# Denver



## pedalfeet (Jun 22, 2009)

I might be re-locating to Denver for a job (working downtown - 700 Broadway). I' am interested in some good areas to live at for accessible road biking. I don't want to have to commute to far - 15 - 20 miles max. Any suggestions? Greenwood Village??


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

With the trail systems in Denver, you can live just about anywhere in the city and have access to good road cycling. I live in central Denver, Cherry Creek area. From here I can can go south to either of the state parks (Cherry Creek/Chatfield) or west into Golden with access to the mountains. Weeknight spins at Washington Park are a staple. You really shouldn't limit where you want to live based on cycling options. There are just too many here.


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## redlizard (Jul 26, 2007)

If you want open roads and climbing at your doorstep, you probably want to live on the suburban west side. SW, west or NW all have great riding close by. The further out you go, the closer the good riding is. Down south can have some good riding, too.

If you want convenience to work, nightlife, restaurants and neighborhoods with charm, then you'll likely want to live in a more central location, then either ride a bike path out to the good riding or toss the bike in the car and drive out. 

Greenwood Village is nice, but expensive. Basically suburbia and all that comes with it. Washington Park area would be a good choice, if you like in-city living. I work nearby there and also do some spins around the park during lunch and after work. There aren't many other places in the central part of the city where you can train at a fast pace. Stoplights will slow you down way too much. The trail system is good for getting around town, but walkers, skaters, turns, etc...mean you can't really open it up and train.


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## pedalfeet (Jun 22, 2009)

I appreciate the advice, any areas I should avoid? As in not safe.
How about Arvada, Lakewood, etc? Easy access to Golden, and is there good riding around Golden? Sorry about the questions, I've only flown into the airport - haven't had the luxury of checking out Denver.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

pedalfeet said:


> I appreciate the advice, any areas I should avoid?


Aurora


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## sandan (Oct 14, 2004)

I live in GV. Cherry Creek is right out the door, good for lunch and a quick after work spin. C-470 path is about 10 minutes (ride)away. By auto there's tons within a half hour both road and mtn.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Are you talking about a bike commute or a car commute?


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

so if you live in a neighborhood close to downtown, how long would it take to get to some decent climbing if you are going by bike?

We're moving to Colorado in not too long. First we were thinking Boulder because it had enough urban but was right next to great riding. Then we thought maybe Fort Collins because its half the price, seems friendlier, and still has good riding very close.

Now we're thinking Fort Collins may be too far from Denver for us when it comes to access to diverse cultural activities. It seems a tad cowboy. Its still an option but...

So we're revisiting the idea of Denver. I nixed it early on because I need good riding pretty much outside my door. I'm not great climber but I get super bored riding flats all the time. Climbing makes riding fun. Could central Denver work? I'm not really into the idea of suburbs, subdivisions, etc so the outlying areas don't seem to be a good option.


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## frntrngcactus (Jan 21, 2010)

*Cant go wrong*

If you can afford Boulder....live there. The cycling is great, the atmosphere os awesome, Garmin trains in Boulder and few other teams as well. There is nothing like climbing and having a train of dudes all kitted up blowing by you. Also the first time I got "chicked" was in Boulder. Lakewood, Arvada, and some of the suburbs closer to Denver arent bad but you may have trouble finding a place to live without the suburbia feeling. I live in southwest denver and have to ride about fifteen miles to start climbing. The trails are packed on the wknds and the first days of spring but there are plenty of people training on them, once you get out of the downtown area the traffic on the trails is not all that bad. Ft. Collins is awesome but more of a blue collar town and may have more of a cowboy feel. You will find an awesome cycling community in "the fort" as well. I dont think you can go wrong you are on the right path moving out here and I think you will find what you want. Again, if you can afford Boulder live there, also look at Longmont, close to Boulder and the hills great atmosphere and good beer.


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## redlizard (Jul 26, 2007)

steve_e_f said:


> so if you live in a neighborhood close to downtown, how long would it take to get to some decent climbing if you are going by bike?


You're probably looking at 25-30 minutes, assuming you are on the west side of the downtown core. The older areas don't have a plethora of bike lanes and and are ridden with stop signs and stop lights, so it'll go slower, but as you go further out you can pick up the pace. Figure on 15 minutes by car, excluding rush hour traffic.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Mootsie said:


> Aurora


This...though there are decent areas of Aurora also (if you like total suburbia that is) Avoid Montbello...and Green Valley Ranch because of Montbello.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

frntrngcactus said:


> also look at Longmont, close to Boulder and the hills great atmosphere and good beer.


I'd look at Louisville or Gunbarrel before I lived in Longmont (aka Methmont by some). There are good sections of Longmont, but crime is higher there than many of the other communities in the general area).


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> I'd look at Louisville or Gunbarrel before I lived in Longmont (aka Methmont by some). There are good sections of Longmont, but crime is higher there than many of the other communities in the general area).


We did look at Louisville. It was definitely nice and family friendly and all that, but it was also a little Truman Show. Don't know why, that was just the feeling we got.

I originally discounted Longmont because I was "Boulder or bust". We later drove through it and loved the historical neighborhoods. I didn't like the long flat plain between Longmont and the Front Range though. Seemed like a mandatory 10 miles of flats in either direction before the hills go up. If I'm going to make that sort of compromise in terms of geography, I'll just do Denver because it has all of the interesting things a full sized city can offer.

Haven't heard of Gunbarrel, but I'll google it.

thanks for the tips all!


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> We did look at Louisville. It was definitely nice and family friendly and all that, but it was also a little Truman Show. Don't know why, that was just the feeling we got.
> 
> I originally discounted Longmont because I was "Boulder or bust". We later drove through it and loved the historical neighborhoods. I didn't like the long flat plain between Longmont and the Front Range though. Seemed like a mandatory 10 miles of flats in either direction before the hills go up. If I'm going to make that sort of compromise in terms of geography, I'll just do Denver because it has all of the interesting things a full sized city can offer.
> 
> ...


Gunbarrel is basically a bedroom community of Boulder. You used to be able to get a lot more house there for the money. It is a bit of a compromise though--if you really wanted to live in Boulder proper you'll find yourself driving to Boulder a lot. Golden might also be a place to look into. If you're looking in Denver, check out the Highlands area also. Downtown has been greatly gentrified since I lived there back in the 90s, but the worst parts used to be Five Points and Capitol Hill (where I used to live when I was a poor student) around East Colfax (east colfax is where you can score your crack or pick up a hooker) though I think that is changing somewhat today.


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## redlizard (Jul 26, 2007)

FYI, you CAN take some good rides going east of Denver, but you don't get the big climbs. Instead, you get rolling hills that slowly diminish as you go east. I did a century with my team starting from just south of the airport on Saturday and passed through three small towns and a total of maybe five stoplights and five stop signs. Only a couple thousand feet of climbing in total, but rollers felt big enough after 85 miles. Wind can be a bigger issue as you go east, so you gotta pick your days. It can be a nice change from the climbing.


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## bubba biker (Mar 1, 2008)

Check out Golden. Easy commute to downtown. Climbing right outside your door. Good place to catch group rides. Still has the town atmosphere and if you have to resell your home will hold it's value.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> We did look at Louisville. It was definitely nice and family friendly and all that, but it was also a little Truman Show. Don't know why, that was just the feeling we got.
> 
> I originally discounted Longmont because I was "Boulder or bust". We later drove through it and loved the historical neighborhoods. I didn't like the long flat plain between Longmont and the Front Range though. Seemed like a mandatory 10 miles of flats in either direction before the hills go up. If I'm going to make that sort of compromise in terms of geography, I'll just do Denver because it has all of the interesting things a full sized city can offer.
> 
> ...


I live in Longmont if you have any questions. It's a great town, it just lacks the uber richness and other worldliness of Boulder, which is a good thing for me, but looked down by some. The fact that a single family home with a minimum of 1200 square feet cannot be purchased in Boulder (realistically) for anywhere near $400,000 has a lot of would-be-Boulderits living in Longmont, Louisville, and other towns in the area. The 10 miles or so is a false flat and/or rolling before you get to the mouth of the foothills. It's a nice warm up.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> I'd look at Louisville or Gunbarrel before I lived in Longmont (aka Methmont by some). There are good sections of Longmont, but crime is higher there than many of the other communities in the general area).


Thems is fightin' words. It never ceases to amaze me that Boulderites are physically incapable of mentioning Longmont without slipping in some kind of put down. It's funny because, most Boulderites I know who own property in Boulder, bought their property years ago and could not afford to move there now, and lots of them would probably end up living in Longmont. 

Also, I'd like to see the statistics comparing crime in certain roughre parts of Longmont with crime in the college neigborhoods of Boulder.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Pablo said:


> Thems is fightin' words. It never ceases to amaze me that Boulderites are physically incapable of mentioning Longmont without slipping in some kind of put down. It's funny because, most Boulderites I know who own property in Boulder, bought their property years ago and could not afford to move there now, and lots of them would probably end up living in Longmont.
> 
> Also, I'd like to see the statistics comparing crime in certain roughre parts of Longmont with crime in the college neigborhoods of Boulder.


Here's a recent Boulder Daily Camera article about crime in both cities. They say Boulder is the more wicked locale.

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_16706676


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

Mootsie said:


> Here's a recent Boulder Daily Camera article about crime in both cities. They say Boulder is the more wicked locale.
> 
> http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_16706676



Half the stuff in Boulder never even gets reported.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Pablo said:


> Thems is fightin' words. It never ceases to amaze me that Boulderites are physically incapable of mentioning Longmont without slipping in some kind of put down. It's funny because, most Boulderites I know who own property in Boulder, bought their property years ago and could not afford to move there now, and lots of them would probably end up living in Longmont.
> 
> Also, I'd like to see the statistics comparing crime in certain roughre parts of Longmont with crime in the college neigborhoods of Boulder.


I did say there are decent areas of Longmont, but if I had the choice, Longmont would not be in my top choices of areas to live. Too many ******** and it seems there is a pretty big meth problem in some areas of town which is directly correlated to the crime you hear about there. Just my opinion, however. I know plenty of people who live there and love it.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

PDex said:


> Half the stuff in Boulder never even gets reported.


Stay away from the University area and you'll be a lot safer.


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

Neighbor is in the Sheriff's department and has connections in BPD. It is interesting to hear what is not reported and in some cases, swept under the rug. 


> Stay away from the University area and you'll be a lot safer.


Nothing good ever happens on The Hill (if you're over 30).


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

PDex said:


> Neighbor is in the Sheriff's department and has connections in BPD. It is interesting to hear what is not reported and in some cases, swept under the rug.
> 
> 
> Nothing good ever happens on The Hill (if you're over 30).


You have to love the snarky comments on the DC everytime someone from Longmont is busted for something. 

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_17085650?source=most_viewed

Ah...Love gone awry at the Lamplighter Motel.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> You have to love the snarky comments on the DC everytime someone from Longmont is busted for something.
> 
> http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_17085650?source=most_viewed
> 
> Ah...Love gone awry at the Lamplighter Motel.


There are always regional rivalries. When I lived in Wisconsin, everyone hated folks from Ilinois. Even had a cute name for them: FIBS. Stood for F'n Ilinois Bastards. Folks from Illinois returned the favor by calling us SOW's: Suck off Wisconsin.
Some Coloradoans hate Texans, Minnesota hates Iowa and apparantly Boulder hates Longmont. On it goes. Maybe it's human nature. Who knows.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> You have to love the snarky comments on the DC everytime someone from Longmont is busted for something.
> 
> http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_17085650?source=most_viewed
> 
> Ah...Love gone awry at the Lamplighter Motel.


Yeah thats some pretty snarky stuff! Pretty tasteless.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Given the choice, I would live in Golden.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Bulldozer said:


> Given the choice, I would live in Golden.


How's the traffic there? Seems they have grown pretty quickly the last 5 years or so.


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## peter584 (Aug 17, 2008)

New question. I'm moving from GJ this summer. I will be working downtown and taking a few classes at UCdenver. If I was to live in highlands, would that be easy access to downtown and then could I ride my bike from home and get some climbing in?


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## RUFUSPHOTO (Oct 14, 2010)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> How's the traffic there? Seems they have grown pretty quickly the last 5 years or so.


Not much traffic at all. There are not that many lights and they have a bunch of roundabouts. Golden has great bike shops, a couple of good bars, good people and only 15 minutes down Colfax, (I-40) or down 6E to get to Denver. I love the vibe there and I like the people. 

I picked Lakewood like an idiot as I picked it on the internet as I found out last minute that I was getting my separation date moved up a full month. Thankfully I only rent and am right on the border of Lakewood and Golden with a few more months left in my lease. I practically live in Denver though being there so much. I will be buying a condo in DT Denver after just because of work and location. Plus I love riding around the city during cool down or warm up, then hit the trail that goes out past Cherry Creek, (by the runoff river, what ever it is called) and then head West to the bigger hills or East to the rollers.

I put my vote in for Golden. Close to great riding, close to Denver, small drive to Boulder, and a decent drive to the mountains down I-70.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

peter584 said:


> New question. I'm moving from GJ this summer. I will be working downtown and taking a few classes at UCdenver. If I was to live in highlands, would that be easy access to downtown and then could I ride my bike from home and get some climbing in?


Real easy access to downtown. For climbing you'll need to head west to Golden, but from the Highlands it isn't more than a warm up ride to hit the foothills or Lookout Mtn.


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## peter584 (Aug 17, 2008)

Mootsie said:


> Real easy access to downtown. For climbing you'll need to head west to Golden, but from the Highlands it isn't more than a warm up ride to hit the foothills or Lookout Mtn.


Sweet, thanks for the reply


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

What is the best or most direct route to Golden from Downtown? Via bike of course.


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