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I-680 commute advice

The San Ramon to Concord commute IS one of the worst but conscientious splitting makes it tolerable (well, before dark anyway). Done it more than I’ve liked.

One danger zone is where 680 heads West into the setting sun at the 680/24 split. That 10-15 minute period is bad.

If I was OP I’d take up the offers of a ride-along to get some experience/confidence. Although with just two months of riding, only you can judge if your skills are sufficient right now.

I wouldn’t go the surface street routes, same idiots in a hurry but with the added fun of stoplights and left/right traffic.

I’ll assume the Morgan Territory Rd suggestion was sarcasm, the definition of a Goat Road for a Ninja300.
 
I was in a similar situation when I first started riding several years ago. Got a bike and then almost immediately after got a job where I had to commute from Martinez to Mountain View. I did the lane splitting thing up 680 for a while, just follow the advice of others here and keep it slow and move over for faster people.

What I ended up doing was figuring out the backroad route home that took just as long but is way more fun and got me more comfortable on twisty roads.
 
I've got the Skene-Design Photon Blasters and Clearwater Lights Darlas. Very noticeable, but not a replacement for smart riding.

Ride smart, full focus on traffic, wear ATGATT, don't ride tired or impaired.

Live long enough to be a lesson to new riders...:teeth
 
Also another factor is the daylight.

On Monday the sun will set at around 5pm. If you are inexperienced, it can be difficult to ride in darkness with cars all around you.

You might take the winter to develop your skills then commute when you can ride completely in daylight.
 
OP, after 2 months you're not ready to split.

Your reactions have to be muscle memory quick responses, otherwise you're putting yourself at risk, there are just too many things that can go wrong and will while splitting if you do it long enough.

Be patient, it will come and it will be worth the wait, don't try to rush it, that will just lead to unnecessary risks.

Trust the experienced voices in here, most of us who have been riding for decades have lost at least one friend on the road.
 
tgrrdr said:
there have been a few days recently when traffic on Pleasant Hill Rd has been backed up from the high school past the freeway - I hate splitting there.
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It's a bitch. You always have dicks coming off the freeway trying to force their way to the left lane or driving down the shoulder on the right after the merge. The traffic is only getting worse.
 
what's your risk?

What is your risk of not arriving safely commuting on a motorbike? Are you 99% sure? how about 99.9% sure? A conversation I had with a friend goes like this: Friend: "I am 99% sure of my ride." Me: "How about we make it 99.9%. 99.9% means you are good 999 out of 1000. You commuting 250 days a year round trip makes 500 trips a year. You would have commuted 1000 trips in two years. 999 out of 1000 safe means one trip of 1000 you would have an accident. Therefore, a 99.9% safe factor translates to you having one accident in two years. Sure hope it will be nothing serious" Friend: "hmmm!"
 
I would avoid taking San Ramon Valley Blvd unless you get off work before 4:00. Splitting traffic on the highway is a lot better than doing constant stop-and-go on a jam-packed 2-lane road.
 
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Whammy said:
Still a road where you have to be on the look out! :teeth
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All roads are roads where you have to BOLO.

I'm going to cast a second vote for Morgan Territory.

I'm also going to echo the advice about waiting until you can get home before the sun sets to start commuting. Riding in the dark when you're tired after work is rough, and not the way to build skills/confidence...
 
yzsofst said:
2 months isn't very long. I'd imagine even a holiday weekend on the freeway is still intimidating and would advise you to wait a few more months.
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Totally agree. Commuting puts two very powerful and very unnecessary pressures on your ride: being late, and being forced to go home.

If you've got a weekend ride you want to do, you can delay your start or change your plans at a moments notice. Feeling a little out of sorts in the morning? Relax until it passes. Got out of bed late? Change your destination or skip a stop. Get tired earlier than expected? Go home early, ride slower, stop for coffee.

But that all goes out the window if you get going a couple minutes late and need to be in the office for a 9AM meeting. Same if you have an unplanned late night - now you're riding in the dark after a long day you weren't prepared for. These are major distractions from the more basic act of getting your bike from A to B, which is something you need more than 2 months to master.

EDIT: also, DST is a bitch. Commute home is guaranteed to be dusk or dark, and it will suck.
 
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ScottRNelson said:
Morgan Territory in the dark would be a serious challenge even for us experienced riders. :rolleyes
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Yes 100%. My recommendation for MT ONLY applies if OP can be sure to leave work with enough time to get home before dark.
 
Reli said:
In the time it takes to get from San Ramon to that road, he could be almost in Walnut Creek already :laughing
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I was suggesting adding fun and backroad skill building to the commute.

When I got into riding, I had an Oakland-Tri Valley commute. I often took Skyline to Redwood rather than slabbing 580 the whole way to get more backroad skill building seat time. It took twice as long, but improved my confidence greatly.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think i'll probably wait until next year to commute to work because my skills definitely are not there yet, especially with the time change I cant ride much during the week since it's dark by the time I get home.

Thank you all
 
When ever I start splitting lanes I start quoting Star Wars lines like, stay in attack formation, I am on the leader, Red 5 standing by.

If I am getting cut off and bouncing my mirrors off people's cars trying to kill me I start chanting the Bene Gesserit litany against fear from Dune.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

You have to ride with confidence and don't try to keep up with any other riders splitting at first just go at your own pace. I had someone split at 80+ who passed me today, the only victory is making it home safe. You can always split for a little bit and if you need a break cut back into traffic and give your hands a rest, reset your mental state and go back into the wave of traffic hell.

God speed son!
 
24 to 680 does get a bit hairy due to the unpredictable drivers and the unpredictable speed of their vehicles. Keep in mind that if you do split, you don't have to keep up with the *often high* speed of other lane splitters in the area. Playing follow the leader with someone going faster than they should given the conditions...it's a recipe for disaster.
 
Your commute to and from San Ramon is kind of best case as far as riding goes. I always found 680 north of 24 kinda sketchy but you're in Concord so you could easily do surface streets to avoid that.

Get yourself a Fastrak for the Express lanes and just be careful, you'll be alright. The biggest threat when splitting are lane jumpers but on that stretch it's not really a problem. Just be wary of large gaps when splitting. Go a speed that is comfortable for you, if someone who wants to go faster than you please safely pull into a gap and let them by. Cover your front brakes. My right hand glove is permanently stuck in the two finger braking position :laughing not kidding.

You could go the long way round but honestly, just face your fears (safely) and do the highway. It'll take foreverrrrrrr to do your commute off highway. I was in your shoes a couple years ago, but going to SF from San Jose on an 30 year old death trap. The first time you split is scary at first but it's just like anything else, just be smart.
 
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My first six months of riding was on a Ninja 250. I did very little to no lane splitting during that time. Only felt comfortable splitting when I upgraded to a liter bike that was larger in width. Doesn't make sense but there it is.

Might be best just to stick to getting the technique down first without having to put yourself in a situation where you feel uncomfortable/terrified, such as lane splitting.

Keep in mind when you're on a new bike those first few months always feel intimidating and weird. it takes time to make it feel like an extension of your body.
 
Inventory said:
Been riding for about 2 months now and want to commute to work in San Ramon. I've already ridden the route on the weekends so I know I can handle the speeds. What i'm really worried about(more like scared shit out of) is the evening commute back, more importantly when Ca-24 merges into 680. The Traffic is utterly ridiculous! And for some odd reason I have a fear of coming to a stop on the highway so I wonna keep moving.

Any advice guys?
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My advice, 2 months is not long enough to risk your life on bay area freeways. You need more seat time, a lot more. Personally, I stayed off the freeways for 6 months after getting licensed for the moto. I think that is also the DMV advice.

Edit: also wear ear plugs, it will reduce the stress which reduces the fear.
 
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