Best City to Live in for Cycling

nbalcombe

Hi, I thought of something the other day that would be a good discussion point among fellow cyclists.

I consider myself pretty lucky living in Chester. It's a great little city with all the amenities you would expect. On the cycling front, I can be out in the welsh mountains in well under an hour. I also have the Cheshire plains with great villages and cafe stops all within minutes of my front door.

Now I know there are probably better places to live for cycling like little villages in the peak district but then they're not cities with all the infrastructure that they bring.

So, where do you think is the best city to live in for Cycling?

sheffsimon

nbalcombe wrote:

Hi, I thought of something the other day that would be a good discussion point among fellow cyclists.

I consider myself pretty lucky living in Chester. It's a great little city with all the amenities you would expect. On the cycling front, I can be out in the welsh mountains in well under an hour. I also have the Cheshire plains with great villages and cafe stops all within minutes of my front door.

Now I know there are probably better places to live for cycling like little villages in the peak district but then they're not cities with all the infrastructure that they bring.

So, where do you think is the best city to live in for Cycling?

Sheffield, west side obviously, cos I can be in the peak district in 10 minutes from my front door. Unfortunately, we don't have a zoo like you Chester lot...

iPete

I won't say it's best, I'm biased but SW London is good. A good commute into town with Richmond Park and heading out there is the North downs, nothing 'epic' but everything I need. There is big investment in central London infrastructure and cycling is become more of a norm, so from a driver expectation perspective, it's pretty good.

The only 'downside' is the sheer volume of people on bikes!

bernithebiker

I've lived and cycled in the UK, (mostly the South), France, Switzerland and Spain.

I was always very frustrated when we lived in Richmond, that the only close ride was around the park with 1 million other cyclists. On the odd occasion we went out into Surrey, Sussex, I always found the roads busy, narrow, poorly surfaced, etc.

Geneva is great once out of town (easy) as you have the Jura on one side and the Alps on the other. Or round the lake (100 miles ish) for a flatter ride. But climate poor outside of summer.

Pretty much anywhere in France and Spain is good for cycling, but Brittany (an overlooked gem, Quimper, Morlaix), Provence (Avignon) and the Pyrenees (Bagneres de Luchon) get my vote.

If I had to choose just one city though it would be Palma. Such a great little city, full of life, loads going on, beautiful, great food. Excellent links due to big airport, and the cycling, well it just has it all really. Did I mention the climate? 300 days of sun per year.....

keef66

It's not Cambridge, that's for sure...

rolf_f

iPete wrote:

I won't say it's best, I'm biased but SW London is good. A good commute into town with Richmond Park and heading out there is the North downs, nothing 'epic' but everything I need. There is big investment in central London infrastructure and cycling is become more of a norm, so from a driver expectation perspective, it's pretty good.

The only 'downside' is the sheer volume of people on bikes!

And the prize for the most wildly optimistic post of the year goes to........

cougie

Chester is a pretty good call.

bernithebiker

cougie wrote:

Chester is a pretty good call.

isn't the weather a bit dodgy?

0ced0

many of the pros seem to have chosen Monaco... but perhaps it's not only for the cycling.?

Ber Nard

As big a sh!t hole as it is, Stoke's actually not that bad for cycling - largely because it's quick and easy to get places that aren't Stoke.

Surrounded by countryside with the Peak within easy reach, good hills nearby (Gun Hill, Mow Cop, Cat & Fiddle), good bike shops (Rourkes, Swinnertons, Longstaffs) and quite often some bike racing (ToB, Tour Series).

Just a shame it's Stoke.

Camcycle1974

I agree with Keef. Definitely not Cambridge. Aggressive, impatient drivers and crap roads with a lack of hills. Derby or Sheffield probably or York?

nbalcombe

Camcycle1974 wrote:

I agree with Keef. Definitely not Cambridge. Aggressive, impatient drivers and crap roads with a lack of hills. Derby or Sheffield probably or York?

My other half is from Sheffield and that is probably a good shout although the quality of the road surfaces in the city is appalling and worse than any other city I know.

Definitely not York though, my brother lives near there and it's flat for miles in all directions. Some nice villages and quiet country roads though.

DeVlaeminck

For the Peak District Matlock is probably ideally placed though it's not a city. Derby and Sheffield are both good though, couldn't really say which is the better position as far as riding is concerned - Sheffield is closer to the more dramatic of the Peak district climbs but Derby has easy access to leicestershire which with the Peak too gives it two cracking areas for cycling.

robbo2011

Basel.

The Black Forest to the North east, the Vosges to the North west, the Alsace to the west, the Jura to the south and the Alps are within easy reach via train/car for summer days out.

You just need to MTFU in the winter!

iPete

double post

iPete

Rolf F wrote:

iPete wrote:

I won't say it's best, I'm biased but SW London is good. A good commute into town with Richmond Park and heading out there is the North downs, nothing 'epic' but everything I need. There is big investment in central London infrastructure and cycling is become more of a norm, so from a driver expectation perspective, it's pretty good.

The only 'downside' is the sheer volume of people on bikes!

And the prize for the most wildly optimistic post of the year goes to........

For real..As far as city cycling goes I think it's great, can't imagine any other corner of London being as good.

andcp

DeVlaeminck wrote:

For the Peak District Matlock is probably ideally placed though it's not a city. Derby and Sheffield are both good though, couldn't really say which is the better position as far as riding is concerned - Sheffield is closer to the more dramatic of the Peak district climbs but Derby has easy access to leicestershire which with the Peak too gives it two cracking areas for cycling.

I live in Matlock and it's great for both on and off road apart from the tourists at weekends, but you soon learn to navigate your way round them. I work in Derby and it's good for cycling, you can ride your way across the city on cycle tracks or low traffic routes, and it has the fantastic 'new' velodrome. There are also track pumps available at the roadside(!)

AK_jnr

London is a sh1t hole. Riding to Hillingdon from Chiswick to race was eye opening. Southall is up there with the worst places ive been through. Haha.

Bobbinogs

AK_jnr wrote:

London is a sh1t hole.

yepp, what he said. For me, the best thing about going to London is leaving it later.

rolf_f

I suspect Lancaster might be a good shot. OK, a bit near the coast but it's not too big, there is flat land around, some splendid undulating country to the East (Pendle) and you are within shouting distance of the Lakes and Dales. And it isn't Stoke.

bigmat

South East London pretty good - Crystal Palace, Herne Hill velodrome, easy access to Lee Valley (Velopark) and Cyclopark in Kent, Kent Lanes and North Downs a quiet 20 minute ride away, Box Hill under an hour's ride away. Roads far less congested than South West London. Access to the multitude of events in London. All manner if excellent bike shops and cafes. Easy access to Europe via ferry / tunnel. Not saying it (or London in general) is the best for cycling, but you can make a better argument than you can for most places I would say.

whoof

Bristol is pretty good.
Mendips and Somerset levels to the South, to the East and heading North the Cotswolds and over the bridge to the West South Wales.
As for riding in the City itself some of it is OK some less so.

rolf_f

BigMat wrote:

Not saying it (or London in general) is the best for cycling, but you can make a better argument than you can for most places I would say.

So it wins in pretty much all aspects of being the best city to live in for cycling aside from the actual cycling bit!

Bobbinogs

Rolf F wrote:

BigMat wrote:

Not saying it (or London in general) is the best for cycling, but you can make a better argument than you can for most places I would say.

So it wins in pretty much all aspects of being the best city to live in for cycling aside from the actual cycling bit!

I read the post as "London is the best place for cycling anywhere other than the city where you live"

bigmat

A pair of non-readers! I listed all the great things available for cyclists in the London area. I don't want to get drawn into a "my city is better than your city" argument, hence not saying it is "best", I was just making a case for where I currently live because it works out pretty well from a cycling point of view. Oh, the weather is generally a lot nicer than most of the rest of the UK in the South East as well, forgot to mention that. Also the huge investment in inner-city cycling infrastructure making commuting by bike a realistic proposition year round. Crit races pretty much every evening over the summer at a variety of circuits. I could go on...

step83

Ill be annoying an say Milton Keynes, mainly because it has a shed ton of dedicated cycleways put in when the place was designed. Can get from one side to the other without using road, pretty wide an most are in good nick. Bar that London is good an improving with the highways bar the stupid stuff being done in Richmond park.

pilot_pete

I'm just north of Stoke, in Congleton. So, benefits;

1. It's not Stoke ;-)
2. We are start town for Stage 3 ToB 2016. Yippee!
3. Cheshire Plain to the west, Shropshire rolling countryside SW and of course the Peak District on the eastern edge of the town.
4. This gives a choice of a flat ride or hills on the doorstep, including some iconic road climbs like the Cat & Fiddle, Wynnatt's Pass etc plus some beautiful Peak District cafe stops like Longnor, Bakewell, Tideswell and Hartington to name but a few. And as for the scenery climbing the gorge from Glutton Bridge to Axe Edge, or Crowdicote, or the Roaches it doesn't get much better than that in the UK.
5. A myriad of lanes criss-crossing Cheshire East/ West which means you can get to every corner avoiding main roads.
6. Some superb cafe stops all over the county.
7. Congleton is a town, not a city, but has everything you could need and Manchester is 45 minutes north, Stoke on Trent 20 minutes south (not that I've ever been there you understand, its just a friend told me ;-)
8. Manchester Airport 40 mins away (if you drive slowly), Liverpool Airport an hour, both with plenty of cheap flights to warmer cycling climes if that's your bag.
9. And did I mention, it's not Stoke on Trent, or London...;-) (and I grew up in SW London!)
10. Oh, and the weather is just fine, I manage to cycle all year round and have a cycling tan already this year.
11. And as it is not the South East you can buy a big house and have loadsamoney left for several bikes. What more reason do you need? :P

the_hundredth_idiot

Brighton is pretty good.

Cycling friendly Greens in power. Very short ride into the fun of the South Downs and Ashdown Forest - lots of good hills, plenty of nice quiet roads away from the motorised vehicles (although the road surfaces can be pretty bad on some of the smaller roads). Relatively good weather compared to the north of England.

lincolndave

Definitely not Lincoln, the roads are terrible, cycle paths non existent uphill, cycle lanes are terrible and full of cars. But once you get in the countryside it's unbeatable, miles of Lincolnshire wolds quiet roads, plenty of hills, roll on the weekend

slowmart

City infrastructures are over rated with chains of betting, charity and coffee shops

Newport, Shropshire. Superbly quiet lanes all but 10 minutes away from the town centre. A couple of decent cycling clubs with a relatively low density population in and around Shropshire.

bernithebiker

I'm quite surprised how many of these are UK cities.
Don't want to knock UK cycling as there are some great rides and roads, but best city to live in for cycling? This means climate, food, roads, rides, etc. I guess?
Has noone here been to Nice, Girona, Biarritz, Palma, Geneva, Barcelona?! And that's without even getting all exotic like Cape Town, USA (which I don't know that well), New Zealand.....