Explore safety
At Dandyhorse, we are committed to offering the safest bike tour experiences in the business, starting with the highest quality custom-built bikes and SF’s best bike routes. All of our operations have also been updated to account for the COVID-19 era. Your safety and peace of mind are our top priority.
COVID-19 Era Safety
All of our cleaning and safety procedures exceed Covid-19 guidelines by the WHO and the CDC. We use natural, highly-effective alcohol-based cleaning solutions free of harsh chemicals and residues.
Our Covid Provisions
Bike Cleaning | On every guided tour, you get an earpiece speaker so you can hear your guide with crystal clear audio from a distance. This is optional for private tours, but recommended. |
Masks | You guide will wear a mask and all guests on public guided tours will be requried to wear masks. We encourage you to bring your own, but we have a supply of masks for sale at cost, $2. |
Helmet Cleaning | Our helmets are fully cleaned and sterilized inside and out after every ride. We also regularly wash the pads. |
Shop cleaning | We clean our shop daily, including disinfecting our iPad check system after every guest and thoroughly cleaning all surfaces after every tour group. |
Shop air filtering | Breathe easy! Our shop is protected by a HEPA filtration system that continuously filters out germs, dust, and grime in the air. |
Hand sanitizer / Washing | Liquid gold - we have hand sanitizer! Use our touchless pump if you’re ever concerned about cleaning your hands before or after the tour. We have a sparkingly-clean bathroom, too, so you can wash up with soap and water). Your guide also has a bottle of hand-san should you need a touch up along the ride. |
Gloves | We have latex-free, hypoallergenic gloves available free of charge in various sizes to fit all riders. |
New Offerings & Integrations
Social Distancing by Design | Our bike experiences allow for proper social distancing in an open-air environment. Biking naturally allows for greater space between participants. In fact, the length of the average bicycle is about 6ft (2m). We have also debuted an exciting wireless communication system so your expert guide can share awesome insights while giving a bit more space. |
Wireless audio experience | On every guided tour, you get a cool earpiece speaker so you can hear your guide with crystal clear audio from a comfortable distance. |
Self-guided adventures | Go with your own people, at your own pace, on an awesome GPS-enabled self-guided adventure. Explore the most beautiful parts of SF (and beyond) while getting tons of fresh air and some exercise. |
Private Tours | We've expanded our our private tour offerings, tailored to your needs, so you have even more cool options for getting outside in the fresh air. |
Our Bike and Ride Safety Features
Our expertly crafted routes, custom-built bikes, and experienced guides ensure that you have the safest possible experience.
Official bike routes and quiet streets | Our routes are designed by SF cyclists with over a decade of daily local riding experience. All of our expertly-crafted routes follow official bike routes, pathways, and back roads to ensure the highest levels of safety. |
Expert Guides | All of our tours are led by knowledgeable guides who are experts in safely leading groups of all kinds through the city. |
GPS-Enabled self-guided routes | Our self-guided adventures feature that same level of expertise, distilled into a GPS-enabled mapping app, meaning you’ll never miss a turn and always be on the safest possible route. |
Bike safety by design | Our custom-built bikes are designed for the unique riding conditions of SF to give you the safest possible ride. Here are just a few elements that contribute to our safest-in-SF bikes. |
Higest quality bikes in SF | We holistically design, test, and build every bike without compromises, so we can ensure they are the safest around. Compare this to the low-priced bikes most tour companies use, which only lasts a couple of seasons and are built with low-quality components. Our bikes feature a notable difference in ride quality and performance, which improve overall safety. |
Super well-maintained | We test ride every bike after every ride and make necessary adjustments. Our bikes are meticulously cleaned, and all components are regularly serviced and replaced as necessary by expert mechanics. Our bikes are built to last, and we treat them with love and extra care. |
Wide tires | We use the highest quality, German-engineered, extra-wide tires on all of our bikes. This ensures the bike is stable on rough roads, can roll over nearly everything, and has more grip and better braking ability than normal bikes. |
Upright riding position with everything at your fingertips | Not only is an upright position more comfortable, it also allows for better awareness of what’s around you so you can react safely. Your brakes, shifter, and bell are always right at your fingertips when you need them. |
Sturdy Brakes | All of our bikes have strong brakes that allow you to efficiently and confidently stop under any condition. |
Loud bell | Be the king of ding! All bikes are fitted with the world’s finest and loudest bells (made by Crane in Japan) so you can get the attention of motorists, pedestrians, and other cyclists. |
The industry’s safest batteries | Our electric bike batteries are built by the world’s finest e-bike battery maker from the same cells used in Teslas, featuring advanced safety features not found in other batteries. |
Pre-Ride Safety
Every guest receives an extensive pre-ride safety briefing, bike fitting, and test ride. We want to make sure you’re safe and confident before you depart, meaning you should be able to ride in a straight line and come to a stop easily. Guests who can’t ride safely will not be able to rent and will be fully refunded.
Below are some procedures we follow and helpful tips. For more general bike safety tips, check out these safety resources from the San Francisco Bike Coalition.
Bike Operation, Helmets, and Riding Tips
Helmets | Helmets are required on all guided tours and strongly recommended for all self-guided adventures. We provide the highest quality and most comfortable helmets of any SF bike tour company. |
Proper helmet fit | A high percentage of riders we see don’t wear helmets properly (and a lot of tourists we see wear them backward!), meaning they’re less comfortable, and in the unlikely case of an impact, they might not be effective. |
Saddle Height | We ask for all guests’ heights so we can have a bike of proper size ready when you arrive. Before taking a test ride, we ensure that the saddle is set at a comfortable height for you. Ideally you want a ball of your foot to touch the ground when your butt is on the saddle. Anything lower will make the ride more difficult and tiring. ext |
Starting and stopping | When coming to an extended stop (like at a stoplight), plant both feet firmly on the ground so that your legs are on either side of the top tube of the bike. Then, use the pedals like a step and push away. Many less-experienced riders intuitively try to keep their butts on the saddle while mounting the bike and stopping. However, this creates difficulty balancing, increases the likelihood of a fall, makes it harder to begin pedaling again, and is much less comfortable over the duration of the ride. This is even more important when riding a heavier electric bike. |
Hand Signals | Your guide will go over proper signaling. Signaling is essential to give other riders and motorists a heads up and to provide space as you turn. |
Shifting | Each bike has a trigger shifter that clicks through to the next gear. To shift into an easier gear, click with your thumb. To shift into a harder/faster gear, click with your index finger. Pro tip: Make sure you continue to pedal as you shift for smooth shifting. |
Braking | Our bikes come with powerful brakes, meaning you don’t need to apply a lot of force to stop. Always remember to use both brake levers for safe, predictable stopping. In the US, the front brake is always on the left and the rear is on the right. |
Kickstand | All of our bikes have handy kickstands. These don’t interfere with pedaling when down, so be sure to kick them away when you ride. |