Owltooth

I've lived in Oklahoma City for more than ten years now; but grew up in California, in the wine country; moved here when I was 15; quite a change. I could never afford to move back home I'm afraid, but want to settle with my wife somewhere nicer. I've been bicycling as a commuter for a little over year now, doing 120 miles on a good week and 50 on a bad one (i.e. no classes) and know that I want to always have bicycle commuting as a part of my life; but as time goes on here it feels more like a battle than anything; I've commuted 1200 miles to and fro since buying an odometer for my bike in September, and it's really a routine now, but I'm startled every few days when some nut in a car really lets me have it, it breaks what would normally be a nice day; I'm a strong person etc and not easily shaken, but I'm getting sick of it, and it becomes a constant battle; like I'm always at the ready to have someone jump down my throat and I'm just not looking forward to a life of 1) holding my tongue everyday or 2) hopelessly trying to defend road rights by screaming at rednecks...as we know from all of our posts here, there are angry drivers everywhere, and no city is perfect. But there must be something close to a sort of "dream city" for bike commuters, (in the USA please) and I was wondering what everyone here thinks. I'm talking about things like bike lanes (if you think they're good or bad that's not what I'm asking, to me they at least represent bike-minded community planning), places to park your bike around town, nice places to ride for fun not far away, and most important, a city or town with a more culturally bicycle friendly mind frame where a guy on a bike is just a guy on a bike, not a "WHAT THE HELL, IS HE RIDING A BIKE ON THE ROAD??" like it's nuts. For every car horn or person yelling as they drive by, I get about ten double takes and looks of "what the hell??" in Oklahoma City. anyway thanks for your thoughts!

bikedaddy

Fort Collins Colorado!

I would say between 85 and 90% of major streets have bike lanes and major neighborhood streets have them also. There are also some great bike paths that can take you from end of town to the other. There is a university here (Colorado State) so that increases the number of bikes on the road. I don't know if this is a good thing the way these kids ride... but I feel that cars are on the look out more than other places.

I have biked 1000 miles since Aug on roads and paths and have not had a single altercation. Like you said ... no place is perfect and I'm sure something wil happen at some point. In this city anytime you go out in your car you will usually see a few cyclists on the road. Most people are aware. The only time I get those 'what the hell?' looks is when it is snowing or super cold.

Also of note is the wonderful climate here... something like 300+ days of sun a year and the winters are fairly mild. Sure you might get a freak blizzard (like we just had and are about to have) but I think our average yearly precip is b/t 8-15 in so you won't get too wet!

bikebuddha 

Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Denver, Portland OR or ME, and Burlington

crtreedude 

Costa Rica - wait, I already live here.

cooperwx

Asheville is a great place to live from almost any perspective, but it really has a long way to go to be recognized as a bike commute-friendly place. The topography makes it more difficult than most places, and it often makes it tough to widen roads to create WOLs and/or bike lanes.

But the city leadership and the public in general is very eco-concious, and as such, plans are in place and slowly being implemented that encourage people to get out of their cars. There are a ton of mtn bikers here that at least respect roadies and commuters, and really very few drivers that cause problems.

From what I've heard Portland OR, or maybe the DC area would be much more pleasant (infrastructure-wise) to bike commute in, but I'll likely wait around here and celebrate each time progress is made.

ax0n

Not for the commute-friendly streets:

Near Seattle, for the water, the mountains, and the people.

Near Denver for the mountains, the skiing, and the trails.

Vegas, for the lack of humidity and the suburban feel without an urban area in sight. Once you leave the glitz and glamour, it feels like a normal town but there's always something to do or somewhere to go. You can pack a bunch of people in a van and make a 3-day weekend trip to California with out setting foot on a plane, etc.

JeffS

I've just recently started trying to figure this out.

In-state
- Asheville
- Boone
- Carrboro

Thinking broader though, I'd have to consider

- Portland
- Seattle
- Boulder
- Ft Collins

maybes:
- Tuscon
- Santa Fe

Still looking though. A place where the whole family could be car-free would be a plus, but it's not an absolute.

ollo_ollo

Having experienced Okie city & Tulsa I can identify. My ideal would be Olympia, WA from mid May through the end of September then Tucson, AZ from October through mid May.
Maybes: Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Fallbrook, San Diego, Pasadena.
Don

ModoVincere

Santa Barbara, CA

I was there for a weekend last year and it looked great. College town, traffic looked reasonable, and the weather was perfect. I can't say much for affordability, but I would love to live there.

wheel

Netherlands, april to Nov.
Tucson/Phoenix Nov till March

R.A.D.

New York City. It's a challenge sometimes, but the sites are amazing especially over the bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburgh). I know New York City has a reputation for being unfriendly but we're actually pretty nice people, and drivers for the most part are cool with bicyclists.

You can ride the same route everyday and always see something new. I love it.

CliftonGK1

If there was work I could support myself with there, I'd live on Mackinac Island.

NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES ALLOWED!

max-a-mill

but where would you commute TOO exactly??? just pullin your chain!

i was in boone for the Off Road Assult on Mount Mitchell this year and other than the gas station, BK, or the park, what the kinda work is there??? it was actually a shock for me coming from philly to such a small town!

beautiful area though! i'd love a nice dirt road commute through pisgah to get to work.... SIGN ME UP!

banerjek

Interesting that practically everyone lists cities. I used to live in a city that was supposedly bike friendly (Eugene, OR) and I've spent considerable time in a few others such as Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. I lived for 25 years in the midwest before I came to the Pacific northwest.

Just as driving in cities sucks, so does biking. Movement is slow and there's lots of starting and stopping. The best place to live is either outside of a town near roads with 4' shoulders or in a really small one. Nice weather is a bonus, but not required.

ModoVincere

Being in a city means everything is close by. Groceries, movies, bars, book stores and libraries. It also generally means smaller or no yard to spend the entire weekend working on.

As far as movement being slow in a city, I am a lot faster on my bike than I am in a car during rush hour. I can make the 8.5 mile commute in 30 minutes or less if I push it on my road bike. It would take 35 to 40 minutes in my car at peak rush hour.

timmhaan

it's relatively easy to commute here. the shorter distances, the increasing number of bike lanes, bridge access on most bridges, and low speeds of traffic make it pretty good.

the biggest drawbacks are that there is no safe places to park, vandalism, and theft. it's always an effort to combat those things. police don't necessarily take you seriously either, which is a problem.

but all-in-all i always want to get back here after riding in other places. i hate having cars buzz me at 70mph, which doesn't really happen here. they buzz you at a more manageable 30mph.

mister

I know you said California is too expensive, but Davis, CA is, from what I hear, extremely bike friendly. The few times I was in Davis, I saw lots of happy cyclists and businesses all had large bike racks in front. I think it was voted one of the most bike friendly cities in the US too.

marqueemoon

someplace where it is Seattle July weather most of year

chipcom 

From what I remember, Savannah, GA would be nice.

Artkansas 

I have to agree with you there. Santa Barbara is great bicycling wise. I went to UCSB, and had family there. The bike paths, the general traffic acceptance of bicycles and the fact that Santa Barbara was small enough that you could get from the edge of town to the center in about an hour by bicycle. Most of the terrain was flat, but if you needed a challenge you could just head up to San Marcos Pass and then on to Solvang. Isla Vista, the student community had an unofficial motto of "Bicycles, Dogs and Frisbees".

When I was there Santa Barbara was affordable. But now I gather it's not.

centexwoody 

+ 1 on those two locations!

cooperwx

The Southeast and Florida aren't getting much love here, methinks because of the oppressive summertime humidity, general driver intolerance, and lack of bicycle infrastructure.

But downtown Savannah is one of the most laid-back, historic places in the entire United States. So I could see that. Especially this time of year...

R.A.D.

Yeah that's the biggest issue I think in NYC. I have a Cannondale that I wouldn't think of locking up on the street for long. When I commute I park it at my job since my boss is cool with it.

In New York it's good to have two bikes 1. Your Cadillac 2. Your Corolla. I plan on building a "Corolla" for my leave it and forget about it bike.

RonH

I'd like to live anyplace where I can afford to live, there's plenty of sunshine, the temps never go below ~40F, and there are plenty on hills to climb.

<edit> Oh yeah. The locals have to speak English. I'm not learning a new language this late in the game. </edit>

bikebuddha 

Now I know why you like Atlanta so much.