OT: BEX advice

[tki...@gmail.com]

Hello, friendly SF2G riders! I'm building up to be able to join the group rides but want to practice them first. I'm a beginner/intermediate rider (e.g. can ride 20+ miles, can go up Hawk Hill). I read that BEX is "somewhat dangerous" - how scary are we talking about? And where exactly is the grate of doom that I need to avoid? I'm planning to go in the wee morning hours to avoid traffic. Should I just do the classic Bayway instead? I appreciate any advice!

[Justin!]

So funny - I think I asked these exact questions 5.5 years ago when I was gearing up for my first SF2G ride! And I'm still here!

If you ride in SF and can do Hawk Hill without stopping, then I'd say you're ready to do FFFF. Come try it!

We don't do grate of doom and I don't find the route to be bad at all - it's been perfect over 10+ years to be the safest and most efficient way to cycle from SF to the Peninsula.

[Alexandre Passos]

Yes, BEX feels very safe to me _at standard sf2g commuting hours_. After that, the "rapids" are not nearly as comfortable.

On non-commuting hours the cesar chavez to bayshore feels mildly safer to me, but it also requires that you know where you're going if you don't want to end up on the freeway.

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 - Alexandre

[Terri Kim]

Awesome, thanks for the input! Fingers crossed I won't have to work and can try out the route this weekend. I'm thinking I'll ride down to San Mateo or Hillsdale station. If all goes well I may go to the next FFFF =)

[Justin!]

Hey Terri- you should come out to the FFFF ride this Friday!

[Terri Kim]

Shoot, the timing doesn't work for me this month, but I'm planning on it next time!!

[Darrin Ward]

yeah hobe and i started the bayway express variant called bex as a way to avoid the grate of doom.  bex was called bayway expressish or bayspresso or bayway espresso for a while before it was shorten to bex which admittedly is confusing.

we really never do bayway express variant (the one with grate of doom) anymore.  several experienced sf2gers have been seriously injured on that interchange.

darrin

On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 7:47 PM, Justin! <roja...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Matthew Kenaston]

Lurch drops historical knowledge.

[Darrin Ward]

yeah, really we should update the website because i do not think its clear what is meant by bex.

there are also some weird variants we never do anymore.  for example the btn (bridge to nowhere) bypass isnt really dont anymore since they paved the entrance to it.

and some variants that are done a lot more (see epa bypass) due to construction.

On Fri, Sep 1, 2017 at 1:35 PM, Matthew Kenaston <matthew....@gmail.com> wrote:

Lurch drops historical knowledge.

[Dave Blizard]

I was on the ride where the "grate of doom" got it's name.. was not good. :(

D

[Peter Chang]

Le vendredi 1 septembre 2017 14:08:52 UTC-7, blizzzz a écrit :

I was on the ride where the "grate of doom" got it's name.. was not good. :(

and coincidentally, i saw neil riding down yesterday, he's just visiting but moving back at somepoint ~soon.

\p

[Dave Blizard]

Glad to hear that Neil is still riding!

We should put a plaque next to the grate that reads. "Neil lost a few of his teeth here."

D

--

[Peter Colijn]

We actually saw Neil in Iceland! He did the ride in one of the team categories.

[Darrin Ward]

sadly i wasnt specifically thinking about neil.  but glad to know he is still riding.

i also remember jonathan kibera had an incident on that interchange.  though not specifically caused by the grate of doom and rather a car, i consider that entire interchange the grate of doom.

[Peter Chang]

Le vendredi 1 septembre 2017 14:43:34 UTC-7, Darrin a écrit :

 i consider that entire interchange the grate of doom.

i think it was called taht before various incidents made it so that no one does it in a group, i do still go that way on occasion when my timing doesn't call for a royale but shaving some time off colma seems good.

\p 

[Terri Kim]

So is BEX the route that goes east on 24th, south on Potrero then merge onto Bayshore South?

Where is the fabled Grate of Doom?

[Jeffrey Skokan]

We make the right on Paul and left on San Bruno which bypasses that section. If you continue straight on Bayshore you'd run right into it. It is very sketch because you have the grate, but also cars speeding to get on 101 South, plus cars getting off at the 3rd St./Bayshore exit.

[Jeffrey Skokan]

Almost forgot, you are correct on how BEX leaves the Mission.

[Beckett Madden-Woods]

Here is the grate of doom (at the head of the gutter) on Street View. Still there alas.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.718084,-122.399839,3a,75y,215.41h,67.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEEj8dm9K-I0c-fdRE8G1Qg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Coined by Nick Pelly IIRC.

Photo with requisite pool of blood:

On Fri, Sep 1, 2017 at 6:15 PM Jeffrey Skokan <jsk...@gmail.com> wrote:

Almost forgot, you are correct on how BEX leaves the Mission.

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[Cordelia Link]

Man if they just rotated the metal things by 90 degrees...

I've only been through that way once and I don't even remember seeing the grate. I guess that means I'm lucky.

[Neil Dsouza]

Hahaha, strange seeing this picture of my blood all over the Grate of Doom after 5 years.  I am still sporting my 3 dental implants and riding all over the world.  

@Peter, it was good seeing you briefly yesterday. As luck has it, some douchebag ran into me and Armando on that ride yesterday. Blind spot on the road, we were stopped, he came at us at least at 25mph and didn't break.  My bike took all the impact and broke into 2 pieces ( pic attached ). Thankfully I escaped with some minor bruises. 

Hope to be back riding more in the coming months. 

On Friday, September 1, 2017 at 6:44:16 PM UTC-7, Beckett Madden-Woods wrote:

[Justin!]

Where exactly is the grate of doom? I couldn't tell from the street view link.

[Alexandre Passos]

On bayshore just south of the Paul ave intersection

On Sat, Sep 2, 2017 at 4:51 PM, Justin! <roja...@gmail.com> wrote:

Where exactly is the grate of doom?  I couldn't tell from the street view link.

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 - Alexandre

[Darrin Ward]

you are right but to be a bit more technical it is on bayshore blvd right after it crosses the 101.

the reason why it is the grate of doom is because as a cyclist you are naturally going to ride over it since it is on the shoulder and you are merging with traffic getting off the freeway at that point.

often time people are driving fast there as they are getting off.

[Dave Blizard]

@neil

The person that hit you at 25mph was another cyclist? Assuming it wasn't a car!! :(

Glad to hear your ok but not so good news regarding your bike.

D

On Sat, Sep 2, 2017 at 5:13 PM Darrin Ward <dmw...@gmail.com> wrote:

you are right but to be a bit more technical it is on bayshore blvd right after it crosses the 101.

the reason why it is the grate of doom is because as a cyclist you are naturally going to ride over it since it is on the shoulder and you are merging with traffic getting off the freeway at that point.

often time people are driving fast there as they are getting off.

On Sat, Sep 2, 2017 at 4:52 PM, Alexandre Passos <alexan...@gmail.com> wrote:

On bayshore just south of the Paul ave intersection

On Sat, Sep 2, 2017 at 4:51 PM, Justin! <roja...@gmail.com> wrote:

Where exactly is the grate of doom?  I couldn't tell from the street view link.

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 - Alexandre

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Dave Blizard

[Peter Chang]

Le vendredi 1 septembre 2017 22:55:16 UTC-7, Neil Dsouza a écrit :

@Peter, it was good seeing you briefly yesterday. As luck has it, some douchebag ran into me and Armando on that ride yesterday. Blind spot on the road, we were stopped, he came at us at least at 25mph and didn't break.

jeez, i'm glade that you walked away from this, 25mph is pretty zippy. hit-and-run?

\p 

[scott :)]

I was the person that hit you after you put your front tire in said grate of doom. Sorry about that.