Cycling around Tucson with no car?
10-12-23, 07:25 PM
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Cycling around Tucson with no car?
I'm looking for a place to spend a week or two cycling in the winter, some time between February and April, and heard Tucson is great for cycling in the winter. But is it possible to leave the city and access great rides without a car? If not, would somewhere else be a better bet? I don't mind putting a bike on a bus or train if it's efficient to leave town, but don't want to cycle across dreadful suburbia for hours.
10-12-23, 10:41 PM
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Check this:https://tucsonloop.org/ and check out the Mt Lemon ridez:https://www.arizonabikerides.com/rides/r_tag/mountain/
10-12-23, 11:07 PM
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If your priorities are to not to have to encounter "dreadful suburbia" while cycling, then perhaps any destination that is a city of any size isn't going to work for you.
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10-12-23, 11:10 PM
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Tucson has great cycling infrastructure with miles and miles of bike paths that can get you in and out of town and to great routes on the perimeter fairly safely. But, as others have mentioned, it's kind of a expansive sprawling suburb hat is many miles across.
If CA is on your list of places to check, I would highly recommend Santa Barbara. Not nearly as big by square miles/area, and kick ass routes in the foothills, higher passes and beyond.
If CA is on your list of places to check, I would highly recommend Santa Barbara. Not nearly as big by square miles/area, and kick ass routes in the foothills, higher passes and beyond.
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10-13-23, 08:38 AM
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Cycling around Tucson with no car?
Welcome to BF! (sorry, couldn't resist the jab)
10-13-23, 09:35 AM
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I would suggest that you consider the intersection of Oracle Road and Ina Road as "Ground Zero" for decent cycling that doesn't require a car: If you can find a hotel or AirBnB within ~5 miles of that intersection, then you'll be within ~10 miles of nearly any good riding (and, arguably, all the good riding) Tucson has to offer.
Of course, that means you may need to tack on another ~20 miles to any given route you have planned. And depending on the time of year, Tucson can be unforgiving for long days in the saddle. There's a reason the typical Club ride in Tucson is only ~35 miles long: If you're riding in the summer it gets too hot too soon to do a >4 hour ride, and if you're riding in the winter it's either too cold or too dark (or both) to squeeze in a >4 hour ride.
Of course, that means you may need to tack on another ~20 miles to any given route you have planned. And depending on the time of year, Tucson can be unforgiving for long days in the saddle. There's a reason the typical Club ride in Tucson is only ~35 miles long: If you're riding in the summer it gets too hot too soon to do a >4 hour ride, and if you're riding in the winter it's either too cold or too dark (or both) to squeeze in a >4 hour ride.
10-13-23, 09:46 AM
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Consider Phoenix as well. If you stay in the Gainey Ranch (Scottsdale) area there are at least 5-6 rides a week that leave from Gainey Village and there's a Hyatt right across the street. The rides range from fast A rides to mid B level rides. I think there's one or more rides that leave from that same shopping center every day of the except Monday and Friday.
