Go on a city bike tour

 

Check out the step-by-step guide below to get started.

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adventure | ▲▲ difficulty | ⏳ 4-8 hours

Step-by-step guide

OK, let’s get started.

Step 1: Pick a day 

Decide the day and time you’ll want to set out for your excursion. Perhaps you:

  • Take a half day on Friday and begin in the afternoon 

  • Go on a Saturday or Sunday morning with a friend 

  • Go after work on a week day and do an evening bike ride 

Step 2: Sketch out your route

Next, sketch out a route for your adventure.

Why should I plan my route?

So that you don’t have to be faced with making too many decisions throughout your adventure. By having an idea of where you’re going, you can maximize the time enjoying the actual bike ride and scenes along the way. 

If you’re the type of person who likes to go into things without a plan, then at least have an idea of some of the areas or places you’d like to stop at. If planning ahead is out of your comfort zone, all the more reason to do it. 

When you’re sketching out your route, ask yourself:

  • Is this going to be a stop-and-go adventure or do you want to stay on the bike for the majority of the time? 

  • Where do you want to begin the biking adventure? 

  • What sights do you want to stop and see? 

  • Are there certain neighborhoods or areas you want to explore?

  • Is there a restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to where  you can stop and grab lunch on the way? 

  • Do you have a specific destination you want to try and reach? 

  • Where do you want the bike ride to end? 

Sit down and think about what you want this biking adventure to entail. Do your best to incorporate new sights wherever you can rather than defaulting to places you frequent or places you’ve been to before.

Using Google Maps to help sketch out your route 

Google Maps is a great tool to use before and throughout your journey. Here are a few tips to help you plan.

Make sure you activate the bicycling layer on your phone. It shows you which streets have bike lanes or trails in green. 

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Look for bike-friendly streets with the green dotted line. These streets don’t have dedicated bike lanes, but they’re deemed OK to bike. You may want to use the street view to see what the street looks like and make sure it’s safe to ride. 

 
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Look for green areas on your biking route or use the search feature to find parks along the way.  You can also use the search feature to find restaurants along the route. 

 
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Step 3: Jot down your route  

Let’s pretend you live in San Francisco. Here’s an example of what a Saturday morning bike tour might look like: 

  • Head downtown to rent a city bike for the day 

  • Start at the Ferry Building and set out for the bike ride ~10am

  • Bike along the Embarcadero 

  • Stop at Pioneer Park to see panoramic views of the city

  • Grab a coffee in the neighborhood

  • Bike to Pier 39

  • Get on the bike route to Sausalito 

  • Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge 

  • Follow the bike path to Sausalito 

  • Park your bike in Sausalito and explore on foot

  • Get a late lunch at Bar Bocce 

  • Hop on the ferry back to the city and return your bike

Your route does not need to be as specific as the example above. All you really need is a start and end point and then a few new things you want to see along the way.

Step 4: Head out for your adventure 

On the day of your adventure, don’t forget these things:

  • Hydrate and pack water for the ride.

  • Stretch before you hop on your bike. 

  • Wear a helmet that fits.

  • Load your route in Google Maps and make sure you know where the bike lanes are.

  • Know what you’re getting into; check to see if there are any massive hills along your route.

  • Always be mindful of pedestrians.

Once you feel ready to go, it’s time to ride!

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