On the Road……Golden Gate Bridge, Bus Platform
I snapped this on an iPhone (waiting to transfer buses) on my way home from work last Friday.
Days like this make me think I really should be riding a bicycle over the bridge to work. But a few preconditions stop me in my tracks.
For instance, I stubbornly insist on:
- arriving at work sweat-free
- riding in normal clothes
With the hills and the distance (it’s a 19-mile round trip) there’s really no way to do both. In a flat city like Amsterdam or Copenhagen it might be possible. But the elevation changes and the considerable mileage preclude a Sausalito-to-SF commute that meets this criteria.
Maybe it’s time to lighten up and just adapt. But what then? Do I carry extra clothes; shower at a nearby gym; etc.? Things just start to get complicated.
I did consider the option of an e-bike (and I really, really love the Faraday Porteur), but the battery range is only about 10-12 miles. And, I do not have access to a charging outlet during the work day.
Still, the Faraday could be the answer to my dilemma.
1. Wool cycling gear.
2. Anti Microbial Sweat towel.
3. Don’t ride so fast that you get super sweaty. If you have a wide enough gear range it’s no problem.
Problem solved
Evan
10 Dec 12 at 3:21 pm
Evan/ I like your thinking! This makes a lot of sense, especially riding at a slower pace. However, as much as I love wool cycling gear, wool kickers are just not regular work attire. I would still have to carry a complete wardrobe change (including shoes), which is what I’m really trying to avoid. But if I cannot live closer to work (which i think is what must happen if i am to ride in normal street, i.e. business, clothes) your suggestions may very well carry the day.
fridaycyclotouriste
10 Dec 12 at 6:29 pm
Why don’t you put the bike on the bus and ride half way.
Pick the easiest half.
tom
11 Dec 12 at 6:05 pm
Tom/ thanks or chiming in! The easiet half would be the ride north from SOMA back to Sausalito. This could work! There’s just one steep pitch from sea-level to bridge level. And maybe I’d just change shoes for the ride home and that would be it.
fridaycyclotouriste
11 Dec 12 at 8:16 pm
I know I’m late to the game here, but I’m been enjoying your blog for the last hour over a cup of coffee from faraway Oslo, Norway and hoping you would get to this point. You see, I’m making a move to the bay area this summer and giving Sausalito a hard look. And as a bike enthusiast, I would love to tackle the commute by bicycle, but I’m just not sure how realistic that is on a day to day basis given your very same concerns. Maybe a couple days per week at best. Can I ask, Nathan, how do you make your commute from Sausalito into the city? It sounds like bus. How is the ferry by comparison? How exhausting is that commute now that you’ve been doing it for a little while?
Paul
12 May 13 at 2:20 am
Hi Paul, bike commuting is quite possible from Sausalito, but it depends on where in San Francisco you will be working. If you are working near the downtown financial district, the Marina, or SOMA it will be much easier for you. San Francisco is VERY hilly as you must already know so getting to any other neighborhoods would be a challenge.
From Sausalito you can either take the ferry, the bus, ride your bike, or do some combination of all three. Transit schedules are not as frequent as one would like so you have to build in extra time for connections.
In my opinion, the ferry is by far the best way to commute. I highly recommend it. You can take your bike on the ferry as well to shorten your riding distance considerably. However, the ferry does not run as frequently as I would like, and it doesn’t run after 8pm at night?!
If you bike the whole way, there is one very big hill to climb from downtown Sausalito to Golden Gate Bridge, which is something to consider.
In summary, there are lots of options and biking is totally doable. The one caveat is that you’ll see no one riding in street or business clothes. All the bike commuters from Sausalito are decked out in sports clothes, with packs on their back with a change of clothes. They treat this as a morning workout and will shower and change at or near their office.
fridaycyclotouriste
12 May 13 at 11:25 am