Why you should ever ride a bike on the San Francisco and its surroundings
Sport And Fitness / / December 19, 2019
Costs
Start, perhaps, is to bad: I did not expect that the transportation of bicycles in the United States will cost you so dearly, and this is unlikely to be repeated again. An alternative to the transport of your bike service was SpinlisterWhich can be briefly described as Airbnb for bicycles, and surfboards board for snowboarding.
After listening to the stories of friends about how cool the service works, I had decided to rent a road bike. Then, thinking about what to rent at $ 30-50 a day, I have to add logistics costs in the city before and after, I decided to drag his "samovar" with him. I had a great experience in bicycle transportation in European countries and Thailand (As much as three years in a row), and more than 30 euros for a return ticket, I never paid (often even free).
Holy innocence! Flight Kiev - Paris - San Francisco has cost me 85 euros, and San Francisco - Amsterdam - Kiev - $ 250! "Thank you» KLM for being involved in robbery and believe that the transport of 6-pound bike in a special suitcase should cost so much. This is the only trouble throughout history.
Why is it worth cycling in California at least once
When I ride on the highway to Kiev and the surrounding area, I feel really unreal stress on what is happening around. It should say that I always follow all the rules, signals their actions for the restructuring and weight wrong turns and the signaling and reflectors of light, like a Christmas tree. From friends in Moscow, I heard that, in principle, to ride over the area undesirable and they cut circles in the "Luzhniki". Our drivers - this is a clear example of antievolyutsii person. They are always somewhere in a hurry, are cut and want to show you your place. And it is, in their view, not far from the ditch by the roadside. It's sad, and in this situation will not be popular with cycling ever. People just do not want to repeat the first not very successful experience again, and they are often then sold his brand new bike.
In California, a cyclist on the road - the second most important figure after the pedestrian. On the road for several days prolonged skating, I did not have any incident worth mentioning. Drivers behave as if they do not exist at all. Watching the cyclist in front of you and how motorists carefully reinsured by skipping it and going around a few meters, you realize that you are also safe. It relaxes and allows you to enjoy the trip.
It should be noted that I am not talking about some sort of bicycling. They are in principle not suitable for Roadies. The thing is, that it move the tourists on bicycles, and often go to people with dogs. It is not very compatible with the speed of a cyclist in the 30-40 km / h. :) Because we have to be on the road almost constantly. The exception, perhaps, are only highways, closed to all traffic except automobile.
Where it is necessary to go from San Francisco
The city itself is comfortable for cycling in terms of traffic behavior, but annoying start-stop at traffic lights, so you need to quickly get out of the city. More San Francisco absolutely not suitable for beginners because of the steep hills. If I had not practiced for several years especially slides, it would not be able to climb on them. That's all.
To select a country route I would advise service Strava Local, which has a special selection of jogging and cycling in major cities around the world. Here are good routes to San Francisco and the surrounding area.
Here you select your preferred route and add to your account on Strava in the route profile. We will just put it at the start and follow into the wind and sun. :)
Top Destinations from my list:
- Smelling the sea and croissants richest towns Sausalito and Tiburon.
- Smelling freedom and marijuana Berkeley.
- parksIn which stands a dense smell of eucalyptus trees and moss. They are very hilly and picturesque: on the way down the temperature drops to about 10 ° C, and below you like in the ancient forest, and climb to the mountain - on a sunny beach.
- Napa - the capital of wine in California and probably in all of the United States. Here you will enjoy a neat vineyards and fragrant lavender.
- Exhausting distances and heat Silicon valley - Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
What else is good and bad
a good
Especially steep here veloservisy. All these towns are inhabited by quite wealthy people, and they too ugorayu healthy lifestyle and bicycles. Because each even the smallest town has a bike shop with steep Velomaster. For example, in Kiev, with a population of about 4 million people do not have a workshop level to that which was in Sausalito with a population of 7000 people. And she's not alone! Replacement of two punctured wheel - is 3 minutes and 20 dollars with the tires. See artists at work is as interesting as watching for those. boxes in the "Formula 1". More in front of each such store stands a good pump for wheel free swap.
Heat and dryness of the air force you to constantly drinking water. I took two bottles at every 30 km. It turns out that I drank 6-7 bottles per trip. Water can dial in any tap and drink. One day I went into a cafe and asked to fill the bottle with water, and the owner even treated and espresso. While I was drinking coffee, he told me that I need caffeine if I want to take one hill, which he pointed at the map.
If you decide to lomanut from San Francisco to Napa or Stanford, then grab a little bit of money. Back you can return to the Caltrain (train going from San Francisco across the valley) or by bus (ask Google Maps like). All trains and buses are ready for the carriage of bicycles. The trains have special wagons in which your friend can be tied bundles and go to the chair nearby, and buses have a special front suspension, which you mount the bike, while they themselves are coming to salon.
a little bad
Vanilla, for all the above is here and the bad.
I do not know why, but I always punched wheels. In Kiev, over the summer I can change two or three cameras, but then... It was and is that punched for 1 km proved both wheels. Why is it so happened, I did not understand. Just keep taking the spare wheel (for two or three - no less).
If you decide to go away, then keep in mind that you will be very difficult without Google Maps and its navigation for bicycles. You can not drive on highways, and in them you will hang back almost every time on long journeys. Independently I could not figure out how to bypass these colossus. So you buy for $ 30 prepaid-card on the phone, disconnect the data transfer for everything except Google Maps, Strava, and do not know the problems.
I still very strained passion of Americans to the inscriptions, signs and all that explains my rights on the road. To long to tell, I'll just show you a photo, describing on Golden Gate Bridge cycling mode. :)
Oh and one more to complete the picture ...
in total
I hope that you wanted to try a ride on the sunny California and you are planning the trip in the near future. As for me, I plan to take a ride in this year's locations Tour De California and I will be glad of the company. :) See how the bike looks California, and you can not ignore this place!