There are lots of bike shops that can pack and ship the bike back to your home, so you could ride to just about anywhere from Sonora, but I see the appeal of having Rivendell do it. I also see the appeal of toughing it out, you and the bike, bonding on a journey, chasing grain elevators across the Central Valley.
I think you should do it. Strategize the time, so you're exiting Sonora at a low traffic hour, and reserve a hotel room in Walnut Creek so you don't have to worry about reaching Rivendell during business hours. Then you can wake up, visit Riv, go for a ride up Diablo, visit Riv again, and catch BART to the airport. That sounds both heroic and fun. Philip www.biketinker.com On Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8:08:01 AM UTC-8, Jeremy Till wrote: > > Honestly, most of the ride between Sonora and Walnut Creek would be pretty > much the worst Northern CA has to offer in terms of cycling. The Sierra > foothill roads near Sonora are mostly high-speed two-lane highways with > lots of traffic and little to no shoulder for bicyclists. Once you get > down into the Central Valley it'd be miles and miles of flat riding on > straight roads (more high-speed traffic) through industrial agriculture. > The climb up and over Altamont and through east Alameda County/Contra > Costa county might be pleasant enough, but I think by that point you'd be > tired enough that'd be hard to enjoy. > > If you really wanted to have a great Northern CA cycling experience, I'd > pick up the bike, drive it back to the Bay Area somewhere, and do a ride > there. Having lived and ridden in Northern CA for 13 years, including many > years living in the East Bay, you really realize that Rivs are a product of > the place they are designed and are uniquely suited to riding there. Doing > Diablo from Riv headquarters is fun. Marin also has miles and miles of > fantastic roads. Or riding Highway 1 along the Coast between San Francisco > and Santa Cruz. > > On Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 5:38:45 AM UTC-8, ed k wrote: >> >> I am the guy who bought David Craig's 65cm AHH. You recall that >> because of time constraints he could not ship it, and nobody ran to >> Sonoma CA to get it. Solution: I rented a self-storage locker, David >> dropped off the bike, and now he is free for his sabbatical. The bike >> is waiting for the day when I come from Rockville MD and get it. I >> was scheduled to go to CA in August but I can't stand waiting that >> long. It is time to cash in some Southwest points and head West. >> >> I could rent a car, get the bike, and drive it home to Riv for >> shipping (note Riv content), but where is the adventure in that? I >> want to hitch a ride with a friend to Sonoma and set off on an epic >> trip to Walnut Creek, just me and Homer. >> >> Google maps bicycle option leads me through Manteca, over Altamont >> pass, and to a regional trail starting in Pleasanton that goes to >> Walnut Creek (119 mi): >> https://goo.gl/maps/frPLnYR5jum >> >> I am not sure about the section between Sonoma and Altamont Pass Road, >> but it looks possible. Does anybody know a better route? Local bike >> clubs have not had suggestions. >> >> Multi-day credit-card touring suggestions are also welcome, but 119 >> miles on an unknown bike is probably risky enough. >> >> Thanks for any help >> >> Ed K >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
