The Wiggle In San Francisco

“The Wiggle” is a one mile, zig-zagging route across the center of San Francisco used by cyclists to avoid the sharp topography between Market Street and The Panhandle.

Wiggle enthusiasts wrote a song and produced a music video bragging about their city’s most famous bike route.



The Wiggle

Officially, the city of San Francisco designates The Wiggle as Bike Route 30. It begins at about 100 feet above sea level on the Duboce Bikeway, where you can find the huge Duboce Bikeway Mural painted on the back of a Safeway supermarket.

You can follow the Bike Route signs to stay on the Wiggle, or you can just follow the flat roads: if you’re cycling along a road and see a steep hill ahead, turn north (if you’re westbound) or west (if you’re northbound) to a flatter road, and eventually you’ll get to Fell Street and the Panhandle Bikeway a little over 200 feet above sea level. The Wiggle averages 3% grade and never exceed 6%.

Google Maps is Wiggle Aware so you can just punch your destination into your mapping app.

The Wiggle directs thousands of cyclists onto Fell Street, which is why the Arco gas station on Fell is such a big deal. The city of San Francisco is considering bikeway improvements for Fell and Oak (which parallels Fell Street — both are one way in opposing directions).

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