Kerrangatang92

Hey all,

This is my 1st post here so let me introduce myself. I'm an Irish lad moving over to the Bay Area at the end of May for the Summer, and possibly hanging around into the Winter. I've always done my fair share of cycling since a kid, but really fell in love with the sport one July afternoon while flicking through the channels on the box and stumbling on footage of the Tour De France, I've been hooked since. An aim of mine for the summer is to get out on the bike as much as possible and enjoy some sunshine (very rare in Ireland) as well as maybe doing any beginner standard races if possible.

I've a few questions regarding my move to the San Fran area. I was hoping you guys can help me out .

My 1st question is, as I will be based in Mill Valley at a friend of mines place, is there any cycling clubs in the area who are involved in racing, and who caters for young people relatively new to the sport who wish to develop their riding. Also, do any of these clubs have many young people in them? My reason for asking this is because I will not know anyone in San Fran apart from one lad I know, so it would be nice to make some friends my own age while there. I am 21 by the way, so that is the age bracket I am talking about. I would also like to add, that I don't mind the spin into the city for meet ups if that is where any of the clubs are based.

Another question of mine is whether it is possible to pick up a decent road bike for around 500 dollars (I'm pretty broke right now) while there, and whereabouts are good places to check for them. 2nd hand is what I will be looking for.

Finally, will hopefully be looking for a job in San Fran, how is the commute from Mill Valley to let's say, Fisherman's Wharf? Anyone have any experience?

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the wall of text, ha.
Kerrangatang92.

ConstantRider

I don't have specific recommendations for teams, but I'm sure if you ask at some of the many bike shops in Marin, you will get recommendations for teams and regular fast group rides. Here is a list of Marin bike shops: MCBC - Marin Bike Shops

Odyssey Bikes and Mike's Bikes in Sausalito, StudioVelo in Mill Valley, and Village Peddler in Larkspur would all be good places to ask questions about teams/rides.

At least two of the local shops sell used bikes: The Re-cyclery in San Rafael and The Bicycle Works in San Anselmo. And of course there's Craigslist, where there are always lots of bikes for sale.

Commuting from Mill Valley to Fisherman's Wharf would involve a couple miles of bike path, a trip along the water through the town of Sausalito, a short climb to the bridge, and then a few more flat miles along the edge of San Francisco. All in all, a pretty scenic commute, probably 10 miles or so, depending on where in Mill Valley you'd be starting from.

justin.

Odyssey Bikes? Or A Bicycle Odyssey? There is also Roaring Mouse, which has a team. The Mission Cycling club seems pretty active in their get togethers too.

As for work, WTB is in Mill Valley, perhaps you could get your foot in the door with them.

Lanceoldstrong

Marin Cyclists Club - Home

Great group. You are lucky to be headed to their area.

Leinster

Welcome. I'm another Paddy, living in Napa. You'll find plenty others in the Marin area too.

Depending on what part of Mill Valley you're in, that could be a longish commute, but you're young enough. You might also be able to find work in the Marin area too, so don't limit yourself.

You should have no trouble picking up a decent ride for under $500. If you already know the address you're staying in, get on eBay, find a good deal, and have it sent there before you arrive. A friend of mine got his Allez for $200, so there's plenty of deals to be had.

Go on a few group rides when you arrive, someone there will usually be able to tell you when the races are coming up.

reidplum

You can also just take the short ride to Sausalito, then take the ferry to the Fisherman's Wharf area. Easy!

Reid

beerbaron2002

Sun tan lotion

Bike94965

Some of the teams in the area are Equator Coffee/Mike's Bikes, Fusion, Dolce Vita, Pacific Crush and others. Here's are some of the local group and shop rides where you can meet the locals.

treadtread

SF has a bike co-op too, try looking there as well. Will try to lookup the link when I'm not on the phone.

Kerrangatang92

Hey everyone, apologies for not getting back sooner, I've been really busy with college work so had brushed my summer planning to the side.

What can I say, wow what a great response, thanks a million! A lot of useful information here. Il make sure to check out some of these bike shops as well as searching Craigslist & Ebay for deals. And thanks for all the group ride/team suggestions, will definitely do some research on them and give them a try!

To Leinster, I had been thinking about maybe cycling up to Napa during some weekend. If you don't mind, I might try to contact you sometime during June/July to get the scoop on things to do & local routes for the bike Oh, and thanks for the welcome!

Beerbaron, ha! Yes, I have that pale Irish skin thing going on!

Well, I think that's all for now. I hope to use this forum more often so hopefully will get to know you on this better. Thanks again for the help.


P.s Was in Dublin today to watch the Giro D'Italia come to town, was amazing! And has left me on a bit of a cycling high