anyone can comment on whether there is a decent road bike culture in Las Vegas?  I often visit family there and see plenty of cyclists on the way to Red Rocks, but not so much in other parts of the west side of the city, where my family lives.  The roads seem great for riding, though.

Certainly there are a LOT of cyclists in Vegas, both road and MTB. I lived in the SW part of the city (near Durango and 215) and given the lack of bike lanes and driver tendencies if I was riding road I'd throw the bike on the rack and hit red rock. However there are places to ride where you won't get run over. Here is a link to a buddy of mine, he rides dirt, road, cx, etc. Scroll through his feed and you'll find some spots:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/10341

MayDay

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #39 on: April 23, 2017, 09:37:54 AM »
Bad winter blues probably make Minneapolis a no go, but I just wanted to set the record straight on biking here. There are lots of people that cycle the entire year in Minneapolis, you just need warm gear for it. Trails are typically in better shape quicker than roads after a good snow, and we're good at clearing the roads. It's also one of the best cities to bike anywhere when there isn't snow on the ground. Lots of trails, bike lanes, drivers that are generally not rude to cyclists, and mass transit that has bike racks.

I will.ditto this. I bike commuted for a year in Mpls. I would drive on the day it was actually snowing but by the next day the roads were clear and I'd be back to biking. I'd get so hot on my ride no matter what the weather was, so winter was not an impediment.

It is sunny in the winter in Mpls. If you have a schedule that allows you to be out in the sun during the day, the will get blues aren't bad. But, since it gets dark at 5 pm, some people can't because of work schedules.

The best thing is that it is definitely a culture of getting outside despite the weather. We moved just a bit further south and people give up and stay inside all winter.

kissthesky

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #40 on: April 23, 2017, 06:07:32 PM »
Lots of cyclists in Tucson. And the weather is better than Phoenix. LCOL. Nice downtown. Might want to add that to the list.

redvving19

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #41 on: April 23, 2017, 08:45:03 PM »
I've never been personally and its not a "major city" but what about Asheville?  Honestly I've had this discussion with lots of roadies and I dont think there is a very good answer.  California and Colorado tick most of the boxes but aren't cheap

Rylito

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #42 on: April 24, 2017, 05:01:29 AM »
I'm curious to know if anyone can comment on whether there is a decent road bike culture in Las Vegas?  I often visit family there and see plenty of cyclists on the way to Red Rocks, but not so much in other parts of the west side of the city, where my family lives.  The roads seem great for riding, though.

Certainly there are a LOT of cyclists in Vegas, both road and MTB. I lived in the SW part of the city (near Durango and 215) and given the lack of bike lanes and driver tendencies if I was riding road I'd throw the bike on the rack and hit red rock. However there are places to ride where you won't get run over. Here is a link to a buddy of mine, he rides dirt, road, cx, etc. Scroll through his feed and you'll find some spots:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/10341

Thanks for this, we are considering a possible future move to Vegas and the practicality of bike commuting there has been on my mind.

rothwem

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #43 on: April 24, 2017, 07:13:29 AM »
I've never been personally and its not a "major city" but what about Asheville?  Honestly I've had this discussion with lots of roadies and I dont think there is a very good answer.  California and Colorado tick most of the boxes but aren't cheap

Asheville is awesome, but it is not LCOL at all.

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #44 on: April 25, 2017, 10:08:49 AM »
Wow lots of good suggestions here!
It sounds like the comments about California and Colorado are correct, but HCOL makes it much more difficult.

Does anyone have experience with Reno?  I keep hearing good things about their "outdoor culture".  Although a guy I ride with drives 4 hours every weekend (from Reno to San Francisco) just to ride with us.  He says cycling in Reno is tough because of the cars and lack of bike lanes.

On my shortlist is:
- Reno (maybe)
- Denver
- Las Vegas
- Austin
- Tucson
- Phoenix
- Ashville (maybe)

starjay

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #45 on: April 25, 2017, 11:23:21 AM »
I live in a suburb of Atlanta (a "bike-friendly" one at that) and I would not recommend moving here if you're interested in bike commuting or just cycling for fun. I enjoy riding my bike around town, but no one - NO ONE - in the 'burbs commutes by bike. In the city, more so, but I wouldn't call it safe. I hear it's improving, but I can't recall seeing a single bike lane on city streets.

Not to mention it is unbearably hot in the summer so you have the reverse problem of a city like, say, Minneapolis. I like Atlanta and it definitely has its perks, but bike-friendly it is not.

On the other hand, it's definitely LCOL for a big city!

I'll echo this sentiment. Trail systems are cropping up in and around the metro Atlanta area (the Beltline, Silver Comet trail, and similar), but on-road bike lanes are far and few between. Atlanta and surrounding suburbs were mostly built for the age of the automobile, and as far as I can tell, drivers aren't enthusiastic about sharing pavement with bikes.

I do sometimes see bike clubs out and about, so they exist, but the cycling culture you're looking for isn't here quite yet.

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition may have some information that's helpful.

Atlanta's weather is mild compared to many places in the U.S., but the summers are hot and muggy, so keep your tolerance for heat & humidity in mind as you consider this city & area. (Also, allergies. People who think they don't have allergies move to this area and suddenly discover that they do, in fact, have issues in the Spring when every plant in existence seems to toss pollen into the air.)

cbr shadow

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #46 on: April 25, 2017, 11:43:40 AM »
There are some places in Cali that are much lower cost than the Bay area so if you are flexible at your job you can probably stay in Cali - at least SoCal - close to year round road biking areas with lots of local group rides and centuries. Places like Temecula on the Riverside/San Diego counties border has a good bike culture and very scenic with lots of wineries, ranches and farms, hilly back roads and somewhat temperate compared to most inland SoCal places. Also close to mountains, desert and beach for more riding options, tons of centuries and doubles close by year round, nice old downtown, casino with nightlife, etc.. . While its HCOL by most standards its low compared to bay area and coastal SoCal.   Here's a list of a local velo clubs rides:  http://www.temeculavelo.com/routes.html. housing prices for large newer home start in.the mid $300k range.

Wow Temecula is going to the top of my list for sure. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ebrat

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #47 on: April 25, 2017, 12:31:28 PM »
Lots of cyclists in Tucson. And the weather is better than Phoenix. LCOL. Nice downtown. Might want to add that to the list.

Exactly what I was going to suggest.

Miss Tash

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #48 on: April 25, 2017, 12:47:52 PM »
I'm going to throw in Fort Collins, Colorado to the mix.  Even though I live in a suburb west of Denver I would move to FoCo in a heartbeat if I could.  There's great rolling hills to the North and East and some killer climbs to the west.  You're close to the cycling mecca of Boulder and gravel biking is taking off like crazy all along the Front Range.  The city itself has a good college town atmosphere, too.  Good restaurants and naturally, breweries.  It's what I would call mid-cost of living. 
And I've put on about 150 miles per week cycling here since January.  Start low and go higher as the snow melts.  Plenty of like-minded clubs, meetups and folks to go with around here.

big_slacker

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Re: LCOL major city with big road cycling culture? Lets hear suggestions
« Reply #49 on: April 25, 2017, 12:55:07 PM »
SD has a BIG cycling community. I'm sure there is stuff local to Escondido, but it's only a half hour or so to ride along the coast and there are a ton of groups there as well. I did 30 miles with a friend who is plugged into some groups down there and it was easily the best road riding I've ever done.

There are some places in Cali that are much lower cost than the Bay area so if you are flexible at your job you can probably stay in Cali - at least SoCal - close to year round road biking areas with lots of local group rides and centuries. Places like Temecula on the Riverside/San Diego counties border has a good bike culture and very scenic with lots of wineries, ranches and farms, hilly back roads and somewhat temperate compared to most inland SoCal places. Also close to mountains, desert and beach for more riding options, tons of centuries and doubles close by year round, nice old downtown, casino with nightlife, etc.. . While its HCOL by most standards its low compared to bay area and coastal SoCal.   Here's a list of a local velo clubs rides:  http://www.temeculavelo.com/routes.html. housing prices for large newer home start in.the mid $300k range.

Wow Temecula is going to the top of my list for sure. Thanks for the suggestion.
There are lots of mid sized cities in eastern San Diego county as well that have a great road and mtn bike culture. Places like Escondido et al. I do a lot of centuries around that area (and there are hard ones and fun easy ones like the Amtrak Century) and there are tons of places to ride. There there are also areas in Riverside County that are much lower cost but I find it too hot, dry and smoggy there. I've also heard Davis in Norcal is a great bike city but seems very flat and probably more high cost housing then SoCal.