Zurich

[DebW]

Looks like I could be spending 3 months in Zurich this summer. Anyone live there or know the area? How is biking in the city? Outside the city? Any good weekend tours in the area?

[alpinerabbit]

Which Zurich??

IL, CA, KS, MT or NY - can't help you there.

Switzerland??? I'm your person to talk to.

[DebW]

Switzerland. This is the Europe thread. I'd be working at ETH as a visiting scientist. You live in Zurich, AR? Tell me everything about cycling in Switzerland. I feel totally ignorant, though I've been in Switzerland once (1980). Or if that subject is too broad, how about:

(1) Is a bike useful/necessary to get around the city? Is walking and public transpo good enough if I didn't have a bike? Are city streets bike-friendly? Are there off-road bike paths in the city? Is bike theft a problem?

(2) Obvously there are lovely rides outside the city. Are there trips that combine train travel with biking?

(3) For overnight tours, are there adequate campgrounds, or are hotels/pensions/hostels a better choice?

[alpinerabbit]

Duh. I always use the new post search so I did not see what forum this was in

I live smack in the middle of town.

Switzerland is an awesome country for biking - lots of mountains, also some flat riding, lovely views, great air, excellent roads. Golly they're almost covered with gold instead of macadam.
Around Zurich, your introductory tour might be the 65k loop of the lake, or would you like to extend that to a 180k with 2000m of climbing? Or do all or part of the 140k MTB trail network around Zurich they dub the many hill show? Or rather want the down hill course from the Uetliberg? Or ride the Ironman Switzerland course, or the 70.3 Switzerland course?
Going a bit further off, ride cat1 climbs belonging to the Tour de Suisse? Alpenbrevet - anything from 3 to 6 passes? Engadine (road)Bike Marathon or MTB Marathon? Round lake Constance? It's endless and I haven't done it all (specially NOT the Alpenbrevet)


(1) a) very useful but not necessary. The whole town is covered by an excellent public transport system of trams, buses and s-trains. Trams and buses run at 7min intervals in the day/rush periods.
ETH Hönggerberg, where you'll likely be, is on top of a hill, something to keep in mind when thinking about biking. ETH is served by 2 bus lines.
Lots of ETHites bike up there though.

b) see above - yes that's fine. You might want to buy a pass. No, you will buy one, it gets pricy.
c) we have lots of bike paths and drivers are very used to cyclists on those roads where there aren't.
d) yes, some paths are off road - I know of about 3 within town and one will be of interest to you, viz, to ETH Hönggerberg you can either take the rather steep road, or you can go thru the forest.
e) Sort of. I always lock the bike onto something. I never leave my valuable road bike outside, especially overnight.

(2) yes, for CHF10 a day in addition to your train ticket, you can take the bike on almost all trains to the start of your next tour.

(3) there are campgrounds but I am not a camper, don't have the equipment, I prefer to cough up the cash for a hotel (can get pricy).

(4) the unspoken question - yes, I can take you places. Road or Mtn? Are you taking your bike?


oh and ps. I'm an ETH alumni....

[alpinerabbit]

Can you tell that I LOVE cycling AND living in Switzerland/Zurich?

[DebW]

Thank you. Thank you. I guess it should have been obvious that Switzerland has awesome biking. I wil bring my road/touring bike, which has S&S couplers for ease of traveling. I don't mountain bike, but my touring bike can do unpaved well-maintained paths. I wasn't thinking to ask #4, but meeting a TEer and riding together would be nice.

[alpinerabbit]

OK, deal. Contact me when it's definite.

Oh, I forgot to mention: it does rain now and then, or a bit more often.
Bring your gear for commuting. I don't ride in rain (for fun, that is. Commute, yes.)