Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-26 Thread René Sterental
Robert!

I'll be in Honolulu from 5/4-5/9 and will be taking my BIke Friday Pocket
Llama with me. I was planning in calling in you... Oh well...

Can you recommend any good rides?

René

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-26 Thread Robert F. Harrison
On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 4:52 AM, René Sterental orthie...@gmail.com wrote:

 Robert!

 I'll be in Honolulu from 5/4-5/9 and will be taking my BIke Friday Pocket
 Llama with me. I was planning in calling in you... Oh well...

 Can you recommend any good rides?


Wow, I'm sorry we'll miss each other.

Yes, there two major rides here on the island, clockwise and
counter-clockwise. :-)

It really depends on how much time you have and how much distance you'd
like to cover. I don't know how much interest everyone on the list has in
rides on Oahu so we can continue privately but there are somethings to
note...

We had a decent bus system and all buses have space for two bikes. Thus if
you want to bus to a start location, or back from the end of a longer ride
it's possible (and I do it all the time).

The most scenic routes are on the windward and north shores not in
Honolulu, though exploring the city on bike is easy and the waterfront is
very bike-able.

If you feel up to it, climbing Tantalus is a decent challenge (and lovely).
Here's a link to our steepest climbs in case you are so inclined (ouch):
http://www.hbl.org/content/oahus-steepest-climbs

We can also do flat (Pearl Harbor bike path skirting the edge of the water
most of the way around).

My favorite bits:

1. Honolulu waterfront (I do this more or less daily) - short, add around
Diamond Head for even more fun and views
2. Honolulu to Makapuu lookout (
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgps-bob/3838367751/)
3. Kahaluu to Haleiwa - normally I just ride Honolulu to Haleiwa and take
the bus back, but at 80 miles it's all day when you toss in lunch at Uncle
Bobo's in Kaaawa.

Just to keep this Riv worthy, I've ridden all of this (except Tantulus) on
my Quickbeam without stopping to change gears, even the hills and there are
some (all told about 2500 feet of gain - not much but uphill into the wind
at Makapuu is...um...interesting).

If you let me know off the list how much time you have I can make specific
suggesting and let you know where to startt. Indeed I've probably mapped it
with gps and can give you the links.

Aloha and again, sorry we'll miss each other. I was going to see what you
were up to while I'm in the Bay Area as well. :-)

Bob





 René

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-25 Thread JPTwins
This has been a great thread!  I will also be traveling from Boston to San 
Francisco for the first week of March.  I built up a bike last year and 
shipped it to my parents' place in San Jose.  Always nice to have a bike 
there!  

I'll be taking Amtrak to NAHBS in Sacramento and then riding my bike back 
in two stages (Sac-Petaluma, Petaluma-Marin-SF).  Beyond that, I'll take 
either CalTrain or BART to get back to the SouthBay and maybe try to get to 
Riv HQ or Jintesha Studio in Berkeley (my college stomping grounds).

My conference will be in santa clara, and I'll be bike commuting from 
Campbell.  Anyone have any suggestions for South Bay places to check out?

thanks again for the aforementioned tips.

Geoff
Boston, MA

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-25 Thread John L
Thanks everyone - good advice so far and thanks for the guidance! The 
tentative itinerary I had sketched out in my head works like this:
 
3/3 arrive, public txp to Palo Alto, get bikes thereabouts, staying w/ 
friends in Palo Alto
3/4 Palo Alto to Downtown SF, staying w/ family downtown
3/5 Golden Gate park, Marin head lands, ferry to Napa and stay w/ family in 
Napa
3/6 To walnut creek, hotel or camp (haven't mentioned camping to my wife 
yet)
Late 3/6 or early 3/7, Mount Diablo and environs, Riv HQ.
3/7 - Dispose of bikes, rent car, travel to San Diego for work/conference 
(boo).
 
John
 

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-25 Thread Robert F. Harrison
I concur, great thread, especially as I too am headed to the Bay Area,
though it'll be the second week of May. First I'm off to Oregon to visit
some family members and ride the Oregon coast with a friend. I discovered
that it would only add about $100 to my ticket (Hawaii-Portland) to add San
Francisco on the way home. I'll be in SF from 5/7-5/12 though 5/7 and 5/12
are really travel days.

My travel bike is Bike Friday NWT which works great as luggage from Hawaii
(shipping bikes back and forth all the time would be just too expensive).
The Friday has been to Riv central before; 2009 when I bought my Quickbeam.
This time I'll be trying to figure out which geared bike I can't live
without...being a big fella I'm thinking Bomba or Hunq - though to be
honest I've not had a lick of trouble (knock on wood) with the QB so others
are possible too.

I'm staying within a block of a BART station so I'll be able to get most
anywhere in good order.

I'm pretty pleased about being able to come through the area and stay for a
change. I always seem to be making connecting flights in SF and every time
I do I wish I had more than an hour in the airport - this time I do.

Aloha!



On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 7:37 AM, JPTwins gcis...@gmail.com wrote:

 This has been a great thread!  I will also be traveling from Boston to San
 Francisco for the first week of March.  I built up a bike last year and
 shipped it to my parents' place in San Jose.  Always nice to have a bike
 there!

 I'll be taking Amtrak to NAHBS in Sacramento and then riding my bike back
 in two stages (Sac-Petaluma, Petaluma-Marin-SF).  Beyond that, I'll take
 either CalTrain or BART to get back to the SouthBay and maybe try to get to
 Riv HQ or Jintesha Studio in Berkeley (my college stomping grounds).

 My conference will be in santa clara, and I'll be bike commuting from
 Campbell.  Anyone have any suggestions for South Bay places to check out?

 thanks again for the aforementioned tips.

 Geoff
 Boston, MA

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-24 Thread René Sterental
John,

You've been answered by two of the best guides you could find. I live in
Palo Alto and if I'm around when you're visiting, I'd love to tag along and
join you. I'm not as savvy with rides as Ray and Manny, but I'll do what I
can.

Based on what you want to do, I'd ship the bikes ahead of time. I have
plenty of tools in my garage shop so if you need help putting them back
together or fixing anything (hope not), you're welcome to give me a holler.
You can also ship your bikes to my house if It's more convenient than any
of the other places where you'll be staying. If you want to do that, let me
know the dates as I have some traveling scheduled in March.

René

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[RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-23 Thread John L
My wife and I will be traveling from Boston to California in March and
have 4-5 days to explore the Bay area, which will involve visiting
friends in Palo Alto, downtown SF, and Napa, and, I hope, a pilgrimage
to the Riv HQ.  We were hoping to do this exploration mostly by bike -
credit card style, although probably trains, ferries and even a rental
car may come into play (details are sketchy at this point).  Any
recommendations for how to get a reliable riv-ish ride for that time?
I'm considering shipping our bikes (seems cheaper than bringing them
on an airplane) but it makes me nervous.  I'd prefer to rent, but most
of what's out there seems to be offering skinny tired carbon bikes or
hybrids, neither of which appeals to me.  On a previous similar
thread, someone suggests Karim's used bikes in Berkeley but elsewhere
on the internet, it's reputed to be a fence for thieves.  Bay Area
Bikes offers the Big Dummy which is an attractive option but probably
overbuilt for our needs (it makes my wife a little nervous).  I'd go
out of my way for a good rental so if you know of somewhere else in
the Bay Area I should consider, let me know.  Thanks! - John

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Re: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

2012-01-23 Thread Ray Shine
John -- San Francisco abounds in bike rentals. One can go to very few of the 
popular routes or places and not see dozens of people on rental bikes.  
Sometimes, it's literally hundreds.  I do not know what they charge, but the 
bikes look to be well maintained and most if not all are hybrids with fat tires 
and upright seating. Also increasingly more popular are electrics and electric 
assists rentals. Most of the rentals I see around here are Marin or Trek, and 
the various electrics.

Most of us in this area have done many times what you are anticipating; biking 
everywhere in the Bay Area.  With the intermodal public transportation system 
-- 
most bike friendly and accommodating -- one can easily get around sans 
automobile. Once in SF purchase a Clipper Card (Start with two cards at $20 
each, then add funds accordingly). That allows you ready access and entry to SF 
Muni, BART, CalTrain, Golden Gate Transit, and other transits.

From SF, one can bike all the way to Palo Alto and beyond, or go part way and 
incorporate CalTrain into the plan. IMO, CalTrain is the most bike 
accommodating 
agency around, with dedicated bike cars on each train. You can also take BART 
to 
the east bay -- and to walnut Creek to RBW -- or ride it. Of course, a ride 
across the Golden Gate Bridge is a must, then you also can ride into Marin's 
most famous areas; Marin Headlands, Tiburon/Paradise, Mt. Tam, Point Reyes, 
etc. 
You can ferry back to SF from Sausalito, Tiburon, and San Anselmo.

I often bike from SF all the way to Alameda via the Dumbarton Bridge. Much of 
that route is on the Bay Trail with mixed surfaces. 


You can also take AmTrak Capitol Corridor express from the east bay which is 
bike accommodating, and ride up to Davis, Winters, Sacramento and beyond. You 
can also ferry to Vallejo and ride from there.

There's nearly endless opportunities for great rides and accommodating public 
transit.  I'm sure others  will also have sound suggestions. Enjoy!





From: John L johnlimo...@msn.com
To: RBW Owners Bunch rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, January 22, 2012 6:13:24 PM
Subject: [RBW] Bay Area Travel/Biking - any place

My wife and I will be traveling from Boston to California in March and
have 4-5 days to explore the Bay area, which will involve visiting
friends in Palo Alto, downtown SF, and Napa, and, I hope, a pilgrimage
to the Riv HQ.  We were hoping to do this exploration mostly by bike -
credit card style, although probably trains, ferries and even a rental
car may come into play (details are sketchy at this point).  Any
recommendations for how to get a reliable riv-ish ride for that time?
I'm considering shipping our bikes (seems cheaper than bringing them
on an airplane) but it makes me nervous.  I'd prefer to rent, but most
of what's out there seems to be offering skinny tired carbon bikes or
hybrids, neither of which appeals to me.  On a previous similar
thread, someone suggests Karim's used bikes in Berkeley but elsewhere
on the internet, it's reputed to be a fence for thieves.  Bay Area
Bikes offers the Big Dummy which is an attractive option but probably
overbuilt for our needs (it makes my wife a little nervous).  I'd go
out of my way for a good rental so if you know of somewhere else in
the Bay Area I should consider, let me know.  Thanks! - John

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