Best Bike Cities for Renters

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Best Bike Cities for Renters

Eva R. Marienchild · Aug 11, 2015

parked-bike

Do you own a bike? More important, do you ride? Then you already know the many facets of bike riding without which you’d be plenty bereft: you get around quickly, cheaply, lightly; you can opt for a scenic route without worrying about running out of gas, or of car-friendly roads; you can pull your dog along for aerobically-turbo-charged exercise for the two of you; you can keep your quads, arms and chest in shape and give your breathing apparatus a workout-and-a-half. And oh, yes, you can park just about anywhere.

If you’re like many bike riders, you’ve developed a bucket list of routes to ride. And if you’re in-between apartments, you’ve probably scoped out several cities to see how bike friendly they are. Many renters select to live in a town with racks on buses, wide shoulders on streets, bike paths, bike parking slots; plenty of bike repair shops and air stations.

If you’re looking to rent in a bike-advanced region, you need to find out where the most bicycle-friendly towns are.

For a little help in that direction, Bicycle Magazine hosts a Top 50 that takes into consideration the following factors: Nielsen ratings, the opinions of bike shop experts, reports, research data and Dunn & Bradstreet’s compilations. Bicycling advocates are also asked to weigh in.

Keep in mind that only cities with populations of 100,000+ are considered. This leaves a lot of small towns out of the loop, but you can bet that when an entire region honors the art of bicycling and ensures its biking enthusiasts’ safety, the small towns in that area can’t be far behind.

Let’s look at a few winning cities:

Minneapolis, MN – This far-from-balmy city is always in a top spot, according to test results. Its residents – and especially its cyclists – are known for their true grit. It helps to have studded tires…and to know how to jump snow drifts.

The Twin Cities have designated 84 miles of dedicated bike paths, and half as many lanes on streets. Every single bus and train sports bike racks, and the city has more bike parking than anywhere else. In Minneapolis, it’s not uncommon to find bike centers with low-cost showers for cyclists on their way to work. And, finally,”Nice Ride” Minnesota lets you grab a bike at any one of their many stations for “pennies a day”. When you’re done with your errands, or your work day, you just drop the bike off at another station. It’s a short-term alternative to cabbing it.

Portland, Oregon is a legend among bike riders. If the ideal is to live up to a few European cities where it’s been said that some 40% of all rides into work are on bikes, this town is pretty nearly living up to that standard. Some reasons to love Portland if you’re a cyclists: Free bike lights; plenty of coffee shops set up to accommodate bicyclists who stop by for their cup o’ java and elementary school bike commuters who are given a lift to school by special train.

And there is the famed Skyline Boulevard, with its horse pastures and graceful turns along the countryside. And riders stick together…at least they help each out out. It’s been rumored that if you’re faced with a broken chain on a roadway, good Samaritans will stop by and offer to help.

Boulder, CO – This bike hub boasts more than 300 miles of bike roads, singletracks–a narrow biking mountain trail– and loads of picturesque mountain paths. Its circuits and surrounding scenery have an elevation of several thousand feet and are noted for their breathtaking scenery. There’s plenty of protected wildlife to delight bike riders and the region’s foodie culture is spearheaded by cyclists. Too, there are bike parades and races galore.

A few other towns that are always on or near the top spots are: New York City, Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Madison, WI, Eugene, OR, Denver, CO, Tucson, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Chicago, IL (with indoor bike racks!) and Gainesville, FL. You might want to Google Bicycling Magazine’s 50 Best Bike Cities for the complete list.

There you have it folks. Some of the absolute top bike spots in the nation. If you’re a cyclist and can rent in or near these places, you’re ahead of the game. Anybody for a spin?

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