Vacation in San Francisco - Biking Advice

Hey Everyone,

I'll be traveling to San Francisco the first week of September and am hoping to get some riding in while I'm there. I've done some online searching of rental places, routes etc but I always like to get personal recommendations.

So what advice do you have? Favorite places to ride? Level of difficulty?

Another note, I'll be riding with someone who only rarely recreationally rides, is it a viable place for her to cycle?

Any information is appreciated!

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Permalink Reply by dan meliza on July 31, 2009 at 6:45am
If you're up for a serious ride, consider going around Mt. Tamalpais (i.e. the "Alpine Dam" route, anyone at a cycle shop will know what you're talking about, or see the attached map). You get redwoods, amazing views of the ocean, Pt. Reyes (weather permitting), and the bay. It's got some pretty intense climbs though.

As others have mentioned there's some great East Bay rides too - I can send you maps if you're interested.

Permalink Reply by Ashley on July 31, 2009 at 6:46am
Any additional maps would be fantastic!

dan meliza said:
If you're up for a serious ride, consider going around Mt. Tamalpais (i.e. the "Alpine Dam" route, anyone at a cycle shop will know what you're talking about, or see the attached map). You get redwoods, amazing views of the ocean, Pt. Reyes (weather permitting), and the bay. It's got some pretty intense climbs though.

As others have mentioned there's some great East Bay rides too - I can send you maps if you're interested.

Permalink Reply by dan meliza on July 31, 2009 at 6:58am
Okay, this is making me seriously nostalgic for some hills and a good technical descent.

Two of my favorite east bay routes. (1) Three Bears. *Classic* inner coast range terrain, with rolling hills, grazing cows, and some nice oak scrub. Should see lots of hawks and turkey vultures. The three bears are the three climbs, which increase in difficulty if you go in the direction I've posted. Good wide roads with big shoulders. Note that this map leaves from my old house - to get over the Berkeley hills from the BART station you can go up either Spruce or Euclid, which are reasonably gentle.


(2) Pinehurst road. This route goes south on Skyline Blvd for a ways, so you get some nice views of the bay. Then you drop down to the east through some narrow little valleys filled with redwoods and burbling streams. You can get up to Skyline on Spruce or Euclid as before, or on Tunnel Road (as marked) which is fairly gentle and wicked curvy.


Enjoy!
Permalink Reply by Ashley on July 31, 2009 at 6:59am
Awesome, Thanks!
Permalink Reply by S on July 31, 2009 at 7:20am
dan meliza said:
If you're up for a serious ride, consider going around Mt. Tamalpais (i.e. the "Alpine Dam" route, anyone at a cycle shop will know what you're talking about, or see the attached map). You get redwoods, amazing views of the ocean, Pt. Reyes (weather permitting), and the bay. It's got some pretty intense climbs though.

As others have mentioned there's some great East Bay rides too - I can send you maps if you're interested.

Just fyi, Mt. Tam might be closed due to budget issues in CA. The Marin county century had to cancel one of their routes because they couldn't get a permit to because the park was closed.

Permalink Reply by Francis Buxton on August 1, 2009 at 3:09am
First, it's not a viable place for a novice to cycle whatsoever. The hills
are like mountains and hard from beginners.

Suggestion: going downhill in golden gate park; start and flat iron area.

If you have the time, opportunity go north to Sausalito and ride; it's beautiful
and your friend would have an easier time.

Have fun!
Permalink Reply by Curt H Moore on August 2, 2009 at 7:33am
I was out there the last 2 weeks of May. If you ride early there is very little traffic. Golden Gate should be on your list and then up to Paridise Ridge i nto Marin County.
West Bay has paths which are marked
curt
Permalink Reply by Sue Clark on August 3, 2009 at 3:48am
If you're riding in the city, get the SF Bicycle Coalition's San Francisco Map. I think it's also available online at: http://www.sfbike.org/?maps. It's handy in that it shows where the bike lanes are, and also where the hills are by color coding streets for steepness. The most important skill to have when biking in SF is hill avoidance. In general, the SFBC is a good reference for biking and bike-related events in the city.

The ride across the Golden Gate bridge should be do-able by most. Worst case scenario, you push a bike up a hill rather than ride. It's nice to do the ride through to Sausalito or Tiburon, and then take the ferry back with the bike to Fisherman's Wharf (where you can practice tourist avoidance).

If you're biking in GG Park, bike into the Inner Sunset for some good food, like around 9th/Irving. Another area to check out for restaurants near the park is Inner Richmond, such as Clement St. (1 block N of Geary) between Arguello/Park Presidio. Let me know if you want restaurant recommendations.
Permalink Reply by Steven on August 4, 2009 at 3:06am
i'll be there at the same time too. but only for one afternoon/evening. i'll get in to SF on Friday Sept 4, pick up my bike (having it shipped to San Francisco Cyclery for reassembly) and take the rest of the day to check out the sites around town. The next morning i'll head out for a 950 mile ride to Seattle. Can't wait to get started!
Permalink Reply by Ashley on August 4, 2009 at 3:12am
WOW, that sounds like a great trip!! Good luck!

Steven said:
i'll be there at the same time too. but only for one afternoon/evening. i'll get in to SF on Friday Sept 4, pick up my bike (having it shipped to San Francisco Cyclery for reassembly) and take the rest of the day to check out the sites around town. The next morning i'll head out for a 950 mile ride to Seattle. Can't wait to get started!
Permalink Reply by Steven on August 4, 2009 at 3:18am
Thanks. i might be in over my head, but it'll be fun to find out. i'm shooting for 6 days (5 day push) so it'll mean pedalpedalpedalpedal pretty much all day. :)



Ashley said:
WOW, that sounds like a great trip!! Good luck!

Steven said:
i'll be there at the same time too. but only for one afternoon/evening. i'll get in to SF on Friday Sept 4, pick up my bike (having it shipped to San Francisco Cyclery for reassembly) and take the rest of the day to check out the sites around town. The next morning i'll head out for a 950 mile ride to Seattle. Can't wait to get started!
Permalink Reply by Ashley on August 4, 2009 at 3:19am
Holy Cow!! That's a lot of riding in 5/6 days...

Steven said:
Thanks. i might be in over my head, but it'll be fun to find out. i'm shooting for 6 days (5 day push) so it'll mean pedalpedalpedalpedal pretty much all day. :)



Ashley said:
WOW, that sounds like a great trip!! Good luck!

Steven said:
i'll be there at the same time too. but only for one afternoon/evening. i'll get in to SF on Friday Sept 4, pick up my bike (having it shipped to San Francisco Cyclery for reassembly) and take the rest of the day to check out the sites around town. The next morning i'll head out for a 950 mile ride to Seattle. Can't wait to get started!

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