I was scouring the internetz for a one-stop page about all the cycling that the bay area has to offer. I didn't find what I was looking for so I'd like to ask the community for your help in my research.

Basically, I am looking to move from LA to SF(area).
Considering: Marin, SF, Berkeley.
Work is near Embarcadero station (or possibly at home).
I have a car but would consider selling it.

I've heard of Paradise Loop, Mt. Tam, and Mt. Diablo; that's it. I like going fast on my road bike, that doesn't mean that I am!


- Where are the weekly crit practice rides?

- What are the climbing options besides Mt. Tam and Mt Diablo? Easily accessible without a car?

- Marin or City or East Bay; taking votes. All 3 align with my personality in some manner; I'm still determining which would be best long term.

- Which Bay Area bike clubs are the largest (membership) ?


Thanks!

Twilight criterium series is in San Rafael (Marin)
Marin would probably be the worst to be carless in for a City job.
Biggest non-racing club is probably Grizzly Peak out of Berkeley.
Good big racing clubs in all three areas... in the East Bay there's Wells Fargo, Berkeley, Taleo.

Welcome to NorCal.

Welcome to the area. Why would you live anywhere but The City?

Because politicians there are bat **** crazy, and other government agencies want to do stuff like this: https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...A6AK.DTL&tsp=1

Okay, I admit that I like my politicians bat**** crazy. I really enjoyed life under Governor Moonbeam, though he took a bit of a rightward turn as Mayor of Oakland. Something about free community colleges and nearly free U.C. that was awesome. However, how could collecting a bit more money from motorists be a bad thing? After all, they are only paying one-tenth of their way while cyclists are paying ten-fold, so it seems only fair to even that up a bit. (Gawd, don't make me dig up a reference. It appeared somewhere in BF in the last few months.)

https://web.archive.org/web/200711011....net/05282007/

Dude, that was cold....

Because they can't even manage the money they already getting from us: https://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-backfire.html It has potential to drive business away. Go dig up your reference. The funds are going to be raided for other things.

Business Very Very Bad. Business Need To Be Punished.

Everything in San Francisco is political.

That is why we SF cyclists always say, "On your left."

I certainly wouldn't argue with anyone who holds a low opinion of our government's ability to manage our money for the benefit of anyone who is not a large corporate campaign contributor. I still like my politicians to be a bit crazy; I want decent entertainment for my money. In fact, why don't we get bread with these circuses?

About the references: here's one that spawned two BF threads (I couldn't find the one I wanted, but this one is close enough): https://www.grist.org/article/2010-09...uld-be-unfair/

The two threads are: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...costs+of+roads

and https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...costs+of+roads

Another interesting, although third-hand type: https://www.assmotax.org/Releases/AMC...%20Subsidy.php

- Work is near Embarcadero station (or possibly at home). I have a car but would consider selling it.
No need. Many neighborhoods have limited parking for non-residents. You get a bumper sticker for your neighborhood. Still need to move the car for street cleaning - and very close in, possible to avoid being towed away during rush hour.

- Where are the weekly crit practice rides?
There was a twice weekly series that used the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park as a base. Not certain when they'll start up again.

- What are the climbing options besides Mt. Tam and Mt Diablo? Easily accessible without a car?
This one's easy. Google "49 Mile Drive". All the climbing you'll ever want.

- Marin or City or East Bay; taking votes. All 3 align with my personality in some manner; I'm still determining which would be best long term.
Only you can make that choice. Our politics and politicians are what they are, but this is also one of the world's great cities. Berkeley is dominated by the university. I've always like the semi-urban feel of Mill Valley, which is just a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

It's difficult to get value for dollar in the Bay Area. You may have to accept less space or even look for a roommate(s). Craigslist usually has short term rentals/roommates listings for the area.

Hopefully he/she can afford more than The Loin.

Thanks!

I found a couple regular speed rides in East Bay
from GPC https://www.grizzlypeakcyclists.org/rides/current.html
Thu Nov 4 5!/B/22 Hill Climbing Repeats, Evening Edition
Meet on Peralta and Posen at 6:25 p.m. for 6:30 start. We'll do 15 or 20 laps of the 1.1 mile Peralta Sonoma- Monterey- Posen loop, one of the "Over the Hill" Gang's safest, smoothest circuits for these nighttime editions. Lap times will be approximately 4:00 minutes allowing for about 1,600 - 2,200 feet of climbing over 16- 22 miles in 1.0 - 1 .5 hrs. Starting at 6:30 should mean lower rush-hour traffic. Working front and rear lights for "being seen" required. Rain cancels. View the route at https://ridewithgps.com/routes/206082


and POO (Port of Oakland)
https://www.teamoakland.com/club/rides.htm

and a good long list of area training routes
https://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srch...ca/is/Training
https://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srch...ca/is/Training
https://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srch...26/is/Training

I'm accustomed to riding the Rose Bowl loop 2x week (10 laps, 31 miles, 120+ riders, 26mph avg) and having ride-from-front-door acces to local climbs (9-20 miles, 5%). It'd be nice if I can spoil myself with something similar in Bay Area. Berkeley is looking good.

I am a recent transplant to the bay area, and live in San Jose, car free. A few observations:

Public transit here is relatively bicycle friendly - it is easy to bring your bike on Caltrain, busses, VTA light rail, BART etc. Embarcadero is an easy walk/bike ride from both Caltrain and BART stations, which means that if you want to live car-free, your geographic range is quite large.

For recreational riding, most of what I have done has been to the south of the city, and it has been easy enough for me to get to the starts of rides either on my bike, or by bike/public transit. I joined one of the local clubs which has other old, slow guys like me (ACTC.ORG) and they have lots of recreational bike rides scheduled.

It helps to live in a place where there are several modes of transit available. I live near downtown San Jose, and have easy access to busses, VTA light rail and caltrain - which makes it quite easy to get around.

Berkeley is a good choice. BF'r powpow has done the GPC ride you noted above and we both made several of the Tuesday evening hammer fests that they organized in the hills this year - great workouts. The POO ride is well known around here, and several BF'rs ride this one too - it sounds like it would be just what you're looking for. I want to give that a try, but haven't managed to get my act together yet.

FWIW, I live just the other side of the Berkeley/Oakland ridge in Orinda and there's a great number of route combinations open to you - especially if you like climbing. The climbs are shorter than several of the classics on the peninsula, but there's some really good challenging ones in the mix. The roads are in reasonable condition and there are plenty of routes with low traffic/more considerate motorists. If you're looking for longer rides, it's easy to through an out'n back to Diablo for 80-100miles, or ride down Redwood Rd to Palomares/Sierra/Calaveras etc. Berkeley's a great location for many riding options as well as being a stimulating place to live.

I live in and really like Alameda for a few reasons:

-3 bike shops within walking distance of my house
-BART, AC Transit transbay buses, and 2 ferries to SF
-Good shopping/dining/drinking on and around Park Street
-Close to Oakland/Berkeley hills
-active advocacy group BikeAlameda

Worth checking out, though it's not for everyone. I moved here because I got a good job here and dislike long commutes.

God some of those posts are ******** and amount to "I am afraid to ride a bicycle, therefore that shouldn't be allowed."

You live on a great end of town.

Don't forget the Early Bird Training in Fremont starting in January(?).

I recommend Oakland/Berkeley. Great and varied riding right from your house (most places in SF require at least 20-30 minutes of riding just to get over the GGB and every right starts exactly the same, which can get boring). Lots of opportunities to climb and you can do anything from a scenic one-hour loop to a century right from home on mostly scenic and lightly traveled roads. For example, right from my house, there are at least five different ways up into the hills, each of which can have me from sea level up to over 1000 feet in 30-40 minutes. If you want to drive, you can easily access Marin and the Peninsula.

Commuting is a breeze on BART (about 30 minutes door-to-door if you live near BART). You can also ride free by taking the casual carpool.

Housing is cheaper. Restaurants and social opportunities are plentiful and less pretentious than SF. Great cycling culture. Lots of clubs and group rides. Public schools can be lousy (if you have school-age kids). There is some crime, but I really don't think it's worse than SF. In my view, people are more friendly than in SF. Easier to get to Tahoe, Yosemite, etc.

I know the OP limited the discussion to the 3 choices, but I am still surprised no one has jumped in and recommended the peninsula.

I live in San Mateo, and I love it here.

- Caltrain has baby-bullets during commute hour that get you within walking distance of the Embarcadero, from San Mateo (San Mateo or Hillsdale station), in around 20 minutes. Nowadays there are no problems getting bikes on-board, as almost every train has two bike cars.

- The restaurants/downtown is nice, and many good stores within walking/riding distance from most homes.

- The weather is just about perfect. Doesn't get as hot as the inland parts of the East Bay, doesn't get as much rain as the North Bay, and doesn't get the fog of the northern peninsula and San Francisco (unless you live way up in the hills near 280).

- The cycling is excellent. There are flatter/rolling roads like Canada (which is closed to cars on Sundays). There are great benchmark climbs within an hour ride from your doorstep like Kings Mtn and Old La Honda. All the great climbs and hilly roads off Skyline (W Alpine, Page Mill, 84, Pescadero Creek, Stage, Tunitas Creek) are all close enough to be ridden on a ride starting/ending at home.

- You can also ride to SF or San Bruno mountain pretty quickly.

- There are several nearby group rides: Alto Velo (Webcor) A and B rides, PenVelo also has an A and B ride. Many of these rides start at Canada/92. They have rides on weekends and after work (during DST). There are also good group rides put on by several of us here. Many of them are peninsula rides.

Every place in the Bay Area has its pros/cons, but all the places mentioned so far are great.

Welcome!

I live in San Leandro and find it is a decent central location, not to crowded while being reasonably close to everything.
2 bart stations so commute not a big deal, and at the bottom of some nice roads and hills, good fire road mtb trail at chabot if you like climbing too. Cheaper than Berkeley and you get more house for the money too.

I'll agree with these intelligent gentlemen.

Berkeley is pretty awesome for cycling. Lots of options for rides, tons of climbing, manageable traffic, etc.

It's great for bike commuting as well, as there is free bike parking (now basically a mini-bike shop w/ mechanics) right above the Berkeley Bart station. I've used this almost every weekday for the past six years and it's awesome..........and free!

You should be aware that the Grizzly Peak Cyclists is a club and not a racing team. Most of their rides are slower paced, with the Tuesday night ride and the hill climbing intervals being the exception, not the norm.

Welcome to the Bay Area, I live and work in San Francisco. Commute to work 3 times or more a week on my bike. It is 22 miles round trip from my house to the office. On the weekends I ride in Marin with the Sports Basement Group rides, Mount Tam, Paradise Loop, Alpine Dam all great rides. Anywhere in the bay area is great to live. My family and I love it.

If you are young and single, there's plenty of entertainment, socializing and just about something for everyone. If you live out of town (I.e. outside of SF) then more than likely you'll be coming into town for events. As for biking, there are pro's, semi pros, advanced amateurs you get the idea just about every level of cyclists. Young and old are on the streets and road.

San Francisco has its own bicycle coalition. Check it out at https://www.sfbike.org/, if you are young and fast check out https://missioncycling.org/ I old 59 and slow but no matter they are a great bunch of guys and girls.

Where ever you live you are going to like it. Just remember we have a Mediterranean climate rain in the winter, November through March then sunny for the rest of the year. We ride year around.

Enjoy yourself.