The commute went well and I was early. 2.2 miles to the train, 25 or so minute on the train and another 1.5 miles to work. Piece of cake. Cycling here is a little more
dangerous interesting than in Mesa. For the most part in Mesa there isn't much on the street parking and almost no angled parking, so getting doored is rare and cars backing out into you is pretty uncommon.
There is an endless list of hazards in San Francisco, including pedestrians in the street. I'll need to get a bell, and am happy to entertain suggestions.
After work I looked around for an apartment on the bike.
Date: 16 August 2006
Miles Riding: 17.75
Weather: 59°F., 73% humidity..
Average: 9.5
Max: 23.8
Bike: Commuter
Ipod: No
August Bike Mileage: 105.49
6 comments:
Sounds like some treacherous biking out there! I am also a fan of bells. I have an Electra bell that I used on my MTB that I really like, as it has a nice thumb lever I could reach without taking my hands off the bars or brake lever. The trick is finding something that fits on your handlebars. Most bells are made to fit on narrower-diameter cruiser or MTB bars; I've had to mount those on my stem, which is a bit more difficult to reach. On the other hand, if you already have a computer & lights mounted on your bars, something that fits on your stem is ideal!
Apartment shopping by bike is ideal--faster than going around by foot, gives you a good feel for the neighborhood (& bikeability of such) and you can stop on a dime to jot down phone numbers and addys. Good luck!
I think I am smitten.
Thanks for the recommendation Gilby.
Hey, I was born in SF, but . . . haven't been back since. Watch out for the Californians!!!!
John, You're a San Francisco native? That makes you something ... but what?
Californians are everywhere here. Go figure.
Hey Shawn, Congratulations on the move. Yes. I would get a bell. A loud whistle is good to. You know the kind you do with your mouth and tonge. It's always there as long as your mouth's not dry. And watch out for those damn doors...
I will get a bell for the commuter at least. Doors are real trouble. Thanks for the well wishes, Ruby.
Gilby.
I think san Francisco is probably a benevolent city for bikes, where the people would probably try to miss you in general.
In Pheonix and Mesa -- I always felt like they would rather not be inconvenienced by a bike to the point of not moving out of the way and just running into a bike. Fortunately most of the city was layed out to allow room for bikes -- and they would be just as inconvenienced to try to hit a bike.
San Francisco, despite it's benevolence, is a real and mature city, with crowded streets, tourists, complicated intersections, serious traffic and congestion, a lot of pedestrians and all of the real dangers for bikes that go with that.
Despite knowing my way around really well, I haven't spent a lot of time in the city on a bike, so at least a small percentage of my concentration is spent on route finding.
Flash my lights, ring the bell continuously and ... keep paying attention.
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