2023’s Best Cities for Naked Biking

Originally published by LawnStarter.

Where can you go for a naked bike ride without pedaling afoul of the law?

With World Naked Bike Ride kicking off this month, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Naked Biking.

We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five categories. We looked at naked biking events, local interest in nude cycling, bike-ability, and legal bumps in the road (like public nudity laws), among 11 total metrics.

Spin through our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology.

City Rankings + Infographic

See how each city fared in our ranking:

2023’s Best Cities for Naked Biking at Deep Creek Lake, MD

Key Insights

The Gist

Clothing-optional bike rides are taking place in 16 of the nation’s biggest cities this year, including Philadelphia (No. 1), Portland, Oregon (No. 2), and Seattle (No. 3). These cities cycled their way to the top with great bikeability and the event’s high popularity among locals.On the other hand (or cheek), some cities in the South have a sore saddle when it comes to cycling in your birthday suit. Florida cities Pembroke Pines (No. 197) and Miramar (No. 199) land at the rear end of our ranking, alongside Arizona suburbs Glendale (No. 198) and Surprise in last place. Apart from the sweltering climate and poor biking infrastructure, these cities have very little interest in a nude cruise through town.

Standout Stats

  • Philadelphia Freedom: In first place, Philadelphia streaks to the top overall and in Nudist-Friendliness. While there isn’t a sizable nudist population in the City of Brotherly Love, full public nudity is allowed in Philly — as long as you aren’t being “lewd.” It also is legal to be topless throughout Pennsylvania, making the city a beacon for biking in the buff.
  • Riding Through Stumptown: Naked biking is most popular in Portland, Oregon (No. 2), with the highest Google search interest for the annual event. However, while there is a high population of nudist residents, it is not legal to be naked in public in Portland. Luckily, participants of the World Naked Bike Ride get a pass, thanks to a legal exception that takes place for nudity as an act of political speech.
  • Disrobing Legislation: Public nudity is also allowed (everywhere or in certain places) in Seattle (No. 3), Austin, Texas (No. 5), Salem, Oregon (No. 17), and Miami (No. 20), making them ideal cities for stark cycling. Be careful biking bare in Arizona, which has the most severe penalties for public nudity violations. States with the least severe public nudity penalties include Hawaii, Nebraska, and Connecticut.
  • Unclad Interest: Despite having the largest nudist populations in our ranking, Orlando, Florida (No. 107), Miami (No. 20), and Atlanta (No. 27) had not scheduled a naked bike ride at the time of writing. Atlanta bares its enormous interest — alongside Nashville (No. 144), Dallas (No. 58), and Denver (No. 21) — among the top 15 cities with the most Google searches for the event, despite having no naked ride planned for 2023.
  • Weathering the Ride: Out of our top 10 cities, Portland, Oregon (No. 2), is likely to have the most decent weather for this year’s bike ride, with New York (No. 4) and Seattle (No. 3) trailing closely behind. It might be more challenging to ride through the elements in your natural state in Philadelphia (No. 1), Madison, Wisconsin (No. 9), and Milwaukee (No. 10), which have higher rates of precipitation and lower chances of sunshine.

Behind the Ranking

First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best Cities for Naked Biking. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into five categories: Naked Biking Popularity, Cyclist-Friendliness, Nudist-Friendliness, Safety, and Climate. The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table.Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” (No. 200).

Exposing the Dangers of Road Cycling

World Naked Bike Ride is in full swing until September, with cities across the U.S. gearing up for the annual flash mob on wheels.

The global movement, with “bare as you dare” as its motto, started in 2003 to protest oil dependency. Today, the cause is targeted toward promoting safer cycling infrastructure and body positivity.

In the U.S., preventable bike deaths have risen 44% over the past decade, and they tend to peak in August. Thankfully, from protected bike lanes to bicycle boulevards to car-free streets, many American cities are working to improve bicycle safety.

Whatever you might do naked on a bicycle or in your garden is your business, but don’t ever mow your lawn naked — that’s dangerous. Hire a local LawnStarter pro to gear up and tackle your lawn care to-do list instead.