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Hey Norcal, let's get to know each other.

Old 04-08-21, 04:22 PM
  #826  
Edward1066
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Hey, George here, from the little island of Alameda. I ride bikes?!?! Road, mountain(not as much), used to race track. As a non driver(by choice), I ride everywhere I go. I do a lot of rides that start and end at BART stations. Would love to meet others in the Bay Area, Cheers...

One of mine...

The one I ride the most.

Gone(sold), but not forgotten...
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Old 05-23-21, 11:21 AM
  #827  
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hi all! newbie in San Francisco proper, about a mile from the golden gate. most of my rides are up into Marin or loops around SF, but sometimes I hop on Bart and ride in the east bay. 99% road, building up the courage for some fire roads....
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Old 10-25-21, 07:10 AM
  #828  
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Hi All! New here from Livermore. Over the past year I have been mostly riding my Fuji 29er but have been getting in to C&V bikes. Currently have an '85 Trek 420, and a '91 Cannondale ST600 that currently undergoing a restomod project.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:27 AM
  #829  
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Welcome to Bike Forums and welcome to Livermore. I grew up there in the 60s and 70s and got into cycling there. Summer heat aside, it's a great place for road riding. Long, short, flat, hilly, a mix of hilly and flat - you can do any of it from your front door

If you haven't already done so, look on a map for any or all of these roads for good riding:
Mines Road,
Del Valle Road (be careful on summer weekends, especially in the late afternoon - drunk drivers coming back from Del Valle Regional Park)),
Tesla/Corral Hollow Road (the backside is steep);
Cross Road;
Patterson Pass Road (the Livermore side is steep, the Tracy side is stupid-steep with the mother of all false flats; even if you think you are prepared for it, you really aren't);
Flynn Road (includes N. Flynn, S. Flynn and Carroll Rds.- they all connect);
Altamont Pass Road (often quite windy west to east - it is pure joy doing the gentl descent into Tracy with the wind at your back, but much less so heading back west to Livermore)
N. Livermore Ave/Manning Road (for getting to other good roads);
Morgan Territory Rd (steep, exposed and hot on the Livermore side- be warned. It's best ridden north to south);
Highland Road (only on weekends - it's a commute hour shortcut that is far too narrow and twisty for the amount of too-fast rush hour traffic it now gets)
Collier Canyon Rd (gentle up from south to north, gentle fun down north to south)

I would avoid Vasco Road north of 580. It now has a pretty good shoulder, but it is a fast road and a commuter highway and as such is not a lot of fun. Ditto for Vallecitos Road. If you want to go to Sunol go via Vineyard Ave to Pleasanton and then via Foothil Road or Sunol-Pleasanton Road to Sunol (Foothill is prettier, Sunol-Pleasanton has better shoulders).

If you get ambitious, Highland Road and then Tassajara gets you to Blackhawk, Danville, and the foot of Mt. Diablo. Mines Road eventually gets you to Mt Hamilton, a long ride with a hard final several mile long climb - a ride to the county line or The Junction (with Del Puerto Canyon Rd) gets you into some lovely and remote country. Tesla/Corral Hollow, Patterson Pass and Altamont can be made into any combination of challenging loops; they're all 50+ miles long and they all involve at least one hard climb and/or, if you return via Altamont Pass, likely a nasty headwind.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:42 AM
  #830  
cooki3mnst3r
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Originally Posted by bikingshearer;[url=tel:22282808
22282808[/url]]Welcome to Bike Forums and welcome to Livermore. I grew up there in the 60s and 70s and got into cycling there. Summer heat aside, it's a great place for road riding. Long, short, flat, hilly, a mix of hilly and flat - you can do any of it from your front door

If you haven't already done so, look on a map for any or all of these roads for good riding:
Mines Road,
Del Valle Road (be careful on summer weekends, especially in the late afternoon - drunk drivers coming back from Del Valle Regional Park)),
Tesla/Corral Hollow Road (the backside is steep);
Cross Road;
Patterson Pass Road (the Livermore side is steep, the Tracy side is stupid-steep with the mother of all false flats; even if you think you are prepared for it, you really aren't);
Flynn Road (includes N. Flynn, S. Flynn and Carroll Rds.- they all connect);
Altamont Pass Road (often quite windy west to east - it is pure joy doing the gentl descent into Tracy with the wind at your back, but much less so heading back west to Livermore)
N. Livermore Ave/Manning Road (for getting to other good roads);
Morgan Territory Rd (steep, exposed and hot on the Livermore side- be warned. It's best ridden north to south);
Highland Road (only on weekends - it's a commute hour shortcut that is far too narrow and twisty for the amount of too-fast rush hour traffic it now gets)
Collier Canyon Rd (gentle up from south to north, gentle fun down north to south)

I would avoid Vasco Road north of 580. It now has a pretty good shoulder, but it is a fast road and a commuter highway and as such is not a lot of fun. Ditto for Vallecitos Road. If you want to go to Sunol go via Vineyard Ave to Pleasanton and then via Foothil Road or Sunol-Pleasanton Road to Sunol (Foothill is prettier, Sunol-Pleasanton has better shoulders).

If you get ambitious, Highland Road and then Tassajara gets you to Blackhawk, Danville, and the foot of Mt. Diablo. Mines Road eventually gets you to Mt Hamilton, a long ride with a hard final several mile long climb - a ride to the county line or The Junction (with Del Puerto Canyon Rd) gets you into some lovely and remote country. Tesla/Corral Hollow, Patterson Pass and Altamont can be made into any combination of challenging loops; they're all 50+ miles long and they all involve at least one hard climb and/or, if you return via Altamont Pass, likely a nasty headwind.

Thanks for all the great info. We’ve been in the Tri valley since ‘98 and Livermore since ‘03. Only recently have I started exploring the back roads on the bike. Over summer my brother in law and I did a ride from his place in pleasanton through Holdener Park and up Mines to the top of the hill before Lake Del Valle and back. Also done a few rides through Pleasanton and in to Dublin on the Iron Horse. Definitely will have to give your recommendations a try once I get the ST600 back together.
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Old 12-17-21, 09:40 AM
  #831  
phobucket
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Hi all, I'm a new rider from Alameda. Have been doing mountain biking for a few years and am just getting into road cycling. Any recommendations for the best days and times of the week to ride from Alameda up into the Oakland hills? Basically, how early do I have to get up on a weekend morning to avoid lots of traffic through Oakland?
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Old 12-17-21, 10:43 AM
  #832  
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Sundays before 10. Dress warm, those canyons can be like a ride through the freezer.
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Old 04-05-22, 06:11 PM
  #833  
maladroit
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Hello! Moved from NYC to Sacramento, which is a great (if imperfect) bike town. Greenways and flatness make everything a chill ride.

Also posting because I need a 10th post.

Have a great day!
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Old 04-11-22, 01:40 PM
  #834  
Korina
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Originally Posted by maladroit
Hello! Moved from NYC to Sacramento, which is a great (if imperfect) bike town. Greenways and flatness make everything a chill ride.

Also posting because I need a 10th post.

Have a great day!
Man, that must be some culture shock. Welcome to the left side of the continent!
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Old 11-16-22, 01:05 PM
  #835  
MrGastrognome
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Hey! Sac native here who also spent 15 years in the East Bay. Ride the occasional brevet and can often be spotted racking up miles along the American River Bike Trail. (Also working my way to that 10 post threshold).
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Old 12-28-22, 07:36 PM
  #836  
sweetsweetstef
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Hi Northern California bikers! I've been a lurker on bikeforums for years, and I finally decided to make an account and participate lol.

I'm a San Francisco native, I grew up there in the 70s and 80s, then we moved to the East Bay. I also spent a lot of time with family down in Santa Cruz County, and up in Sacramento. I grew up in a family that loves exploring, so I know the whole area very well.

I left California almost 30 years ago, but I still come back to visit family and I try to bring my bike with me when I can. I've biked from the Bay Area to Sacramento, I've gone from San Jose over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Watsonville, and in June of this past summer I biked from the Bay Area all the way down to Los Angeles, via the Salinas Valley and Paso Robles. I've biked around Bakersfield as well. (The Central Valley counts as part of Northern California, right? Right???)

I'll be out in California again in a few weeks, I'm watching the weather closely because I'd love to do more bike adventures, particularly down in Bakersfield and up in the Diablo Range.

Just FYI, I live in Canada now, so I apologise ahead of time because I will use both pounds and kilos, and kilometres and miles, quite a bit.
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Old 12-29-22, 04:58 PM
  #837  
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Originally Posted by sweetsweetstef
Hi Northern California bikers! I've been a lurker on bikeforums for years, and I finally decided to make an account and participate lol.

I'm a San Francisco native, I grew up there in the 70s and 80s, then we moved to the East Bay. I also spent a lot of time with family down in Santa Cruz County, and up in Sacramento. I grew up in a family that loves exploring, so I know the whole area very well.

I left California almost 30 years ago, but I still come back to visit family and I try to bring my bike with me when I can. I've biked from the Bay Area to Sacramento, I've gone from San Jose over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Watsonville, and in June of this past summer I biked from the Bay Area all the way down to Los Angeles, via the Salinas Valley and Paso Robles. I've biked around Bakersfield as well. (The Central Valley counts as part of Northern California, right? Right???)

I'll be out in California again in a few weeks, I'm watching the weather closely because I'd love to do more bike adventures, particularly down in Bakersfield and up in the Diablo Range.

Just FYI, I live in Canada now, so I apologise ahead of time because I will use both pounds and kilos, and kilometres and miles, quite a bit.
Welcome!
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Old 02-13-23, 11:41 PM
  #838  
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Originally Posted by speedgod
Hello all. Moved to SF 2 years ago after wanting to my whole life. Bought my dream triathlon bike too after building many bikes throughout my life. The last bike I built was a Colnago Arabesque with a period correct Campy 50th anniversary groupset. I'll keep building but no more riding for me unfortunately due to a deteriorating back condition. shame since the roads and scenery here are amazing!
Welcome! Where did you move from?
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Old 02-14-23, 12:56 PM
  #839  
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Newbie here, sorry

Hi, I'm Mike.

I've had a dirt bike in my garage since the age of 9. Grew up in the San Diego area and did a lot of riding in the east county, deserts and baja growing up. Moved to Norcal in my 20's and hit a lot of the trails up here. Started noticing a couple of years ago that I was the oldest in the group, but could still hang with the kids (and sometimes show them a thing or two).

Still being of right mind I decided to sell my remaining KTM and upgrade my mountain bike. I purchased a Trek Fuel FS MTB and really enjoyed it. especially on the single tracks...until I got hooked.

I took it one day to the bay area for a weekend ride and got stopped at a train crossing. I sat there for about 15 minutes, looked back and there had to be 20 roadies behind me. When the guard rail went up I got smoked. I was working hard on my MTB but no dice. So.....I had to get me a road bike. Now riding a 2013 Specialized Ruby Pro, Dura Ace with Di2, carbon wheels and love it.

I now ride the road bike in the bay area and the MTB in the Sierra Nevadas. Best of both worlds and am loving it.

2022 I set a goal for 1,000 miles and ended up at just under 1,200. 2023 uping my game to 1,500. Longest ride to date was 51 miles. Not bad for a 64 YO guy but still working on improving my speed and distance.
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Old 02-14-23, 03:24 PM
  #840  
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Originally Posted by speedgod
Boston
Whoa. Culture shock. Welcome to the left-hand coast!
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