About Boulder
WalkScore 57
TransitScore 49
BikeScore 86
League of American Bicyclists' Rating: Platinum
MAPS
Bike Map (pdf)
Transit Map (pdf)
Boulder has adopted the humble bicycle in a big way, building some of the most gorgeous bike infrastructure anywhere in the world. Mile after mile of secluded bike paths cross the town in uninterrupted bliss, diving under every cross street via their own private underpasses, and delivering you to your destinations in peaceful bliss. The highlight of Downtown is the fabulous Pearl Street Mall, a rambling string of outdoor public space and retail real estate that somehow manages to make room for every kind of visitor and resident. Immediately surrounding all this rich culture is a backdrop of Rocky Mountains that reminds you that first-class outdoor experiences are minutes away. Boulder richly deserves its Platinum Bike City rating from the League of American Cyclists.
About Fort Collins
WalkScore 37
TransitScore 29
BikeScore 78
League of American Bicyclists' Rating: Platinum
MAPS
Bike Map (pdf)
Transit Map (pdf)
Fort Collins probably has just as much enthusiasm for biking that Boulder and Denver have, but it lacks the knock-out infrastructure of Boulder, or parts of Denver. Fort Collins is a more raw, realistic version of Boulder with fewer wealthy retirees, and with the fabulous mountain backdrop just a touch farther off in the distance. What Fort Collins does have over its neighbors is a phenomenal bike library downtown, and the New Belgium Brewery, a staggeringly progressive dreamboat of a business and world-class brewer of everything from IPAs to sours, right on the outskirts of downtown. Fort Collins is already a Platinum-rated biking city that will only benefit further when the city unveils its planned bike network plan soon.
101 on Biking in Boulder & Fort Collins
Etiquette
Both cities seemed to have little or no habit of ringing bike bells to warn of passing another cyclist, and very little use of hand signals for turns. You’re unlikely to get a lecture from other cyclists for failing to do these things, though they remain a great idea in the interest of not surprising others. Shared use paths abound, but most separate the cyclists from the walkers via a strip of paint, so ride slowly when sharing space with pedestrians and expect the unexpected.
Safety
Between sunset and sunrise, a front light and side & rear reflectors are required. We could find no helmet law. In Boulder and Fort Collins it is strictly a personal preference, given the dreamy separated infrastructure.
Security
In Boulder and Fort Collins, it seems that bikes can be left locked up outside at night without an abnormal amount of fear of theft. And as always, a good quality u-lock does a much better job than a cheap cable lock.
boulder CULTURE
The Boulder bike scene was one dominated I equal parts by utility and recreation. Many more classic city bikes with baskets and fenders were seen here than in Denver, alongside well used world-class mountain bikes costing gazillions of dollars. Mixed in amongst the 3-speeds and double suspended carbon fiber downhill bombers were a healthy sprinkling of bike share B-Cycles as well.
fort collins CULTURE
Fort Collins, much like Boulder, showed a great deal of expensive off-road knobby equipment being used to get around town. Talking with local friends, we learned of a strong local culture that uses bikes to load up on camping gear and disappear into the hills for weeks at a time, covering hundreds of miles on a trip. The bike library downtown will be happy to rent you out a bike for free, or something close to free, depending on how long you need it. We also saw a number of “lone wolves” in Fort Collins -- those magnificent, crazy uncles of the biking family who have cobbled together jarringly discordant clusters of bike components and fluorescent clothing into rolling works of functionalism that scream “this works for me, I don’t give a damn what it looks like.” The beer culture in Fort Collins is quite strong, as well, assuring plenty of worthy pit stops.
Best Bike Rides in Boulder and Fort Collins
These routes were curated by local Boulderites and Fort Collins folk who wanted to share their #BestBikeRide with you. Print off the map for free!
Bikes
BOULDER
bike share
RENTALS
University Bicycles - $25+ daily for city, kids, mountain, road, trailer; includes lock, helmet, map
Full Cycle - $30+ daily for city, kids, mountain, road
Boulder Bikesmith - $27+ daily for city, kids, mountain, road
TOURS
Boulder Area Bicycle Adventures - $65+ per person for themed city and rural tours (beer, food, mountain, history, vistas)
Boulder Bike Tours - $109+ per person (long distance)
Front Range Ride Guides - $149+ per person for rural tour
fort collins
RENTALS
New World Sports - $35+ daily for cruisers, city, mountain, road, trailer, trail-a-bike
TOURS
Beer & Bike - $50+ per person
SPINLISTER
Spinlister is Airbnb for bikes. Use BIKABOUT for $10 off your first rental.
Places
New Belgium Brewery
We're constantly updating this list of our favorite bike shops, coffee shops, restaurants, museums, scenic vistas, playgrounds, ice cream, microbreweries and more in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins!
Armstrong Hotel in Fort Collins has complimentary bikes.
Lodging
boulder
HOTELS
Hotels that provide complimentary bikes and other bike amenities
BEST WESTERN PLUS
Reservations, +1 303-449-3800, 770 28th St, Boulder, CO 80303
Amenities: complimentary bikes
fort collins
HOTELS
Hotels that provide complimentary bikes and other bike amenities
ARMSTRONG HOTEL
Reservations, (866) 384-3883259, South College Avenue, Fort Collins
Amenities: complimentary bikes
BEST WESTERN INN
Reservations, (970) 484-2984, 914 S College Avenue, Fort Collins
Amenities: complimentary bikes
Transportation
denver
City Transit
RTD - 100% buses equipped with bike racks and bikes allowed on light rail at all hours of operation (minor rules apply)
Train
California Zephr (Chicago, Omaha, Salt Lake City, San Francisco) - $10 for checked bike ($15 bike boxes sold at station)
Cars
Airline
Alaska Air - $25 to check bike
Delta - $150 to check bike
Frontier - $75 to check bike
JetBlue - $50 to check bike (folding bikes in container under 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs are FREE)
Southwest - FREE to check bike
Support Local Advocates
Bikabout donates 25% of annual revenue to local advocates. You, too, can power better biking in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins by becoming a member of any of the great non-profits below!
The theme of this #bestbikeride in Fort Collins: casual riding on great biking infrastructure, ending with a good brew.