What’s best small city in Northeast for bikes?

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Dude

Montgomery County

Too funny. I lived right off of Horsham Road in Montgomery County.

[buddybikes]

Newburyport -- forgot about that. Beautiful but no cheap. Amesbury or Rowley next to it also. My family footprints are in that area, wish for years I was able to buy my grandmothers house in Amesbury. Going up the coast - Portsmouth NH or suburb thereof.

Lots of places to explore.

But coming down to things, family and medical access importance.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by BobC

I am looking at SW/Central PA & WV. Areas I have preliminarily ID'd so far include:
- Lancaster County PA
- Harrisburg & Lewisburg PA
- area around Latrobe PA
- Bridgeport/Fairmont WV
- (A bit farther south) Lewisburg WV

if you can tolerate the humidity, western NC might be for you

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Sometimes you have to go to a wedding or funeral.

I was joking, but you can take it however you wish.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by benb

if you like to ride you can handle riding in the winter.

I agree that for many this is true - folks here have posted "ride reports" of commuting in to work at temps well below 20*F.

However, the bottom line for me is that it just isn't worth it. And now that I've been doing more and more indoor rowing I've come to realize that I can get a perfectly good (probably better) winter workout without having to bundle up a feel like the Michelin man.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by .RJ

if you can tolerate the humidity, western NC might be for you

I've lived in VB for the past 30+ years. Western NC is nothing compared to here in terms of humidity.

My wife is from Winston-Salem, which is also on the list.
I do like W-S, but part of our equation where we finally retire will depend on where our kids end up (we want to be relatively close).
- I went to college in central PA & like the area.
- Our older son goes to WVU and we want to explore the area just south of there.

Lots of options.

[sailorboy]

Originally Posted by dsjackson

Montpelier, VT. The best riding in the northeast at your tires.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea, love that area. When I lived up there in the 80's/90's it was a podunk town that you only went to for your driver's test (lol) but now it has a great scene with decent restaurants, great roads in any direction. Mtn biking nearby too. Toast one at Three Penny for me until the next time I make it back there.

[Louis]

I went to college in NH (early 80's) and would love to live there again, but I don't think I would enjoy the winters, even with today's globally warmed temperatures.

[dumbod]

Anywhere in the Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River valley from Holyoke to the VT border) is great for riding road, gravel and mountain. But Northampton is the spot to live. Amherst is too small and is overrun by UMASS students when schools in session. Greenfield is small and really alternative.

Northampton is big enough to be interesting with restaurants and a good adult music scene. We lived in Brooklyn for 30 years and Northampton was where we chose to have a second home. The flat riding is really limited though. It’s not mountainous but it’s not Delmarva either

[rwsaunders]

Originally Posted by chrismoustache

Pittsburgh, the west coast of the east coast.(which I don't think anyone actually says)

I’ve heard it called it the Paris of Appalachia…and I live here.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by Onno

Central New York has excellent cycling, and some affordable small cities. Ithaca is fantastic; smaller and cheaper (and still around Finger Lakes) are Geneva, Skaneateles, and Canadaigua. Cooperstown is smaller, but also wonderful. All have access to excellent roads, with not a lot of traffic; good terrain, gravel if you want it. I find the roads here to be remarkably well-maintained, and aside from a few assholes in pickup trucks, traffic is fairly respectful of cyclists. There are so many paved small roads, windy and hilly! To me it's close to perfect, and I've biked in lots of other parts of the world. The winters do run about 4 months, but that's when I x-c ski.

Agree although much of the summer spring and fall are wet. I hate the rain and we get some 50 inches per year...

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by rwsaunders

I’ve heard it called it the Paris of Appalachia…and I live here.

I hear that phrase in my head with a certain accent.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by chrismoustache

Pittsburgh, the west coast of the east coast.

Originally Posted by rwsaunders

I’ve heard it called it the Paris of Appalachia…and I live here.

When I lived in Pittsburgh PA from age 0-10 we considered where we lived part of "the Northeast"...but all my relatives who lived in either New York City or Baltimore MD honestly and with no guile or irony referred to where we lived as "the Midwest"

I've only ever been back to Pittsburgh 2 or 3 times since 1971, all for very brief visits, so I'm not sure if this is true, but I suspect that people who live in the actual Midwest lump Pittsburgh in with the "coastal elites" of the Northeast...and folks in NYC and Baltimore et al still lump Pittsburgh in with the "flyover states"

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

When I lived in Pittsburgh PA from age 0-10

Bob, I don't remember you having a Pittsburgh accent...

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

When I lived in Pittsburgh PA from age 0-10 we considered where we lived part of "the Northeast"...but all my relatives who lived in either New York City or Baltimore MD honestly and with no guile or irony referred to where we lived as "the Midwest"

I've only ever been back to Pittsburgh 2 or 3 times since 1971, all for very brief visits, so I'm not sure if this is true, but I suspect that people who live in the actual Midwest lump Pittsburgh in with the "coastal elites" of the Northeast...and folks in NYC and Baltimore et al still lump Pittsburgh in with the "flyover states"

Pittsburgh has really changed since then. A lot.