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Biking in the Bay Area

(Patrick Sommer, Switzerland, 1996)

Why Consider Biking?

You might immediately object that you'll rent a car anyway, so why should you think about biking? Though a bike is certainly no substition for a car to cruise through California, biking can be an alternative for going to work and a pleasant way to discover your vicinity.

There are some good reasons for biking in the Bay Area:

  • It never rains here during the summer months! (I know this is hard to imagine, especially if you're Scandinavian.)
  • It guarantees you a minimum of physical activity.
  • You make at least one effort not to pollute the air.

How to get a bike?

If you want to use your bike as a commute alternative, you might borrow one from a coworker of yours. In case this doesn't work out, you may buy one. Biking is fairly popular around here and you can find a lot of bike shops. I don't like to do advertising, but we've bought our bikes in a shop in Palo Alto called "The Bike Connection". The shop assistants were very friendly and helped me whenever I had a problem (and I had some...).

Used bikes are available for about $100 and more. They are usually not very fancy, but they have also 2 wheels and serve their basic purpose. Some of us could resell their used bikes to the shop for a fixed price before returning to Europe. Ask for it.

New mountain-bikes are probably cheaper than in Europe though I'm just familiar with the prices in Switzerland. The variety is large, every shop sells its favorite brands. If you consider taking your bike back to Europe after your stay, you should check this issue with your airline. Normally it's possible to take your bike (disassembled into some parts) packed in a case as a second item of luggage.

If you need a bike just for one day, you can also rent one, of course. We did the same in Northstar at Lake Tahoe where they had a nice mountain-bike park with trails for all levels.

Don't repeat these mistakes!

  • Lock your bike securely at all times. I had my bike parked at our apartment complex. The frame - locked to the bike rack - was still there next morning, but the wheels and the seat had gone. Though I can mention my visit at the police department as an "opportunity to meet U.S. citizens apart from the actual HP assignment" in the J-1 visa evaluation, it was a rather unpleasant experience. You best take your (new) bike inside when you don't ride it.
  • Beware of the cactus plants. Their thorns are really nasty and go through your tires without problems. I just had one puncture in the 3 months I spent here. It was on the first day and both tires were flat. If you go off-road biking, you should ask for "Mr. Tuffy's" in the bike shop. This is a special reinforcement that goes between the tire and the inner tube. It helps! Nevertheless, it's a good idea to take a spare inner tube and a pump with you when you go on a long bike trip.

Nice bike trails

There are a lot of open space preserves in the Bay Area where you can find great trails. Biking is usually allowed, but a helmet is required (I just ignored the latter). The places I've been belong all to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and you can usually find free maps at the gates. If you like steep trails in the forest, you should go to El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve. If you prefer to have a scenic view over the bay, ride up to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. Both of them have in common that you have to climb up more than 2000 feet in elevation on a paved road. But it's worth the effort and it's fun to pass the cars on the way down.

I never biked up to Mt. Tam though I would have liked to do this since that's the place where mountain biking started. It's located north of the Golden Gate Bridge and you have a gorgeous view up there (we went there by car once). If you ever happen to do this trip, please send me a mail to tell how it was.

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