New to Denver Area

[Bradford]

I'm a former New Englander, live in Highlands Ranch, and would be happy to sit down and go over my favorite routes some night or weekend. The quick version is that there are great rides this side of town.

The only problem is that this is ski season and I'm away many weekends. (I just rolled in from Winter Park 30 minutes ago and I'm heading back on Tuesday).

Send me a PM, I'll shoot you my phone number, and we can figure out a time to talk. I'd take you out for a few rides when I'm back on the road, but I'm old, fat, and slow, so I'd just hold you back.

Now that you are here, you need to knock off some of the classic Colorado routes. Do Ride the Rockies every year you can (lottery closes at 5:00 PM MT today, so you are running out of time for this year), Copper Triangle, and Tour of the Moon are good starts. For the classic South Side ride, E-Rock (Elephant Rock) is the traditional century to start the year.

Welcome to The Ranch, its a great place to live and raise a family.

Stephen

[bmeryman]

Originally Posted by Schmed

flydhest - you have it all wrong. Tons of smog, crime, horrible riding, ice storms, famine, flood, snakes, dark and cold most of the year.

You know, I was getting a bit of an Oregon Trail vibe on the way out here. We had to eat one of our oxen, repair a wagon wheel, and I think I feel a bit of dysentery coming on...

[Puget Pounder]

It's official - I'll be moving there in June to do medical residency for the next 3 years. Match day was yesterday for those who know what that is.

Sorry to add to the transplants... I hear CO natives are quite vehement about transplants. I'm from Seattle, so I get it. Hoping to get some insight from y'all:

I've been perusing the market to rent a house and think we can do a small house for <$1800. What neighborhoods would you guys recommend for a late 20s couple sans children? I'll be splitting most of my time between UC Denver in aurora and Denver health downtown.

What kind of cars do you guys drive? This is an opportunity for us to get a new car that would be better for outdoors adventures that would be a bit better for snow. I drive a yaris and my wife drives a mazda 3. We will probably get rid of the yaris before we move over and look into getting a subaru crosstrek or mazda CX-5. Even with AWD, are snow tires necessary throughout the winter? Do you have separate rims or just get the tires switched twice a year?

Are bike fenders necessary? I have a set of honjos I was planning on putting on my commuter, but may not need them if I'm going to the sunniest city in the US.

Thanks for the help!

[Schmed]

Although we say we are full and don't want transplants, I highly doubt you'll be treated any different than anyone else. Heck - most of the state are transplants. As long as you realize, however, that there are no friends on powder days.

Both your cars are fine if you choose to keep them. Snow tires on 2wd cars are all you need unless you live up a steep canyon. But, if you want to fit in and look like the rest of Colorado, yes, buy a subaru.

If you have AWD, all-season tires are probably all you need, but it is safer to run snow tires no matter what drive configuration you have. I run RWD and snow tires and travel 35k miles per year all over the state including the mountains.

Fenders are nice for the commute home, maybe. Rarely do we get rain except for summer afternoon thunderstorms that roll in and out very quickly. Like in 15 minutes.

Highlands seems like a neat area to live, but I doubt you'll find $1800/month. Sunnyside neighborhood, too, but $$$, I think. Personally, I don't think I'd like living near UC Health / Aurora, but maybe you would. I think I'd like to be W of Federal and S of I70 or somewhere maybe near Stapleton area or Colorado and 19th. I'd rather live further West than all of those, but not if I had to go to Anschutz or Denver Health.

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by Puget Pounder

...What neighborhoods would you guys recommend for a late 20s couple sans children? I'll be splitting most of my time between UC Denver in aurora and Denver health downtown...

I'm too old, too many kids, and too suburban to help with that.

Originally Posted by Puget Pounder

...What kind of cars do you guys drive? Even with AWD, are snow tires necessary throughout the winter? Do you have separate rims or just get the tires switched twice a year?...

If you don't plan on going to the mountains, you won't see too much snow and it melts away fast; so front wheel drive would be fine. If you are planning on spending any time in the mountains, then you need AWD. I drive an AWD CRV and my wife drives an AWD Sienna. Any AWD should be fine, but I wouldn't drive to the mountains in the winter without it. The Crosstek would be perfect, but not the only option that will work well enough.

I'm fine with 4 season tires, because I know how to drive and we usually take the other car to the mountains. My wife has winter tires for the mini van, with an extra set of rims, because, well, she needs them. And seriously, if you go the mountains enough, you will eventually find yourself in a whiteout on a mountain pass and will be really happy you have winter tires and AWD.

Originally Posted by Puget Pounder

...Are bike fenders necessary? I have a set of honjos I was planning on putting on my commuter, but may not need them if I'm going to the sunniest city in the US...

Denver is basically a desert, so you don't need fenders. I tend ride year round and don't let a little snow/sleet/slush keep me in, so one of my bikes has fenders, but they end up being used just a few days a year. Dorothy, you aren't in Seattle anymore.

Good luck when you get here, get yourself to the high country as much as you can in the three good seasons (skip mud season), and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer.

[Schmed]

Originally Posted by Bradford

If you are planning on spending any time in the mountains, then you might want AWD, but certainly don'tneed AWD.

Fixed it for you

(Colorado Mountain Express runs what? About 150 trips daily from Vail to DIA airport? All year round. Probably more trips in the winter. All in RWD sprinter vans. With snow tires.)