[Noisebridge-discuss] Bike visitor in SF

Seth David Schoen schoen at loyalty.org
Tue Oct 22 17:07:53 UTC 2013


Aylons Hazzud writes:

> If NB is like any hackerspace I've been, there must be a handful of
> cyclists there.
> 
> Any tips for a NB visitor who wants to ride in SF? What's the best way
> I can get a bike or place where I can hang out with some fellow urban
> cyclists?

Oi Aylons, seja bem-vindo a São Francisco!

You can meet a lot of cyclists at the Mojo Bicycle Café, which is a
cycling-themed café that includes a bike store:
http://www.mojobicyclecafe.com/

There is also another bicycle-themed café which encourages people to
arrive by bike and has a lot of bike-related artwork, but where the
bicycle focus is not quite as intense overall:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/velo-rouge-cafe-san-francisco

You can visit the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
http://www.sfbike.org/
on Market Street (although not many people visit them in person), nearby
the Civic Center BART station.  They also have a bike map
http://www.sfbike.org/download/SF_Bike_Map_2011.pdf
(although there have been a lot of improvements to cycling
infrastructure in San Francisco since 2011 when that version was
created, so there are bike lanes now on several streets that aren't
mentioned there) and a listing of bike-related events:
http://www.sfbike.org/?chain

The printed bike map shows a couple of long rides in the City, including
a 48-km ride around the perimeter of the City which is very scenic
(particularly the parts along the waterfront).

I also recommend riding north to Marin County, the area on the other
side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
http://marinbike.org/Map/SideA2011.jpg
Marin is very wealthy and has enormous amounts of parkland, open space,
and great views of mountains, the ocean, and the San Francisco Bay.
There is a very strong recreational road and mountain bike culture there
and the cycling infrastructure and bike route network (particularly in
the towns on the eastern side of Marin) are extensive.  You can bike
over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, or take a ferry there, and
then bike along the shore of the Bay to other towns which have a ferry
back to San Francisco (Tiburon or Larkspur).  Longer-distance rides are
also available out into West Marin.

In San Francisco, be careful of getting doored (if someone exiting a car
opens the door without looking back) and beware of Muni Metro train
tracks in these locations:
http://sanfrancisco.about.com/od/neighborhoodprofiles/ig/sfmaps/Muni-Map.htm

(As a cyclist, you're most likely to encounter train tracks on Market
Street, The Embarcadero, or 17th Street.)  You're allowed to occupy the
full traffic lane whenever necessary for safety.  Also, bike theft is
common and every part of the bike (including wheels and saddle) should
be physically secured if your bike is locked up outdoors.

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org>      |  No haiku patents
     http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/        |  means I've no incentive to
  FD9A6AA28193A9F03D4BF4ADC11B36DC9C7DD150  |        -- Don Marti



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