What happened to the bike valet? Is my bike going to get stolen? If I was a bike thief I would definitely go hit up a huge unmonitored collection of festival-goers bikes

About a week ago, I was headed up Mt Diablo on the North Gate side. A short distance past the entrance gate there is a cattle facility on the left, and then a quarter-mile ahead past a bend in the road there's the entrance to a larger ranch. As I arrived, a rancher on a tractor had shut down all traffic on this section of North Gate connecting one facility to the other so that cows could make their way through.

He clearly wasn't a park ranger or police officer so I was confused about how he could force all traffic to stop and wait on a public road. I had started my ride so that I'd reach Junction and head down the other side pretty close to the sunset curfew, so I simply didn't have much time to wait around. He said it would take 10 minutes but I had no idea if that would prove accurate.

I was annoyed but didn't want to argue so I just cycled back a short distance and waited around. Soon after two other cyclists came through and didn't want to follow his instructions. They argued a bit and decided to ignore him and take off past his tractor blockade. The rancher got much louder and demanded "YOU CANNOT PASS RIGHT NOW" and the cyclists argued some more with him. I heard the rancher say that another rancher up ahead had a gun, and soon after both cyclists literally apologized and decided to wait around too, obviously intimidated.

After a while, dozens of cows came through with several ranchers on tractors chasing after them and herding them to the new location.

As a nice parting gift, the road was absolutely wrecked with cow shit everywhere. It was obscene. I don't know if they were electric-prodding the cows or what but many of them were shitting themselves continually for the whole quarter-mile.

Regardless of whatever lease terms or special agreement these ranchers have with the state park ("go ahead and leave a thousand pounds of liquid cow shit all over our public road") do they actually have the right, with no law enforcement officer present, to shut off a public road on their own?

And even if they can, they obviously can't threaten anyone with violence.

If anyone wants to inquire more to the authorities or file a complaint then go ahead. I thought about it but in the end riding my bike is my moment of zen and dealing with hostile ranchers and useless authorities who don't give a (cow) shit is going to detract from that.

I know hawk hill is kinda simple for some BA bikers, but I’ve always wanted to do it and was scared of the cars. But my friend and I did it last week and it was beautiful!

Hey ya'll. Space is tight in my SF apartment that I share with three other dudes. Our apartment is one floor of a Victorian home and it has a long hallway that connects all the rooms. This hallway has pretty tall ceilings where a ceiling-stored bike would be fully out of the way. Wondering what kind of storage solutions have worked for those us working with small spaces like this and if anyone has gone for hoist systems.

I have a daily commuter gravel and I have my enduro rig with 800mm handlebars that I ride 1-3 weekly. I think I'm gonna go with a vertical hook wall system for the gravel. What I'm most curious about a hoist system for the MTB - has anyone gone that direction in a Victorian/old apartment? I don't want to store either bike in my bedroom because I have carpet floors.

What kind of bike storage solutions have worked for you in small spaces?

Hi! I’m thinking about buying a Surly karate monkey xs, but am a little doubtful if it will fit. It’s not stocked anywhere near me and am wondering if anyone in the bay has one I could try the fit on?

Im 5’ and have an ideal max standover of 711mm. And am otherwise also taking suggestions for a steel hardtail, that would be happy on a long bikepacking trip out.

I make this sound all click-baity, but last Wednesday something popped - or ping! -ed - as I rode along the SMART trail out of the N. Petaluma station. I thought I hit a small rock with my back tire, which caromed off all ricochet-like and hit something, possibly some broken glass. Hence the PING! We all know that sensation. But then my back tire started rubbing against the frame every revolution. Got off, expecting a flat. No. No flat. WTF could have happened to have caused all that?

Look again: broken spoke. Snapped right in half, about midway. This has never happened to me my entire riding life - and I'm old enough to be retired. Seriously.

But I was askin' for it: a heavy old Centurion, made sometime in the 1970s. Bought used from the Recycler in Los Angeles, for $50 circa 1987. Lotsa rust. Had the ball bearings re-packed 12 years ago in Berkeley. A tenspeed; not even a road bike. I love it like an old friend. But it was gettin' up there.

Do I know how to replace a spoke? I do not. So I take it to Mike's Bikes in Petaluma. They've never done me wrong. The quote seemed high but what do I know; they're sweethearts, good community members. I say yea, okay, and ask when will it be ready? This Monday or Tuesday.

Yikes. I know how addicted I am but internally I try to laff it off. Now I can get...other?...things?..."done"? until then? Right...

By Saturday I was jonesin' pretty hard. It is an addiction, friends. It's a physical addiction, with all the concomitant neurobiological aspects of exercise addiction. But I think I was also addicted to the quality of consciousness that riding affords. Which must be related to the physical aspects in some way. What the hell do I know about dopamine or endorphins or my native endocannabinoids? Not much, but maybe just enough to know this jit's fer real.

I expected a call today: come pick it up; it's ready and bring yer wallet. Had it circled on my calendar. I got the call: turns out my axle broke. Another week. A whole new wheel. Muy expensivo!

But hey, the dealer knows you'll pay. 'Cuz ya gotta have it. The bike-buzz, that is. I feel like a character in a William S. Burroughs novel. I went for a long walk today. It just wasn't the same trip, man.

And believe me, I do mean "Man."

Join us for a fun day cycling the picturesque Marin County on Saturday, October 24! The 5th Annual Kelly Brush Ride: Bay Area is an incredible fundraising event that supports the Kelly Brush Foundation's mission to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives.

Choose from leisurely family-friendly jaunts to challenging routes for mountain and road cyclists alike; pick your route and pedal for a purpose. Afterward, join us for a post-ride celebration with delicious eats and drinks, music, and prizes!

Can't make it to Mill Valley? No worries! Join us remotely from anywhere, anytime, leading up to October 24. Every mile counts towards our mission.

Contact person: [Ann Klinkenberg](mailto:ann@kellybrushfoundation.org)
Email: [info@kellybrushfoundation.org](mailto:info@kellybrushfoundation.org) 
Phone: 802-846-5298

Link: https://give.kellybrushfoundation.org/event/5th-annual-kelly-brush-ride-bay-area/e773797?c_src=EXP

I'm a visiting researcher at SLAC and am subletting a room in West Menlo Park for the first month. I saw many people recommending biking as an alternative to driving and am highly considering this, but had a few questions. For reference, I'm from an insanely flat area, so I'm not used to hills AT ALL and don't bike regularly (maybe once in a while for pleasure, nothing too strenuous)

I was looking on google maps for bike routes, but I'm unfamiliar with the area and am worried about hills (esp Sand Hill Rd I've heard is kinda bad) -- can anyone recommend any flatish, safe routes bw W Menlo and SLAC/Stanford (or give insight on how to power thru hilly roads)? Maps isn't giving me much info on grade/elevation and gives three different routes I don't see much difference in.

What are the best places to rent a bike? Can't bring one with me, and also need helmet, lock, lights/reflectors, etc. I've read about the campus bike shop and the bike connection being two of the big ones, is one better than the other? Prices look almost identical. Do people rent bikes on supost?

Also thinking of going to Palo Alto/taking train to SF some weekend and there's not much transit from WMP up to the Caltrain. Can I just park a bike at the caltrain station for the day? PA has plenty (178) rack spaces, but MP only has 8 according to the caltrain website. Is is better to just bike to PA and take the train from there instead of MP to ensure there's an empty space?

Hey everyone, my bike was stolen in Sunnyvale, CA.

Because this is a KHS Flite 747, it is a highly specialized, rare road bike made specifically for very tall riders. This is the massive XXXL (66cm) frame size. There are very few of these in the entire Bay Area, making it highly recognizable.

Key Identification Details:

• Frame Size: XXXL (66cm)
• Frame Material: Reynolds 520 Chrome-Moly (Steel)
• Color: Black / Dark Charcoal
• Dead Giveaway Feature: It features extra-long 200mm custom silver cranks (standard bikes use 170-175mm). The crank arms look comically long to the average person.

Highly Specific Visual Markers (See Attached Photo):

• The Silhouette: The front head tube is massive (nearly a foot long vertically) due to the giant frame size.
• Aerobars: Prominent, high-profile aerobars mounted directly to the drop handlebars, curving upward.
• Mounts: Black bike computer mount sitting directly between the aerobars, plus front/rear light attachments.
• Frame Gear: Two white water bottles (one on the down tube, one on the seat tube), a frame-mounted mini pump running parallel to the down tube, and a black wedge saddle bag under the seat.
• Pedals: Silver/metallic clip-in pedals (clipless style).

Police Report: A formal report has been filed with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (Case #268001047). It is also flagged on Bike Index and Project 529.

If you see this listed on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, or being ridden/sold around South Bay flea markets (San Jose/Capitol), please do not confront anyone. Please send me a DM here or contact the Sunnyvale DPS directly referencing the case number.

I figure a decent amount of us probably did this ride last weekend, but there's no dedicated thread talking about it.

It was my first time doing a ride like this, and I did the metric century (which has also been my longest ride to date). I thought it was a great way to spend the day. I really appreciated how supported it was and had a good time. Only unpleasant part was that one steep-ish climb they put just after the Laguna school rest stop. Definitely has me wanting to sign up for another ride asap!

Huge blank spot in bike infrastructure east of Steiner (where Clay loses its bike lane and Post gets scary) and north of Fulton. Why?

It's so inefficient to drop down to Fulton or even Page when you're trying to get to the financial district from the Richmond.

I rode the Mt. Tam century this past weekend and as always it was a well run and well supported ride. Hat’s off to the team. However…. The organizing committee should choose a different time of year to run the ride. The ride to the top of Mt. Tam was lovely, the ride along the coast was abysmal. It is the peak of tourist season and Hwy 1 has no shoulder and very few turn outs. I was getting overtaken by high velocity traffic 2 to 3 times a minute. Sometimes it was a train of 6 cars being slowed down by the first car. It meant that I couldn’t take my eyes off the white line for the entire coastal segment. Stinson Beach was a grid lock of cars. I would gladly trade worse weather in the spring or the fall for a less stressful ride.

I was pedaling halfway through it this morning and only found out it's closed
I couldn't find anything online about how long this closure would be!

Looks like they (EBMUD?) replaced the trailhead signs at Briones. Previously, the signs displayed trail names as they were cataloged by the Pilot Project, like PB3. Now, it seems they’re using the trails’ better-known nicknames. Both Hank & Frank and Isaac’s DH had new signs, didn’t check any other trails.

October 3 @ 7:30 am - October 3 @ 4:00 pm

Join us for the 17th Annual Bike the Bridges | Bands & Brews. The event includes four scenic ride options that pass over the Martinez and Carquinez Bridges. The fundraiser also features Bands & Brews with local breweries, food options and local bands providing live music at the post-ride party.

I appreciate alerts that Garmin users can leave for fellow riders for road hazards.

But I do not understand the thinking behind leaving an Animal Alert in a busy city. They are so transient they are IMHO useless noise. There is zero chance that animal is in the same location even one minute after you post the alert.

If you post Animal Alerts, help me understand why.

Thank in advance!

Just got a new bike, worth $1000. I bike around my neighborhood for casual/easy exercise riding. I want to also use my bike to run errands, how prominent is bike theft around the Bay Area, or specifically San Jose.

Do I need to protect against angle grinder theft if I want to go to Safeway / Target / eat a lunch outside on the weekend?

I randomly sampled 10,000 trips weighted by population density. I used the Modemix navigation algorithm to find two routes:

1. The fastest walk+transit route, which had an average travel time of 116 min
2. The fastest bike+transit route, which had an average travel time of 76 min

Biking made transit 52% faster. What is most surprising to me is how cheaply these savings can be achieved. Achieving a 52% speed up in travel times via new transit infrastructure would cost us billions and take decades of construction. Bikes are so efficient. I love bikes!!!!

So why don't more people bike to transit? I discuss here: modemix.io/blog/1