Anyone coming from the sprawl of SoCal and the Inland abyss might not understand Santa Cruz’s love affair with the bicycle. It’s not just a mode of transportation around here, it’s an outlook on life. But don’t let that intimidate you, we’ve got bike lanes on almost every road, a bike freeway that runs along the river (complete with street kid obstacle course) and, occasionally, free breakfast downtown if you ride there.
As inherently poor creatures, students have the added incentive of saving scant gas money while biking, which can be used to fund essentials like beer, weed and World of Warcraft upgrade fees.
With that in mind, the first step in assimilating into the Santa Cruz bike culture is, obviously, purchasing a bicycle. For those with some money to burn, the Cruz is packed full of shops selling some of the nicest bikes money can buy. Prices are comparable at most shops and go anywhere from $150 for a stripped-down Huffy to $5,000 and more for a high tech carbon fiber racing model. Spokesman (231 Cathcart St, Santa Cruz; 831.429.6062) is a longtime downtown store with a big selection of road bikes, mountain bikes and cruisers, plus a service guy who has been there something like 30 years.
Tune-ups start at $40. Sprockets (1420 Mission St, Santa Cruz; 831.426.7623) is another big-name bike shop with custom cycles and accessories, and The Bicycle Trip (1001 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz; 831.427.2580) has been a Santa Cruz institution for 35 years, specializing in Giant, Felt and Norco brand cycles. Tune-ups run $40-$90. Another Bike Shop (2361 Mission St, Santa Cruz; 831.427.2232) has a huge selection of off road and BMX bikes and offers a $40 basic tune-up, and Bicycle Shop Santa Cruz (1325 Mission St, Santa Cruz; 831.454.0909) is a smaller shop that still manages to cram in a huge stock of cruisers, road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids and fixies.
Finding a used bicycle is much cheaper, but can be tricky. Lots of bikes get stolen in Santa Cruz, and stores are wary of taking in used ones for fear that they may be hot. That said, Bicycle Shop Santa Cruz usually has a few used cycles sitting around and Spokesman has some higher-end used options that can still run about $500 but, when they were new, likely cost thousands.
Which brings us to the Bike Church (703 Pacific Ave #B, Santa Cruz; 831.425.2453). The Bike Church is a donation-funded DIY cycling co-op, complete with workstations, tools and a staff of volunteers that will teach you everything you need to know about repairing and maintaining your two-wheeled chariot. Though they don’t advertise it, you can buy bikes there too, and, if you can prove you really, really need one, they may just give you an old scrapper.
Once you’ve procured your cycle, all you need is a place to ride. The Pacific Coast Bicycle Route runs from the California/Oregon border all the way to Mexico, passing through Santa Cruz (not that you have to ride the whole thing). Wilder Ranch State Park (1401 Old Coast Rd., Santa Cruz, 831.423.9703) is a maze of scenic trails, perfect for mountain biking. And UCSC itself has one of the most bike-friendly (some would say bike-necessary) campuses in the country.
Wherever you ride, remember to watch out for opening car doors, buy a quality lock, signal before you turn, and, for God’s sake, wear a helmet.
