# Anyone live in Reno or Sparks?



## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch, but there is a chance I will be moving to this area soon. I was interested to know what good spots there were to bike and if Nevada was a bike-friendly state in terms of laws and enforcement.


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## vagabondcyclist (Apr 2, 2011)

There's good road and mountain biking in the area. 

It's hot and dry and it's a bit of elevation so pace yourself at first if you're coming from the flat lands like I did. 

The one thing I didn't really dig was all the cattle guards, especially on some descents.


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## Neolithic (Mar 24, 2015)

Born and raised but I'm not sure that'll help you. I wouldn't really know what to compare it to.

There's a blessing and a curse to being so close to the middle of nowhere. Outside of town proper there aren't many cars/people to get in your way but there aren't a lot of services like food/water either. Be prepared to haul anything you might need.

As vagabondcyclist said, be prepared for the elevation. Reno sits at 4400'. It's in the middle of a bowl of mountains so pretty much any direction will include a fair bit of up. If you're used to flat and sea-level you'll have to get acclimated.

Reno also gets a wide variety of weather over the course of a year. Cold winters with the potential for a fair amount of snow. Hot and very dry summers. And spring/fall can bring pretty substantial winds. And along the lines of wind, there are late afternoon prevailing winds coming from the west. If you're biking after work you *will* have to deal with an almost guarantee of 10-15mph.

Around town there's a semi-decent effort at having plenty of bike lanes. But they aren't a guarantee and they aren't very consistent. In general I would say we're fairly tolerant of cyclists. There's no particular love but there's no particular hate either. Even when there isn't a bike lane there are plenty of roads with wide or multiple lanes that rage rarely has time to build up and people simply move on.

As for good routes, Verdi is probably the best. It's a small town west of Reno with a history of ranching. There's a nice, little used highway connecting it. The scenery is gorgeous especially on the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's typically a 20 mile loop.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.515...4!1spHK7vIaIUvNW48DKhwV83g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Geiger Grade is another notable route. South of Reno and heads up to Virginia City. VC is an old mining town. The road leading into VC is fairly a decent hill with 2200' ascent over 8 miles. You can continue through VC to Carson City and back to Reno for a sizeable loop of 50 miles or you can just spend time with the hill.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.384...4!1ssgCCmzTYEE-5R5NB3lykFw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

If you get down there I recommend that you get yourself a Della Santa, you won't be disappointed.

Della Santa custom built frames


I'm not affiliated, I just like mine.


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

I'll be sure to scope things out when I get there the end of this month. I'll probably have the rest of the afternoon and evening of the 29th and the same for the 30th once I'm done with my interview.

On the off chance I do get an offer and decide to take it, does anybody recommend decent apartment complexes not run by slum lords? I looked up places on Zillow which are all expensive compared to here, and the reviews I found through Google aren't very promising. Also, is Fernley a good town to live?


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

Fernley is about 1/2 hr east of Reno.

What kind of riding do you like?

Road riding. There are plenty of rides in the area, some flat, hill, and mountains. The couple rides Neolithic noted are regular/popular. Also, head south to/around Washoe Lake, or North to Stead. If you are okay to drive a little (1/2 hr from Reno), great scenery up around Tahoe. A little further south, past Carson City, there are loads of mountain roads that you can ride.

If you like to race, there is a good "Tuesday Night Worlds" series from end of Apr to end of Aug. For sanctioned races, there are a couple but most are over the hill in CA (Sacramento 2 hrs west).

Mt Biking, there are many trails in the hills/mtns. Some good groups that create and maintain the trails in the area.

CX. Nationals are in Reno next year. There has been some growth for the last couple years with CX racing. There are a few gravel road rides/races that are fairly big.

Right now it is cold and we have finally had a bit of snow so not much riding going on except indoors or maybe some fat bike in the snow.


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## kevrider (Sep 21, 2016)

i've lived here for about 3.5 years, my place is in midtown. i'd call reno an excellent place for road riding and commuting, people give you space and there are good routes with lots of hills. that afternoon wind is a PITA, best to get out in the morning on those days. there are usually 2-3 weeks in the summer when it hits triple digits, but that's not as hot as 95 in atlanta. i can reach trails from the house, i don't have to use the bike rack for mtn bike rides. 

not sure where these gravel rides happen, i need to find out about that.


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

Lost and Found, just outside of Portola
Lost and Found Gravel Grinder and Bike Ride

Grinduro, near Quincy
https://grinduro.com/


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

Does the snow melt quickly like it does in Colorado?


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

The last few winters have been very dry and fairly warm. Two years ago I was riding up in the mountains around Truckee (1/2 from Reno, just N of Tahoe) on New Years Day. We just got about a foot in Reno today. Snow may stay around until June, at the peaks, but the roads will be dry and most mtb trails should be okay to ride.


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

My interviews went well, and I should know the results in a couple weeks. Reno does have a nice view in every direction. I'm gonna try Beer NV tonight as the reviews are pretty high.


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

So, are you going to be heading this way?


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

thalo said:


> So, are you going to be heading this way?


Not any time soon. Tesla's offer was crap and wouldn't move very much off their initial one. Plus no 401k match. Big red flags for an entity that calls itself a big boy company.


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

Hope you liked the visit none the less.


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