Thinking about getting an air b&b in Tucson this winter to do some training. Anyone have some suggestions on what part of town i should be looking at for a place to stay to do “rides from the house”, but also be convenient for off the bike fun (restaurants and such)
Thanks.
Hotel McCoy.
A refurbished roadside motel. Very hip feel, easy in-out, bike friendly and world’s longest oatmeal bar for breakfast. When we were there, some company was running cycling spring-training camps right out of the hotel
This is based on our stay there in February 2020, right before COVID hit
Hotel McCoy - Art, Coffee, Beer, Wine
(844) 782-9622
My suggestion would be anywhere near Tucson’s famous Loop. Just miles of segregated bike lanes across the city. So amazing.
You are pretty close to everything when you stay in Tucson. As stated above, you can hop on the Loop and that will take you anywhere. I would advise staying away from South Tucson… Two must do rides are Mount Lemmon (bring an extra bottle because they shut off the water at the pull off when it gets too cold) and the Shoot out. The main ride is fast, really fast, especially in the winter when pros come out. The “old man” Shoot out is still fun and leaves 15 minutes prior. Have fun and I miss riding in Tucson.
Central Tucson is actually pretty convenient for some of the good rides in town, namely Gates Pass, plus the Shootout leaves from the University area nearby. If you’re looking for cultural offerings, I’d look for a place near the university / 4th ave area or south of downtown in the barrio viejo or armory park areas. Really anywhere in a few mile radius of the university will be fine. Note that these aren’t generally luxurious areas, but are authentically Tucson. If you’re there purely for cycling, like more suburban and new-build accommodations, and aren’t too interested in being close to bars/restaurants/etc you may prefer to stay in/near Starr Pass west of town or in the foothills of the Catalinas.
Most year-round group rides leave from near the University, with the exception of the roundup (leaves from Ina and Oracle, so not that far from downtown either). I’d pick something near there, because that also gets you to the loop fast and has easy access to night life (downtown–Congress, Rialto, Fox, convention center, bars/restaurants, etc.). It also puts you close to the freeway if you want to get out of town (Mt. Graham, etc.).
I live on the east side right off the loop. Also good–great access to the mountain and some other fun foothills climbs, but a lot quieter at night (pros and cons) and it’s a trek to get to the bigger group rides early in the a.m., and a pain to get to the freeway. Can you tell I can’t wait to move back downtown?
What is the “loop?”
I’m tagging along with my wife and some of her co-workers who are going for a conference in March. Staying at Westin La Paloma and the aforementioned Hotel McCoy.
It’s a bike path that circumnavigates the city. It runs along the several washes crossing the city. You’ll be close to the loop at both of the places you mentioned.
Map here: ArcGIS Web Application
It’s a means to access good riding, but is not a destination in itself imo.
Counterpoint: long zone 2 rides 
Went to Tucson last Feb/Mar for a week of cycling with two friends. We stayed here…
A bit expensive but we split it 3 ways and each had our own bedroom. Its 3 miles from the bottom of Mount Lemmon and easy access to all the rides around Lemmon. It is a few miles from the Loop on traffic busy streets but we never had any issues with drivers.
Fair. Don’t mean to take a shot at the loop, it’s definitely a great thing to have.
This is great info, thanks everyone
Bringing this thread back from the dead!
We’re considering a trip here this winter for training/restaurants/bars. We’ll also have a dog so need somewhere dog friendly.
Last year we stayed in the Kolb area and it was fantastic, though slightly limited on restaurant options within a quick walk. We might stay here again, but would consider other options too. Whatcha got?!
Stayed at this hotel before heading down to Patagonia for Spirit World last year. Absolutely loved it, great vibe about the place and the free oatmeal breakfast was perfect
My wife and I go to Tucson almost every March/April for a week. We typically stay at Hilton Tucson East (they are pet friendly as I see people with their dogs there). It literally sits right next to the bike path, which you can use to get almost anywhere in Tucson safely. The hotel is on Broadway Boulevard so its an easy ride over to Saguaro NP to do loops on the one way paved path (8 miles…sounds like it would be boring but its beautiful and a fun little loop to do multiple times). The roads in the area of Saguaro NP East are great for riding out towards Colossal Cave or Pistol Hill.
Also easy to get to Mt Lemmon from this Hilton.
You can ride the entire loop of the bike path too. I cannot recall the total distance, because I took a few diversions, but I believe its 50-60 miles.
If you don’t mind walking a little distance, there is a decent choices of places to eat nearby this Hilton (also a coffee shop and restaurant in the Hilton)…In-N-Out Burger, Culvers, Starbucks, The Oink Cafe (great big pancakes for breakfast), etc…
As someone who lives on the east side… it’s great for cycling and terrible for food or night life. BUT it’s 40-60 minutes to downtown, so you can still enjoy downtown if you don’t mind riding at night.
East-ish side, bike-compatible food: fini’s (look up beers and gears on a thursday night and you’ll end there), gardens at bear canyon, mona’s (pastries), le buzz (everyone’s lemmon meet up spot), tucson hop shop (beer and pizza and often music). Oh, and ginza, banhdicted, and tuk tuk thai have patios and are near sabino canyon.
Honestly, I’d find an air bnb in midtown. Then nothing is too far away. If you want walking distance. Downtown is the way to go.
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I’m hoping to do the Mount Lemmon climb in a couple weeks and have some questions. I’ll be driving down from the Phoenix area the morning of the ride. Does LeBuzz have a nice restroom for changing into my kit? Is there anyway to refill water bottles on the ride? Or do I need to bring my hydration pack? Are there any restrooms along the route?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!