i'm moving to sacramento this summer and was wondering how are the riding conditions out there?

Get ready for hot summers and dreary winters. Summer temps frequently reach into the 100's while winter temps can hover in the low 40's for many weeks with valley fog. The good news is that you can usually escape the winter blahs by gaining a bit of elevation, riding above the fog either in the Sierra foothills or the wine country mountains. Riding in the valley itself is very flat, often through miles and miles of farmland and orchards. Plenty of good climbing in the aforementioned hills plus Mt.'s Diablo and Hamilton and the East Bay hills, all nearby. I hope you like wind, you're gonna ride in it a lot. Spring and Fall are marvelous and generally mild.

Welcome (in advance) to NoCal.

Compared to much of the rest of the country, Sac is year-round riding. The north wind sucks when it's blowing, the delta wind usually isn't that bad, no snow, not that many days of rain. If you're not used to heat, you'll want to be careful. My first summer in the valley every day for 90 days straight was over 90 degrees. If you get out early and use a lot of sunscreen, summer riding is not bad. After 22 years in the valley, I've adjusted enough that I often will ride at 7pm during the summer. Smog can also be a problem occasionally. As for the fog, not much this year, but in general this has been a pretty good winter for riding.

I live in Woodland, on the west side of the Sacramento River just north of Davis. I live blocks from country roads. It's flat, but low traffic with respectful drivers. Davis has a large active bike club and Sacramento has two (no involvement with them). Good riding in the western hills, and from what I've heard, in the Sierras, too, but I don't get out that way much. Sacramento itself has a large bike trail that runs along the American River for 30 miles from downtown, so there are lots of great places to ride. Here's some links:

Davis Bike Club
http://www.davisbikeclub.org/

Sacramento Club
http://www.sacwheelmen.org/

Another Sac Club
http://www.bikehikers.com/index.htm

Post again or message me if you have any questions.

A great website with local area rides including photos and route maps
http://home.att.net/~rfzipf/BikeRides.htm

thanks for the help. just can't wait to move out there.

....depending on where you end up living, there are a few nice club rides in the area as others have mentioned.

The Folsom Peloton

<a href="http://www.folsompeloton.com/">www.folsompeloton.com</a>

....depending on where you end up living, there are a few nice club rides in the area as others have mentioned.

The Folsom Peloton

<a href="http://www.folsompeloton.com/">www.folsompeloton.com</a>

Nice group. I've ridden with them.

You're going to love it! I don't know where your coming from, but everytime I ride in the foothills towards Auburn, I am absolutely amazed at the serenity and beauty of this region.
I for one will never leave this area.
Post another message when you get in and we'll steer you to some good rides.

I'm currently at cape crap (cape cod), ma. i will be moving out there this summer, uncle sam said so. first i must find a place to live, looking north. but once i find a place to live and the boss and work let me out. ooooooooo ah riding i will go.

If your work local warrants it, look towards the eastern side of the valley. Folsom, Roseville, and Orangvale are great locations to head toward the hills with easy routes out of the metro areas. Lots of back roads away from the beaten paths.

sLitespd