"bryanska" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am SHOCKED nobody from Minneapolis/St. Paul has spoken up. This is an
outstanding bike town.

First, the cities and their suburbs spend MILLIONS on bike paths. Some
shared, and some gloriously bike-only. Almost all of the famous
sparkling lakes are ringed with both, and the people-watching is second
to none. Minnesota has been turning old railroad beds into bike paths
for years, so you can go to many towns on these gorgeous, tree-canopied
crowned roads. The downtowns have lanes everywhere, much respect, and a
healthy messenger culture. Surly bikes is based in Minneapolis.

Second, the metro area here is fairly tiny. Ten minutes' drive puts you
in the burbs, and twenty minutes' drive lands you smack dab in
gently-hilly farm country. Small towns dot the landscape. You can ride
to Duluth, rural Wisconsin, North Dakota, and all around the metro on
paved paths.

Third, winter riding is immensely popular here, even among sporadic
riders. College kids and city commuters ride bikes year-round. Surly
Bikes even has a new frame, the Pugsley, specially designed for snow
and ice riding. (Think huge tires and a fork like a Texas rider's
stance.) With all the frozen creek beds, a good ice bike can take you
anywhere. And the best part is, you're not alone - it doesn't seem half
as cold if five other people are out there on the lake at midnight too.

Fourth, a practical and left-leaning culture in the Twin Cities fosters
a bike-friendly lifestyle. The city buses have bike racks. There are
shops everywhere. And if you've ever seen a northern city's populace
decide to "wake up" all at once on the first warm day, you know they
don't sleep until December: rollerbladers, pedestrians, coffee-shop
junkies, bicyclists, sand-castle freaks, kayakers, joggers, yoga and
Tai Chi nuts in the park... This city is so beautiful for outdoors
activities. It's the cold that keeps the assholes out.

Well you know I thought about that area, but then I thought about the
weather AKA the extreme cold!