{"id":1321,"date":"2013-04-09T11:45:30","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T16:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/?p=1321"},"modified":"2013-04-09T11:46:05","modified_gmt":"2013-04-09T16:46:05","slug":"san-francisco-cyclist-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/09\/san-francisco-cyclist-types.html","title":{"rendered":"Bicycling San Francisco: What Kind of Cyclist Are You?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"2e5142c0289a1f785cf2dcce097231a4\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6725039255769208\";\r\n\/* Reno Hotels Leaderboard *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"0584775893\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 728;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 90;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/6929986287_8d452a92ee_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1323\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/6929986287_8d452a92ee_o-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/6929986287_8d452a92ee_o-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/6929986287_8d452a92ee_o-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For a city known for its hills, I have no idea how or why bicycles took off as a major method of transportation in San Francisco. But, the San Francisco bike messenger is a city icon right up there with the Silicon Valley\u00a0entrepreneur\u00a0and locavore chef. Particularly within the past few years, though, it seems like everybody here is getting into cycling, and it&#8217;s particularly a great way for tourists to get out and see the real San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, not all cyclists are created equal. Keep reading to figure out what kind of cyclist you are, along with my tailored-for-you recommendations for touring SF on two wheels.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/marin.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1324\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/marin.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/marin.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/marin-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Lycra Road Warrior<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This might be you if:<\/p>\n<p>1. Obviously, you own a lycra bicycle outfit.<\/p>\n<p>2. You actually did some research before buying your bicycle. And then went and paid real money for it.<\/p>\n<p>3. You care about things like drafting and electrolytes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You should consider renting from:<\/p>\n<p>The Sports Basement, The Presidio<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco Bike Rentals, Fisherman&#8217;s Wharf<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Where to go:<\/p>\n<p>Make like most cyclists in this city and head to Marin Country. Don\u2019t be mistaken, this isn\u2019t the bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito that\u2019s plastered all over the Blazing Saddles bike maps (even though that\u2019s not for the faint of heart either). Serious cyclists take it to the winding cliff side highways of the north bay, making their way through seaside villages, dairy farms, and redwood groves. For a short ride, consider cycling to the Marin Headlands for dizzying views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate. If you want to make it epic, plan a trek to Point Reyes Station for lunch at Cowgirl Creamery or at the oyster farms on Tamalas Bay.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/dogpatch.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1326\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/dogpatch.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/dogpatch.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/dogpatch-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Urban Cyclist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This might be you if:<\/p>\n<p>1. You&#8217;ve taken part in a Critical Mass ride. Or, you know what Critical Mass is <em>and choose not to partake in it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2. You bought the cheapest road bike you could find on Craigslist and you plan on riding it into the ground.<\/p>\n<p>3. You cycle as an alternative to driving or riding transit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You should consider renting from:<\/p>\n<p>Streets of San Francisco Bike Tours and Rentals, Hayes Valley<\/p>\n<p>Bike Hut, South Beach<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Where to go:<\/p>\n<p>You could go to San Francisco&#8217;s Mission District and hang out with fellow urban cyclists. Or, if you want something a bit more interesting, I\u2019d recommend heading over to the industrial waterfront of up-and-coming Dogpatch. This narrow slice of a neighborhood, three miles south of Union Square, is bordered by the mountainous Potrero Hill on one side and the working piers of San Francisco Bay on the other. You can cruise past desolate urban warehouses and piers, maybe catching the phenomenal sight of a 200 ft tall cruise ship docked for repairs, then head inland to 3<sup>rd<\/sup> Street for some of San Franciso\u2019s best new restaurants.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 13px;line-height: 19px\">If you do make it down there, make sure to check out Warm Water Cove for wildflowers taking over abandoned industrial lots, crumbling warehouses, and impromptu public art displays.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sutro.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1325\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sutro.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sutro.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sutro-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Beach Cruiser<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This might be you if:<\/p>\n<p>1. You cycle when you&#8217;re on vacation<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 13px;line-height: 19px\">2. You like to cruise nice and slow, preferably on a boardwalk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>3. You don&#8217;t want any part of hills or rush hour roads.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You should consider renting from:<\/p>\n<p>Parkwide Bike Rentals and Tours<\/p>\n<p>Golden Gate Park Bike and Skate<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 13px;line-height: 19px\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Where to go:<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you could go bicycling along the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/mgreen.html\" target=\"_blank\">Marina<\/a>; it\u2019s a favorite pastime for visitors to San Francisco. With flat streets and Golden Gate Bridge views and some of San Francisco\u2019s finest restaurants only a few blocks away, the Marina is a no-brainer.<\/p>\n<p>But, if you\u2019d like to do something a little bit more local but just as fantastic, head to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/ggpark.html\" target=\"_blank\">Golden Gate Park<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/beach-san-francisco.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ocean Beach<\/a>. On Sundays, San Francisco shuts down JFK Drive, the park&#8217;s major thoroughfare, to auto trafic,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 13px;line-height: 19px\">and the entire city floods in on bicycles, roller blades, unicycles, and even tricycles. It&#8217;s pretty much the happiest place on Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>After cycling through Eucalyptus groves and past the Golden Gate Park buffalo range and rose garden, you\u2019ll come to San Francisco\u2019s 10-mile long sandy beachfront: Ocean Beach. From there, you can cruise on the wide cement boardwalk, stop for lunch at the Beach Chalet, pick up sandwiches from nearby Safeway for a beach picnic, or head a few blocks north for an elegant lunch at the Cliff House or a ramble through the Sutro Baths ruins.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Check out SF Travel&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/bike-rental-san-francisco.html\" target=\"_blank\">Top Five Bike Rentals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For specific route information, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Google Maps Bicycle Directions<\/a>. Click on Get Directions and the Bicycle icon to see all of San Francisco&#8217;s bike lanes and bike paths.<\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For a city known for its hills, I have no idea how or why bicycles took off as a major method of transportation in San Francisco. But, the San Francisco bike messenger is a city icon right up there with the Silicon Valley\u00a0entrepreneur\u00a0and locavore chef. Particularly within the past few years, though, it seems like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[340],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1321"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1333,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions\/1333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}