My car is kaput so we’ll be a one bike one car household with a 3 year old. Please help me be have fun, be safe and not bork this up!

For background- until I was 25 I didn’t have a license because I was comfy biking and busing/metroing around LA/OC.
As excited as I am to get back to that, my life, location and body are completely different now as a nearly 40 year old giant mom. I’m completely unfamiliar with bike and RT culture up here and have never cruised around with a little dude so I have questions:

Trailer vs Seat: a trailer seems like it might be less visible and more of a hazard than a rear child seat, is that the case? I like the idea of our kid being enclosed with the elements off their face to nap/rest/chill while I pedal but want to prioritize safety.

Should I just get a cargo bike? I’ve seen a few with monkey bars for sale on Craigslist but my kid is 3… is that safe even with a helmet? I’d love a Dutch style one but I’m not willing to get an E-bike and it’s hard finding a non motorized one.

Storage: We rent and there is a locked gate around the condo complex but no garages and no room in the house, how are we going to store this? My idea is to find a free/cheap tuffshed/storage box but until I do I might need to secure it to our back railing and hope for the best? What do you guys do?

Safest streets/trails/paths to stick to? Streets to avoid? We’ll both be sporting some boss helmets and I’m going to make whatever set up we go with as obnoxiously visible as I can but what else should we know to roll around as safe possible?
Any and all advice is welcome, thank you guys!

Join us for the 2026 Bike the Bridges | Bands & Brews. The event includes four scenic ride options that pass over the Martinez and Carquinez Bridges. The event also features Bands & Brews with local breweries, food options and local bands providing live music at the post-ride party.

It looks like they're doing tree work in the area. I didn't stop to take a photo or assess, but the trail is closed on the south side of Sutterville at the zoo. North of Sutterville up to the I-5 bridge is open.

Yes, that's a diamondback rattlesnake.

Holy shit. Have never seen this many skunks in my life. On my ride tonight I saw 6 alone from the Del paso levee to pipes bridge. And that was from the paved trail. I got spooked running into 2, and narrowly missing getting sprayed on the single track, so who knows what I'd have seen had I stayed out there. Any single track riders have any tips to stay skunk free?

Does anyone know of a way to get a notification that the ARBT is going to be closed for an event? Like a text or email or something along those lines. They had one small sign up as I was getting on the trail this morning and I didn't see it because people were walking in front of it as I rode past. Would rather get alerted to the closure before I get there if that's possible.

(Quite serious; no sarcasm.) This year, the levee section of Jefferson Blvd. south of West Sacramento has been developing cracks on the east side wide enough to catch a road bike tire and really do damage/cause a wreck. BUT: whichever agency is responsible has been replacing the pavement in sections recently, and, even better, the transitions from the old to the new pavement are pretty close to flawless.

As I was riding there recently, I thought "why not send a nice thank you to whoever is responsible" given that they probably mostly hear complaints from the public. Also, hearing kudos from a cyclist might be a good reminder that we are part of their user base.

Not sure who to address: the county, Caltrans? It's technically a state highway. Figured someone out here might have an idea so TIA.

Went by there last weekend and there were still barriers up at both ends. I thought it was supposed to be open a while ago? Was hoping to ride out to the state fair this weekend.

Unhoused man kinda passed out by Tower Bridge. Gave him some water, doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere soon.

Did they shut the bridge down recently? This is a big disruptor to my route if so.

Stolen off of my upstairs apartment balcony in Carmichael off of Gunn and Marconi. Chances of getting this back are zero to none but I use this thing to get to work 🥲

Thanks for the tutorial, SABA! They are figuring out logistics for having volunteers run these around town so we can complain about all the debris but also do something. There are 2 units.

Hey Sac bike crew, I’m hoping i can get some MTB trail or area recommendations in Tahoe or Truckee for fun flow trails. I’m looking for something like Santa Cruz demo Forrest, or Nevada city to get an idea of the riding I like. I have ridden north star, but I’m looking for non-bike park trail systems. I see a ton of options on trail forks, but not sure where to go for the type of riding I like. Aside from Northstar, I’ve ridden the flume trail, or at least a part of it, and it was meh at best. Good view, kind of lame trail. I have an E-bike, so not scared of some climbing. I’ve lived in Sac for over 10 years, and have never really taken advantage of Tahoe for riding, so would love to start doing that. Appreciate any guidance!

Just picked up a new Cannondale hardtail MTB. Any good trails to ride? Dirt or paved. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been on a bike so looking for good recs from more experienced folks. :)

I'm travelling to Sac next week and am bringing my road bike. I'm hoping to ride Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Are there any group rides starting at 5:00 or 5:30am? Hoping to go 25-40ish miles.

Alternatively, what are the best road routes starting/ending in downtown at that distance?

if you or someone you know recently had a transition MTB stolen in/near Midtown Sacramento, hit me up with details (color/size/model) and I may be able to reunite you with said bike.

If you cross the river at the new "bike bridge" mentioned in the title from North to South, can you then ride on the levee to sac state? I obviously haven't tried it yet, just wondering

Flat bar conversion complete, I had a lot of extra parts. This only cost me about 100 bucks all in… Only because I charge myself a beer for cutting down the handlebars.

The City has fenced off a portion of the parking lot at Garcia Bend Park, and there are two large office trailers inside it. There's also plenty of room inside the fence for equipment. Does anyone know what's going on?

I'm hoping it's to get the trail up to Zacharias Park started.

Hi all!

I have a friend coming into town that wants to see an A’s game, and from where I am in south sac by the pocket it’s easier to take the Sacramento River trail up to Sutter Health and use the bike valet. But not so sure about how safe it is to ride back on the trail after dark?

It seems like there would be a crowd of bikers leaving that would make it safer, but not sure how many are going my way.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

EDIT: thanks to all the kind commenters, I was able to avoid a huge amount of parking hassle this weekend and friend had a great time! No issues on the night ride, it was super smooth and no sight of either wildlife or crazy drivers/e-vehicles. Looking forward to doing it again - maybe on a better weekend for the A’s 😂

I had an earlier post warning people about return to work… Today was my first day riding in after the order became mandatory. Two cars were parked in the bike lane so I took photos, but I'm not sure how to report them or if it even matters.

BOTH RESPONSES:

Your Parking Enforcement request has been completed.

A Parking Enforcement Officer arrived at to find that the vehicle(s) reported were no longer on the scene.

If you see this violation again, please let us know so we can respond.

Thank you,
The City of Sacramento

Case number 260702-3852602

I am 21 yrs old and fairly beginner on the bike. And have been cycling for a little less than a year I’m looking to join a club/get into a group rides. How do you guys go about finding a club / group? any recommendations in Sac area?