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[Closed] I'm trying to find a mountain bike friendly city anywhere in the world

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[#2862543]

that fits some specific criteria for a business idea I have.

I want to find a city that is:

* temperate all year round (i.e. winter might need a jersey on a bike ride - warm is good)
* has really good trails nearby, and really good means hills and trees
* ideally it will be a compactish city so that it's easy to ride to the trails
* is at least a little bit touristy
* it would be nice if they spoke english, but it's not a deal breaker
* the internet must be good

I'm maybe thinking of somewhere like Canberra? What else you got?


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:34 pm
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Vancouver.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:36 pm
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Not been to Vanc - the climate there worries me. It gets cold, no?

But definitely a contender


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:37 pm
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er...Bristol


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:38 pm
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Innsbruck? ok, so there isn't all-year round riding, but you get to cut some lines in the snow instead.

i was in Canberra for a week or so and would imagine you'd get bored pretty quickly. true, it's surrounded by hills, but not mountains; they're a good drive away. it lacks any reason being there other than it's about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:39 pm
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But Brizzle is also cold, no?


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:39 pm
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Bristol - cold ? everyone bikes in shorts all year round here 🙂


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:41 pm
 jedi
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barcelona


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:41 pm
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Oh, Barcelona - that's a good idea. What's the biking like there?


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:46 pm
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Liverpool


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:46 pm
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San Sebastian


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:47 pm
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Oh, Barcelona - that's a good idea. What's the biking like there?

Some great stuff nearby and a very bike friendly city. I'm off there for next week! 🙂


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:49 pm
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I'm liking the San Sebastian idea.

It looks lovely: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Sebasti%C3%A1n


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:50 pm
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san francisco meets some of that criteria


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:50 pm
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vancouver is not that cold in the winter (hence all the bums in canada end up there)


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:51 pm
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Cordoba, Spain.

Cracking biking, have no idea what it's like as a city.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:53 pm
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I lived in Vancouver for a while - pretty similar to SE england temperature wise. Ie the odd frost and snow in the winter and nice summers but not to hot. Does rain a fair bit though.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:57 pm
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Cordoba is a lovely city.

How about Granada too, bit chilly in winter but you can go skiing.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:57 pm
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San Fran


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 8:59 pm
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Nice in the south of france .


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:00 pm
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These are great thought starters people, thank you.

I'd be looking for a workspace/idustrial unit of about 6,500 sq ft of space - does that alter the viability of any of these places I wonder.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:01 pm
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Not Edinburgh

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:01 pm
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LaPaz


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:02 pm
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I thought the US/Canada/Oz were difficult to stay in permanently...

...can you just go to one of these places and start up a business as a foreigner?


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:03 pm
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Yeah, visas become a secondary consideration if you are able to start a business with an investment about a certain threshold. Typically 100k dollars. And the (day dream) business idea I have would certainly cost that.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:05 pm
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Apart from the client, Gothenburg


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:05 pm
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Perth WA.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:13 pm
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Stirling...cold is all in the mind...toughen up if it feels a bit cold...


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:17 pm
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Granada

Porto


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:21 pm
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Girona
Naples
Florence/Sienna
Seville
Lombardia

All have what you need, Seville is amazing BTW and very warm and friendly, admittedly northen Italt can get a teeny bit cool (cold) but look at whats over the Lake!


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 9:58 pm
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Santa Barbara


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 10:02 pm
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Rotorua. Meets all your criteria in spades. I'd also throw in Wellington and Queenstown, though that's a town, not a city.


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 10:10 pm
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Cape Town. Job done!


 
Posted : 17/06/2011 10:13 pm
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Cordoba and Seville are 40+ in July & August, everyone comes done to the coast for good reason , also cold and rainy in winter - forget anything there.
Barcelona or Malaga could be good, what is your business? May be able to point you in the right direction.


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 8:46 am
 ianv
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Santa cruz, boulder, golden, faro, Seattle, Grenoble for starters .


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 9:14 am
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Austin, Texas


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 10:59 am
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Boulder Colorado

But I think alot of trails snow up in the winter. But I think the Planes climate is great year round?


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 11:08 am
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Conqueror - Member
san francisco meets some of that criteria

I spent a week in SF in drizzling rain. It was definitely not warm.

And legitimate trail access from the city would concern me. Nice place though.


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 11:20 am
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Newport? Well close to Cwmcarn etc.

I think the only problem will be your definition of "winter might need a jersey" 🙂


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 11:56 am
 Ewan
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Boulder Colorado is very dry - don't go if you suffer from ezcema or dry skin...


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 12:13 pm
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Some great ideas here - hadn't thought of Grenoble, and Cape Town might make a lot of sense. I won't say what the business is because while I'm still investigating its feasibility I don't want any competition! Let's just say that while I need a lot of space, it is a lifestyle business.


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 1:24 pm
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Cape Town (S Africa in general) is one the few places in the world that I said I'd never go back to.

Beautiful place, but when I was there in 99 the underlying tension was horrible. And bearing in mind that the whites seem to live in gated communities with guards etc, I'd question how safe it would be for a lone MTBer on several £1000s of bike.


 
Posted : 18/06/2011 1:29 pm
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we all know the nearest is to you is Bristol, amazingly friendly to bike riders. So I've read...


 
Posted : 19/06/2011 7:28 pm
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Portland Oregon is very bike friendly and, from what I have seen of it on the few visits I've had there, looks really chilled with great beer (micro-breweries) and food. Also Friburg Germany is bike friendly with great big hills on your doorstep.


 
Posted : 19/06/2011 8:51 pm
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Munich


 
Posted : 19/06/2011 8:54 pm
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