Edward1066

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...

mschwett 

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....

cooki3mnst3r

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.

bikingshearer 

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.

cooki3mnst3r

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.

phobucket

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?

curbtender

Sundays before 10. Dress warm, those canyons can be like a ride through the freezer.

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!

Korina

Man, that must be some culture shock. Welcome to the left side of the continent!