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.