# Biking SF Question



## Lrobby99 (Nov 10, 2014)

I have never biked in SF, but I have been there and lived there a while too. Not long. I imagine biking there is incredible. How is it done? Steep hill climbs, a crest, then lean on the brakes or risk your life? And all while the cars are ever-present? The leg muscles must get huge climbing all those hills. Anyone care to share their SF biking experiences? Thanks in advance.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Lrobby99 said:


> I have never biked in SF, but I have been there and lived there a while too. Not long. I imagine biking there is incredible. How is it done? Steep hill climbs, a crest, then lean on the brakes or risk your life? And all while the cars are ever-present? The leg muscles must get huge climbing all those hills. Anyone care to share their SF biking experiences? Thanks in advance.


It's actually pretty easy to circumvent the steeper hills unless your destination is at the top of one. 

I'm 72 with pretty average leg muscles and endurance, and can ride just about anywhere in the city except for the really steep grades with a 34-50 compact double and 13-29 10-s cassette. I just go around the really steep ones.

There are marked bike lanes on most thoroughfares and Market St. has dedicated lanes in both directions from Octavia St. to the Ferry Building.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I used to ride San Francisco pretty often. When I lived there, basically. 

Most of the streets aren't that bad. The heaviest-traffic streets often have much more friendly routes running parallel. And the Wiggle now exists in paint on the street, not just the collective knowledge of local riders.

My favorite route when I was home from college was going through the Presidio via the Arguello entrance and crossing the Bridge to climb the Headlands, then coming home via the winding road on the west side of the Presidio. Highway One is pretty awesome too.


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## Lrobby99 (Nov 10, 2014)

For urban biking, SF seems very interesting. What comes to my mind is braking downhill in rain. That must take a lot of practice and forethought. Thanks for the replies.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Not really. It's just like riding hills in wet weather everywhere else. How long have you been riding?


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## singlespeed.org (Feb 14, 2006)

In many ways, I prefer road riding in the city over the suburbs. Yes, there are more cars here, but in general the drivers here are also much more aware of bikes.

On hills - there are some steep hills, but you can usually avoid them. Areas of the city, like the Mission and South Beach, are so flat that fixies are common.

SF Bike Coalition has maps with bike routes marked on them.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

singlespeed.org said:


> In many ways, I prefer road riding in the city over the suburbs. Yes, there are more cars here, but in general the drivers here are also much more aware of bikes.
> 
> On hills - there are some steep hills, but you can usually avoid them. Areas of the city, like the Mission and South Beach, are so flat that fixies are common.
> 
> *SF Bike Coalition has maps with bike routes marked on them.*


Excellent point.

Maps & Routes | San Francisco Bicycle Coalition


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## AndreSF (Sep 23, 2013)

It's a great city to bike. The Coalition is doing good work to make living in SF feasible by bicycle. Bike paths are EVERYWHERE! Also, I find the routing function in Strava.com to be great for planning routes based upon usage. It will map you Point A to Point B based upon most popularly tracked routes.

Good main thoroughfares for cycling are Valencia Street, Market Street, the Embarcadero, etc... A good way to get around Twin Peaks and Buena Vista is "The Wiggle". It's a zig-zaggy route around some big hills. Google it.

Exploring the Bay Trail is relatively flat and can take you right around the Bay. Golden Gate Bridge can be a nightmare to ride because of tourists and kids blocking your route, but it's fine in the early morning. A fun thing to do is ride in Golden Gate Park on Sundays when they block off the roads and cross traffic up and down JFK. Similar tourist/children obstacles to look out for, but instead of a 6' path, it's a very wide street. It's a great ride with outstanding scenery.


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## centurionomega (Jan 12, 2005)

Lrobby99 said:


> Steep hill climbs, a crest, then lean on the brakes or risk your life? And all while the cars are ever-present? The leg muscles must get huge climbing all those hills.


Having come from a relatively flat city, SF hills were daunting at first. I just got tired of the hills getting the better of me though, and now my giant leg muscles can propel me to the top of each street without stopping. There are a couple (Dalewood and its 23% slope comes to mind/Fillmore/Jones) where I need a triple to make it to the top. Just ride uphill *outside* of your comfort zone and you will get better.

Descending should definitely be in your comfort zone. Especially in the wet. I had a front wheel slide out coming down Twin Peaks one day. Luckily, it was at slow speed and resulted in only some road rash and a cracked helmet. In the wet go slow, and use more rear brake than front. I've had my rear tire slip out several times and have been able to maintain control by letting off of the brakes slightly.

Regarding cars: There are many ways to get around town with either a bike lane or on a less-traveled street. If I am on a heavy car traffic street, I like to keep my speed high and 'take the lane'. For the most part, cars behave predictably. SF drivers seem to expect you to run stop signs, and they generally don't want to run you over.

+1 on the SFBC bike map, and I like Google Maps with the bicycle route function turned on to plot out good rides.

Have Fun!


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## AndreSF (Sep 23, 2013)

I should mention that, the cars are not the big deal. Muni (train) tracks and busses are my biggest concerns when riding. Also, pedestrians do not tend to stop and look both ways here. They just step into the street.

As for doing the big hills, just work your way up to the big ones like centurionomega did. Most of the big ones like San Bruno Mountain and Twin Peaks have perfectly respectable half-way routes that require effort, but don't have the steep grades and switchbacks that lead to the summit. They all have traffic, but the bike lanes are good. Presidio has a good variety of hills for getting the hang of it too.

About descending, riding your brakes is dangerous as your rims can heat up and make the brakes less effective or even fail. That would be bad. Slow before stops and turns, but take straightaways without braking. Only brake when you really need it. "Comfort braking" can lead to really bad events when going down a steep hill.


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