Commuting via Bike in Denver? (Boulder: live, military, buses)

[2ndchromo]

Moving up from OKC, I'm curious to know if it is possible to commute via bicycle to work around Denver. Or is this just limited to different areas of the city? Oklahoma City is not a very bike friendly place, and Boulder is a just a tad to expensive to consider though I hear it is very bike friendly. Thanks for any response.

[cowboyxjon]

It depends on where you live and where you work. Metro Denver actually has an extensive bike network made up of off-street trails as well as on-street routes and bike lanes, but it's not all documented on Google Maps if you use the bike routing feature. I know Denver itself has a bike map, but I'm not sure about the other municipalities in the region.

http://www.denvergov.org/bicyclingin...9/Default.aspx

[denver_hacker]

Yes, it's possible. I know folks who commute from Boulder to Denver on a bike, but they're hardcore athletes. I also know people who commute nearly every single day of the year, but they're just hardcore

It depends on your route. I commute by bike a lot during the summer from south Denver proper (near Hampden and Colorado) to Lodo. That's both riding all the way, or just riding to a light rail and taking that in. We get crazy weather in spring and fall, so usually biking in is ok, but can change on you. The winters aren't consistently too cold or snowy to not ride - there is no bad weather, only bad clothing decisions.

The area has great trails (Cherry Creek, Platt River, etc) for getting around, and most of the cities have good bike routes through their streets. The buses and light rail both allow for bikes without extra permits or fees.

[Autodidact]

It's quite popular...between April and October.

[NicoleinDenver]

I bike commute most of the year. I find drivers in Denver are generally pretty good about sharing the road (yeah, there are always a few who aren't, but that's anywhere) and the weather here is so nice that you can bike most of the year.

[Davros]

Commuting by bike in Denver is a pleasure compared to many other cities and towns. In many other cities and towns, you can't even find a road with a bike-lane to ride on --- you have to ride on some narrow road with crazy & super-aggressive drivers. Not so in Denver. Downtown it can be rough to bike because of all the traffic, narrow streets, and parked cars. But most areas of the Denver area it's a breeze.

Weather should be much more favorable for biking than OKC is, except during the occasional snow-storm. Less hot, less ice storms, less wind. Watch out for lightning on summer afternoons, though.

[suzco]

Perhaps most important to understanding bike commuting in Denver, whether or not it has anything to do with whether or not *you* would enjoy bike commuting in Denver, there are plenty of bike commuters in Denver.

You would not be an oddball, nobody will blink or look at you like you're crazy. Bike commuting is valued, honored, and accommodated in Denver. It's part of the ethos.

[2ndchromo]

Thank you all for the responses, @suzco yes down here the mentality is just getting unbearable. I'm a military brat and have lived all over and I have spent way to much time here (well over 20 years, and went every southbound direction she wanted to go) I'm presently in transition from a divorce and this my chance to break to somewhere I've never been and always wanted to go. Are their specific neighbors that are better connected to Denver proper by bike? How is the Cherry creek area? I might just drive up for the 4th and checkout the area.

[hammertime33]

Here's a partial map showing some of the dedicated, paved bike paths in Denver. I read somewhere that Denver metro has about 850 miles of dedicated bike paths:

[2ndchromo]

Thanks hammertime33 that's a nice little map, will come in handy evaluating the area. Regards