The Valencia Street bike corridor is a trendy flat route in the Mission District. Now the city has ended a spiffy new bike corridor along Valencia Street, they make even a bike helmet look cool. Those who require training wheels can be Mission bicyclists for a day (including out-of-towners with rented rides).

Pick up a skinny bike from one of the rental outlets near your downtown or Union Square hotel. If you’re feeling ambitious, pedal to Valencia Street or else BART your bike there. Once you are ready to hit Valencia Street, ride the bike corridor from 14th to 25th streets at least once to get yourself into the Mission groove.

This tour is broken into four route stops, with an all-important refueling stop.

• Eat pie for a good cause stop
• Literary fashionista stop
• Lunch/brunch refueling stop
• Art appreciation stop

Eat pie for a good cause stop:

Believe warming up those biking muscles by beginning or ending your ride at Yoga Tree, where the members of the San Francisco Ballet and rocker Michael Franti practice under the watchful eye of a bright orange Ganesh in this former storefront church. If 90 minutes of yoga makes you want to eat pie, take a short detour on 25th Street to Mission and Mission Pie. It helps to provides jobs and training for at-risk high-school kids.

Literary fashionista stop:

Park your bike at the racks at 22nd Street and Valencia and cross the street to Dema to see the small, bright shop. It sells locally made designs that you won’t see anywhere else. The clothes are reasonably priced and will look good as you pedal along. The Retro Fit has beautifully maintained original and reproduction vintage clothing from the 1940s through the 1970s. Dog Eared Books are found at the corner of 20th Street, where books are arranged by color rather than subject.

Lunch/brunch refueling stop:

Too much choice here for one option, decides by the mood you’re aiming for.

1. Highly civilized. Outside, it’s unassuming and Inside, it’s stylish, with a long white marble bar and black wood floors. The restaurants between 17th and 16th streets, is owned by the couple who own Tartine Bakery on Guerrero Street. Brunch is served only on weekends, and reservations are highly recommended.
2. Fairly civilized. . Make a diversion west on 18th Street just past Guerrero to one of the best foodie blocks. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations. But the super-thin-crust pizza is worth waiting for everyone.
3. Totally local. Bi-Rite Market, on 18th Street, is a local treasure. It’s tiny, packed on weekends and in a neighborhood with no parking.  It offer sandwiches that what you’re longing for.

Art appreciation stop:

It’s a friendly gallery usually features local artists and always has something interesting. Across the street, you can find the art of motorcycle maintenance at Munroe Motors which is one of the oldest motorcycle dealerships in San Francisco, in case you’re looking to trade your Schwinn for a Moto Guzzi.