Biketown USA/Canada - best cities to live in for MTB in North America?

[jm2e]

Asheville. It has seasons, but they all allow for biking. Nice mix of cross country and downhill oriented trails. Bike parks readily available. It's still the south, with humidity and racism. Expensive as fuck.

Flagstaff. It has seasons, but all you do is drive 30 min and you're in a totally different zone. Amazing place, but no real reliable winter. Expensive as fuck.

Corvallis. Year round riding in town, out your back door. BRMBA nearby if you want BC style features. Any distance you want to drive from town will get you awesome possibilities, so burnout level is low. Rain. Rain. Expensive as shit.

Crested Butte. Better winter sport options than the above. Drive down to Gunnison in the winter if you don't want to ski. Expensive as fuck.

Golden/Boulder. Seems like it makes sense on paper. Great access out your backdoor. Great access to the I70 corridor if you want to delve deeper. Great access to an urban center. Much more "in the mountains" than Ft Collins and better access to everything (all taken from an 'I lived in Ft C, and it wasn't perfect' perspective). More variety in just how expensive you want to make it.

As mentioned repeatedly, why not Whistler or Vancouver?

[raisingarizona13]

I'd say North Vancouver, but the real estate is scary. Squamish is also scary prices for what is there for economy. BC more than ever stands for Bring Cash.

Pemberton?

I love Crested Butte but it's cold as it gets and the riding season is short. The winters are long but they can be very dry. That combo isn't something I care to live with any longer.

[Edgnar]

If year round biking is the object, Asheville/Brevard/Boone, NC is an amazing area.

Yea, but the economy sucks. And you've got the rainy summer season (at least in Boone). But there is also good road biking on the Parkway. I haven't ridden there much, but the trails I've explored were fun. I wish we had had better trails there for mountain biking when I was at App State 10 years ago.

The skiing is pretty shitty though.

[shirk]

Pemberton?

Not year round riding, it's close but they do get snow. Also not much economy there, unless you're working remote/telecommute or plan to work in Whistler. Housing has taken a huge jump in the last year, but not bad if you're cashing out of somewhere more expensive.

[Edgnar]

Ya, he already lives in the Bay Area, so prob not. Otherwise, it would be hard to beat Marin and/Or Santa Cruz for year-round, out the door trails.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where Marin has great mountain biking. The road riding is great, but everyone up there hates mountain bikers. Maybe I'm spoiled having spent years biking in Breckenridge and Crested Butte, but riding fire roads is lame. I haven't ridden Santa Cruz much yet, so I'm not commenting on trails down there, but from what I've seen, it looks much friendlier.

[Edgnar]

Asheville. It has seasons, but they all allow for biking. Nice mix of cross country and downhill oriented trails. Bike parks readily available. It's still the south, with humidity and racism. Expensive as fuck.

Flagstaff. It has seasons, but all you do is drive 30 min and you're in a totally different zone. Amazing place, but no real reliable winter. Expensive as fuck.

Corvallis. Year round riding in town, out your back door. BRMBA nearby if you want BC style features. Any distance you want to drive from town will get you awesome possibilities, so burnout level is low. Rain. Rain. Expensive as shit.

Crested Butte. Better winter sport options than the above. Drive down to Gunnison in the winter if you don't want to ski. Expensive as fuck.

Golden/Boulder. Seems like it makes sense on paper. Great access out your backdoor. Great access to the I70 corridor if you want to delve deeper. Great access to an urban center. Much more "in the mountains" than Ft Collins and better access to everything (all taken from an 'I lived in Ft C, and it wasn't perfect' perspective). More variety in just how expensive you want to make it.

As mentioned repeatedly, why not Whistler or Vancouver?

I don't know about your definition of expensive. In the last 5 years I've lived in Breck, Crested Butte, (and here is where it goes down hill) Washington, DC and San Francisco. Breck and Crested Butte were pretty cheap, DC & SF very expensive. I've got friends in Asheville who rented a 3 bedroom house for $1200 a month 3 years ago. Not sure what it costs now, but you know what $1200 a month gets you in DC? A small room in an old ass house. In SF you might be able to get a spot in a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel with the junkies and hookers. In 2008 I was renting a nice new one bedroom apartment for that much in Frisco, and until 2012 I lived in the master bedroom of a 4 BR house for $550. My room in CB on Elk Ave was the same amount. I know Air B'nB has fucked the real estate market in ski towns, but I think your definition of expensive is a bit off.

Crested Butte's economy is basically shit though. You have to own a business, work remote or have a trust fund to live there. And even if you own a business, you have to make your nut in basically two or three months-December, March and July. Its also cold as fuck most of the year. Breckenridge is cold too, but at least the economy is a bit better because of the proximity to Denver and the front range. Asheville is also pretty tough. Work in the service industry, own a business, or bring your dough from somewhere else. I'd love to live in Asheville, but there aren't very many jobs that pay more than $50k.

[SchralphMacchio]

There are narrow trails in Marin, but limited and with lots of user-group conflict or flat out illegal. There is one legal trail system that is on private land (pay for access) and is pretty fun (Camp Tamarancho), but living in Fairfax means $$$. Sonoma County has a some other trail systems with less conflict.

[SchralphMacchio]

"Expensive" should be factored relative to local median wages. Even still, San Francisco Bay Area has just gotten way out of control. (My best guess is that) Pay is maybe 1.5x of national average while housing is more like 2.5x of national average.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where Marin has great mountain biking. The road riding is great, but everyone up there hates mountain bikers. Maybe I'm spoiled having spent years biking in Breckenridge and Crested Butte, but riding fire roads is lame. I haven't ridden Santa Cruz much yet, so I'm not commenting on trails down there, but from what I've seen, it looks much friendlier.

I'd agree that the singletrack riding in Marin is lame but riding fire roads isn't. I love all types of cycling and combine singletrack, dirt roads and pavement all in one ride all the time. How long have you lived in the Bay Area? You're not getting out much if you haven't been down the Peninsula and down to Santa Cruz. Some of the best singletrack ridge riding I've done is in the MPOSD. Some of the best trail riding anywhere is down in Henry Coe. Living in the Bay Area for almost 20 years is what turned me on to mixed surface bike rides.

[raisingarizona13]

I'd agree that the singletrack riding in Marin is lame but riding fire roads isn't. I love all types of cycling and combine singletrack, dirt roads and pavement all in one ride all the time. How long have you lived in the Bay Area? You're not getting out much if you haven't been down the Peninsula and down to Santa Cruz. Some of the best singletrack ridge riding I've done is in the MPOSD. Some of the best trail riding anywhere is down in Henry Coe. Living in the Bay Area for almost 20 years is what turned me on to mixed surface bike rides.

Riding bikes is fun but fire roads do not equate to a riding mecca. I would get seriously bored out of my mind but I live in Flagstaff and ride in Sedona a lot so I'm spoiled.

[Edgnar]

I'd agree that the singletrack riding in Marin is lame but riding fire roads isn't. I love all types of cycling and combine singletrack, dirt roads and pavement all in one ride all the time. How long have you lived in the Bay Area? You're not getting out much if you haven't been down the Peninsula and down to Santa Cruz. Some of the best singletrack ridge riding I've done is in the MPOSD. Some of the best trail riding anywhere is down in Henry Coe. Living in the Bay Area for almost 20 years is what turned me on to mixed surface bike rides.

I've just been here for about a year. I have to admit I haven't been out much. I broke my front derailleur a while ago and I've been taking my time to fix it, but I've finally got the parts on the way. I hit Tilden Regional once and did a ride between Fort Cronkite and the Tennessee Valley, but I would have been better off on cyclocross bike that my full suspension MTB for most of that. I got a roadie last July and I've been putting lots miles on that.

What is the MPOSD? I've heard of Henry Coe but I haven't been down there.

I've got to admit that part of what keeps me from heading south on the weekends is just not wanting to deal with the fucking traffic.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I've just been here for about a year. I have to admit I haven't been out much. I broke my front derailleur a while ago and I've been taking my time to fix it, but I've finally got the parts on the way. I hit Tilden Regional once and did a ride between Fort Cronkite and the Tennessee Valley, but I would have been better off on cyclocross bike that my full suspension MTB for most of that. I got a roadie last July and I've been putting lots miles on that.

What is the MPOSD? I've heard of Henry Coe but I haven't been down there.

I've got to admit that part of what keeps me from heading south on the weekends is just not wanting to deal with the fucking traffic.

Mid Peninsula Open Space District. Probably one of the most extensive systems of legal singletrack in the Bay outside of Henry Coe. It's not freeride stuff, it's old school skinny trail.

The reason I moved from the Bay Area to here is that fucking traffic sucks unless it's between 9 pm and 5 am. The climate and year round riding opportunities were unbeatable IMO.

[TahoeJ]

But why not a contender for Biketown USA?

I think Truckee / Tahoe is a legit contender for sure, but not based on your year-round requirement. This year, since we actually had snow, there wasn't much to ride besides Jackass until mid May. But of course I'm fine with there being plenty of snow, as are you. :-)

[TahoeJ]

Guys, no one in Marin sticks to the legal singletrack. There's some really, really great trails... you just have to ride them at night (or really early morning) most of the time.

[mtngirl79]

https://www.pdf-maps.com/maps/103408...-2015-edition/

[grskier]

How much of the year is Salida rideable?

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Guys, no one in Marin sticks to the legal singletrack. There's some really, really great trails... you just have to ride them at night (or really early morning) most of the time.

I've ridden almost every trail on Tam and in Marin Water District Lands, they're great but the price of admission can be steep. Getting caught just given the anti-bike people more resolve. You're less likely to get caught riding Wilderness and the PCT around Tahoe than illegal trails in Marin.

[ridinshockgun]

Yea, but the economy sucks. And you've got the rainy summer season (at least in Boone). But there is also good road biking on the Parkway. I haven't ridden there much, but the trails I've explored were fun. I wish we had had better trails there for mountain biking when I was at App State 10 years ago.

The skiing is pretty shitty though.

I lived in Charlotte for years, and rode in Pisgah and Dupont a LOT during the summer, and winter, and spring, and fall. And no riding near Boone? Do you have any idea of the extensive amount of "unsanctioned" stuff that exists in and around the Wilson Creek drainage? Most of it isn't even on maps and you either have to know someone, or be willing to do some exploring on your own but it is as good or better than Pisgah proper. Yeah there are t-storms in the summer, but it's rarely ever too wet to ride in the summer. Usually it's quite dry. Would I ever PLAN a trip in advance to fly to that area to ride? No, because the weather is unpredictable, you won't get guaranteed ride days like you will planning a trip to Moab, or the SW, or other popular locations. But if you live there, you get a HUGE amount of ride days all year long.

The biggest thing I've missed since moving to Seattle is the winter riding in the mountains, I really miss winter Pisgah rides. And I'm not talking about purpose built trails at Tiger or whatever. I'm talking about long epics in the mountains, Pisgah offers so many of those up that you won't be able to ride them all for years.

I would be willing to bet that you have more riding days in Pisgah and Dupont than you do in nearly any area of the country that offers similar vertical gain/loss and quality quantity of trails.

What most are missing here, is how close Greenville, SC is to Pisgah and Dupont, and the economy is good, and cost of living is very low. Assuming one needs/wants a full time job and you're taking fantasy places like Crested Butte (even Asheville/Brevard for most) and such off the list, this one is very, very high up there.

[SchralphMacchio]

^ great info on Asheville!

Your bet seems pretty likely. We have a decent amount of vert and riding days here in Northern California, but probably not the quantity and quality of conflict free / bike legal trails right outside of town

[SchralphMacchio]

Edgnar, hit me up on PM if you ever want to go for a ride. I ride as far north as Sonoma County and as far south as Monterey County. We can check out some of the less sanctioned stuff

[Lindahl]

How much of the year is Salida rideable?

Front Range has more to offer with a similar season imo.

[Edgnar]

I lived in Charlotte for years, and rode in Pisgah and Dupont a LOT during the summer, and winter, and spring, and fall. And no riding near Boone? Do you have any idea of the extensive amount of "unsanctioned" stuff that exists in and around the Wilson Creek drainage? Most of it isn't even on maps and you either have to know someone, or be willing to do some exploring on your own but it is as good or better than Pisgah proper. Yeah there are t-storms in the summer, but it's rarely ever too wet to ride in the summer. Usually it's quite dry. Would I ever PLAN a trip in advance to fly to that area to ride? No, because the weather is unpredictable, you won't get guaranteed ride days like you will planning a trip to Moab, or the SW, or other popular locations. But if you live there, you get a HUGE amount of ride days all year long.

The biggest thing I've missed since moving to Seattle is the winter riding in the mountains, I really miss winter Pisgah rides. And I'm not talking about purpose built trails at Tiger or whatever. I'm talking about long epics in the mountains, Pisgah offers so many of those up that you won't be able to ride them all for years.

I would be willing to bet that you have more riding days in Pisgah and Dupont than you do in nearly any area of the country that offers similar vertical gain/loss and quality quantity of trails.

What most are missing here, is how close Greenville, SC is to Pisgah and Dupont, and the economy is good, and cost of living is very low. Assuming one needs/wants a full time job and you're taking fantasy places like Crested Butte (even Asheville/Brevard for most) and such off the list, this one is very, very high up there.

I'm talking about 10 years ago. I've been back a few times and been impressed with what has sprung up. I'm happy to hear that the scene is getting better! I do remember hearing about the unsanctioned stuff, but I was also more a rock climber than a mountain biker when when I lived in Boone, so I didn't see much of the trails there.

I've also heard good things about Greenville, SC. I've got some friends that live near there and they speak highly of it.

[Edgnar]

Edgnar, hit me up on PM if you ever want to go for a ride. I ride as far north as Sonoma County and as far south as Monterey County. We can check out some of the less sanctioned stuff

As soon as I get my mountain bike running again (hopefully this weekend) I'll take you up on that.

[fastfred]

tax dollars at work

[MagnificentUnicorn]

tax dollars at work

So rad, is that Alabama?