Hidden Gem: Boise, Idaho. It's got everything you could possibly need as a cyclist. A 50+ mile trail that follows along the river, a mountain to climb, a massive trail system for mountain biking (ridges to rivers), green bikes, commuters, bike lanes...oh my. Not to brag but uh...the Women's Olympic TT champion also trains here. I'd throw it in the top 10 but then again, I don't make the rules.
+caroline mitchell Back country? Yes, but in limited quantities. Boise is considered a high desert, so while we do have Bogus Basin which gets up to 7000+ feet, it doesn't get a great amount of snow. Makes the backcountry stuff pretty sketchy. snowshoers lose their minds over it though.
GCN should do a series on commuting/urban cycling. There's a serious hatred for cyclists among motorists in the US, and we as cyclists should do more to successfully coexist with cars.
We need more sharrows and BMUFL signage to convey the laws to motorists. Even where there is a separated side path or cycle track, there should also be sharrows and signage to help accommodate those faster cyclists who dare better when they're a part of traffic.
+Patrick94GSR And maybe cyclists can learn to stop at stop signs and red lights instead of blowing right through them whilst passing stopped cars on the right. Both sides have lots to learn.
+PJ Garcia ...I'm an avid cyclist and commuter (ride 10k miles/year)...how many of those 3,200 were the cyclist fault as a result of not following traffic laws? I always assumed deaths were at the fault of vehicles until I moved to where I live now and became a commuter. There are ghost bikes everywhere here and once I started reading the stories behind them, many are a result of the cyclist not following traffic laws. Just recently two cyclist were hit in town at same intersection within a few days, seriously hurt, because they were making left turns and didn't yield the right of way to thru traffic. Yes is tragic that so many cyclist are hurt and killed every year in this nation, but lets not put all the blame on vehicles.
Another city worth considering: Tucson! If you include the mtb scene, it's gotta be up there on great biking cities. Tons of good quality singletrack without having to drive far. Lots of bike lanes with sunshine nearly every day of the year. Not to mention the 100+ mile bike loop that includes a major portion of the city and a 26 mile hill climb on Mt. Lemon which you can ride to from the city. Great cycling city!
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up. I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol. Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists. It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community. Stay safe!
@I love noodles many roads in Tucson are sadly not even safe for cars, pedestrians, or cyclists. A lot needs to be implemented to better the city transportation wise.
I would include Washington, DC. Lots of trails, high relative number of bike commuters, bikeshare program, you can take bikes on buses at all times and on the subway other than during rush hour.
Happy to see Greenville, SC included. A hidden gem with an excellent quality of life while still capturing a small town feel. The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs the length of the county, is fully paved, and provides access to downtown, the surrounding countryside, and numerous dining and entertainment venues.
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up. I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol. Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists. It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community. Stay safe! Plus, who really wants to be on a bike in the summer in Tucson? The weather is deadly and the loop os a good concept, IF the city would actually take care of the overgrowth, dead and dying vegetation, and wildlife and drug characters that hang out on and around the loop! Those reasons make it so dangerous to enjoy the loop.
Davis, California has bike paths on 95% of its roads and is home to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, and is the city with the most bicycle commuters in the country. Why wasn't it included? th-cam.com/video/o6vcBMyx5p8/w-d-xo.html
definitely missed out on Davis, California 20% of all commutes done by bikes, more bikes on the college campus than students, u.s. cycling hall of fame, first city to earn the platnium bicycle friendly city award also one of the best historically collegiate cycle teams is located there
Not a city necessarily, but the state of Arizona in general is definitely up there with best places to be a cyclist. Tempe, Tuscon, and Scottsdale all have miles and miles and miles of bike lanes, the metro has bike racks inside the cars, and every weekend morning I go on a 50+ mile ride I will see 10-15 groups of other riders all enjoying the great roads and fantastic weather.
+Jordan Summers Not to mention Scottsdale has the largest urban preserve in the entire nation almost all of which is open to bikes, plus the planned Maricopa trail will encompass the entire valley.
Having lived in NY and CA, one might think I'm nuts for offering up Tulsa, OK. But with a burgeoning bike culture, some 70 miles of dedicated trails, and lots of rural cycling that takes you away into the countryside, there's a lot to appreciate out here for cyclists. There are multiple club and shop rides every day of the week for all levels of riders, and even an unofficial official Wednesday Night Ride that boasts 300-400 riders each week from early Spring to late Fall. And contrary to popular belief - Oklahoma is NOT flat. Tulsa Tough - having just finished it's 10th year - is a nationally renowned event and a must-see/ride bike/party scene that includes three days of top-tier criterium racing and two massive 100+ mile Gran Fondos.
Washington, DC is an oversight as well... Capital Bikeshare, a good trail network and improving on-street infrastructure in DC and near-in suburbs. The fact that so many cities got "overlooked" suggests that the trend for urban cycling in the US is pretty positive. Just imagine if cycling infrastructure got a fair shake funding wise how good things could be...
Irvine California is a good place. There are many miles of off street paths, and every Irvine street with a speed limit higher than 25 mph has a bike lane. Most of the cities adjacent to Irvine also have bike lanes on most of their streets, and the ones that don't are starting to add them. There are also lots of mountain biking trails in and around Irvine.
Almost forgot; Southern California doesn't have winter. Fall and spring get smooshed in between December and January, and everything else in SoCal is summer. It's actually quite annoying sometimes. I like the rain.
Not including Tucson is an oversight. The Urban Loop is 100+ miles already, when complete it will be a 130+ mile car-free loop around the city. Hundreds of miles of bike lanes, three separate mountain ranges, the Tour De Tucson, the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, Cyclovia...
@@thetraveler9 No. I ride in Tucson every week day. In the summer, 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. are good hours. In the winter I try to let it warmup to 65 degrees - so more like from 11:00 a.m on. To those of you out there from the fabulous Top 10 bicycling cities of Minneapolis or New York......or the beautiful State of Colorado.....I'll see you in Tucson in October. We love having the tens of thousands of you who visit us every year to ride here and to escape the miserable winters back where you call home.
Honorable Mention: Chattanooga, TN I know everyone is hyping their hometown or state, but let me make my case. Over 120 miles of single track within 10 miles of downtown. From downtown to country roads and mountains on a bike. Bike share, like every other city on the list. Hosted the USA Road Cycling Championships twice, received a 97% satisfaction rate hosting its first Ironman (I know triathlon, but it does 112 mi on the bike) which resulted in the city being awarded a Half Ironman and the Half Ironman World Championships in 2017. Finally, was voted Best Outdoor Town Ever in Outside Magazine which means your significant other can be occupied while you shred trails at Raccoon Mountain or spin up Burkhalter Gap.
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up. I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol. Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists. It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community. Stay safe! Plus, who really wants to be on a bike in the summer in Tucson? The weather is deadly and the loop os a good concept, IF the city would actually take care of the overgrowth, dead and dying vegetation, and wildlife and drug characters that hang out on and around the loop! Those reasons make it so dangerous to enjoy the loop.
Boston is a pretty fun bike town, got the hubway, some bike lanes and an annual crit every year in the heart of city. Messengered there for a summer, was pretty fun and pretty biker friendly. Also have really fun bike parties which troll through town blasting music producing a ton of flashy flare.
I didn't bike in Boston but I did recently visit. There is a lot of biking downtown (good thing) and the bike share system is wide spread in the proper city limits. Unfortunately not all of the suburbs have a bike share system. The good thing about Boston is the city is so compact and dense that you can really get to a lot of places quickly by bike or on foot due to being such an old city by American standards. But the one thing I can think of working against the city is also being old and that brick/cobblestone is in more than a few streets and that can sometimes make for some uncomfortable bike rides.
Maybe not "Top 10", but Sacramento has some really good trails that can get you all the way from the suburbs to downtown. I know people that have even ridden all the way from Sac to San Francisco!
+Stephen Escallier I'd say the small town is the reason, everywhere listed is pretty much a "household name" of a city. But the fact that it is easier to ride a bike than drive here in Davis is worth noting.
There might be confusion on the definition of a "cycling city." My personal definition is something that is commuter friendly (including bike and car infrastructure). Others say that if they hosted a road bike championship, then it's a cycling city. Others say if there are mountain bike trails nearby. I think these are all very different things...
Cincinnati, OH! A hidden gem sitting in the midwest with a 73 mile bike trail that connects Cincinnati to Dayton, tons of bike lanes, and vibrant return of OTR has lead to an increase in number of cyclists with our mayor looking to make Cincinnati a top 10 cycling city in the US by 2020!
Good list! I'll check into Tucson, Az and Greenville, SC. Both surprised me and I am familiar w/ both cities. I'll pay it more attention next visit. Florida has the 250 mile coast to coast trail (the last 2 sections are in the final stages) and many cities has bike trails through the cities, rivers, lakes and beaches for award winning views of the our beautiful life style! The C2c trail starts or ends (whichever way you want to travel) in St Petersburg, Fl. You start Downtown on the South western part of Florida you traveling thru Clearwater the entire Pinellas county and Dr. Beaches/Trip Advisor #1 and #2 beaches in Amercia consistently and continues along the unobstructed cycling corridor of the Suncoast Parkway then cuts across towards the east while passing just north of Orlando and continuing towards NASA's "Space Coast" where it ends in Titusville, fl or near Daytona or you can veer off north and go to Jacksonville and historic St Augustine!
These boys are about as sharp as a bowlin' pin. Just look at the featured videos to the right and note that, in 2015, Richmond, VA was the place to be! You see me, you see me, you see me in that Sagan attack video!
My experience is the more bike lanes a city has, the worse the cycling is anywhere but those lanes. Denver metro, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins are the cycling hotbeds here in Colorado yet also my least favorite places here to ride. Recreational or commuting was significantly easier anywhere on the western slope and in Greeley.
I lived in Austin and hands down the Sacramento, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Auburn California area puts it to shame. The American River Bike Trail runs for more than 30 miles of beautiful paved 2 bike lanes along the American River, not including mountain bike trails. Folsom has more than 34 miles of 2 lane paved bike trails running throughout the city with bridges just for bikes. We also have miles and miles of mounting bike trails in the area. Hundreds of road cyclists go out everyday using the country roads we have that are amazing to ride through. AMGEN has done 2 of its routes through this area. NYC?!?! Killing me.
I ride that Cap City Trail in Madison everyday, love it. Even better though is the second you get out of town it turns into beautiful hilly rolling farmland and state bike trails that slice right though green pastures. Nothing like that manure smell to wake you up in the morning! Also, the Tour of Americas Dairyland c'mon
Despite the controversy mentioned in this week's GCN show, San Diego! The roads here are all tatted out in beautiful green bike lanes. Plus, it's fantastic weather all year round.
Biggest sleeper state is Colorado, Boulder is mentioned but take a look at the mass bike trails being put up throughout the Denver metro area! Just started riding and I’m excited to ride all the trails, I’ll be hitting boulder but for now so many options to pick from mountainous to flat land to off road... can’t complain one bit!!!
I did the STP this year and it was beautiful. Every town in between had police directing traffic for cyclists and every driver was very friendly and cheering us on as we road 206.4 miles to our destination. I only wish my hometown and current residence of Saint Petersburg, FL was half as nice as the area between Seattle and Portland. The Tampa Bay area does have some awesome beaches to ride along, though and the Pinellas Trail is an awesome trail that runs through the entire county.
Denver is a pretty great city to bike in. Most people are fairly accommodating and there are plenty of bike paths. Should have thrown it in there with Boulder. The 2 cities are quickly converging into a metro area anyway.
+Dave Hogue Having ridden extensively in both, Denver is a far better city in which to live and commute on a bicycle, and Boulder is a better place to start from when training on or recreationally riding a bicycle.
+RC31800 I'm in Portland and I am a bit surprised we made the list. I feel like cyclists are dragging the rest of the population kicking and screaming. We are only NOW getting a bike share program. And it's easy to paint a line next to a gutter and call it a bike lane, isn't it.
@@benbernal6455 forget? you realize this is a 5 year old thread you're commenting on. The camping hasn't always been an issue. And really, it's more of a societal issue. How do we care for those most in need? We've failed them. They aren't in the way. They need a place to live.
I rode in New York this past summer. Granted I was being a bit of a tourist and wasn't trying to commute or be on any kind of rigid schedule. We were staying in Sugar Hill near 145th st and covered a good deal of Manhattan as far south as 54th. Not perfect but really much better than I expected.
I live in Chicago and we have an awesome cycling community and bike lanes. You've forgot that they just built the 606 trail which is 2 and change miles long of a trail, that was built on an old train tracks.
Didn't mention Alexandria, VA (actually most of northern VA has miles and miles of protected bike trails) and the Washington, DC area. Best bike trails I've personally seen in the U.S.
Well, the Seattle to Portland (STP) isn't round trip but that's okay. It is one way from Seattle down to Portland and it is tons of fun and I highly recommend it!
Boston: the actual city proper is a bit hazardous, for the bike lanes are shared by the rightmost lanes of most 2 lane streets. However, you can find isolated undulating routes a mere 3-5 miles East and North of the city and can easily average 100+ feet of elevation per mile depending on whether or not you choose to take on the many cat 4s that the city's greater area has to offer.
Hey you folks need to look at Chattanooga TN. We hosted the USA Cycling Championships for four years. Bike friendly and adding new protected bike lanes every year. Yea we got a bike shearing plan too! Mountains? you bet, the Chattanooga Bike Club hosts the 3state3mountain challenge with a course to test any level of rider every spring. October is the time for Chattanooga Rocks, a whole month of outdoor activities and music including mountain biking. Check out the web find your thing in Chattanooga, TN. We need to have a visit from the GCN boys, yea a road trip guys come on over the pond and have some real adventures in the beautiful mountains of east Tennessee USA!
I currently live in Little Rock the capital and center of Arkansas. I’m a former jogger and now a relative newbie to cycling with a little over 600 Km under my belt. Little Rock has 30, round trip, miles of mostly protected or marked bike lanes along the Arkansas and Maumelle rivers from pinnacle mountain to the downtown Little Rock pubs. I’m only 20 miles from the 1.7 million acre Ouachita National Forest which spans two states and boasts some of the most beautiful mountain trails and many lakes. I wasn’t a cyclist when I moved here but cycling will likely keep me here. Arkansas, after all, is known as the natural state and that speaks for itself.
This is the only list I have ever seen that did not have Tucson on it. There really are lots of cities that have great facilities and are adding more all the time. I wouldn't say that Tucson is the best because I haven't been to all the others, but it has always been ranked very high by people who do these bicycle lists.
Little Rock ,Arkansas has the longest bicycle / pedestrian bridge in the world 4226ft long. They host the Big Dam 100 every year. But cycling is growing in popularity all across Arkansas . Both road and mountain biking are becoming popular state wide.
+aikidragonpiper71 I guess Little Rock isn't a big enough city to make the list. I think it is one of the best places to run or ride. There are 17 different trail systems within 30 minutes of downtown LR!
We have a lot of great places to ride in Arkansas but a small low populated state and we're often overlooked. I'm in west central Arkansas near Fort Smith and we are starting to build more MTB trails and paved bike trails and Fayetteville has a lot bike stuff too . Nothing like Little Rock but bicycle culture is growing all over Arkansas .
+Cathode Ray Interesting observation as the first few videos Neil did people complained about how jarring his voice was compared to the other presenters.
Thanks Neal - being a Brit living in northern California I can attest that cycling is bigger here than in any part of the UK I've been to - so why don't we see more GCN USA coverage now your the official guy stateside?
Lived there and cycling through the city is not safe. The trail he mentioned are only 10 miles and super crowded, it would be better to go out to Georgetown, less crowded and safer. There are some nice areas like Bee Cave, back country like Fitzhugh, out by Lakeway, all outside of Austin.
Fort Worth doesn't seem to be too bad of a place for cycling. I can't really compare it to any of the places on the list because I haven't lived there, but it's the best place I've lived so far.
I may not live in Minneapolis but I biked to work last winter it wasn't bad (my hands burned) but when it snowed I had to go an extra mile because we don't have bike lanes & no one cleans sidewalk off so I would ride on a less traveled county road
If NYC is a top 10 in the country, bad news. I live here and 1 thing is for sure, cycling here is dangerous. motorists hate us and sometimes even purposely try to hit us, even going onto the bike lane at times.
I seen a video of how many car roads were shut off for biking (and some were hardly used by bikers which is a shame) and it caused increased congestion on the roads and increased confusion on who to do left and right turns in places. this was in California by the way.
Indianapolis seemed like a decent biking city. I was only there for a few days but I pretty much did everything on a bike. There was the rail-trail there as well. I saw more bikers in a week there than I have seen in a year where I live.
Indy native here. We have some benefits but unless you live, work, and play only in downtown Indianapolis or the handful of surrounding downtown neighborhoods, it can be a huge challenge cycling here. We've had something like 4 cyclists killed this year and another half dozen pedestrians killed. Lots of streets lacking sidewalks, let alone bike lanes or multi-use paths.
Baltimore Maryland would also belong on this list for the same reason, arson torched abandoned old rowhouses will keep you toasty on your winter rides.
I believe Washington, DC was in the top 10 at the time this was published. It was in the top 5 by 2018. A study conducted by the European insurance company COYA, which bills itself as a company that believes in bicycling and offers specific insurance plans for bicyclists, puts D.C. as the fourth best bicycling city in America. Only San Francisco, Portland and Seattle were ahead. Worldwide, the District checked in at 52.
The Sacramento area is a really scenic, flat area with both a cityscape and many trails leading out to many of the surrounding cities, favorable weather year-round, and plenty of bike friendly roads, especially in Downtown Sacramento.
+Mark Ifi BSNYC is mad salty on how shitty NYC drivers and cops are. Unfortunately for me I live in LA, the hit & run capital of the nation and the only metropolis without a bikeshare system. At least we have CicLAvia once in a while...
Two errors in the Seattle section... 1) The Burke-Gilman trail does go by lake Union only for about 1.5 miles (lake union is not that big). It's probably better to say it goes from the sound to and along lake Washington. 2) The Seattle-to-Portland ride is 200+ mi one way. It's also not organized as a round trip.
Hidden Gem: Boise, Idaho. It's got everything you could possibly need as a cyclist. A 50+ mile trail that follows along the river, a mountain to climb, a massive trail system for mountain biking (ridges to rivers), green bikes, commuters, bike lanes...oh my. Not to brag but uh...the Women's Olympic TT champion also trains here. I'd throw it in the top 10 but then again, I don't make the rules.
+Allan Schroeder It was number 11. Honest!
+Allan Schroeder so i have heard! most college towns seem to be a good pick for a cycling city
+Allan Schroeder Boise is an amazing cycling city! def should have made the list!
+Leeon Cohen True! Having lived in Seattle I'd almost say Boise is better...commuting wise. But you just can't beat the forested climbs Seattle has.
+caroline mitchell Back country? Yes, but in limited quantities. Boise is considered a high desert, so while we do have Bogus Basin which gets up to 7000+ feet, it doesn't get a great amount of snow. Makes the backcountry stuff pretty sketchy. snowshoers lose their minds over it though.
GCN should do a series on commuting/urban cycling. There's a serious hatred for cyclists among motorists in the US, and we as cyclists should do more to successfully coexist with cars.
Yes!!
We need more sharrows and BMUFL signage to convey the laws to motorists. Even where there is a separated side path or cycle track, there should also be sharrows and signage to help accommodate those faster cyclists who dare better when they're a part of traffic.
+Patrick94GSR And maybe cyclists can learn to stop at stop signs and red lights instead of blowing right through them whilst passing stopped cars on the right. Both sides have lots to learn.
+jturie from where I live bike lanes don't exist nor anything similar
+PJ Garcia ...I'm an avid cyclist and commuter (ride 10k miles/year)...how many of those 3,200 were the cyclist fault as a result of not following traffic laws? I always assumed deaths were at the fault of vehicles until I moved to where I live now and became a commuter. There are ghost bikes everywhere here and once I started reading the stories behind them, many are a result of the cyclist not following traffic laws. Just recently two cyclist were hit in town at same intersection within a few days, seriously hurt, because they were making left turns and didn't yield the right of way to thru traffic. Yes is tragic that so many cyclist are hurt and killed every year in this nation, but lets not put all the blame on vehicles.
Another city worth considering: Tucson! If you include the mtb scene, it's gotta be up there on great biking cities. Tons of good quality singletrack without having to drive far. Lots of bike lanes with sunshine nearly every day of the year. Not to mention the 100+ mile bike loop that includes a major portion of the city and a 26 mile hill climb on Mt. Lemon which you can ride to from the city. Great cycling city!
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up.
I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol.
Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists.
It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community.
Stay safe!
If Tucson had the bike Lanes protected by concrete barriers or poles like in New York, then Tucson would be a perfect cycling city.
@I love noodles many roads in Tucson are sadly not even safe for cars, pedestrians, or cyclists. A lot needs to be implemented to better the city transportation wise.
Are the lanes made for commuting (with good connection) or for leisure riders?
I would include Washington, DC. Lots of trails, high relative number of bike commuters, bikeshare program, you can take bikes on buses at all times and on the subway other than during rush hour.
And now you can take the bikes on the subway at all hours! Even better!
I live in MD and I was waiting for DC and felt disrespected that my city wasn’t mentioned smh
Happy to see Greenville, SC included. A hidden gem with an excellent quality of life while still capturing a small town feel. The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs the length of the county, is fully paved, and provides access to downtown, the surrounding countryside, and numerous dining and entertainment venues.
I feel like Tucson got left off. With world class climbs all around and the 100mi plus loop around it
tucson should have been at the top of the list with 131 miles ,called The Loop . And warm weather !
Tucson should be number on the list. If you live in the U.S. it's about as good as it gets
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up.
I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol.
Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists.
It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community.
Stay safe!
Plus, who really wants to be on a bike in the summer in Tucson? The weather is deadly and the loop os a good concept, IF the city would actually take care of the overgrowth, dead and dying vegetation, and wildlife and drug characters that hang out on and around the loop! Those reasons make it so dangerous to enjoy the loop.
Too much sand.
Davis, California has bike paths on 95% of its roads and is home to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, and is the city with the most bicycle commuters in the country. Why wasn't it included? th-cam.com/video/o6vcBMyx5p8/w-d-xo.html
Erik Vallejo - Great addition!
I raced there 50 years ago on an Italian bike owned by Ken Grossman (beer god).
Nice list. Just one nit to pick: The Seattle-to-Portland ride is 200+ miles _one way_. A round trip would be more than 400 miles.
I lived in Minneapolis for a while. The cycling infrastructure is great, way better than many european cities.
Yeah. Unfortunately it gets too damm cold in the winter!
@@andreiplane8380 you can still ride though
Madison, Wisconsin represent! Cool video guys.
Sedona Arizona is another great one. Bike lanes on virtually every street and some of the worlds best and most unique mountain biking
definitely missed out on Davis, California 20% of all commutes done by bikes, more bikes on the college campus than students, u.s. cycling hall of fame, first city to earn the platnium bicycle friendly city award also one of the best historically collegiate cycle teams is located there
+Ben Alto Loving Davis! Living here at 14 is a great way to develop cycling skill!
+Ben Alto I think the biggest factor is that davis is a pretty small town, everywhere on the list is a big city.
Not a city necessarily, but the state of Arizona in general is definitely up there with best places to be a cyclist. Tempe, Tuscon, and Scottsdale all have miles and miles and miles of bike lanes, the metro has bike racks inside the cars, and every weekend morning I go on a 50+ mile ride I will see 10-15 groups of other riders all enjoying the great roads and fantastic weather.
+Jordan Summers I agree. I have no idea how Tucson didn't make it on here.
+Jordan Summers But I've heard that Phoenix is like 9 layers of hell for cyclists/humans.
+Jordan Summers Not to mention Scottsdale has the largest urban preserve in the entire nation almost all of which is open to bikes, plus the planned Maricopa trail will encompass the entire valley.
I agree, Tucson is an easy city to get around by bike. I visit my sister there frequently and have never felt the need to use a car.
Having lived in NY and CA, one might think I'm nuts for offering up Tulsa, OK. But with a burgeoning bike culture, some 70 miles of dedicated trails, and lots of rural cycling that takes you away into the countryside, there's a lot to appreciate out here for cyclists. There are multiple club and shop rides every day of the week for all levels of riders, and even an unofficial official Wednesday Night Ride that boasts 300-400 riders each week from early Spring to late Fall. And contrary to popular belief - Oklahoma is NOT flat. Tulsa Tough - having just finished it's 10th year - is a nationally renowned event and a must-see/ride bike/party scene that includes three days of top-tier criterium racing and two massive 100+ mile Gran Fondos.
Washington, DC is an oversight as well... Capital Bikeshare, a good trail network and improving on-street infrastructure in DC and near-in suburbs.
The fact that so many cities got "overlooked" suggests that the trend for urban cycling in the US is pretty positive. Just imagine if cycling infrastructure got a fair shake funding wise how good things could be...
Tucson AZ is tops as a bike community.
Irvine California is a good place. There are many miles of off street paths, and every Irvine street with a speed limit higher than 25 mph has a bike lane. Most of the cities adjacent to Irvine also have bike lanes on most of their streets, and the ones that don't are starting to add them.
There are also lots of mountain biking trails in and around Irvine.
Almost forgot; Southern California doesn't have winter. Fall and spring get smooshed in between December and January, and everything else in SoCal is summer.
It's actually quite annoying sometimes. I like the rain.
Not including Tucson is an oversight. The Urban Loop is 100+ miles already, when complete it will be a 130+ mile car-free loop around the city. Hundreds of miles of bike lanes, three separate mountain ranges, the Tour De Tucson, the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, Cyclovia...
Isn't it too hot, though? You have to factor in weather
Tucson is tops for bikes. I don't know how or why but it became a great city for bike transport, I never use a car when I'm visiting.
@@thetraveler9 No. I ride in Tucson every week day. In the summer, 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. are good hours. In the winter I try to let it warmup to 65 degrees - so more like from 11:00 a.m on.
To those of you out there from the fabulous Top 10 bicycling cities of Minneapolis or New York......or the beautiful State of Colorado.....I'll see you in Tucson in October. We love having the tens of thousands of you who visit us every year to ride here and to escape the miserable winters back where you call home.
Honorable Mention: Chattanooga, TN I know everyone is hyping their hometown or state, but let me make my case. Over 120 miles of single track within 10 miles of downtown. From downtown to country roads and mountains on a bike. Bike share, like every other city on the list. Hosted the USA Road Cycling Championships twice, received a 97% satisfaction rate hosting its first Ironman (I know triathlon, but it does 112 mi on the bike) which resulted in the city being awarded a Half Ironman and the Half Ironman World Championships in 2017. Finally, was voted Best Outdoor Town Ever in Outside Magazine which means your significant other can be occupied while you shred trails at Raccoon Mountain or spin up Burkhalter Gap.
David Russell I've heard very good things about Chatt and biking. Much better than Nashville.
Nice list. I'll remember it while I'm riding the 100+ mile loop in Tucson ALL WINTER LONG.
+Jim Jones ...also as I'm getting passed by all of the pros who train here...
I’d rather die than live in Tucson
I literally just came here right after I just got done reading article from kvoa Channel 4 news that says City of Tucson is going to make a few hundred more miles of bike lanes in Tucson and I thought to myself Tucson news make the tie clean safer first, not just make more them! Tucson is actually number 2 for the worst cities of biker safety. So then I googled: bike Lanes in safe cities in the US, because I wanted to see how other cities bike lanes look like and this video popped up.
I came here, into the comments to see if anybody said anything about Tucson, lol.
Tucson has a good community of cyclists but the roads and the city are not made for cyclists.
It's a poor, poor excuse for a city with a thriving cyclist community.
Stay safe!
Plus, who really wants to be on a bike in the summer in Tucson? The weather is deadly and the loop os a good concept, IF the city would actually take care of the overgrowth, dead and dying vegetation, and wildlife and drug characters that hang out on and around the loop! Those reasons make it so dangerous to enjoy the loop.
Boulder CO, hands down. Not only is it the happiest city in the US, but it's also the most bike friendly.
also one of the most unaffordable currently. Would love to take a trip to boulder.
Chicago has divvy bikes!! Brilliant, my Dad must have called me a divvy every day of my teenage life! On the memories 😛
Boston is a pretty fun bike town, got the hubway, some bike lanes and an annual crit every year in the heart of city. Messengered there for a summer, was pretty fun and pretty biker friendly. Also have really fun bike parties which troll through town blasting music producing a ton of flashy flare.
I didn't bike in Boston but I did recently visit. There is a lot of biking downtown (good thing) and the bike share system is wide spread in the proper city limits. Unfortunately not all of the suburbs have a bike share system.
The good thing about Boston is the city is so compact and dense that you can really get to a lot of places quickly by bike or on foot due to being such an old city by American standards. But the one thing I can think of working against the city is also being old and that brick/cobblestone is in more than a few streets and that can sometimes make for some uncomfortable bike rides.
Great video! Thanks for the share. Proud to be based in Madison, Wisconsin.
love the city!
Maybe not "Top 10", but Sacramento has some really good trails that can get you all the way from the suburbs to downtown. I know people that have even ridden all the way from Sac to San Francisco!
Tucson AZ has 130 miles of bike paths , most separated from the streets following the river wash beds.
You forgot Davis CA, though I suppose it may be too small of a "Town"?
+Stephen Escallier I'd say the small town is the reason, everywhere listed is pretty much a "household name" of a city. But the fact that it is easier to ride a bike than drive here in Davis is worth noting.
There might be confusion on the definition of a "cycling city." My personal definition is something that is commuter friendly (including bike and car infrastructure). Others say that if they hosted a road bike championship, then it's a cycling city. Others say if there are mountain bike trails nearby. I think these are all very different things...
Eugene, OR is worthy of consideration. Lots of paths, many isolated, and new improvements every year.
Cincinnati, OH! A hidden gem sitting in the midwest with a 73 mile bike trail that connects Cincinnati to Dayton, tons of bike lanes, and vibrant return of OTR has lead to an increase in number of cyclists with our mayor looking to make Cincinnati a top 10 cycling city in the US by 2020!
Good list! I'll check into Tucson, Az and Greenville, SC. Both surprised me and I am familiar w/ both cities. I'll pay it more attention next visit. Florida has the 250 mile coast to coast trail (the last 2 sections are in the final stages) and many cities has bike trails through the cities, rivers, lakes and beaches for award winning views of the our beautiful life style! The C2c trail starts or ends (whichever way you want to travel) in St Petersburg, Fl. You start Downtown on the South western part of Florida you traveling thru Clearwater the entire Pinellas county and Dr. Beaches/Trip Advisor #1 and #2 beaches in Amercia consistently and continues along the unobstructed cycling corridor of the Suncoast Parkway then cuts across towards the east while passing just north of Orlando and continuing towards NASA's "Space Coast" where it ends in Titusville, fl or near Daytona or you can veer off north and go to Jacksonville and historic St Augustine!
These boys are about as sharp as a bowlin' pin. Just look at the featured videos to the right and note that, in 2015, Richmond, VA was the place to be! You see me, you see me, you see me in that Sagan attack video!
Great video, but what about a list of Worst Cycling Cities?
That's what I was thinking.....I think I live in the worst cycling city.
+jaasun71 Dallas?! Lol
+jaasun71 where do u live ?
MrFitzgeraldish I live just north of Dallas. It can be a challange to ride on the streets.
+adam sloan I'm in Florida....it sucks here for cycling . The weather is nice though lol
My experience is the more bike lanes a city has, the worse the cycling is anywhere but those lanes. Denver metro, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins are the cycling hotbeds here in Colorado yet also my least favorite places here to ride. Recreational or commuting was significantly easier anywhere on the western slope and in Greeley.
I lived in Austin and hands down the Sacramento, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Auburn California area puts it to shame. The American River Bike Trail runs for more than 30 miles of beautiful paved 2 bike lanes along the American River, not including mountain bike trails. Folsom has more than 34 miles of 2 lane paved bike trails running throughout the city with bridges just for bikes. We also have miles and miles of mounting bike trails in the area. Hundreds of road cyclists go out everyday using the country roads we have that are amazing to ride through. AMGEN has done 2 of its routes through this area. NYC?!?! Killing me.
Really surprised that Davis, CA didn't make the list. The town is full of massive bike infrastructure and has huge amounts of people who bike commute.
It's a small town
live an hour from Madison and go there often.....my city is getting better and better every year with more bike paths/trails and lanes!
I ride that Cap City Trail in Madison everyday, love it. Even better though is the second you get out of town it turns into beautiful hilly rolling farmland and state bike trails that slice right though green pastures. Nothing like that manure smell to wake you up in the morning! Also, the Tour of Americas Dairyland c'mon
Glad to see Minneapolis on the list ;) Madison and Boulder are great as well.
I moved to Charlottesville last year and it isn't as cycle friendly with all of the pathways, but the scenery is beautiful.
Nice to see Chicago, I ride the lake front trail at least once a week
Philadelphia over New York for sure. Higher percentage of bike commuters, and the Schuylkill Trail was voted the #1 Urban Trail by USA Today.
Despite the controversy mentioned in this week's GCN show, San Diego! The roads here are all tatted out in beautiful green bike lanes. Plus, it's fantastic weather all year round.
yeah go Portland! I didnt realize how huge cycling is here until I started riding almost a year ago.
Biggest sleeper state is Colorado, Boulder is mentioned but take a look at the mass bike trails being put up throughout the Denver metro area! Just started riding and I’m excited to ride all the trails, I’ll be hitting boulder but for now so many options to pick from mountainous to flat land to off road... can’t complain one bit!!!
I really liked this video BIG THUMBS up
Glad you enjoyed it, What City was your favourite? 🏙
Great list! Managing, Philly would be my nomination with a great cycling community and the infamous 'Wall' climb!
I did the STP this year and it was beautiful. Every town in between had police directing traffic for cyclists and every driver was very friendly and cheering us on as we road 206.4 miles to our destination.
I only wish my hometown and current residence of Saint Petersburg, FL was half as nice as the area between Seattle and Portland. The Tampa Bay area does have some awesome beaches to ride along, though and the Pinellas Trail is an awesome trail that runs through the entire county.
excellent video GCN!
Good vid. An underrated, unknown great city trail is actually in Dallas. Its huge! Many marathoners train on it.
Denver is a pretty great city to bike in. Most people are fairly accommodating and there are plenty of bike paths. Should have thrown it in there with Boulder. The 2 cities are quickly converging into a metro area anyway.
+Dave Hogue Having ridden extensively in both, Denver is a far better city in which to live and commute on a bicycle, and Boulder is a better place to start from when training on or recreationally riding a bicycle.
Either is worlds better than where I moved from in Tennessee.
+Dave Hogue Absolutely. I came from Florida, so I get it.
Richmond!??!! We hosted world championships for crying out loud!
+RC31800 I'm in Portland and I am a bit surprised we made the list. I feel like cyclists are dragging the rest of the population kicking and screaming. We are only NOW getting a bike share program. And it's easy to paint a line next to a gutter and call it a bike lane, isn't it.
@@SioLazer don't forget nowadays all those paths are full of homeless camps. 🤬👎
@@benbernal6455 forget? you realize this is a 5 year old thread you're commenting on. The camping hasn't always been an issue. And really, it's more of a societal issue. How do we care for those most in need? We've failed them. They aren't in the way. They need a place to live.
I think Davis Ca belongs more than San Francisco Ca. The amount of driver cyclists accidents is too high to be "cycling friendly"
I rode in New York this past summer. Granted I was being a bit of a tourist and wasn't trying to commute or be on any kind of rigid schedule. We were staying in Sugar Hill near 145th st and covered a good deal of Manhattan as far south as 54th. Not perfect but really much better than I expected.
I live in Chicago and we have an awesome cycling community and bike lanes. You've forgot that they just built the 606 trail which is 2 and change miles long of a trail, that was built on an old train tracks.
Glad to see that Greenville SC was included, always a top 10 for sure!!
Didn't mention Alexandria, VA (actually most of northern VA has miles and miles of protected bike trails) and the Washington, DC area. Best bike trails I've personally seen in the U.S.
Well, the Seattle to Portland (STP) isn't round trip but that's okay. It is one way from Seattle down to Portland and it is tons of fun and I highly recommend it!
Boston: the actual city proper is a bit hazardous, for the bike lanes are shared by the rightmost lanes of most 2 lane streets. However, you can find isolated undulating routes a mere 3-5 miles East and North of the city and can easily average 100+ feet of elevation per mile depending on whether or not you choose to take on the many cat 4s that the city's greater area has to offer.
Correction: The Seattle to Portland bike ride is NOT round trip, but you got the 202-mi distance correct.
beat me to it...
Congrats on 600k!
I'm surprised to see Chicago on here and not DC. Having spent a lot of time in both cities I'd say DC has got to be up there.
You miss St. Louis. Even the Katy Trail. An easy 237 mile 100% bike route from St. Charles to Kansas City. Plus the other routes we have.
Hey you folks need to look at Chattanooga TN. We hosted the USA Cycling Championships for four years. Bike friendly and adding new protected bike lanes every year. Yea we got a bike shearing plan too! Mountains? you bet, the Chattanooga Bike Club hosts the 3state3mountain challenge with a course to test any level of rider every spring. October is the time for Chattanooga Rocks, a whole month of outdoor activities and music including mountain biking. Check out the web find your thing in Chattanooga, TN. We need to have a visit from the GCN boys, yea a road trip guys come on over the pond and have some real adventures in the beautiful mountains of east Tennessee USA!
I currently live in Little Rock the capital and center of Arkansas. I’m a former jogger and now a relative newbie to cycling with a little over 600 Km under my belt.
Little Rock has 30, round trip, miles of mostly protected or marked bike lanes along the Arkansas and Maumelle rivers from pinnacle mountain to the downtown Little Rock pubs.
I’m only 20 miles from the 1.7 million acre Ouachita National Forest which spans two states and boasts some of the most beautiful mountain trails and many lakes.
I wasn’t a cyclist when I moved here but cycling will likely keep me here.
Arkansas, after all, is known as the natural state and that speaks for itself.
That sounds like paradise! Happy riding, Michelle!
Little Rock, Arkansas is near the top for cities in the south that aren't huge.
Proud to see Minneapolis on the list
MaroonLynx I was like are you sure
Seattle to Portland is 204 miles one-way. The original race was roundtrip and some still do it
This is the only list I have ever seen that did not have Tucson on it. There really are lots of cities that have great facilities and are adding more all the time. I wouldn't say that Tucson is the best because I haven't been to all the others, but it has always been ranked very high by people who do these bicycle lists.
Saint Louis is also nice. Madison Country in IL has a nice Trail system.
Little Rock ,Arkansas has the longest bicycle / pedestrian bridge in the world 4226ft long. They host the Big Dam 100 every year. But cycling is growing in popularity all across Arkansas . Both road and mountain biking are becoming popular state wide.
+aikidragonpiper71 I guess Little Rock isn't a big enough city to make the list. I think it is one of the best places to run or ride. There are 17 different trail systems within 30 minutes of downtown LR!
We have a lot of great places to ride in Arkansas but a small low populated state and we're often overlooked. I'm in west central Arkansas near Fort Smith and we are starting to build more MTB trails and paved bike trails and Fayetteville has a lot bike stuff too . Nothing like Little Rock but bicycle culture is growing all over Arkansas .
I bet the Divvy bike share folks in Chicago were thrilled to see their bike used for trick riding demonstration!
(@ about 3:00 min)
Voice so soothing. Eyelids getting heavy.
+Cathode Ray then don't watch no one is forcing you to watch!!
+Cathode Ray Brah, I just had an epic burrito and a West Coast IPA and am in hard chill mode.
+Cathode Ray Interesting observation as the first few videos Neil did people complained about how jarring his voice was compared to the other presenters.
Thanks Neal - being a Brit living in northern California I can attest that cycling is bigger here than in any part of the UK I've been to - so why don't we see more GCN USA coverage now your the official guy stateside?
Very true and amazing places to cycle and you have your choice of bike trails, MTB trials and country roads
The fact that Davis and Fort Collins are both not on this list is a tragedy.
yay I'm from Minneapolis. :)
Des Moines, IA Trails are amazing.
The fact that Austin is on this list is pretty sad. Shows how bad the US is when it comes to cycling infrastructure.
Lived there and cycling through the city is not safe. The trail he mentioned are only 10 miles and super crowded, it would be better to go out to Georgetown, less crowded and safer. There are some nice areas like Bee Cave, back country like Fitzhugh, out by Lakeway, all outside of Austin.
Best bike path is the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. 12 miles concrete path with no car traffic, wish they would make more like it.
Or you could do laps at the Veloway til you're bored.
Austin is the most horrendously overrated city in the US both for cycling and for living. I lived there for ten years and hated it.
Traverse city Michigan has lots of paved trails and a huge mountain bike system
How about Davis, CA ? 17% commute on bikes to work.
Fort Worth doesn't seem to be too bad of a place for cycling. I can't really compare it to any of the places on the list because I haven't lived there, but it's the best place I've lived so far.
Fort Worth along with San Antonio both have to be ten times better than horrendously overrated Austin when it comes to cycling. Austin sucks!
Madison, WI for sure
Tucson Arizona what do you think????
You forgot the best thing about Austin, Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop!
I got my first bike there a few days ago.
Washington DC needs to be on this list... some great protected bike lanes
I may not live in Minneapolis but I biked to work last winter it wasn't bad (my hands burned) but when it snowed I had to go an extra mile because we don't have bike lanes & no one cleans sidewalk off so I would ride on a less traveled county road
St. Louis MO. The only problem is, the long trails are right across the Mississippi River in Illinois. But all the St. Louis folk ride everywhere.
I would love to see GCN do more in-depth videos on commuting!
cool cool steady soul keep the spirit
I think a good set of videos would be the guys all talking about every bike they own, like a follow up of the "Meet the presenters bikes" series
If NYC is a top 10 in the country, bad news. I live here and 1 thing is for sure, cycling here is dangerous. motorists hate us and sometimes even purposely try to hit us, even going onto the bike lane at times.
I seen a video of how many car roads were shut off for biking (and some were hardly used by bikers which is a shame) and it caused increased congestion on the roads and increased confusion on who to do left and right turns in places. this was in California by the way.
Asheville nc is crazily obsessed with biking (road and mountain)
Indianapolis seemed like a decent biking city. I was only there for a few days but I pretty much did everything on a bike. There was the rail-trail there as well. I saw more bikers in a week there than I have seen in a year where I live.
Indy native here. We have some benefits but unless you live, work, and play only in downtown Indianapolis or the handful of surrounding downtown neighborhoods, it can be a huge challenge cycling here. We've had something like 4 cyclists killed this year and another half dozen pedestrians killed. Lots of streets lacking sidewalks, let alone bike lanes or multi-use paths.
You missed Ferguson, Mo. Here winter riding is the best, burning buildings keep you warm on your ride.
Lmao.
Best comment. Also, saddest comment.
Baltimore Maryland would also belong on this list for the same reason, arson torched abandoned old rowhouses will keep you toasty on your winter rides.
600k congrats
Seriously? Greenville, SC and Austin, TX and not Philly? I question your judgement.....
I believe Washington, DC was in the top 10 at the time this was published. It was in the top 5 by 2018. A study conducted by the European insurance company COYA, which bills itself as a company that believes in bicycling and offers specific insurance plans for bicyclists, puts D.C. as the fourth best bicycling city in America. Only San Francisco, Portland and Seattle were ahead. Worldwide, the District checked in at 52.
The Sacramento area is a really scenic, flat area with both a cityscape and many trails leading out to many of the surrounding cities, favorable weather year-round, and plenty of bike friendly roads, especially in Downtown Sacramento.
You'll be mocked by BikeSnobNYC tomorrow for including New York. Mark my words.
Oh man, I can't wait for his response to this hahaha
+Mark Ifi BSNYC is mad salty on how shitty NYC drivers and cops are. Unfortunately for me I live in LA, the hit & run capital of the nation and the only metropolis without a bikeshare system. At least we have CicLAvia once in a while...
Two errors in the Seattle section...
1) The Burke-Gilman trail does go by lake Union only for about 1.5 miles (lake union is not that big). It's probably better to say it goes from the sound to and along lake Washington.
2) The Seattle-to-Portland ride is 200+ mi one way. It's also not organized as a round trip.