Santa Cruz offers cyclists a diversity of attractions from majestic coastline scenery, beautiful back roads, peaceful mountain bike trails, and leisurely rides along the bay. This town by the bay appeals to the hardcore bicycle enthusiast as well as the casual bicycle cruiser.

Santa Cruz has been on the forefront of bicycle innovations with bicycle designer and entrepreneur luminaries such as Keith Bontrager (Bontrager wheels, handlebars, stems, etc), Jim Gentes (Giro helmets), Bob Fox (FOX Racing Shox), Rob Roskopp (Santa Cruz Bicycles), and Hans Heim (formerly of Santa Cruz Bicycles and now Ibis Cycles). Santa Cruz is a hotbed of internationally recognized bicycle companies and top pro shops. There are over 30 bicycle businesses in Santa Cruz County employing over 600 workers.

Several of these Santa Cruz bike companies supply Amgen Tour of California racers with their cutting edge equipment. You will see Lance Armstrong outfitted with a Giro Helmet and Bontrager wheels and parts. Many top racers cut through the wind on Easton wheels as well as Easton stems, handlebars and seatposts. So many bike companies find their way to Santa Cruz because the serpentine roads, mountainous singletrack, adrenaline overloaded jump parks, and breathtaking views are a source of bicycle inspiration.

Let Santa Cruz stimulate your cycling senses by discovering first hand the beauty of pedaling through ancient redwoods, flying down a twisty dirt trail or leisurely riding above the ocean cliffs.

There are plenty of organized events to channel your cycling desires including scenic century rides, competitive road, cyclo-cross races, and triathlons as well as numerous multi-day rides. For daredevils there is a bike park and a dirt jump park to air out your athleticism.

This county boasts plenty of bike lanes, a decent number of bike paths, and other facilities to accommodate biking. A growing number of kids bike to school and families cruise along the 2-mile multi-use coastal bike path.

Map of Santa Cruz Cycling Routes

More Santa Cruz Bicycling

Home to Top Bike Racers:

It should be no surprise to find that several top national pro bicycle racers call Santa Cruz home. Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) is a top ranked national pro, who has placed high at the last two Amgen Tour of California races. Ben takes pride in riding this stage race neck and neck with the world’s best racers. Watch for Ben as he duels with Lance and Levi Leipheimer over the climbs in the Santa Cruz stage of the Amgen Tour of California. Ben’s twin brother, Andy Jacques-Maynes, recently joined the Bissell pro cycling team. Andy previously rode for the local California Giant Berry team where he was two years running the 30-34 age group cyclo-cross national champion.  Learn about Andy's favorite Santa Cruz ride!

Taylor Tolleson is another local racer who has raced the Amgen Tour of California. Taylor can be seen churning away the miles on the back roads in his white and black Team BMC cycling gear. Not to be out done by the boys, UC Santa Cruz graduate, Brooke Miller is a double national champion for the road and criterium disciplines. Brooke lives and trains in Santa Cruz because of the strong “bike love” vibe.

There are many other accomplished both current and former bike racers living in Santa Cruz. These racers include: Josie Jacques-Maynes races for the California Giant Berry team. Laura Home: USA Xterra age group champion and top World champion off-road triathlon racer. Jamie Goldman, born and raised in the east side of Santa Cruz, has been riding bikes since he was three. Santa Cruz Bikes brought him into the Syndicate fold in 2005.

Andy Paulin is a formerly of Coors Light team, king of criteriums and winner of several stage races. Andy is a former Olympian who still rides the roads and trails of Santa Cruz. Joe Parkin is also a former Coors Light racer, Joe is a budding author who recently penned, A Dog in a Hat, about his racing days in Belgium in the late 1980’s. Parkin represented the USA at the World Road, Mt. Bike and Cyclocross Championships. Katrin Tobin: A fierce competitor who has won many of the top women races in the USA and competed in the Tour de Femin (the female version of the Tour de France). Julie Furtado: absolutely dominated in the women’s mountain circuit in the 1990’s. This world famous athlete still stays active in many sports as she enjoys the Santa Cruz lifestyle as she pedals through town on her beach cruiser. Fast Freddie Markham: Set the land speed record on a locally produced recumbent . Freddy earned his nickname by blasting by racers for the winning sprint throughout his career.

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Manufacturers:

  • Bell Sports: includes Giro Sports Design, Easton Bicycle Products, and Blackburn covering helmets, frame tubing, stems, handlebars, forks, lights, racks, and more bike products.

  • Santa Cruz Bicycles: Produce high end mountains for a variety of off road riding. Sponsor top freestyle, big jumpers, and Cross Country riders.

  • FOX Racing Shox: Top of the line rear shox and front suspension forks for mountains around the world. The also sponsor some of the best off road professional riders in the world.

  • Ibis Cycles: High-end carbon fiber mountain and road bikes. Their distinctive carbon fiber Mt. bike design is eye catching and riding pleasing.

  • Calfee Cycles: High-end carbon fiber road bikes and tandems as well as bamboo bikes. Craig Calfee and his crew of frame builders handbuild these carbon wonders in Santa Cruz County in an old airplane hangar over looking an idyllic beach break.

  • Easy Racer: renowned recumbent bike builders who have in Santa Cruz for over 30 years. Located in South County at the edge of Watsonville this company produced the Goldrush which piloted by Fast Freddi Markham set the world land speed record.
    Zzip Designs: makers of fairings for recumbent bicycles.

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Miscellaneous Bike Products:

  • Cycle-Aware safety gear for bicyclists from mirrors to lights.

  • Troy Boone founder of BIO-LUBE a local producer of a biodegradable bike lube.

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Custom frame builders:

Rick Hunter, the man behind Hunter Cycles builds innovative one of a kind mountain, cyclocross and unicycles frames. Rick doesn’t fit into any typical mold as he builds bikes for those not obsessed with the carbon fiber craze. He places his attention to durability and style over trends.

Paul Sadoff has been building frames for over 25 years under the Rock Lobster name. Rock Lobster’s niche includes cyclocross aficionados such as age group national champion Andy Jacque-Maynes. Paul works with aluminum, scandium and steel and small mix of carbon fiber. He is an innovator of the single speed mountain bike and his bikes have become icons in the cyclocross world.

Frances Cycles is the passion of Josh Muir who builds one of a kind bikes for transportation, fixed gear, cargo bikes and whatever moves you. Josh is a long time Santa Cruz bicycle devotee having helped start and build the Bike Church Coop, staff Bike to Work, and haul his two large dogs on a cargo bike.

John Caletti, of Caletti Cycles, is a relative new comer to custom frame building who's quickly made a name for himself with his craftsmanship and meticulous attention to the frame building process and his products. He builds town, road, cyclocross, and 29er mountain bikes focusing on clean functionality.

Todd Ingermanson is the frame builder behind Black Cat Bicycles. Black Cat Bicycles are distinctive frames that are becoming popular with mt. bikers and cyclocross riders who want more than a mass produced bike.

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Local Bike Shops:

There is a range of bike shops that caterer to a variety of needs from road, mountain bike, and commuter bikes.

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Bike Culture:

Not to be out done by the bigger and bustling City of San Francisco, Santa Cruz County has a thriving grassroots bike culture enhanced by fixed gear riders, worker owned bike cooperatives (such as the Bike Church, UCSC Bike Coop, and Cabrillo College Bike Coop), custom bike frame builders, bike delivery companies (PedX and Clutch Couriers), local organic produce delivered by bike (Freewheelin Farm), and bike advocacy groups (People Power and Ecology Action).

Bicycle programs for school students and youth include Project Bicycle Trip, the County’s Community Traffic Safety Coalition, Green Ways to School, and more.

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Local clubs and resources for a variety of riding:

Road Rides

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  1. Ecology Action Bicycle Resources Online bike routes, bike shops, bike parking and lots more local bike information.
  2. Santa Cruz County Cycling Club is a local cycling club that hosts group rides, a racing team, century rides and more.
  3. Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) is a non-profit educational organization that is dedicated to the promotion of mountain biking in a healthy and environmentally sound manner.
  4. Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail Trail is working for a 32 mile bicycling and walking trail along the rail from Watsonville to Davenport. Get updates on the status of this project by visiting them online.
  5. Strawberry Fields Forever Century Bike Ride is an annual century ride benefiting Cyclists for Cultural Exchange. The scenic ride offers great food and several routes for varying levels of cycling endurance.
  6. Santa Cruz Bicycle Industry Coalition is a group of local bike businesses advocating for better bike conditions in Santa Cruz County including more bike paths, lanes and bike facilities.
  7. Bike to Work/School Day, a project of Ecology Action, offers information about their fun events as well as information on bike commuter gear, bike riding tips, and more.
  8. Commute Solutions, a program of the Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission, provides information on a variety of transportation alternatives. They distribute a free Santa Cruz County Bikeways map and also have a very useful bike hazard reporting form that allows reporting of potholes, broken glass or other roadway hazards.
  9. The Hub for Sustainable Transportation is a local non-profit which houses the Bike Church (a community bike shop and tool cooperative), People Power and Pedaler’s Express.
  10.  People Power is a bicycle advocacy group dedicated to promoting non-motorized transportation. This grassroots group provides action alerts and newsletters on current bike issues.
  11.  Community Traffic Safety Coalition of Santa Cruz County provides bike safety information and presentations for college students, and much more.
  12.  Bikesmart.org, a project of Ecology Action, conducts youth bicycle safety training at local schools and special events. They also provide bike safety trainings to college students and parents.
  13. Surf City AIDS Ride is a local charity ride that benefits The Santa Cruz AIDS Project, raises awareness, and builds community through a fun, fully supported ride and after-festival in San Lorenzo  Park .

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