World Wisdom: 2023's Best Biking Cities

 

Where can you best get around on two wheels instead of four? To mark World Bicycle Day on June 3, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Biking Cities in the U.S. We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on 27 key indicators of a cyclist-friendly lifestyle, such as access to bike trails and bike rentals, the share of bike commuters, the presence of cycling clubs, and the number of bike races and tours. Cycle through the 10 best (and 10 worst) biking cities below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Biking Cities Rank City 1 San Francisco, CA 2 New York, NY 3 Portland, OR 4 Seattle, WA 5 Washington, DC 6 Denver, CO 7 Boston, MA 8 Chicago, IL 9 San Diego, CA 10 Minneapolis, MN Worst Biking Cities Rank City 1 Jackson, MS 2 Mobile, AL 3 Kansas City, KS 4 Killeen, TX 5 Surprise, AZ 6 Montgomery, AL 7 Amarillo, TX 8 Brownsville, TX 9 Glendale, AZ 10 Pasadena, CA

Key Insights: Tour de San Francisco: Hilly San Francisco spins into first place with the top biking Access and Ride Quality. SF offers the most bike repair and supply shops, as well as the most bike rental facilities, per square mile. An ideal cycling climate, a high Bike Score, and the second-highest number of top-rated bike trails also helped The Golden City glide to the top.  Car-Free Commutes: Northern cities like Portland, Oregon (No. 3), Minneapolis (No. 10), and Madison, Wisconsin (No. 11), cycle up impressive bike infrastructure. Minneapolis and Portland tie for the top Bike Score, while all three cities share first place for the most Bicycle Friendly America Awards. Madison and Portland also take second place in share of bike commuters, behind Fort Collins, Colorado (No. 18). Texas Trails: It’s easy to relax with a ride in Lone Star cities San Antonio (No. 16), Austin (No. 24), and Houston (No. 27). San Antonio has the most top-rated bike trails, thanks to more than 100 miles of multi-use trails along the city’s greenway system. Houston has the most bike trails, followed by Portland, Oregon (No. 3), and San Antonio. Austin boasts the most Bicycle Friendly America Awards out of the Texas cities. Spokes on Safety: Road cycling can be dangerous, leading to around 1,000 deaths and over 130,000 injuries annually. New Orleans (No. 88) skids to the bottom of the Safety rank, with one of the highest rates of both cycling-related fatalities and bike thefts. Meanwhile, Alexandria, Virginia (No. 28), boasts the highest overall Safety score, followed by Richmond, Virginia (No. 42).  Scenic Spins: While there aren’t many bike commuters in Chattanooga, Tennessee (No. 55), the Scenic City is great for mountain biking and hosts the most cycling races and events. Propel through the picturesque Boise River Greenbelt in Boise, Idaho (No. 32), which claims the highest average consumer rating for bike trails in our ranking. Making the Wheels Go Round: Out of all 50 states, Massachusetts cruises ahead with the most bike-friendly legislation. From the state’s Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program to the Complete Streets Funding Program to its Bicycle Transportation Plan, the Bay State is committed to improving bikeability.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Expert Insights  Methodology  This World Bicycle Day, hire a local LawnStarter pro to take care of your yard chores so you can enjoy two-wheeling in the great outdoors.