kelsodeez

i just moved here to east sac from the bay area and i have to say, ive never seen so many people riding the wrong way on the sidewalk anywhere in the world! its an epidemic. anyone else notice this?

btw, the trails around here are awesome. very healthy cycling community around here.

caloso

Midtown and downtown too. Usually some Bro-Dude on a cruiser and his Ugg-wearing girlfriend. Drives the rest of us nuts too.

Other than that, welcome to Sactown!

kelsodeez

hahaha im glad im not the only one noticing this. i thought i might just be nit picking. yeah, its usually a bro on a beach cruiser or a crackhead on an obviously just stolen mountain bike.

ive only explored the american river bike trail because its been so damn cold lately, but are there any other spots i should check out for road riding? everyone ive talked to has told me to buy a mountain bike because there are some of the best trails in the USA between here and the foothills.

caloso

The ARBT is great. You can all the way to Folsom without dealing with cars. Lots of people use it to commute too. It can be a zoo on the weekends during warm times, but it's not too bad in the winter. Once you get tired of that, there are tons of quiet roads in the foothills and down in the delta.

I don't have a mtb, but maybe someone else can chime in.

DiabloScott

The Roseville bike path has signage telling pedestrians to walk on the left - it's completely contrary to conventional safety standards but people think it's safer and they do it and then they do it everywhere else... and they don't listen to me.

FBinNY 

I don't know about California, but it's SOP for pedestrians to walk on the left facing traffic on roads in the east. The case is muddier on MUPs because there's less speed differential, but I still think that if cyclists are riding at 15+mph, and the path is wide enough, it might actually be safer for peds to walk on the left facing approaching cyclists. This would eliminate all the "on your left" confusion and make safe passig a joint effort with the peds moving closer to the edge to allow more passing room.

Of course, for this to work, it has to be consistent.

I ride an MUP as one of my commute routes, and find passing to go easier with pedestrians facing me than those walking away, regardless of which side they're on. The fact is that I really don't care which side they're on as long as they're on either side, and not walking straight down the middle 2 abrest leaving no room on either side.

DiabloScott

It works fine if you're talking about one bike rider passing one pedestrian on the left... when you've got multiple riders in both directions at various speed, passing multiple pedestrians going both directions at multiple speeds it gets confusing and dangerous real fast.

kelsodeez

makes sense for the trails and getting rid of the zombie pedestrians but its unfortunate that it translates to such an unsafe practice on the streets. ive had a few instances on howe ave with people going to wrong way on the sidewalk and then not knowing how to pass on the right.

FBinNY 

It's a sidewalk. Even in the very crowded chaos of NYC sidewalks, serious pedestrian collisions are extremely rare.

UmneyDurak

When in doubt wheelie for safety.

kelsodeez

but to be honest i am probably more amazed at how many people ride on the sidewalks in general. in the bay area NO ONE rides on the sidewalk other than little kids and old people. everyone just shares the road. sacramento is like an alterante cycling universe

natemeister

Welcome to Sacramento. Many good rides to be had here. The ARBT is flat and you won't get any hills until you get out of the city. You can go up towards Auburn for some great scenic and hilly rides. Best way I've found to find new routes is to use the Strava Router creator and turning on the global heat map.

kelsodeez

yea ive checked out a few routes on strava around here. it seems like the heat map favors rides east of downtown. i hope this nice weather keeps up. these days need to get longer already. sick of this winter bull****

Zap Hassellhoff

Welcome to Sacramento.

I'm not convinced that Sacramento has a higher number of sidewalk riders compared to communities in the bay area. Downtown San Jose just dealt this issue.
San Jose enacts partial ban on sidewalk bicycle riding downtown - San Jose Mercury News. To your point, it primarily addresses adult riders. The issue seems to come up in gentrifying/revitalized urban cores that have become the hip place to be. East Sac/Midtown has always been like this. However, rider awareness is slowly changing for the better.

Also, I'm not totally against sidewalk riding out in the suburban areas of Sacramento. Arden, Carmichael, Citrus Heights and most of South Sac are traversed by pretty major thoroughfares. Anyone other than a committed commuter/roadie is better off on the sidewalk than taking chances in a bike lane as cars are doing 45-50mph. That's only my opinion.

E.

caloso

There are also a number of great flat routes down in the Delta. Head south on Freeport Blvd. and keep going as far as you like. Or if you prefer not riding through town, you could pack up the bike and drive down to Freeport or Clarksburg. Lots of parking at the Sugar Mill.

JoelS

You say that like flat rides are a good thing

kelsodeez

haha seriously!! ive been cycling in the hills of san mateo for years but now everything around me is flat. i am itching for some good climbing. feels like junk miles when i do a 30 mile ride and only have 300ft of elevation.

JoelS

It takes a few miles to get out to the hills in El Dorado Hills or up toward Auburn.

caloso

They're only junk miles if you ride them like junk.

JakiChan

I've ridden the ARBT when visiting my dad. (I grew up about a mile from Nimbus Dam.) It reminds me why I say: I bought a road bike, not a path bike and not a trail bike. Clueless pedestrians are why I hate MUPs. Give me a real road any day. Cars are stupid but more predictable than peds wearing headphones...

Corben

If you want a thrilling ride there's a tracks to trail path that goes from Elverta all the way to Discovery Park.
In between those points are some pretty risqué communities. The brighter your kit the faster you'll want to ride through them. You don't want to draw any attention to yourself.
Personally I I just wear mtn bike shorts, dirty flannel shirts and skip shaving. Talking to myself aloud seems to draw less attention to myself also. You want to fit in. Think bro-dude...

kelsodeez

i rode out to el dorado on ARBC a few days ago and it was a little over 30 miles each way. from there i had no clue where to go.

the area near folsom lake is really really nice tho. kinda wish i looked for a place farther east

JoelS

Here are a few routes for you.

Ridge Loop - A bike ride in Folsom, CA
Glenview/Baxter/Ridge/Powerhouse - A bike ride in Folsom, CA
Ridge Loop - A bike ride in Folsom, CA
Chili/Crater Loop - A bike ride in Sacramento, CA
Cameron Park Option 1 - A bike ride in El Dorado, CA

Lenden

I'd have to say I'm as noob as they get, I came from Chicago out here to sacremeonto, and I have to say there are a lot of rules to cycling that are so different. Luckily the wife grew up here so when she looks at me like I have serious issues, I know I did something wrong lol. In Chicago and suburbs, you ride a bike in the road, you will get run over. So your tought not too. It's hard getting out of that mindset when I came here.

caloso

Cubs or Sox?