Many MSRI members find it enjoyable to ride to the institute, or on the many beautiful roads and trails in the vicinity. As a regular bike commuter and a recreational road and mountain biker, I get many questions about the best routes to MSRI, where to ride recreationally, where to buy or service a bike, etc. This page offers some route suggestions, links to helpful bicycling resources, and some personal impressions of the Berkeley bike shops. Please send me your comments, additions and reviews.

Neal Cassidy, Media Coordinator

Bay Area bicycle resources
Local Bike Sellers

Bicycle Routes to MSRI
If you're in reasonable shape, it doesn't take a superhuman effort to ride up here from the flatlands. Here are various options, with my guesstimates of one-way mileage and cumulative elevation gain.:

Lazy Way: Bus up, coast down. (2.2 mi.)
Many bicycling members load their bikes on the campus shuttle bus for the ride up from UCB. I've even done it myself, when pressed for time. You don't get winded & sweaty, no need to shower, but...you are missing something.

Easiest Way: Spruce/Grizzly Peak (4.5 mi., 1000')
The most popular and accessible route into the Berkeley hills is up Spruce Street and Grizzly Peak Blvd. Spruce Street runs north-south, one block east of Oxford Street, which borders the west edge of the UCB campus. From the west edge of campus or downtown Berkeley, it is best to follow Oxford or Shattuck for a few blocks north, then to cut over to Spruce on Vine or Rose Streets. This avoids the steep and unnecessary climb over Holy Hill at the start of Spruce Street. Above Rose Street, Spruce climbs somewhat steeply for a couple blocks, then settles into a moderate grade. Follow it 2 miles to the intersection with Grizzly Peak. Go right on Grizzly Peak, and proceed about 2 1/2 miles up a moderate grade which winds in a southeasterly direction to the intersection of Centennial. A right here brings you almost immediately to the MSRI/SSL access road. (An alternative route from the east edge of campus is to take Euclid to Grizzly Peak. The two blocks before and after Cedar, just nort of campus, are quite steep, but after that Euclid is fairly moderate, and has less traffic than Spruce.)

Long, Scenic Way: Old Tunnel Road/Skyline/Grizzly Peak (9 mi., 1380')
This approach is best from South Berkeley/North Oakland. Tunnel Road begins at the top of Ashby Avenue and climbs above Hwy 24 and the Caldecott Tunnel, becoming Skyline Blvd. at the point where the old auto tunnel used to go through the hills. Turn left at the junction with Grizzly Peak and proceed north for a couple miles and descend to the intersection with Claremont Blvd. and Fish Ranch Rd. Go straight through, and climb over Grizzly Peak and descend again to Centennial Road and MSRI - about three miles. This is a long and scenic approach, and involves gaining and losing hundreds of feet in elevation on the way to MSRI. If you've got the time, though, it's a great way to start the day!

Short, Hard Ways: Centennial Drive & various streets north of Lawrence Berkeley Labs (2.2-3.5 mi., 1000')
Riding up Strawberry Canyon on Centennial Drive, which begins behind the football stadium, is really not fun. It's unrelentingly steep, has lots of traffic, and isn't very scenic. Plus, inhaling all of those mysterious LBL emissions when your lungs are working overtime probably negates all the good it's doing you. If you like to fly, it's possible to hit 50 mph on the descent, but watch the curves!

If you prefer a more direct approach from North Berkeley, there are a variety of ways to climb to Grizzly Peak Blvd. I think that the easiest is to take Spruce, then go R on Santa Barbara, R on Cragmont, and L on Shasta. A shorter but steeper connection to Shasta from the campus can be made via Euclid, Buena Vista, and LeRoy. The maze of roads just north of the Lawrence Berkeley Labs offer the most direct route from North Berkeley, but they are quite steep. I'd recommend them only to riders in very good shape, and riding a bike with a third (small) crank ring. Bring a map, too -- there are streets going everywhichway.

Hard (Longer) Way: Claremont Blvd./Grizzly Peak (6 mi., 1280')
Beginning at the intersection with Ashby Ave., just below the Claremont Hotel, this climb is pretty grueling. And you still have to go up and over Grizzly Peak, but it's a few miles shorter than Tunnel Road.

Bicycle links for the East Bay

Organizations:

Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC) is a local bicycle advocacy group.

East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting bicycling as an everyday means of
transportation and recreation

Grizzly Peak Cyclists is a local riding club with a varied and plentiful schedule of recreational rides for all abilities. Mostly road, some mountain.

Single Cyclists offers weekend rides, about 50/50 road/mountain.

Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (BTC-EB) is a mountain biking group which organizes rides and supports many projects and activities.

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is active in bike advocacy over there in the big City.

Bicycling Resource Guide from 511.org You’ll find the new 511 BikeMapperSM, route maps, locations of lockers and racks, information on how to take your bike on public transit and across Bay Area toll bridges, how to ride safely in traffic, tips on commuting, bicycle resources and more.

Local Bike Sellers (LBS)

The Missing Link Bicycle Co-op, 1988 Shattuck Avenue (at University) 843-7471
They carry Trek, Bianchi, Kona, Ibis brands, and a short wheelbase recumbent model, the BikeE. $240 - $2500. It seems to me that they are stronger on road and hybrid bikes than mountain bikes. They seem to stock less variety of items than some other shops. They are unique in having a do-it-yourself repair and maintenance nook, with a good selection of loaner tools, and I've found most of the staffers to be generous with assistance and advice. They have a separate repair shop with a small selection of used bikes across the street. Rentals available.

Mike's Bikes, 2133 University Avenue (at Shattuck) 549-8350
They carry Cannondale, Specialized, GT, Raleigh, and selected models of high-end Merlin, Kestrel and Fondreist. Floor models range from $189 to $3800. I have gotten loads of friendly advice from the mechanics there, and the ocassional free used part. They are strong on the serious mountain biking front. No rentals, no used bikes.

Velo Sport, 1650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (at Virginia) 849-0497
This place has a venerable history (it was once THE serious bike store, and owner Peter Rich has supported local bike clubs and racing teams for many years) but it seems a little musty and understocked now. Nevertheless they are friendly and helpful. They carry Giant, Breezer, Terry (a women-specific road/touring bike), also Marinoni and Serrotta, both high-end road bikes. Most of their trade is in hybrid, road and recreational mountain bikes. $250-$3000. Full service department. Some used bikes. No rentals.

Start to Finish, 2200 Bancroft Way (at Oxford) 704-1000
As a chain store, this place lacks some of the uniquely Berkeley ambiance of other stores. But they do have a large selection of bikes and accessories, and I've generally found them friendly and helpful. They stock Trek, Gary Fisher, Bontrager, and Lemonde models. $240-.4500. Mountain bike rentals available.

Pacific Bicycles, 2701 College Ave. (at Derby) 644-3751
Also a chain store, but small & funky. These guys know bikes, and are about 50/50 road/mountain. They carry Specialized, Gary Fisher, Schwinn, K2, Lemonde and Bianchi. $250 and up. They sell lots of entry-level commuter bikes, but can make you up a $10,000 mountain bike, if that's your thing. It seems like they're always having a sale, and they offer some pretty good deals on the Specialized line in particular, from what I can see. These guys sleep in, opening at 11:00 am, but staying open 'til 8:00 pm, one hour later than most of the others.

R.E. I., 1338 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 527-4140
R.E.I. is a Seattle-based chain of outdoor equipment retail stores. Their bike department is large and staff is generally knowledgeable. R.E.I. has its own bicycle line, Novarra, and carries in addition Specialized, Cannondale, Lightspeed and Terry . They stock a full complement of parts, accessories, and clothing. My buddy Kirk advises, "REI's parts selection is good, as long as you're looking for 'current' stuff. Anything more than a couple years old and you're much better off at Pacific, Velo Sport, Start To Finish or Missing Link." $290-$3000. No rentals. Hours 10:00 am - 9:00 pm.

Summit Bicycles, 843 Gilman Street #C (6th -7th Streets) 524-5398.
Summit is also a chain outlet. The few times I've been in, I've found the staff a little bit distracted. They carry GT, Gary Fisher, VooDoo, Lemonde, Bianchi, Trek, and Klein bikes. About 50/50 road/mountain. $250 - $2500

Karim Cyclery, 2800 Telegraph Avenue (at Stuart) 841-2181
If you're not an effete cycling snob like me, but are into cycling as basic transportation, then this is the place for you! Karim has got about a thousand used bikes in the $99-$300 range. Mountain and road. Warning: many of these are conversions of older 12-speed road bikes to upright city bikes -- nothing wrong with that per se, but they lack the small third chainring most people will need for riding up the hill. If you just plan to take your bike up on the bus, and coast back down Centennial, pay special attention to the brakes! They cater to UC undergrads, working folk, and impoverished mathematics grad students and post-docs. They also stock new KHS, DiamondBack and Raleigh -- all "good values" and ideal for taking back to Europe, according to Adlai. $250-$1000. (see flyer)

Solano Avenue Cyclery, 1554 Solano Ave. (at Peralta) 524-1094
I'm not familiar with this store. They carry mountain and hybrid bikes from Schwinn & GT only, no road models. $250 - $3000. Full service department. Mountain bike rentals.