Moving to Boulder from Vancouver, BC

[Tattoodles]

Hello! New to the forum; my wife has been offered a job in Boulder (in the tech industry) and has put us in the position of considering the move from Vancouver, BC.

Being an avid rider, my main concern with moving to the Boulder area is quality of riding (road conditions, speed tax enforcement) and the length of the riding season.

Here in Vancouver, it is possible to ride all year 'round with the exception of some pretty cold and wet days between Christmas and Easter. It can be done but the days are short and rain gear and heated gear is essential.

What's it like for year long riding in Boulder? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[salsashark]

First off, welcome...

It's possible to ride year around here. Personally I won't ride if there's ice on the roads, but that doesn't stop some of our more adventurous riders. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at Denver's 300+ days of sunshine per year.

[Clovis]

Colorado has some of the best motorcycle roads in North America. I wouldn't ride all year, it gets pretty cold.

From May to early October its Heaven on Earth down here.

[CaptGoodvibes]

What's with all the Canadians moving here? j/k But seriously... no j/k

Anyhoo,

Great riding, good road conditions, winter at altitude is tough but there are some good options down here at 5280' ish that are fun. Of course, it's different from winter to winter so even if you hit a bad winter your first one here, the next will probably milder.

[Tattoodles]

Thanks for the replies.

So a realistic riding season for Northern Colorado is May through October?

[longrider]

So a realistic riding season for Northern Colorado is May through October?

For teh mountains, yes. However as others have already stated that can easily get stretched on both ends depending on the season. I have ridden mountain canyons anywhere from Easter to Thanksgiving but it depends on the year. At lower elevations riding is really year round, there is rarely more than a week that I cant get the bike out at least once.

[Ezzzzy1]

So a realistic riding season for Northern Colorado is May through October?

Thats the prime time... There are a lot of people that ride in Denver 300+ days a year. Its been said that Colorado has more sunny days than any other us state, not sure how true that is but there are a LOT of sunny days year round. You will not be disappointed with the riding immediately around Boulder and have a lot of options surrounding ya!

You and Vellos can be buddies he is a boulder guru...

[cbrjohnny]

sounds like you will be right at home.

[BC14]

I ride every month, at least once. There are nice days (50's/10-14C) in winter, and those days are great to get out and ride. The cool brisk air feels awesome, just gotta be mindful of the crushed rock/granite they use for deicing/traction when it snows.

[Clovis]

Yeah, May through October is the prime season. You can ride most days if you have the cold weather gear.

I don't, so I ride during the "season". I believe the scientific term is "fair weather rider" That's me!

[ChrisCBX]

I ride every month, at least once. There are nice days (50's/10-14C) in winter, and those days are great to get out and ride. The cool brisk air feels awesome, just gotta be mindful of the crushed rock/granite they use for deicing/traction when it snows.

+1

There are always some sunny days all through the winter that I can get out a little bit. It helps reduce the effects of Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.

[JustinP]

Riding is great here, although there are not a ton of roads. But the ones we do have are great.

As far as riding year round? Depends on your temperature tolerance and you need to be mindful of ice. I myself ride as long as it's not snowing before I get on the bike.

[dirkterrell]

I ride all year. Heated gear does make it more enjoyable come January, but even before I got it, I still rode year 'round. If I go more than a few days without riding, I get cranky.

[asp_125]

Hello! New to the forum; my wife has been offered a job in Boulder (in the tech industry) and has put us in the position of considering the move from Vancouver, BC.

Being an avid rider, my main concern with moving to the Boulder area is quality of riding (road conditions, speed tax enforcement) and the length of the riding season.

Here in Vancouver, it is possible to ride all year 'round with the exception of some pretty cold and wet days between Christmas and Easter. It can be done but the days are short and rain gear and heated gear is essential.

What's it like for year long riding in Boulder? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, hoser! I grew up in Richmond and Surrey, eh? Welcome .. we could use a few more canucks here.

You'll love it here. Laid back and none of those cold wet Vancouver days. Downside is the severe lack of Nanaimo Bars and west coast rain forests.

As for the riding.. it's primo. You already have heated gear to ride all year round.

[Ghost]

Be aware that the weather can change abruptly at altitude, especially in late fall or early spring. I've been in a few rides that started in the 50s F and ended in snow & sleet.

Plan appropriately, and always bring a variety of gear for our ever-changing weather conditions in the mountains.

[JustinP]

Be aware that the weather can change abruptly at altitude, especially in late fall or early spring. I've been in a few rides that started in the 50s F and ended in snow & sleet.

Plan appropriately, and always bring a variety of gear for our ever-changing weather conditions in the mountains.

Good point.

Having ridden over Coal Bank pass and Molas pass in the snow, I can attest that is no fun at all. Good news is I only had to pick it up once.

[Ezzzzy1]

Another thing... If you dont ride in the winter months you might want to look into winterizing it. If you ride it once or twice a month then you probably dont need to worry about it.

Not that this thread needs to turn into everyones oppinion of winterizing, just throwing it out there.

[Sean]

Lived in Boulder for a few years (and still work there). The riding is okay if you like being 5 minutes from great canyons. Cars do get in the way sometime, but with a little throttle control that gets remedied quickly.

It is def possible to ride every month of the year, it just depends on if you don't mind the cold and have the right gear. It'll snow during winter, sometimes a lot, but most times it melts pretty quickly. Dec-Mar will be your most sparse riding.

Welcome.

[rforsythe]

Not sure what you ride, but a lot of us here have also discovered dual sports over the past several years (despite this being a sportbike club). During the summer months you can explore the mountains to your heart's content on one, and in the winter time they can be useful when traction starts to suck - I have a set of studded TKC80's for my VStrom that stick to ice, and anakees for every other season.

Heated gear is nice to have for sure, though I have been doing OK with a good set of all-weather non-heated stuff. I'll be adding electrics to my stash this year I think, but especially in winter we just don't have the humidity like the coastal areas, so the cold doesn't eat through you like those places.

Re: your question on speed tax enforcement, well, yeah it happens. It just depends on how and where you ride, but I haven't had run-in's with too many that were just out to get bikers, and have been let off with a warning more than once from empathetic cops who just wanted to tell me to slow it down on a nice day. Even the cops here "get it" for the most part, they just have a job to do. Don't be a dick, and they will treat you in kind more often than not.

[OUTLAWD]

March of this year, about an hour NW of Boulder

I will ride if its above 25F...sans heated gear

[BC14]

March of this year, about an hour NW of Boulder

I will ride if its above 25F...sans heated gear

May 26th......NW of Fort Collins, Cameron Pass

It's all relative.. Gotta pay attention

[OUTLAWD]

I was simply illustrating that there can be decent conditions...I've been snowed on in late June in the high country

[BC14]

I was simply illustrating that there can be decent conditions...I've been snowed on in late June in the high country

It was for effect. I got snow in July on Mt Evans.. Part of the adventure of CO riding

[Squisha]

Year-round rider here!

My rule basically is that as long as the roads are dry where I'm headed (hard to assess sometimes but then I usually err on the side of caution) I'm on two wheels. I have heated gloves and jacket, and my textile/mesh overpants are enough to keep me comfortable. The clash of really, really cold air and the warmth of my jacket is exhilarating, actually.

Welcome to Colorado! Will you be buying an Avalanche jersey, hmmm?

BTW, totally unrelated, but if you like microbrews, you're pretty much in Mecca!