Originally Posted by
dhuey
I agree with
rjque that the cable cars are usually a bit slow, but it seems like you're not in any hurry with this.
BTW, I'm an avid cyclist and I've lived out here for 24 years. Fire away with any other questions you may have. First tip: be extra cautious riding on the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a narrow sidewalk, and many tourists are not paying the proper attention to cyclists. Slow way down and be ready for people to walk right in your path. Keep in mind that the cyclist-only west sidewalk is open on weekend days and weekdays after 3:30 pm.
http://goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php
Not in too much of a hurry; I suspect that I'll take up most of the day with this. My plan was to hop a cable car (likely from Powell/Sutter, near the hotel) across to pick up a bike when the hire store opens at 9am (which I appreciate means the cable cars will be busy, as this will likely be on a Monday morning) then take it from there. I have to be away from the hotel at 5pm Monday, so quite a leisurely ride, albeit with a few hills. [EDIT: doing it this way, I can even get an In-n-Out as well...! Rather a treat for us from the other side of the Atlantic...]
If the weather is better, I could do this on Sunday instead. This makes the west sidewalk on the bridge an option for at least one trip across but then I would need to be back at Embarcadero for a pre-booked Alcatraz trip around 3pm. Still leaves 6 hours for ca 18 miles, so plenty of time including photo stops. For this, I'd revert to collecting/dropping the bike off at the Ferry Terminal building. The final decision will rest on which day has better forecast weather. What should I expect weather-wise in mid Feb? And how many tourists are on the bridge this time of year?
Lastly for now, does anyone know if Fort Point has bike parking racks? Be nice to stop off and get some up-close photos of the bridge from the roof of the fort if so...
Thanks for all the great advice so far... ^^