Where should I explore for a cycling condo?

Some people have ski condos. I think I'd like to buy a biking condo. I can retire in a few years and I'm not sure yet if I'm going to relocate. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to have a little place to escape to and enjoy some biking weekends. Of course Florida immediately jumps to mind. There are lots of bike paths and there are lots of places for sale. And many many flights. Can anyone recommend how I can start researching? I keep thinking of the Tampa area, or Central FL. I'm not necessarily looking for a beachfront highrise (although waterfront is nice ;)), but something more in a community, midsize town, and of course, bicycle friendly. It doesn't even need to be Florida. I'm open to all suggestions!

I'd suggest somewhere other than Florida, honestly. East central, central-central Florida and southeast Florida are extremely bike-unfriendly. I can't speak for other parts of the state (and it is a surprisingly big state with several distinct and culturally very different regions) - but what I read isn't encouraging. Still, I know next to nothing about Tampa, and the northeastern inland side wouldn't be too far from some of the state's best biking in Lake County.

Western North Carolina has been popular for many years with outdoors-people of all stripes. I haven't looked there in a while, but I'd have to think the real estate boom has slacked off there as it has in the rest of the country, so it might be a good time to buy. Some friends of mine in their 70s just sold their coastal Florida home and moved full-time to a condo in Asheville. Neither of them would ride the roads in Florida any more, just too dangerous, though I don't know if they've revisited road cycling at all now that they've moved.

One of my sons goes to school in Raleigh, NC and he has been thrilled with the N.C. bike friendly, outdoor oriented culture. (: (Road, bike paths, single-track, free ride, triathlon, hiking and paddling.....)...yeah...I have been wondering how he has time to study too.....

Denver! Denver has a huge network of bike paths, and there are plenty of reasonably priced condos within a very short ride or right on a path.

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Originally Posted by pumpkinpony

Denver! Denver has a huge network of bike paths, and there are plenty of reasonably priced condos within a very short ride or right on a path.

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Denver is great if you like bike paths and riding on the streets (lots of bike lanes) and mountain biking. Of course, you have lots of outdoor activities in the mountains hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. You can "almost" ride year round here. Also, a dryer climate than in Florida.

My favorite state to ride is Wisconsin. Very good roads and little traffic. There are several well run tours that would give you a feel for the state.

Florida is very bike-unfriendly. Asheville has good cycling, both road and MTB. Real estate in Asheville never really cooled off that much--it's in high demand. Greenville, SC is another good place. Long Beach, California is very bike-friendly (and warm!).

Thanks for the ideas. Re-reading my post, I realize I wasn't too clear. I'm looking for a place to escape to in the winter for when I'm snowed in and want to go out and play. The reason I was looking at the west coast of Florida is because of all the flat bike paths there. I'm not looking for any real serious road riding. I'd just like to find a place for an easy escape. I'll keep these ideas in mind for when I relocate full time.

Putting in a plug for North Carolina (my home state), but not Asheville. It's beautiful but real estate is expensive, it's cold in the winter, and it's in the mountains. Not everyone really wants to ride in the mountains, no matter how beautiful.

Raleigh is nice but has a lot of traffic and people until you get WAY out of town -- probably not the peaceful get-away you were imagining. Chapel Hill or Carrboro in Orange County (just a short drive west of Raleigh) is a GREAT area for cycling, especially once you get out to the country west of Carrboro. You can ride north towards Hillsborough and beyond on quiet country roads forever, and south towards Saxapahaw as well. Winters are generally mild, though not Florida-mild. But this weekend has been in the 70s. Temps are up and down a lot and snow is minimal and short-lived, when it happens.

Traffic is light on the rural roads once you get out of town, though there are not many rural roads with shoulders (a negative), and there are some issues with unfenced dogs (again, in the rural areas). In-town, there are bike lanes and bike paths in places, and LOTS of cyclists. Also a very active bike club, the Carolina Tarwheels. It's a progressive, fun, university town with free public transit, great restaurants, coffee shops, a great farmer's market, food co-op, and plenty to do. There are lots of students around, though, which can sometimes be a negative.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Tucson Arizona - nice and warm in the winter; many nice bike lanes and paths. Much more friendly to Bikes than Florida. Try looking up Oro Valley - it is a newer community so it has great bike lanes and paths and great views of mountains which you won't find in Florida!

What other outdoor sports do you like? That might help narrow it down.

I've heard it said there are beach people and there are mountain people. Don't know if that's true.

Albuquerque, NM has excellent bike paths but it is on the cool side in the winter- with the rail runner commuter train you can get up to Santa Fe easily enough and I believe that they are working on a bike path connection as well. The Bosque Redondo path runs along the river pretty much the length of the city.

marni

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Originally Posted by IBrakeforPastry

Thanks for the ideas. Re-reading my post, I realize I wasn't too clear. I'm looking for a place to escape to in the winter for when I'm snowed in and want to go out and play. The reason I was looking at the west coast of Florida is because of all the flat bike paths there. I'm not looking for any real serious road riding. I'd just like to find a place for an easy escape. I'll keep these ideas in mind for when I relocate full time.

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I am spending winter in Florida. Currently I am biking the Pinellas trail out of Clearwater (north of St. Pete) and the Raim Wilson trail and out on roads into Safety Harbor. I can do plenty of biking off the roads. The roads are for the most part terrible, with rude drivers.

My next stop will be the Withlahoochee trail. The Iverness area might be a good place to look. I am casually thinking about looking for a place along that trail. Iverness is north of Orlando and northeast of Tampa.

The weather has been ideal.

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Originally Posted by spokewench

Tucson Arizona - nice and warm in the winter; many nice bike lanes and paths. Much more friendly to Bikes than Florida. Try looking up Oro Valley - it is a newer community so it has great bike lanes and paths and great views of mountains which you won't find in Florida!

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Tucson is currently our "dream location" for winters. It looks amazing. LOTS of fantastic VRBOs available, so we feel no need to purchase a condo. Been there, done that (here in Belize), learned our lesson. Far easier to rent a great furnished place than to buy and end up having to lose money on a sale if you decide a place isn't right for you after all. Condos can be difficult to sell!

North Tucson is awesome. Mountains, great for cycling, and pretty.
Stay away from Green Valley, land of the retired and old. Not the retired and young like you!
While I have no intention of ever moving away from the Boston area, we think we might want to rent a place for 2-4 weeks a winter and that place will most likely be back in AZ, so no need for us to make new friends. Tucson did cross our minds and we may eventually try it, but the lure of having a "ready made" life in the Phoenix area makes it kind of easy. However, Tucson is much nicer and prettier. I also would consider Cave Creek/Carefree, which is the way AZ was when my parents moved there in 1971. No sprawl, small town feeling, and awesome riding. We spent some time there 2 years ago. Go 2 miles and you are in the thick of sprawling Scottsdale, so I guess if I felt the need for a city, it would be there. I would not move back to Tempe, or even rent there.

So much fun reading all these suggestions. I feel like I need to quote and to respond to almost everyone! I do think just finding a rental unit is a good idea. I can go someplace different each time and no ownership/resale worries. But I like having my own place where I can keep my own stuff (read: bicycle ;)) and a familiar neighborhood to return to. Some places have professional management to help rent it out when the owner isn't there.

Goldfinch - are you based somewhere? I have a feeling you're RV'ing. I was looking at the Sarasota area for a late winter break to start exploring.

I think you can be both a mountain person and a beach person. There are more mountain activities that I enjoy. I'm not a sunbathing beach bum, and I don't like many water sports (I need shade!) But I like the openness and visual beauty of the open water. I just love the outdoors.

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Originally Posted by IBrakeforPastry

Goldfinch - are you based somewhere? I have a feeling you're RV'ing. I was looking at the Sarasota area for a late winter break to start exploring.

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Yes, I rv. I like bringing my own home with me where I go. I bring two bikes as well. It works out well. But, the problem with rvs is that they depreciate. Mine is a 2004. At some point it will begin to have issues. I don't want to buy another one when this one gets tired. At that point I will probably buy a condo somewhere.

I am traveling around Florida this year, exploring birding and biking. Some places have been tremendous. Florida has some lovely state and county parks. Fort DeSoto was absolutely wonderful, with great biking. But you can't stay there for more than a couple of weeks and it is hard to get reservations.

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Originally Posted by IBrakeforPastry

So much fun reading all these suggestions. I feel like I need to quote and to respond to almost everyone! I do think just finding a rental unit is a good idea. I can go someplace different each time and no ownership/resale worries. But I like having my own place where I can keep my own stuff (read: bicycle ;)) and a familiar neighborhood to return to. Some places have professional management to help rent it out when the owner isn't there.

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Yep -- some of the VRBO condos we are looking at in Tucson are not available to rent in Jan/Feb, so that is when the owners use them. The rest of the year they are managed and provide rental income. So owning a condo that you intend to rent out could work if you really want a base. I'd just make sure you really like the area before you buy. Maybe rent the first winter at least. Speaking from experience here!

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Originally Posted by IBrakeforPastry

I think you can be both a mountain person and a beach person. There are more mountain activities that I enjoy. I'm not a sunbathing beach bum, and I don't like many water sports (I need shade!) But I like the openness and visual beauty of the open water. I just love the outdoors.

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This is me. We live in a beachfront condo in Belize at the moment, and while I LOVE the views of the beautiful turquoise water, I much prefer walking and sitting in the shade. The only time I "lay out" by the pool is just to warm up for a few minutes after swimming. I get plenty of sun just living life and riding my bike here so don't need to sunbathe. There are more activities I enjoy in the mountains, namely hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking, which is one reason I realized that living at the beach is too limiting. Most people who own condos here are big beach people, do lots of sunbathing, fishing, boating, and (some) diving. That's just not me.

We recently bought a weekend home that is only 2.5 hours drive away from us, but seems like a different world once you cross over the Cascade Mountain passes. We live during the week in the land of clouds and rain and on the weekends we go to the sun.... we are outdoor people for sure. Last weekend we snowshoed both Saturday and Sunday and the high temp was 18F. Back here at our weekday home it was mid 30s, but rain, rain, rain. The summers on this side of the state are spectacular, but the winters are dreary. One good thing about living in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is that a couple of hours either way makes you feel like you are in a new place --- the coast one way, the high desert the other - in the middle is the green of the valley.