Originally Posted by
hwyengr
I'm considering transferring to my company's San Francisco office this fall. I think I've worked out the massive differences in costs of living (by seriously reducing my quality of life, I can't believe how relatively cheap Chicago is to other major US cities), but I'm worried about being able to cycle.
I've cycled to work daily for the past three years, except for the winters. But Chicago is the city that was engineered to be as flat as a pancake. I plotted my route on a USGS topo map and I have a total 6' elevation change over 4.5 miles (.02% slope). Unless I get well outside the city, or to the extreme south side, there just aren't any hills.
Are any of you NorCal'ers former flatlanders? I have no idea on how to even begin to prepare for the terrain, given that I can't even come close to replicating it. Stationary with add'l resistance? I'd love some tips, if anyone has anything.
Not sure if this will help ya out but ...
AS long as you’re not like me or others who have been away from cycling for many years and just kind have started back in cycling…. Or someone who’s never cycled before and just start, then you’re going to have issues with climbing SF hills. Since you already ride casually and commute you will have the edge you need to start conquering the SF hills.
With that said I would not worry about the hills in the city, SF, to much.
You will find yourself slowly getting use to climbing up most of the hills here. Now for the ones you can not conquer at that moment then you will find yourself conquering them at some later date.
There is always an alternate course / street to ride on if you do run cross a hill that your legs can not handel.Just go about two blocks down or across and you'll find an a street with a lower grade hill to pedal up.
Also most of the buses have bike racks on them so you can rest your legs and mount you bike on the rack and bus it for a while
