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Gurney

Chimp
Jan 14, 2010
32
0
What do you think are the top 10 "Mountain Bike" cities in the USA?
I am looking for cities that have it all. XC, all mountain, DH and lift access (within a 2hr drive).

The reason I am asking is that my wife and I are currently living in Fairbanks, AK and moving within the next 2 years.
I would like our next and hopefully last move to be to a mecca of sorts, thanks.
 
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vancouver (not in US, but my top choice)

Boulder

Seattle

Portland (primarily as a city closest to Bend)

bend, or (not really a city)

NYC (before you laugh, there are good xc/am/lift served dh all within 1-1.5hr drive)

lake tahoe (not really a city either)
 
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NCBMXPRO

Monkey
Apr 22, 2005
129
1
Charlotte
I think Asheville, North Carolina would be a lock in the Top 5, maybe 3, but I just have not been to too many bike destination spots. Only down fall would be lift access.

Lake Tahoe 1 or 2?
 

Gurney

Chimp
Jan 14, 2010
32
0
vancouver (my top choice)

Boulder

Seattle

Portland (primarily as a city closest to Bend)

bend, or (not really a city)

NYC (before you laugh, there are good xc/am/lift served dh all within 1-1.5hr drive)

lake tahoe (not really a city either)
We lived in Vancouver/Squamish for 12yrs, and while it is probably one of my top 10 too, the housing market makes it really unattractive. The reason we are looking at cities in the USA, is that her career opportunities are greater then in Canada.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Burlingtron
Asheville
Durango
Western Mass(region)
CO frontrange(region)
PA/WV border
Reno(yuck)
Seattle seems nice.
If you were young broke and single Portland would be the place to be though.
I know nothing about the world west of the Sierras. It weirds me out enough crossing the Mississippi.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
believe it or not Pittsburgh has got to be up there...we have so much singletrack so close to the city its crazy...and the riding outside in the north and east is fantastic.

Not a mecca but very good.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
We lived in Vancouver/Squamish for 12yrs, and while it is probably one of my top 10 too, the housing market makes it really unattractive. The reason we are looking at cities in the USA, is that her career opportunities are greater then in Canada.
I would say that is number 1 - housing is rediculous though
 
Jun 1, 2011
49
1
Denver
vancouver (my top choice)

Boulder

Seattle

Portland (primarily as a city closest to Bend)

bend, or (not really a city)

NYC (before you laugh, there are good xc/am/lift served dh all within 1-1.5hr drive)

lake tahoe (not really a city either)
Boulder isn't very MTB friendly. (Yes, I do understand we have some trails but we also have beautiful trail-less mountains sitting there mocking us.)
 

Gurney

Chimp
Jan 14, 2010
32
0
believe it or not Pittsburgh has got to be up there...we have so much singletrack so close to the city its crazy...and the riding outside in the north and east is fantastic.

Not a mecca but very good.
I have heard great things about Pittsburgh, what is the city like?
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
My personal list would be something like

1. Bellingham
2. Bellingham
3. Bellingham
4. Anywhere in colorado that's close to the sol vista, keystone, winter park triangle. Except for boulder.....that place blows for any bike riding that's not on a goofy ass 29er or a fixie.
5. Tahoe
5.5 Asheville
6. Sedona
7. Moab
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
I would say that is number 1 - housing is rediculous though
I allways keep hearing about it so Im curious. How much would be a 2 room flat be worth in different areas of the city? For example on the outskirts but still acessible by public transport and under <1h to get to the center (where I live in Warsaw now)
 

thad

Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
388
21
Bellingham is all fall line chunder fest, with no flow. And too many hippies. Don't move here.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I only mentioned it because it's so close to the flat drop, fall line, ass-dragging, shltty lip to no landing, buy a dh bike to ride on logs, rickety two by four balancing act of awesomeness that is vacouver's famous northshore.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
The city is different than most people think, quickly becoming a technology hot spot...Housing is affordable, tons of GREAT Restaurants - they just finished filming batman here of all movies. Only downside is the maniac sports fans that can be idiots, gets to be a bit much.

I mean hell we just finished a public freeride park a few miles outside of the city.
 

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,651
124
New York City
1. Roxbury NY

2. Moab, Utah

3. Fruita, Colorado

4. Asheville, North Carolina

5. East Burke, Vermont

6. Park City, Utah

7. Lake Tahoe, Calif

8. Lake Placid, NY
 

Raingauge

Monkey
Apr 3, 2008
692
0
Canadia
I allways keep hearing about it so Im curious. How much would be a 2 room flat be worth in different areas of the city? For example on the outskirts but still acessible by public transport and under <1h to get to the center (where I live in Warsaw now)
Public transportation? Its in North America. Our public transportation blows compared to what Europe has.

Average house price in Van is ~$740,000 CDN. No idea what an apartment costs. My sis rents a place the size of a closet in downtown Van for ~$1000/month.

If you go further east out into the valley the prices are better but you have to have a vehicle to get anywhere.
 

nowlan

Monkey
Jul 30, 2008
496
2
vancouver (my top choice)

Boulder

Seattle

Portland (primarily as a city closest to Bend)

bend, or (not really a city)

NYC (before you laugh, there are good xc/am/lift served dh all within 1-1.5hr drive)

lake tahoe (not really a city either)
You know Vancouver is in Canada eh?
 

chup29

Chimp
Sep 9, 2009
70
3
Ashland
1) Ashland OR (my hometown)
2)Bellingham WA
3) Boulder CO (my college home)
4) Grand Junction CO
5) Moab UT
6) Truckee CA
7) SF Bay Area
8) Auburn CA (for decent dh and proximity to downieville)
9) Bend OR
10) Government Camp OR

Theres my Top 10, grew up in the bay area and theres not much but you can get really good riding close by and the whole city of SF is amazing. Now i live in Ashland and its the best, most amazing DH and the most amazing All mountain riding all on 1 mountain all 5 minutes from my front door. Did i mention my rides usually drop 5000 feet? Boulder is great for biking if you know where to look, the legal local trails get played out but its close to Nederland and Idaho Springs and 2 hours from all the resorts. Grand Junction was just a place that i visited that had a ton of all mountain riding, truly amazing stuff. Government Camp is close to Portland and has Post Canyon, skibowl, mt hood and all sorts of other stuff. Bend has lots of amazing all mountain riding. Truckee is awesome for riding if you can handle the winters... Cant really go wrong on the west coast, just stay away from the eco-nazi's in their prius's and youll be fine...
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Public transportation? Its in North America. Our public transportation blows compared to what Europe has.

Average house price in Van is ~$740,000 CDN. No idea what an apartment costs. My sis rents a place the size of a closet in downtown Van for ~$1000/month.

If you go further east out into the valley the prices are better but you have to have a vehicle to get anywhere.
That's insane. Isn't that more than london which is known for being a silly expensive city? I was suprised because Warsaw is catching up and flat/house prices are supposedly high on the top euro lists.

I wonder what's the base for avg house price. I know that you have to pay 8k PLN(2500 CAD) for every square meter of flat, 2-3x for an apartment (ie something bigger with a luxury badge).
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Anywhere in VT has got to be way up there. Between the mill pond trails (or whatever they're called), pittsfield, and Burke, you've got some incredible trails. Throw in Burke MT, Killington, and Snow, with Bromont not much further, and you've got some great lift trails nearby. Hell, Whiteface is just over the lake.

The east coast definitely has some good riding, and anywhere in New England gives you great access to a huge variety of lifts, not to mention singletrack, but you'll have to drive.
 

batts65

Monkey
Aug 27, 2002
182
0
Upstate NY
I am near Albany NY, plenty of trail riding all around.

Plattekill about 1.5 hours
Jiminy Peak about 1 hour
Mount Snow about 1.5 hours
Killington about 2 hours
Whiteface a little over 2 hours
Diablo about 3 hours
Bromont about 3.5 hours
Highland about 3.5 hours

Job market is not horrible, housing prices are stable, property taxes suck.
 
yes, i know van is not in US, i just didn't fully read the original post.

and when you mean city, do you simply mean criteria interms of population? or do you want all the amenities and activities of a metropolitan city? (ie theaters, museums, cultural events, good restaurants/bars, nightlife)
 

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
I am near Albany NY, plenty of trail riding all around.

Plattekill about 1.5 hours
Jiminy Peak about 1 hour
Mount Snow about 1.5 hours
Killington about 2 hours
Whiteface a little over 2 hours
Diablo about 3 hours
Bromont about 3.5 hours
Highland about 3.5 hours

Job market is not horrible, housing prices are stable, property taxes suck.
I'm from here as well, and am a full backer of what Steve said. XC/AM is all over the place here as well. Awesome trail riding in the Helderberg escarpment in Albany county, awesome trails in Saratoga, Rensselaer County (just east of MA), less than an hour to the lower ADK trails, close (1 hour) proximity to great trail systems in the Hudson Valley/Catskills and Western MA.
 

Drth Vadr

Monkey
Oct 5, 2011
120
0
I am near Albany NY, plenty of trail riding all around.

Plattekill about 1.5 hours
Jiminy Peak about 1 hour
Mount Snow about 1.5 hours
Killington about 2 hours
Whiteface a little over 2 hours
Diablo about 3 hours
Bromont about 3.5 hours
Highland about 3.5 hours

Job market is not horrible, housing prices are stable, property taxes suck.
and can you imagine I want off the east coast. I just might need to go farther north.
 

jnooth

Monkey
Sep 19, 2008
384
1
Vermont Country
I live in central vermont and the riding is great.

I can be at 9 lift accessed resorts in under 3 hours. and a few more just over 3 hours

Killington-20 minutes
sugarbush- 1 hour
mount snow- 1 hour
whiteface- 2 hours
highland- 2 hours
jimminy peak- 2 hours
burke- 3 hours
Bromont-3 hours
plattekill- 3 hours

Also there is plenty of good trail riding to be had.

Pine hill park- 5 minutes
pittsfield- 30 minutes
trails in burlington 2 hours
kingdom trails- 3 hours

those are just some of the bigger ones there are trail all over.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
Guess we should define what you consider a "city."

Fwiw, Montreal has:

Bromont - 1hr
Burke, VT - 2.5hr
Whiteface - 2hr

and is generally a bike friendly city, with a good bike culture.
 

Gurney

Chimp
Jan 14, 2010
32
0
Yes, I guess I should have defined a city.
We would be looking at cities that a have a university/college, as my wife is an academic in the making.
Regardless of what we define as a city, thanks for the input.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
dude where are you in VT that burke is 3 hours away? I come from Boston and it takes me 3.5 hours to get there. It takes me Two hours just to get to vermont, whether I go west Via 2 or north via 93. I'm confused...
 

rav400

Monkey
Aug 31, 2009
177
6
The Right Coast
I can see Pittsburgh is realitively unknown in the mountain bike scene other than to the locals as already stated. Just about every city and county park in the Pittsburgh area has mountain bike trails, even parks in the city limits. There is a wide variety of terrain too. From fast and flowy to technical and rocky. Like stated, there is a free public freeride area, with a freeride trail, a dirt jump line and some practice skinnies. As for lift access, 7 springs is about an hour and half drive from town. While short on elevation, it is very fun and they add more every year. For technical DH, Wisp and Timberline are 2 and 3 hours, respectively, away. For a little bit of everything in the bike park, Snowshoe is about 4 hours away, and offers fast and flowy jump lines and some pretty technical natural trails.


Yes, I guess I should have defined a city.
We would be looking at cities that a have a university/college, as my wife is an academic in the making.
Regardless of what we define as a city, thanks for the input.

Pittsburgh, has a number of universities and colleges in the city. CMU is probably tops in the technology and engineering fields, as well as art. University of Pittsburgh for Medicine. My wife and I just moved to the suburbs south of the city after spending the past year and a half in ohio and are happy to back in PA. My wife grew up in a more rural area of PA, and the hardest part of our new home for her is driving. The roads around the suburbs and more urban areas are much busier and less direct than what she is use to.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
Burlington, VT belongs on that list. Very cool small city on a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, great bike scene (road and mtn), close to great skiing/snowboarding, reasonable housing, and driving distance to Boston and Montreal.
 
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SinatorJ

Monkey
Jul 9, 2002
582
51
AZ
Phoenix, AZ no lifts but we have shuttles of the S. Mountain which has great DH runs (non-private) 4 times a week...
Except for the 4.5 Million other reasons not to live there and hotter than the blazes of hell. Why have you guys not found a new place to shuttle down there?
South mountain way too crowded
 

jnooth

Monkey
Sep 19, 2008
384
1
Vermont Country
dude where are you in VT that burke is 3 hours away? I come from Boston and it takes me 3.5 hours to get there. It takes me Two hours just to get to vermont, whether I go west Via 2 or north via 93. I'm confused...
I'm from rutland. your right its probably closer to 2 or 2 and a half. it takes an hour for me just to get to 93. I dont go there that often so its just a guess. roads in VT are very good going north and south. east and west is different. lots of back roads and farm land.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
in general though new england & the PNW are my favorite life/ride balance areas in the country...Colorado and Utah are awesome but i'm not sure if i would live in either, very land locked.