Madison was a great city to bike around (at least, in the mild summer weather). I was able to get from somewhere about 10 miles South of the city to my friends’ house across the isthmus (and then later to the airport on my bike) almost exclusively on bike paths (Badger Trail -> SW Commuter Trail -> Capitol City Trail -> Starkweather Creek Path).
And there was good cycling infrastructure (paths, signage, lanes, even bike tools and stands along the trails), a decent city bike rental system, and apparently low bike theft given the number of nice bikes I saw secured with only a thin cable lock around the top tube (one day I even forgot my keys and left my bike unlocked outside all sorts of businesses outside the city… though I don’t recommend that).
