everyday cycling Whenever you can, ride.
The Compass

Tempe, by bike.

Tempe is one of the strongest everyday cycling cities in this set, and the numbers bear it out. The mapped network is large, the ground is about as flat as riding gets, and a notably high share of people already commute by bike. The one real caveat is the Sonoran summer: a long run of intense desert heat that reshapes when and how you ride for much of the year. Take the heat seriously and Tempe rewards riders generously, with a built environment that genuinely supports the bike.

Gentle terrain 222.0 mi network 5 good-riding months ~2.4% ride to work
Last updated · 2026-06 See something off? Tell us →
Where it is
Tempe — gentle terrain in Arizona
Heading here for school?

Arizona State University Campus Immersion — the cycling guide for students & parents →

New in town?

Moving to Tempe by bike — the guide for new arrivals →

The shape

The shape, at a glance

The whole city in a screen: the profile, the ground and the riding year, and a few sourced figures.

The profile
ConnectedCalmAll-SeasonWelcomingRoom to RoamCar-Light

Strongest on Car-Light. Welcoming is the near edge, with the most room to grow.

Ground & the riding year
Gentle
Mighty

Tempe sits on the broad, level floor of the Salt River valley, and the ground is about as flat as cycling terrain comes. There are no real climbs to plan around in everyday riding, just the occasional gentle rise. For a rider, terrain here is simply a non-issue, leaving distance and heat as the only things to weigh.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

The riding year. About 5 good months around a long, hot summer; ride early on the worst days.

Comfortable Hot & humid Cool & short days
The cooler months from November through March are prime riding; April through October runs hot enough that the desert heat dictates riding early or late.
Terrain · Open-Meteo Elevation (Copernicus DEM) · 2026-06
Season · Open-Meteo (ERA5 climate reanalysis) · daylight by latitude · 2026-06
By the numbers
Bike network
222.0 mi
mapped cycleways and paths (OpenStreetMap)
Source · OpenStreetMap (Overpass): highway=cycleway/path
Everyday riding
~2.4%
of commuters bike to work (Census ACS)
Source · US Census ACS 5-year, table B08301
Is it a good month to ride? Read the year month by month.

Is it a good month to ride in Tempe?

This is the shape of a usual year here — a climate pattern, not a forecast. Pick any month.

Month

January usually reads as comfortable.

Ordinary clothes, ordinary ride. In the long-run pattern this is one of the months that asks nothing special of you.

February usually reads as comfortable.

Ordinary clothes, ordinary ride. In the long-run pattern this is one of the months that asks nothing special of you.

March usually reads as comfortable.

Ordinary clothes, ordinary ride. In the long-run pattern this is one of the months that asks nothing special of you.

April usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

May usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

June usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

July usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

August usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

September usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

October usually runs hot and humid.

The heat shapes the hours, not the year: early mornings and evenings are the friendly windows. Carry water, take the shade, slow down a little.

November usually reads as comfortable.

Ordinary clothes, ordinary ride. In the long-run pattern this is one of the months that asks nothing special of you.

December usually reads as comfortable.

Ordinary clothes, ordinary ride. In the long-run pattern this is one of the months that asks nothing special of you.

The comfortable stretch runs November through March — 5 of the twelve months.

5 comfortable 7 hot & humid 0 cool & short-dayed
Source · Open-Meteo (ERA5 climate reanalysis) · daylight by latitude · 2026-06 · a long-run climate pattern, not a forecast
The six dimensions

Read it dimension by dimension

Tap a dimension to jump to it.
Connected Solid
Does the network join up into usable routes?
Tempe's mapped network is large and, by the standards of this set, well joined up: the corridors connect into routes that carry real daily trips rather than dead-ending. Most journeys within the city can follow good infrastructure most of the way, with only occasional gaps to bridge. The foundation here is among the best you'll find, and the remaining work is refinement rather than rescue. Riders looking for a connected place to ride will be pleased with what's already in place.
Source · OpenStreetMap (Overpass): highway=cycleway/path
Calm Solid
How much riding is away from fast traffic?
Tempe offers a good amount of separated, low-stress riding, and the strong path network means a real share of trips can stay clear of fast traffic. It isn't seamless everywhere, and some journeys still cross or share busier roads, but the calm options are broad enough that most riders can plan comfortable routes. Filling the remaining gaps would extend that comfort further still. For a place where the bike already plays a real role, the calm riding holds up well.
Source · OpenStreetMap (Overpass): highway=cycleway/path
All-Season Room to grow Growing
How rideable is this place across weather and seasons?
This is the one dimension where Tempe pays for its location. The cooler half of the year is superb for cycling, with dry, sunny, comfortable conditions, but the Sonoran summer is genuinely intense, running hot for a long stretch and making midday riding in those months a real hazard rather than just a discomfort. Riders adapt by going early, going late, and staying hydrated, and many keep riding straight through. This is an opportunity dimension only in the sense that the heat sets a hard limit; summer reshapes the riding year here.
Source · Open-Meteo (ERA5 climate reanalysis)
Welcoming Room to grow Growing
How easy is it for a newcomer or nervous rider to get started?
The dead-flat terrain is a gift to beginners, removing the hill anxiety that holds people back in many cities, and the broad network gives newcomers plenty of comfortable places to start. What keeps this from scoring higher is the heat: a first-timer who starts in the desert summer can be put off before the habit forms. The fix is simple timing, beginning in the cooler months and riding the cooler hours. This is an opportunity dimension, and with that one bit of guidance Tempe is genuinely welcoming.
Source · Open-Meteo Elevation (Copernicus DEM); OpenStreetMap (Overpass): highway=cycleway/path
Room to Roam Solid
How far can you genuinely go by bike?
Tempe is built for covering ground: a large network paired with flat terrain means your legs spend their energy on distance rather than climbing. Longer trips across the city and into the wider valley are well within reach, and the connected infrastructure makes them straightforward. The main thing to plan around is the heat, which in summer caps how far is sensible in a single outing. In the cooler months, the practical range here is generous.
Source · OpenStreetMap (Overpass): highway=cycleway/path; Open-Meteo Elevation (Copernicus DEM)
Car-Light Solid
How well can the bike replace car trips here?
Around one in forty Tempe commuters rides to work, a high figure for an American city and clear proof that the bike is already a real part of daily life here. Flat ground, a strong network, and a large student population all push in the same direction. The desert summer is the main force still keeping people in cars, since the hottest months make some trips genuinely impractical by bike. For much of the year, though, the bike is a serious everyday option here in a way few American cities can match.
Source · US Census ACS 5-year, table B08301
Take action

Where Tempe has the most room to grow

The two dimensions with the widest opening here — read as an invitation, not a verdict. Every one of these is something a resident can move, and none of it requires expertise or a fight.

All-SeasonGrowing · most room to grow

Nobody gets to lobby the weather. What is winnable is the shoulder season — a lane that’s swept, a light that works, a path that’s cleared — because maintenance is a thing a city can act on this week.

Report what’s in the way, and thank the crew that clears it. Both messages land.

WelcomingGrowing · most room to grow

Welcoming grows person by person. Nearly every place has more riders in it than the streets suggest — coalitions, community shops, ride clubs, school runs — and they are the invitation.

Find the people already riding here, then bring one more person along.

Nothing in this section is sponsored and nothing carries an affiliate link — that separation is the point. All of it, joyful half included →

Find your people

Real, active groups we checked by hand — coalitions, community shops, ride clubs, and programs worth an email. Each is verified and dated. If one has gone quiet since we looked, tell us and we'll pull it.

Statewide

  • Active ArizonaActive Arizona, formerly the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, is a statewide nonprofit that promotes safer active transportation across Arizona through education, outreach, and input on local and statewide transportation plans.Verified · 2026-07

National

  • PeopleForBikesA national bike-advocacy nonprofit and industry coalition that works on better bike infrastructure and policy, and publishes the City Ratings that score how good U.S. cities are to ride.Verified · 2026-07
  • Rails to Trails ConservancyThe national nonprofit behind the rail-trail movement, turning former rail corridors into multiuse trails and running TrailLink, a free finder for trails near you.Verified · 2026-07
  • League of American BicyclistsA national bicycling advocacy and education nonprofit that runs the Bicycle Friendly America awards program, the Smart Cycling rider-education courses, and a nationwide network of local advocacy groups, clubs, and certified instructors.Verified · 2026-07
  • Adventure Cycling AssociationAdventure Cycling Association is a national nonprofit for bicycle travel, founded in 1973, that maps long-distance routes, helped build the U.S. Bicycle Route System, runs guided tours, and advocates for better cycling routes.Verified · 2026-07
  • Safe Routes PartnershipThe Safe Routes Partnership is a national nonprofit that helps make walking and biking to school and around the neighborhood safe and easy for kids and families, supporting local Safe Routes to School programs with resources and policy expertise.Verified · 2026-07
  • Move UnitedMove United is a national nonprofit whose local chapters offer adaptive sports and recreation, including adaptive cycling and handcycling, so people with disabilities can ride and stay active in their communities.Verified · 2026-07

Nothing here is sponsored, and no link is an affiliate link — that separation is the point.

Guides that help here

If the profile got you thinking

Short, practical guides: choosing a bike, riding with confidence, and the kit that helps.

City bike, hybrid, or e-bike? Pick the type that fits your trips. Read the guide → Getting started, with confidence From rusty to riding, at your own pace. Read the guide → How to choose an e-bike The biggest single spend, done right. Read the guide → Locks & theft prevention Lock it so it is still there later. Read the guide → Lights that get you seen The cheapest real safety upgrade. Read the guide → Carrying errands by bike Racks, baskets and bags for a car-light week. Read the guide →

Browse all guides →