One of the best things about moving to a new city is it forces you out of your comfort zone and into explorer mode. You no longer have neighborhood favorites or go to restaurants and instead every day seems like a new adventure and opportunity to experience something amazing. When we moved to San Francisco I had only been to the city once before (when we were looking for apartments) – I didn’t know anything about the Bay Area but I felt up for the challenge of making a new city my home once again.

* Photos by Kai Sotto Photography

I’ll be the first to admit that I did not love San Francisco right away. It shocked me far more than I had expected and I’ve found San Francisco to be vastly different than any other city I’ve lived in or visited. It’s full of personality and character, but in a very different way than Chicago or New York. There’s this overwhelming sense of SF pride that comes with being a resident and the city has such an eclectic mix with each neighborhood’s distinct personality. It’s a slower pace of life with an emphasis on a higher quality of living and I’ve embraced my new home I’ve definitely found myself more conscious of my own wellness and more inspired by the beauty of the nature within city limits.

My favorite way to explore lately has become hopping on my bike – San Francisco is the ideal climate for bike riding as it’s never too hot or too cold and I’ve found that a bike ride on a sunny day is just as amazing as driving with the windows down (an all-time favorite past time of mine which I’ve missed out on since selling my car years ago). Biking really forces you to be present; you’re disconnected from your phone, there are no distractions and you have to be fully in the moment in order to safely ride and navigate. I recently upgraded my bike from a Pure Fix bicycle to their Pure City bicycle and I’ve truly never loved biking more and with every morning commute along the bay I find myself falling harder and harder for my new city.

Every time I show up somewhere with a bike helmet in hand, I end up getting lots of questions so I wanted to share a bit about what I’ve learned while city biking and some tips in case you’ve been considering grabbing a bike of your own:

• First off, yes you need to wear a helmet. I’m not wearing mine here because helmets are not cute but you know what’s even less cute? Smashing your head open. There are a gazillion helmet options out there, find one that you like and get over worrying about how you look. Always wear a helmet (I have this one from Nutcase that I actually really like even though I look dorky)
• Learn the rules of the road and do your best to stick to ’em. Before you hit the streets do a bit of Googling and educate yourself about how to safely share the road with cars, other bikers and pedestrians. A few of the most important lessons I’ve learned: 1. Don’t bike on the sidewalk. 2. If the car in front of you is stopped and trying to make a right hand turn, pass them on the left, not the right. 3. Obey traffic lights and stop signs just as you would if you were driving.
• A good bike doesn’t have to cost you a gazillion dollars but you should probably avoid grabbing one at Target or getting an adorable beach cruiser if you’re looking to do any serious riding. My first bike in Chicago was a Pure Fix which is a single speed / fixed gear option that worked really well for how flat Chicago was (it was also only $329 and came in some sweet colors – mine was the Victor which is a minty green and I’d get compliments on it all the time). Since SF is notorious for its unpredictable hills I decided to upgrade within the brand and now ride a Pure City Cycle – it’s a really comfortable ride and allows me to tackle hills with ease plus lug around lots of stuff thanks to the fender rack.

Have you ever explored your city on bike? Anyone else love bike commuting? Anyone out there considering getting a bike? (I may or may not peer pressure you into it)

This post was created in partnership with Pure City Cycles