City Slickers in San Francisco
fizik

San Francisco is a city steeped in cycling culture—from the pioneering Repack Races of the ‘70s and ‘80s, an early predecessor to the modern world of MTB, to a fixie-focused messenger scene that has exploded over the last decade alongside an ever-expanding road and gravel community. Take to the many hills in and around the city, and chances are you won’t be alone, as two-wheeled transportation has become as iconic as the San Francisco trolley itself.

Living in the Bay Area, Christopher Stricklen (a.k.a. Creedub) is no stranger to what makes San Francisco a great place to ride. Passionate about both cycling and photography, he frequently joins forces with likeminded friends, a group collectively called Photo Pace, to explore and catalogue the city’s unique appeal and diverse cycling community.

 

“Cycling culture in the Bay Area is probably about as eclectic as the geography itself, from bike messengers to nationally-ranked track athletes, road cyclists and mountain bikers to triathletes and cyclocross racers.”

Christopher regularly joins fellow members for rides up and down San Francisco’s many inclines as well as for longer spins outside the city.

“San Francisco is super hilly throughout the heart of the city and mostly flat around the edges,” he explains. “It’s like rolling around on the cover of a Joy Division album. You can ride from the inner city of San Francisco to one of the tallest mountain peaks in the Bay Area within ninety minutes via two wheels, and you can gaze at the Pacific for the majority of the ride.”

City Slickers in San Francisco

When asked what gets Christopher excited to ride, he responds that companionship matters more than metres climbed:

“I love riding hard, but more than anything, I love spending time and sharing laughs with people whose company I enjoy. So if ever I have to decide between a one-to-two-hour hammer ride with an assorted group, or a three-hour chilleur with the homies, I’m taking the latter every time.”

Recently, Christopher and friends set out for one such laid back outing, deemed their City Slickers ride, replete with fizik shoes and saddles for a great day of spinning in the late-summer California sun.

City Slickers in San Francisco

City Slickers in San Francisco

City Slickers in San Francisco

City Slickers in San Francisco

 

“City Slickers was a clever name that came from [our friend] Gene’s meet-ups for intentionally more casual rides, especially in the fall and winter when shorter days mean much less time to ride during the workweek. Gene would invite whoever was available to meet up and ride, and it turned out to be a perfect vibe, so we stuck with the concept.”

A late-summer heatwave might have kept warmer cycling kits tucked away, but it didn’t stop Christopher and friends from putting their Tempo Overcurve shoes and Tempo Argo saddles through their paces.

City Slickers in San Francisco

City Slickers in San Francisco

With photos snapped, coffees finished and another City Slickers ride in the books, the lengthening shadows mark the end of a great day exploring San Francisco, with Christopher sharing his final thoughts:

“Riding a bike can just be riding a bike, or you can pull out your phone, your point-and-shoot or your full-frame camera and document exactly what you’re experiencing at that time. It’s a way of sharing something with others that is best explained visually.”

Photographs: ©@alpineemily, @creedub, @gene_torno, @kylethornhill, @rj.agc@photo.pace.