200 miles of single track from town? Yes.
Flat cross-country and steep techy descents? Yes.
Active trail organization building new trails with Red Bull riders like Carson Storch? Yes.
Year-round riding in the high desert? Yes.
Cute town full of transplants who are also eager to make new friends? 100%
Easy to drive to places like Oakridge, Hood River, Sandy Ridge, even WA and BC? Yes.
Skiing/snowboarding/XC skiing to mix it up in the winter? Yes. Mt. Bachelor has one of the longest seasons of any ski resort in the US.
Bend has everything, and lots of it. While none of it is an 11/10, there’s so much, and so much of it is good, that it’s truly the best place to live and ride. Trails are never crowded, and you never fight traffic. People are friendly, there are things to do in town, and it’s safe— so safe you pass bikes on the back of cars as you walk into Trader Joe’s.
If you’ve been looking to make a move for your mental health, don’t sleep on Bend.
Come ride with me!
by FollowThePostcard
22 Comments
Man sounds like I need to move to bend
That’s sick! Beautiful bike you got!
Same, it has met expectations
What trails are the techy descents?
That’s only if you can afford the 800k mortgage. Most Oregonians cant afford to move to that part of Oregon anymore.
I can smell the IPA hops in these photos
Bend riding is overrated imo, but maybe I’m just spoiled living in BC.
Had a similar experience moving from WNC to Barcelona, went from having great trails nearby to even more trails nearby plus beach plus Pyrenees plus a dope European cultural capital
Meh. Lived there in the 90s and I know a lot of new stuff has been developed, but I’m pretty sure it’s still flat, like the ski hill. Seems great for intermediate riders or racers who want an ego boost, just like the ski hill.
Sounds like the OR version of Squamish. Enjoy!
Welcome to Bend! Glad to see another here
Bend is great, but don’t trip, you need to lock your bike up when going in anywhere. We are definitely not free from bike theft.
Just moved to Bend a few weeks ago…glad to be able to enjoy the trails until snow comes!!
Crazy expensive ✅
That’s awesome! How’d you connect with people when you first moved to Bend? On trail?
I moved here nearly 2 years ago and I’m still looking for some friends to consistently ride with, but that’s mostly due to having a 9 month old and limited time.
I’ve been forced to a ebike since turning old and heart disease ( Boohoo me) I was advised I’m not welcome there last time I planned a recon- still the case ? Might go after orange disaster is dead and gone if so.
I’m coming down for a first visit this spring!
This past April we snowboarded in the am at Bachelor and mountain biked in the afternoon. Lived the dream!
That’s awesome! I live on the North Ca coast. We have epic riding here.
Always wanted to go check out Bend. What trails are your favorite up there?
If Everybody wants to Live There and go Biking and Skiing, How do you make a proper Living? Just curious. Could imagine lots of competition for jobs in the area?
I’ve been there for work, awesome place.. would love to ride and spend more of my own time there
I’ll retire there but first a nice roadtrip