Atlanta has a huge cycling scene but most arent on mtbr but join the sites above to see more of what is going on.
There's a ton of fun cycling going on in the next month.
April 30th - Athens Twilight Criterium
May 7th -
Sopo Bicycle Cooperative Broken Hearts and Bicycle Parts and Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Beltline Bike Tour
May 14th -
East Atlanta Kid's Club's Brownwood Bike Rally
May 27 - Critical mass, we do them big here in town, frequently 300+ riders
My office is in Buckhead as well, traffic sucks and most of the Buckhead-types are all about shiny cars and throwing money around. Buckhead is the least cycle friendly part of town but Brookhaven, West Buckhead, Midtown, East Atlanta, North and Virginia Highlands, etc are all great neighborhoods. If you dont mind a 10 mile bike commute, East Atlanta is really a great place to live if you're a young professional (or aspiring artist, rockstar, hippie, etc). Vinings is also right around the corner if you want a more suburban feel but still a close commute.
We have awesome bike shops with such variety that you can shop around find the one you like and do your best to support them. We have two bicycle cooperatives,
Sopo Bicycle Cooperative out of East Atlanta, and Communicycle on the north end of town. Mack_Turtle is with CC and I'm with Sopo. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition does a lot to make our streets safer and SORBA is very active in Georgia making awesome trail systems better! Great volunteer opportunities for cyclists as well as sources for group rides and to meet local cyclists.
We have a huge bicycle commuter population here and with such a crappy public transit system you're forced to either own a car or a bike. MARTA trains and a bicycle can get you all around town very easily.
Atlanta is a city where you can really do what you want, it is highly diverse and multicultural. I have coworkers that love the retail aspects of large shopping developments like Atlantic Station, Phipps Plaza, and Lenox Mall but I much prefer to go to local blues bars, art gallery exhibitions, and hang out at the parks (and every neighborhood has a pretty nice park).
It's really easy to live in town and have a really diverse weekend planned out, cocktails after work on Friday, in-town festival on Saturday, dinner and hanging out on a patio Saturday evening, go to an art show, and end up at a concert later that evening. Sunday get up at the crack of dawn to head to North GA to go mountain biking, get back to town and have brunch with friends, head to the park for some frisbee or bocce ball. Other than the ride to the mountains it is very easy to get around all weekend sans automobile. There are so many different scenes and it is really easy to get sucked deep into one scene but the most fun is when you can have one foot in and one foot out and float between them all.
Notable awesome things about Atlanta that other cities wont have or dont do as good:
The Starlight Six Drive-In - BYOB, Bring your own grill, bring your own couch, $6 for 2 movies (or 3 if you want to hop screens)
The Plaza Theater - indie movies, current releases, documentaries, meet the director of most new touring movies here
Gay pride festival - gets bigger every year, fun even as a straight guy
Neighborhood festivals and parades every weekend - EVERY WEEKEND
The Beltline - get around town so easily on a mountain bike, very vibrant now with upcoming artwork
DIY art galleries and venues, ask a friend most arent heavily advertised
Blues dive bars - Northside Tavern is better than anything Nashville can offer.
HAMBURGERS - the worst Atlanta burger will be better than most from other cities.
Buford Highway - any ethnic food you could ever want is here.
If you have a smartphone (or not), check out Scoutmob.com for awesome deals at locally owned restaurants, shops, and bars.
What are you into? That would help a lot with steering you in the right direction once you get here.