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MBR's best places to live

157 posts & 77 voices | Started 4 months ago by Rickos | Latest reply from bigjim

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cx_monkey - Member

So no Welsh city is worth living in for mountain biking? That is a joke. Swansea or Cardiff may not be trendy like Bristol or Brighton but they are better for mountain biking.

I live just outside of Swansea, and it's great for riding - can ride from my door or hit any number of trail centres or wilderness rides in less than an hour. But I still wouldn't put it in the top 10 MTB citys to live. It's grim, it looks grim, there's no jobs, and it's wetter than an otters pocket (but not in a good way). I think Cardiff maybe better, but only just...

we're Exeter bound in 2 months though - could be worse!

Posted 4 months ago #
IHN - Member

I'm with the 'local is stuff you can do in a 2 hour ride from your doorstep' contingent.

I'd agree, but I meant local as in you have to drive there but still acceptable in terms of including it as 'available' riding in a particular area. Proper local, rideable from the door stuff is obviously the most significant.

So, I think we're agreed ( ) that any claims to the best MTB city must be judged on the following criteria:

1) Quality riding available from the door (with a 70% weighting)
2) Quality riding available within a 45min drive (with a 30% weighting)

Anything outside a 45 min drive radius is classed as 'somewhere else', and cannot be counted.

Which city would win then?

Posted 4 months ago #
hora - Member

If I drive 45mins I'd expect to ride for a min. of 2hours. Years ago I'd class starting a ride before 10.30am as extremely rude and mad.

Now I ride literally just before dawn

This is 45mins from my house

Posted 4 months ago #
freeridenick - Member

I am not joking when I say Dorking(although not technically a city).

Surrey Hills all rideable from my doorstep...no driving needed.

Bring on the flaming.

Posted 4 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

Leeds? Sorry but...

i reckon the riding in/around leeds is very good; a good choice of BMX tracks, loads of rolling woodsy singletrack, quiet roads into the dales.

+ easy access to scotland/lakes/north wales.

do not underestimate 'the grim city'.

(and i live in sheffield - fwiw)

Posted 4 months ago #
hora - Member

ahwiles- in a way though it shouldn't be 'high' on their list IMO. I'm not insulting Leeds, its just locality to actual good riding compared to the others .

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

Scotland loses out because it's miles from anywhere. Like it or not Inverness isn't great because the best jobs aren't there. Edinburgh has a more justifiable case, but it's still pretty remote.

It's not just the cities with the best mountain biking (there are clearly better options).

Unemployment is low in the South West, it's above the UK average in Scotland, and there's far fewer prospects - how Leeds makes the list I don't know!

Life expectancy is 4 years higher for men in the South West than in Scotland. There really aren't many reasons Scottish cities would win over Bristol that I can see! There's good riding in both on the doorstep, and a range of riding slightly further afield.

Posted 4 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

how Leeds makes the list I don't know!

great riding and loads of well paid jobs?

(banking, IT, legal, etc.)

excellent transport links with... just about everywhere?

a lively city centre that's big enough, and small enough?

Posted 4 months ago #
Garry_Lager - Member

So, I think we're agreed ( ) that any claims to the best MTB city must be judged on the following criteria:

1) Quality riding available from the door (with a 70% weighting)
2) Quality riding available within a 45min drive (with a 30% weighting)

Anything outside a 45 min drive radius is classed as 'somewhere else', and cannot be counted.

Which city would win then?
If you're talking about real cities (ie not somewhere like Bangor) then probably Sheffield. Can't think of any other city in the UK that has legitimately great riding on the doorstep like Western Shef has. Unless you can ride into Dartmoor from Exeter but I don't know that part of the UK at all.

There's plenty of UK cities that have not bad riding on the doorstep, which feels like great riding because bloody hell, I just left my flat in the city and now I'm in the hills, but taken in isolation it's nothing special. To have the Peaks accessible from your city doorstep, which is unequivocally great riding, is pretty special.

Posted 4 months ago #
hora - Member

Why is Edinburgh above Sheffield?

A great portion of Sheff is actually IN the Peaks.

Posted 4 months ago #
gingerss - Member

As long as you're in north or west Leeds there is an awful lot of good riding from the door, this is helped by a large proportion of routes being legal, lots of urban woodland and being right next to Bradford which as a district has a fantastic amount of good riding - all from your door.

45 mins gets you to the Dales, Calderdale, Nidderdale etc.
2 hours gets you to Lakeland, the Yorkshire coast and the peaks.

I'm not familiar with riding in many of the other cities but Leeds is definitely very good.

Posted 4 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

Why is Edinburgh above Sheffield?

access rights maybe?

have a look at the OS map of the peak district, note how few bridleways there actually are.

now consider that lots of the few are at best a bit lame/not worth the effort.

(descent off shatton moor down to bradwell - i'm looking at you)

There is lots of very good riding, but the good stuff is actually illegal to ride on.

maybe edinburgh has more, legal, fun, trails...?

Posted 4 months ago #
hora - Member

I'm not familiar with riding in many of the other cities but Leeds is definitely very good.

Still. Its not too far for you to drive to watch your football team play at home

Posted 4 months ago #
tomaso - Member

I live in Lancaster and there is great riding near by and the city offers a good quality of life. But it could not begin to compete with any of the cities in the list for jobs, entertainment, nightlife, music, culture etc. Its basically a big village, which as a parent now is a real advantage - there is a lot to be said for the quiet life.

Would I move to somewhere that wasn't very close to mountains? No

IMO the Lake District has the best riding in the country and its mostly a short drive away. Its mostly rocky all weather trails and not got too much muddy crap! Going over Garburn tomorrow evening and its less than a half hour drive to bust a mountain pass that is rated as one of the hardest climbs and is certainly a fun downhill.

And if I want to go to another county Yorkshire is just theother side of the M6 and you can nip up Whernside or Ingleborough.

Apparently it is also possible to go South and ride in Lancashire...

I think the question really needs to be "Do you have mountains where you live?" I can see them from my house!

Posted 4 months ago #
jbwilliamz - Member

Carmarthen. Not a city and bearly makes it as a town - mostly local authority workers.

Great cycling for both MTB and road.

Black Mountains, Brechfa, Abergorlech, Preselli & Pembrokeshire all in cycling/driving distance.

We've even got a cinema, McDonalds and a Pets at Home.

Posted 4 months ago #
epicsteve - Member

Life expectancy is 4 years higher for men in the South West than in Scotland. There really aren't many reasons Scottish cities would win over Bristol that I can see!

You're using averages for all of Scotland to apply to Edinburgh, which is of course bollocks.

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

Yep, but it's a superb way to wind up the Scots! The best solution:

If you want good riding on your doorstep... Don't live in a city.

Posted 4 months ago #
wwaswas - Member

Don't live in a city.

depends where in the city you are and which city it is. I'm a 5 minute bike ride from Hove beach and only ride for 200yards to get to off road riding that takes me up and out onto the Downs.

Posted 4 months ago #
meanredspider - Member

Another vote for Inverness:

Plenty of employment
Cheap housing
No traffic
Lowest crime
Beautiful, car free, commutes
Good state schools,
All the MTBing you could want (Puffer & Learnie are 10mins from my house & I have a forest at the end of my garden)

Posted 4 months ago #
epicsteve - Member

If you want good riding on your doorstep... Don't live in a city.

I live on the outskirts of Edinburgh (Balerno) and have good riding right from the door.

Posted 4 months ago #
Garry_Lager - Member

access rights maybe?

have a look at the OS map of the peak district, note how few bridleways there actually are.

now consider that lots of the few are at best a bit lame/not worth the effort.

(descent off shatton moor down to bradwell - i'm looking at you)
Think I might have ridden this last w/e - it was a total quagmire and turned into a bit of a circus, but if it was drier it looked like it would be quite good? The one from Brough lane down to Bradwell.

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

I live on the outskirts of Edinburgh (Balerno) and have good riding right from the door.

Good for you, it'd be better if you lived in the middle of said riding.

Posted 4 months ago #
epicsteve - Member

Good for you, it'd be better if you lived in the middle of said riding.

There are only about 2 houses actually in the middle of the riding area. I can be on trails within a few yards of the house and can follow those for the mile or so until the Pentlands proper starts.

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

Golly, you're argumentative today. My hypothetical situation was not specific to you.

Few of us are looking for the best urban riding. Ergo urban areas will not yield the best riding. There are many urban areas (of which Edinburgh is a good example) where the riding from the city is excellent. However the riding is better from those 2 houses that are in the middle of it. That's not to say that the quality of life would be better or you'd be best off living there, but purely from the riding perspective the house 200 yards closer to the riding is better for riding. That's a basic principle.

Posted 4 months ago #
hilldodger - Member

njee20 - Member
Yep, but it's a superb way to wind up the Scots!

Especially the English ones...

Posted 4 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

...Think I might have ridden this last w/e - it was a total quagmire and turned into a bit of a circus, but if it was drier it looked like it would be quite good? The one from Brough lane down to Bradwell...

that's the one.

when it's dry, it's alright, but still totally not worth the MASSIVE, BORING, UNENDING CLIMB OF DOOOOOM.

Ergo urban areas will not yield the best riding

pop round for a cuppa, bring your bike, i reckon i can change your mind

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

pop round for a cuppa, bring your bike, i reckon i can change your mind

Good lord, people really are taking that too literally! Unless you want to ride street you need to head out of the urban areas to ride. This may be 50 feet, but if you start outside of the city then you are in a better place. Of course there are places you can ride to that are just outside cities, and thus very easily reached from said city. However, if you take the city out of the equation altogether it's better!

If you like sailing, then living somewhere with half a mile of a lake or whatever is great. Living adjacent to that lake, with your own boathouse is even better.

See?

Posted 4 months ago #
jambalaya - Member

After the referendum Scotland isn't going to be in the UK, right ?

Brighton isn't even the best place to live in Sussex.

This list reminds us why we don't read MBR

Posted 4 months ago #
njee20 - Member

Brighton isn't even the best place to live in Sussex.

Brighton isn't in Sussex any more, Brighton & Hove is a unitary authority

Which Sussex city is better though, out of interest? I can only think of Chichester.

Posted 4 months ago #
Pimpmaster Jazz - Member

What's this rumour of mountain biking in Scotland?

I refuse to believe such drivel.

Posted 4 months ago #
timc - Member

Brighton & Hove isn't even like a city, only in name, nice place though

Id agree with previous poster about the best riding I've done in England being the Lakes, not sure about Uk though, Scotland gets that nod for me

Posted 4 months ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

njee20

I can do a 20+ mile loop around edinburgh remaining well in the city that is more than half singletrack - I could do a shorter run that is mainly singletrack

Posted 4 months ago #
epicsteve - Member

can do a 20+ mile loop around edinburgh remaining well in the city that is more than half singletrack - I could do a shorter run that is mainly singletrack

And from where I live, which is the very edge of Edinburgh I've already in the hills (my house is 600ft up on the edge of the Pentlands) and singletrack pretty much from my door leading in most directions, includng into town.

Here's a video of my commute to work (which is further into Edinburgh:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0FeIxTg-AY

Posted 4 months ago #
druidh - Member

600ft up - is that all??

Posted 4 months ago #
epicsteve - Member

That was a guess - is it higher?

Posted 4 months ago #