Many cycling enthusiasts know San Francisco for its all too common heart pounding climbs, but if you're looking to cruise through town while sustaining enough energy to walk through a museum or do a little shopping afterward there's no need to fight the uphill battle. There are many routes that boast minimal topography and beautiful site seeing attractions. The most important factor when considering what bike route to use is understanding and accepting that the path with the least hills is usually not the straightest. Avid San Fransisco bike riders call these paths the wiggles. Instead of riding straight through a neighborhood directly up the hills most experienced city bikers cut a circuitous path through the city avoiding hills and main streets altogether. Some of these routes have the benefit of car free sections and because they are so popular with cyclists most motorists who drive down these streets are more aware of the presence of bicyclists.
There are two well known paths. The first is the path from the Embarcadero up Fisherman's Wharf to the Marina which is populated mostly by city tourists and offers great site seeing and bay views. The other is a lesser known path to tourists but very well known to city dwellers and leads from Central Market St., via a path behind the Safeway through the Lower Haight and to the Panhandle and other western neighborhoods. There are many other hill alternative bike routes through the city such as Valencia St. which takes you to directly into the southern parts of the city, and Sixteenth St. which gets the rider to the Third St. corridor bypassing all hills.
A few other 'social' and tour friendly bike routes take you along Ocean Beach south, around Lake Merced and back up Ocean Beach. This path maybe a little windier than some of the other city routes, but the elevation stays relatively even. The Embarcadero route can take a San Francisco city tourist from AT&T Park, up the wharf, over a small hump near Fort Mason all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. With the appropriate map a bike ride through San Francisco can also be fun! The best way to take advantage of these bike routes is to pick up a San Francisco Bike Map and Walking Guide which shows street grades throughout the city and recommended routes. This guide is available at most San Francisco bike shops where you will also find staff who have a plethora of information regarding biking through San Francisco. Whether a tourist or a professional, every bicyclist will be able to find a path right for them.
