Capinporcupine

Hi All,

So I'm moving to Denver (w. 14th and Colfax, a little west of the stadium) and as of now my one mode of transportation is my road bike (Felt z100, fairly basic, 21-speed, black and grey, fairly inconspicuous). As of now I'm going to be using this to commute just about everywhere (except for snowboarding trips ). So I guess I'm asking for any tips on commuting in Denver, and also what I'm going to need for the winter commutes. Maybe some of you guys can show me the ropes when I get there!

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I also would love to do more road biking in the spring if any of you would care to show me around (although I'm a bit out of shape, no 50+ mile rides averaging 30...yet...), seeing how my roommates don't go out like that. Finally, I know this isn't the right forum for the P.S. but I figured I would at least attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

no motor?

One of my car free friends lives in Denver, and he's able to get most anywhere he needs to go by riding or by using public transportation. I want to bring my bike if i ever go visit him.

bigbenaugust 

The light rail system is pretty good in Denver.

sternzeit

https://www.bikedenver.org/

Denver is very bike friendly.

AdamDZ

Denver? Mmmm. I'm jealous.

Bahnzo

As a former Illinoisian, I can say you're going to be surprised when it comes to winter. Winter here along the front range is much more mild than what you are used to in IL. You have images of skiing and mountains and snow and think Denver must be like that, but it's not the case. Sure, it'll snow and sometimes measured in feet, but then it'll be 50deg the next day and melt. It's pretty nice actually to what I remember back home in IL.

And like someone else said, Denver's a pretty bike friendly city. Add to that the light rail system and it's easy to get almost anywhere.

Capinporcupine

Haha yea, winter is pretty brutal here, which isn't what most people would expect. I was just curious because whenever I look up info about it most people (from what I can tell) are most likely from Alaska/Canada/Maine so they get huge loads of snow. I know that Boulder's winters are fairly mild but just wasn't sure about Denvers'. Thanks for the info, I'm excited to get out there and ride!

H.S.Clydesdale

Welcome to the mile high city. I was born here, and have lived all over town. I have been doing to the bike/bus thing for the past couple years and it works. Your not going to get there faster, but you can probably get most anywhere. It does help to have a smart phone with GPS. Other than that, you can check your routes on google maps beforehand, they are generally pretty accurate. Google can tell you which bus to take, and when it will arrive. You'll probably be tempted to take the 16 a lot, (the colfax bus). This bus is often crowded, late, and generally unpleasant, that is IF you can get on it, considering the two bike spots are generally full. Depending on where you are going, it pays to ride a few blocks north and take the #20 bus, (runs parallel to colfax) which is clean, quiet, empty bike racks, and fast.

Winter is not really an issue. Just warmer clothes, maybe longer bus rides. The snow is rarely deep and they keep the streets and sidewalks plowed pretty well.

Oh, probably the first thing is that you will be out of breath all the time until your body acclimates to the climate. There is a noticable lack of oxygen up here. I cant believe everytime I get to sea level I am like a wonderkind of endurance.

ColoNick

As others have said, the winters in Denver are quite mild. I do put on snow tires in the winter as the sides of the roads tend have lingering snow on them after a storm. Don't forget the sunblock though, year round. The higher altitude can roast you pretty quick.

Denver is a great bike city. I live on the eastern side of town and bike in almost daily. There are multiple routes with bike lanes to take and there are sometimes mini bike traffic jams at the lights. All the RTD buses have bike racks on the fronts and the commuter buses to places like Boulder will allow you to put your bike in the cargo hold if the racks are full (which is frequent).

There are events like the Moonlight Classic, which is a midnight party ride through closed streets, the Urban Assault, a sort of scavenger hunt, the Cyclovia, which closes off 3 miles of streets just for bikes, the Triple ByPass that goes over 3 mountain passes, which would kill me, and the upcoming US Pro Challenge, amongst many others I am missing.

The best bike map is put out by Bike Denver - https://www.bikedenver.org/wp-content...2012_Final.pdf.

H.S.Clydesdale

+1

At this altitude it takes 20 minutes to burn in the midday sun.

Top Gunner

Denver is a kick ass city for biking. It rarely rains, & most of the city is pretty flat. There are some pedestrian/cycling paths through the city & plenty of roads with bike lanes, which often parallel the major automobile thoroughfares. Most drivers are friendly, if not at least used to cyclists being on the roads. I would say the majority of the city is conquerable by bike, alone. The rest, you can use public transport. Location has a lot to do with it.

Regarding the winters: It's true, winters are mild here, when compared to many areas, however Denver is pathetic when it comes to plowing. I moved here from Maine, where they have much more infrastructure in place for plowing, and all roads, including side-streets are reasonably clear within 24 hrs of a storm. Due to the relatively fast snow melt here, I think Denver just doesn't put much of a priority on it. On major roads it's not a huge issue- they do get plowed. Not quickly, but it gets done. But it gets done with cars in mind, not bikes. So, roads get considerably tighter, as the plowed snow ends up mostly in the bike lanes. Side streets, however, where a lot of bicycling takes place, barely get plowed, if at all. Unfortunately, what usually happens, is cars just pack down the snow on these roads, making them semi-drivable, but it also means it takes significantly longer for the packed snow to melt off these streets. With the temperature fluctuations mentioned above, snow does melt fast here, but it still takes a good 3 weeks at least for the side streets to clear after a storm. Snow melt also means roads remain wet through much of the winter, so fenders are a pretty good idea, and so are thicker/knobby tires.

Regarding all other times of year: Awesome.

I find using the bicycling feature on google maps to be very helpful, in terms of finding the best bicycling roads. But really, you'll figure it out when you get here- it doesn't take long.

Mondo734

Welcome to Denver. I actually live on 1st and Federal which is close to the area you are moving to. For someone who is planning on riding your bike for transportation you are in an excelent spot. Very near you is the Platte River MUP which runs North to around 112th and South about as far. Also there is the Cherry Creek MUP right next to your area that runs East from the Platte MUP. Denver has tons of bike paths and lots of bike lanes, and best of all most drivers here are pretty laid back and comfortable with sharing the road with cyclists. If you have any specific questions feel free to shoot me a private message or email and I'd be glad to help if I can.

rekmeyata

I'm sorry.

cycronin

I work very close to where you are moving (less than a five minute walk). It's a great spot for carless living. Actually a car would be a hindrance since you'd probably have to pay a premium just to have a place to keep it. The Cherry Creek Trail and the Convention Center Station are just a few blocks away, and the Civic Center Station is just a block away. You'll have very little problem getting around Denver. If you happen to need to travel to some of the surrounding metro areas it could be more difficult depending on where you need to go, but unless you have to work in one of those areas you probably won't find yourself needing to travel to one of those areas particularly often.

bragi

Denver is a wonderful place to live as a bicycle commuter. The weather is very nice 9 months a year, and even during the winter, you could probably ride your bike on most days. Even better, they have one of the best bicycle infrastructures in the country, no kidding. You can actually ride from downtown Denver to downtown Boulder without having to interact with cars very much at all. The culture is also very, very bike-friendly. I grew up in Denver and lived there for literally decades, and I still visit often, and I firmly believe that for bicyclists it's easily one of the best places to live in the US.

By the way, avoid anything having to do with Aurora, CO. It's not just about the nutcase who shot up the movie theater. It used to be a nice suburb, but as the central city has become more upscale, the eastern suburbs have become somewhat more frightening. OK, much more frightening. I'd go for anything within Denver city limits south of Colfax and east of Broadway. Actually, anything within Denver is better than any suburbs, IMO.

Capinporcupine

Thanks guys, I'm pumped to move out there. Winter shouldn't be to much of a problem, I'm building a winter bike so I dont need to worry about hurting my regular bike. Peace of mind is a very rare thing when it comes to moving away for the first time so thanks again and hopefully I can meet up with some of you who live there so you can show me the ropes!