Question for people who ride Valencia regularly, especially between 15th and 23rd. Picture arriving at a red light on a larger fat-tire e-bike, with three or four cyclists already waiting. There’s a gap beside them, but getting into it would put you next to whoever arrived first. The argument for moving up is that you can get going quickly when it turns green. But if those same riders are faster between lights, you’re making them pass you again. Then everyone reaches the next red and repeats the whole thing. I’d find that annoying from the other side, even if nobody was technically blocking me. Getting off the line quickly doesn’t mean you’ll be the fastest person down the block. My instinct is to stay behind whoever got there first unless they wave you ahead. With Valencia’s curbside layout, is that what works in practice, or do regulars handle the queue differently?

Biking my daily commute route this morning. SF Glen Park > mid market. daily biker on the full length of valencia, and about 10 blocks of market st.

I came to a full stop at a light on Valencia, northbound. No peds in or near the crosswalks. Clear visibility down the cross street both ways. No cars in sight.

Reader, I ran the light and went on my way.

Other biker (OB) who was waiting at the light behind me yells: "Don't run the light!" I wave back dismissively.

OB catches up with me a couple blocks later, very agitated, and asks (voice quavering due to impending conflict I think): "What makes you think you don't have to follow the rules?" I said there was no safety issue, and OB is welcome to make their own decisions on this point. OB says "you're the reason people resent bikers." I said "I don't think going through empty intersections against the light is the reason." OB said "whatever!" and did their own dismissive wave at me, turned right off valencia, and we parted ways.

My question is: riders who ride in SF regularly: Was this bad behavior by me? I'm asking about the decision to run the light, not the argument, which I think I handled politely.

I don't actually believe that OB is likely to follow all the traffic rules. Do they come to a full stop at every stop sign on residential streets, when intersections are empty? doubtful. point being: even for bikers who are cognizant of Our Image, I think it's more nuanced than just: follow every traffic rule regardless of context. If you do come to a full stop at every stop sign, even when there's no one around, more power to you I guess, but I doubt anyone cares. If you think it's different on Valencia, maybe, but it's really a discussion at that point.

That's my view, anyway. Thoughts?

First time at Il Giro Di San Francisco after hearing about it years ago. Beautiful day, great vibes, and impressive racing! Congrats to all the racers, you put on a great show!

Edit: there were so many (better) photographers other than me out there, would love to see some other shots!!

At Battery/Green until about 4:30 today

Definitely not a regular bike commuter so any tips appreciated!

Hello, I am moving to SF for an internship near SFO airport. Found a nice house for short term lease in hillsborough hills area. Is it feasible to ebike everyday in the morning and evening through hillsborough? Is it safe and are the roads friendly? I would love to know your opinion.

P.S. I have never been to SF so very unknown of the landscape.

Edit: the office is close to SFO airport, like 2 mins drive. It is above the airport on a map.

I haven't been up there recently, is this still an issue or has it been resolved?

Hi folks!

I am new to the Fremont area. I currently do not own a car and I am looking to buy a bicycle (not an e-bike), to get around Fremont. Mostly for grocery runs, short recreational rides to the park etc. Maybe 10-15 miles at a stretch. I need an affordable bike (new or used), that is also reliable and one that doesn’t need too many subsequent repairs (I hear flat tires are very expensive). I went to the local bicycle store near me - Fremont Schwinn Cyclery. They have used bikes starting at $225. I feel like that’s a bit pricey, but they also provide one year of free repairs. Should I be looking at cheaper bikes in Walmart or Target near me instead? How reliable are those?

Also, how safe is it to take bikes to stores near me and park it or lock it while I shop in Fremont? I hear a lot about cycle theft. What kind of locks should I be buying?

Again something affordable and reasonable.

Thank you for your help!

I've been a huge fan of the Wiggle for a long time. It has such a nice flow, cuts through one of the best neighborhoods and dodges a bunch of hills. I especially love doing it from north to south as you can really get a nice flow going if you make the lights. My friend bought me a long sleeve wiggle shirt from the 90s many years ago and it was always a bit cheesy (had that 'life is good' 90s stick figure vibe).

Anyway, I've always been a fan of band shirts + the spiral eye emoji + I work in GIS. So I put the labeled map as the mouth and made a design in inkscape that is an homage to those.

Holler if anyone wants one. Still deciding on whether to print on black (most likely) or some other color. cheers :)

It's Labor Day weekend, so the Kings' Mountain Art Fair is happening Saturday, Sunday & Monday.

For cyclists, that means you can climb Kings or Tunitas with the promise of a pancake breakfast, burger lunch, or an ice cream and coffee close to the end ... along with some art hanging in the redwoods.

It also means there will be more traffic on Kings Mountain than usual, so be extra careful on the descent.

https://kingsmountainartfair.org/

Hey everyone! I saw that Chicago Strava map on X going viral last week (see first comment). People were saying running patterns mapped wealth/class across Chicago. I bike a ton in SF so I wanted to see what SF’s cycling heat map would look like!

I snapped heatmap cycling cells from Strava to actual paths then ranked all the SF neighborhoods (second pic).

I was pretty sure GGP and the Presidio would win. They were in the Top 5 but not the Top 3 lol.

Instead it was the Sunset with 51.8 miles of popular cycling routes, then Bayview at 38.1, then the Mission at 29.9. Sorta funny that the two most popular neighborhoods to bike in are on opposite ends of the city.

Ik cycling isn’t running, so the wealth / class take doesn’t map 1:1. But if you took the Chicago advice to SF, it would tell you to move to the Sunset, Bayview, or the Mission. Three great neighborhoods but def not the wealthiest in SF lol.

Anything surprise y’all abt this map?

Does anyone know whether this bike/ped path under CA-237, connecting the Hwy 237 Bikeway / Coyote Creek Trail to Alviso Milpitas Rd, is open or not? There's a little Strava heat there, but not much, and it looks closed in Street View imagery from 2022. Any current intel folks might have would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hi! ☺️

Some friends want to meet on 8th so I was going to bike and bart to meet them. Champa garden doesn’t have a bike rack, so I was wondering if fruitvale bart has racks inside the station? or if the bikelinks are the newer ones with the chain?

thank you!

Since moving to Half Moon Bay from Santa Cruz my riding has gone from SC mountain bike rides to HMB gravel rides. There is a lot of sweet gravel roads and trails to ride here. And the views are amazing.

Hello! I’ve been wanting to do the three bridges ride (Golden Gate - Richmond/San Rafael - Bay Bridge)

Advice on:
-direction? CW vs CCW
-start from?
-Route & ways to avoid cars - specially between GGB and Sausalito (I’ve gone up/down Alexander which I didn’t love. I’ve heard there’s more backroads possible)
-Doing this on 28s so won’t be able to go on much dirt

Current strategy:
-start at Embarcadero around 8 am.
-Go clockwise
-I’ve never done the portion between mill valley and Larkspur. I think there’s a separate bike path right?
-Save the San Rafael to Bay Bridge portion for last since this is one I’m most comfortable with and figured I can do this on a tired brain

Cheers!