# Charlotte bike scene?



## Blue Sugar (Jun 14, 2005)

There's a chance I'll be relocating to Charlotte, NC and I'm wondering about the riding and racing scene there. Group/shop rides, clubs, races, charity rides, etc. Is it possible to ride from your doorstep in Charlotte? Do most people go outside the city to ride? Are there quiet roads or do you just brave the traffic? What are the best neighborhoods for riding?

All responses are appreciated. Thanks


----------



## medicalman (Aug 7, 2008)

*Hello*

Indeed , there are plenty of places to ride throughout and around charlote. Almost all of the the shops have great group rides. Not a ton of bike lanes but it is starting to grow. The race scene is quite good as we have a few really great race promoters so there is always something going on. If you want I can send you my cell and would be more than happy to show you around the area and places to check out


----------



## EDUC8-or (Jan 2, 2009)

Charlotte drivers aren't the most bike friendly, but once you learn when and where to ride you can avoid traffic and aggressive drivers. Depending on where you live you can easily ride from your doorstep, I used to live Uptown (our version of downtown) and commuted on my bike to work almost every day. 

Just as medicalman said, they're are LOTS of great group and organized rides in the area. On Saturday there was a metric century with 300+ participants (300 is being very modest) and Sunday there was a 50 mile ride with about 150+ participants. That's pretty impressive for a weekend in January. Just about every bike shop has group rides and you can find something from a leisurely no drop ride to some 50+ milers with an average of 21+mph. That's pretty fast considering all of the rolling hills in the area. There are also some great rides in the mountains and western NC is very bike friendly. Charlotte's got a great network of mountain bike trails you can check out at www.tarheeltrailblazers.com


There are so many neighborhoods here and without a price range it would be hard to tell you where to live. I live in the UNCC/Highland Creek area and I can be on lightly travelled farm roads in 10 minutes.


----------

