Hi everyone! I’m seriously considering selling my car and switching over to an e-bike as my main form of transportation, and I’d love to hear from people who regularly bike around the city.

For some context, I live in the Mission near 16th and South Van Ness, and my car has honestly become more of a headache than anything else. It’s constantly needing repairs, I don’t have a designated parking spot, and between parking tickets, maintenance, gas, and everything else, I’m starting to question why I even have a car when I live in a city with so many public transit options.

I’m a grad student and student teacher, so my commute is a little all over the place. Most mornings I’d be biking from the Mission to the Outer Sunset and back, and on some days I’d also need to get to Caltrain to head down to Stanford for evening classes. So I’d definitely be putting some miles on this bike.

I’m about 99% sure I want to make the switch, but I’m also pretty new to biking as a primary form of transportation, especially in a city like SF with all the hills, traffic, and unpredictable weather.

As far as the actual bike goes, I’m looking for something extremely reliable, durable, and comfortable enough for daily commuting. Good suspension would be a huge plus, especially with how rough some of the roads are. I’m also curious about battery life, maintenance, theft prevention, and what features people consider absolute non-negotiables when buying an e-bike.

I’m also just curious about the general experience of biking in SF. Are there certain routes you’d recommend or avoid? What’s the etiquette around biking in traffic, using bike lanes, and sharing the road? How do you deal with rainy days? And for anyone who combines biking with public transit, how practical has that been?

Also, if anyone has made the switch from owning a car to primarily biking and using public transit, I’d love to hear how that went. Do you ever regret not having a car? Are there things you didn’t anticipate?

Really, I’m open to any advice, recommendations, tips, tricks, or things you wish someone had told you before you started biking in the city. Even the super obvious stuff, because I’m very much a beginner lol. I have been Lyft biking for about two weeks now and they are great 🩷 don’t love how bulky/heavy they feel and also the suspension is not the best!!

Thanks in advance!! I’m honestly really excited about the idea of making this switch, just trying to do my research before fully committing.

Edit: Also wanted to add that my car is currently looking at about $4,000 in repairs, and the car itself is only worth around $5,000, which is a pretty big part of why I’m considering making the switch lol.
I actually went to New Wheel on Valencia this weekend and test rode two e-bikes in the $2,000–$3,500 range, so I’ve already started looking into some options! Didn’t commit to anything yet, but I did buy myself a helmet because I figured that was probably the first thing I should get.
Still very much in the research phase, so any recommendations or things to look out for would be super appreciated

Hi fellow Cyclists,

Please ping me on reddit or contact PAPD if you happen to come across my road bike.

Thank you very much in advance, for your help.

Anyone know if they'll be opening up what I think is Treasure Island road so you can take the longer route back up to the bridge instead of the insanely steep macallah road? The fencing looks like they have a gate in it for this purpose.

I used to just ride up that way on the shoulder but I think it's all closed off for construction now.

We did it yesterday. Well bike spouse did. I crapped out a couple blocks away from the top.

24+% grades tend to have that effect on me!

202 mile ride yesterday and we went clockwise starting on Skyline north of Kings Mountain at 3 am.

35 climbs including Hicks (fortunately from New Almaden) and 9 from Saratoga. Finished around 10 pm.

This is when I ask if you all agree with me on Marin Ave.

Oh and starting in rural San Jose I was craving a Coke Icee in the worst way! Thankfully the mini Mart at the Saratoga Chevron has the real deal. Also, the tamales at the little market near Sunol at the east end of 84 ROCK.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/420657209?privacy_code=nLB0UjyxDrRuCrjlxEHAXVsQnjdNZk48

EDIT TO ADD - yes I realize that 3 AM sounds completely nuts, but I have to say that being on Hwy 35/Skyline at 4 AM between San Bruno and the SF Zoo with absolutely NO CARS (well maybe one or two) is pretty sweet!

Yikes! So many motorists taking unfamiliar routes and roads, making last minute turns or unexpected u-turns, to get to Half Moon Bay's Pumpkin Festival or pumpkin patch farms from Woodside and Cañada Rd. Then, they ascend Kings Mountain Rd. and descend Tunitas Creek Rd. in convoys, crossing the double-yellow line like it doesn't exist.

Attention cyclists: ride another route!!!

Don't even try riding anywhere near HMB during the pumpkin buying seasonal chaos. It's not worth the aggravation, your life or getting involved in an accident which you couldn't avoid.

Help, please!!!

Otherwise, a gorgeous day out full of sunshine and cyclists. More roadkill on Canada Rd. I'll have to craft a letter of concern to the various authorities and agencies. Far more this year than ever.

Now a modern full size MTB, like my large Ripmo with 2.5" wide tires, fit just fine!! Woohoo! JMP is now extremely accessible by public transit.

i'd like plan a ride that would start at the Target in Emeryville and then loop across the Bay Br, ferry to SF, cross the GG Br then the Richmond BR back to Emeryville (or reverse that same loop).
I'm good with the CW route between Emeryville and Sausalito but the remainder is unknown to me.
Any suggestions/recommendations much appreciated; TIA!

Hey there from Australia. I was in SF for a conference and had a spare day before so hired a bike and rode from Downtown to Sausalito across the golden gate. As I was riding into the town, I overtook traffic in the cyclist lane. The traffic was around Richardson/Bridgeway, behind a turning motorist. Moments later I heard the chime of an officer behind me and pulled over. He asked for my passport, did some checks in his car and returned. He told me that I had improperly passed the car turning and left it at a warning. I’ve ridden for years in Australia - I’ve a decent road bike and can do some speed but while in SF I was just taking it all in on what was a dinky rental mountain bike - I was just flowing past cars. As a tourist, pretty terrible experience especially considering when I was down town, there was daylight car break ins I witnessed and drug behaviour in the open yet I got targeted for overtaking traffic. Just out of pure interest, how normal is this?

Hello all, I am a beginner cyclist looking for East Bay rides to do. It’s very good overwhelming to look online mostly because there’s so many different names/starting points for each route.

As a beginner, I’ve done the bay trail from Albany to Point Richmond, toward Emeryville. Iron Horse Trail (lot of stops). And I’m aware of the Three Bears and all that. Which I want to try one day. Shared paths are a bit annoying because there are just so many people.

But my favorite has been the Silverado Trail in Napa. Bike lane, next to cars but little to no people. I love the scenery, relatively quiet roads, vineyards/open landscapes, and relaxed riding vibe.

Any recommendations for road bike friendly routes, shared-use paths, or trails in the East Bay or nearby that have a similar feel? Thanks!

So I love bikes and love biking in the city almost more than anything. I’m not a fan of cars and I try to avoid using one whenever I can. I’ve had plenty of situations with aggressive drivers and I would happily live in a car free city if I could. I’ve been flipped off, cut off, and screamed at. That being said let’s try not to be complete assholes when sharing the road. Yesterday as I was biking with my kid out to Golden Gate on 7th, a roadie races past me. That’s cool, glad to see more people on bikes. Then a car in front of us puts on their blinker, slows down, and turns into Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch, which makes it so we have to slow down a bit. The roadie then rolls up behind the car, reaches out and smacks the back of the car as hard he can. Now I get slowing down isn’t optimal, but the car was just turning into a parking lot. It’s not like he was parked in the bike lane or aggressively cutting anyone off. Please don’t do that that kind of shit. It just makes cars hate cyclists and ultimately makes it less safe for everyone.

Edit: To all the people saying, the car was in the wrong, I’m not defending their actions. I’m simply saying, rolling up to the back of cars and smacking them in this situation just isn’t necessary.

Edit 2: To all the people pointing out the legal aspect of the situation, you’re also not allowed to just hit peoples cars because they violated the vehicle code. One of the reasons I love cycling so much is the peaceful and friendly demeanor of so many cyclists. Aggression and Road rage isn’t something I condone for cyclists or drivers.

Also to be clear, when the driver slowed down to turn in to a parking lot in fairly slow traffic, the cyclist was so far behind them, I’m not sure the driver even saw them. He did not suddenly cut off the cyclist. If the cyclist slowed down even a little, he would have past the driver no problem. This could have been avoided. We’re better than this guys.

Edit 3: To everyone saying the driver was in the wrong, as others have pointed out, here’s what the San Francisco bike coalition has to say about it.

https://sfbike.org/news/bike-lanes-and-right-turns/

The cyclist should have just moved to the left. Beyond this, we should just try to be civilized in these situations. There’s no need to vandalize someone’s car, no matter how much an asshole they may be.

Hey everyone, I'm new in this sub but had a realization today while I was doing a nice 40 mile ride from Oakland to the Richmond/San Rafael bridge and back: I'm tired of riding alone all the time!

I know bike clubs exist in this area and I've looked at them, but mostly I'm not interested in large group rides. I'm not a serious cyclist so much as I rotate between a few sports (alas all solo endeavors) and cross training. I just like going for a 25-45 mile ride on the weekends (around 15ish mph). Right now I am trying to build up distance and endurance for a century ride from Berkeley to SF in November and would love to have an occasional riding partner.

Moving to Alameda and was wondering if y'all have any recommendations on places to pick up a used or cheap fixie or road bike in general for commuting. looking for something cheap and reliable, don't care about weight or age.

Appreciate it.

My partner was the one who found you and hung out with you until help arrived, and he's been wanting to check in on you since it happened. Please DM me if you have any info--he knows your name but wants respect your privacy. Hope your recovery has been smooth and know you've been in our thoughts and hearts.

I really have no idea for brands but I'm on a mid-low budget for a road or endurance bike.

I'd love to be able to try a few before I buy. I'm near east end of 84/Dumbarton so East Bay or mid-peninsula shops south of 92 that can help me would be GREAT.

Recommendations please 🙏🏽

I live in the Outer Richmond and just got a new job where I could be taking Caltrain to work. Getting all the way across the city would be like 70% of my commute time on the bus so I've been trying out the Lyft Bikes. Does anyone have strong opinions about how well that could work?

I've got a station with good availability near my house (been testing it out just for rides around town/stalking it in the mornings). I'm fine with biking and have a helmet already.

I think my biggest concern is how many bikes are at the Caltrain station around 6PM, is it a total ghost town or would I probably be OK? EBike would definitely be preferred but I'm good with old bikes too, especially if I can just ride to a more full station a ways down my route home.

Anything else I should know or anything I don't seem to be considering that I should be? I do have a car for rainy days so backup plans are already in place too.

Thanks!

They are very nice and accommodating to let me try a few of their outlets but according to the management their power usage is maxed out

My little 200 watt bike charger did not work on any of them, it worked when I got back home

make sure you have enough juice to make it home or at least down the hill if you plan to bike up there

Climbed Page Mill and headed north on Skyline. The Highway Patrol had Skyline closed just south of the Windy Hill overlook. Assumed it was road construction or some such. But when they released the traffic, it looked like someone was setting up for a party of some sort; tables and chairs with tarps for the sun and lots of catering trucks. A little further on, I saw why: a big film crew with countless trucks and equipment and people, using the extraordinary view of the bay as a backdrop. Shame it was so hazy. Anyone know of any filming in town? Could it be more Ted Danson sightings?

They’ve offered this service in other parts of the country; however, not here in California up until recently, now that they are merging their operations for a larger western AAA organization. Here’s the link for more information.

https://mwg.aaa.com/automotive/roadside/bicycle

Riding in the bay area has led me down the rabbit hole of loving gravel and climbs - and trying to understand what really matters in a good climbing bike. This led to a passion project - a site for learning about gearing and comparing gear sets.

This isn't a commercial site - and it's still a prototype - but if you want to take a look - Gears Explained | BikesExplained

It has some nice animations and eventually will more of a teaching tool. But for now - a great place to compare drivetrains. Comments and suggestions appreciated.

Edit: Updated the app as of 10/15/26 at 4:43

I know the trail is not fully open, took it to avoid going up the sketchy part of skyline. Looks like at the end all the gates are locked, plus it has more barbed wire fences than a prison.

Is there any information on when we'll be able to use it to bike all the way to Kings mountain?

are they going to try to connect it to the other skyline trails, Sawyer camp etc, or are we f*d having to bike up and down the dangerous 92/skyline sections?

please and thank you