We had the good fortune of leaving the doldrums of the pre-Spring East Coast weather for a little R & R on the Left Coast. Of course, it was a great opportunity to talk shop with the nice folks at Rivendell and American Cyclery.

We were blessed with wonderful weather for the duration, which made using the numerous bike lines / paths / facilities a real joy. After all, San Francisco is arguably the epicenter of American transportation cycling. Based on the involvement and political influence of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the bike has as much a presence as the automobile.  It was truly refreshing to be amidst a culture in which the bicycle is an accepted form of transportation.  From the hipsters in The Mission, to the hedge-fund managers of the Financial District, everyone understood the viability of the bicycle as transport.

And what trip to San Fran would be complete without pedaling across the Golden Gate Bridge? Yes, a little touristy, but still a whole lot of fun.  We made about a 30 mile day-trip out of it, and explored everything via bike from the Golden Gate Park, to the Presidio, to the small shops of Sausalito.

We visited American Cyclery and had the pleasure to talk with Bradley Woehl about some of the design influence they have provided to Soma.  We also perused the shop with an eye for some of the latest Soma products, especially those pre-production bikes that previously only existed to us in cyberspace.  It was also refreshing to know that the Renaissance concept is not lost on our West Coast brethern … in fact it made us wonder the potential scope of Renaissance Bicycles if we tranplanted to sunny California.

We also took the opportunity to get our greedy little hands on some of the soon-to-be-available bikes from Rivendell.  John Bennett was kind enough to take some time out of his busy day to let us ride just about every demo bike available.  Plus, he give us the royal tour of the facilities with introductions all around.

As you can tell from the photo, the new Betty Foy is a joy to ride.  Sure, you could say we’re biased, but the Betty Foy, Sam Hillborne, and Bombadil are truly amazing.  Along with quality materials, thoughtful design, and attention to details, Grant Petersen must have used some Magic Pixie Dust to make the rider fall in Love with the first pedal stroke.  You won’t realize had badly you need one till you take it for a ride … and we’ll have the Betty Foys in stock by the end of next week.

Alas, the vacation had to come to an end.  We could have spent another week of riding around the Bay Area, but demands of reality called us home.  Thanks to the people of San Francisco for letting a couple of Country Mice spend some time in the Big City, and thanks again to all of our fine hosts. Ya’ll are welcome in Flat Rock, NC anytime.