# Good rides in San Diego and LA?



## StuntmanMike (Mar 18, 2014)

I see this forum is a little dead, but I'll post anyway. I'm heading to LA for the 2nd week in Feb, then heading to SD on the 13th till the 22nd. 

It'll be my 2nd time in LA, first in SD. 

Anyone have any advice on any must rides? In LA, I'm planning on riding to Santa Monica and to Venice, not sure yet where else.

San Diego looks like it has a lot of good riding, I see a bunch of different routes and bike lanes.

Also, is there a good, cheap place to rent a bike in LA? I found a good rate in SD already, but LA looks more expensive.

I'll be visiting friends in both spots that work during the week and don't ride, so I'll be on my own and out on the bike most of the time.

Or if anyone wants to meet up or does any group rides, let me know if I can tag along. 

Also, part of the reason for my trip to SD is check out there area to explore the possibility of relocating out there. 

I'm just bored with the area I'm in now and work, and am also sick of the New England weather. I would miss Autumn though, that's a great season in NE. Other than that though, I'd be all about year round spring-like weather.

If anyone has any input or advice on that subject, it would be most appreciated as well.

Thanks!


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

I did a ride out there... starting in Irvine, through UC Irvine, to Lake Forest, then some climbing along Limestone Canyon Park, then Tustin and back to Irvine.

For rentals (I shipped my bike out)... try Bike & Bike Accessories Rentals at A Road Bike 4U - A Road Bike 4U - Serving Irvine, Newport Beach, and Orange County, California

It goes without saying... pack your helmet, shoes & pedals (and of course bibs, jersey, etc).

You'll get autumn over at Big Bear Lake area (and some skiing as well)

Riding up and down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) is nice also.


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## Mandeville (Oct 18, 2014)

I live in West Los Angeles and ride to Santa Monica and Venice all the time as two segments of a 35 mile workout that starts in the Santa Monica Mountains with a nice six mile climb in beautiful peaceful and a safe environment. The areas you and refer to is biker friendly. I'm sure others will offer you more detailed suggestions. I will add that your choice of terrain and great rides in the immediate area are unlimited including some great scenery both on the flats and in as challenging or easy climbs that you might be interested in. 

As for San Diego the pros are numerous from the environment to the weather and goes on and on. There are only two negatives IMO. One is the cost of living especially real estate. The second is due to it's location in extreme Southern California combined with the size of the state, (about a 700 mile coastline), you are in a sense some distance away from anything of interest other than the greater San Diego area and, of course, Baja Mexico. 

Good luck.


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## scott967 (Apr 26, 2012)

Was in SD last week and had some time. I only did minimal planning beforehand and was pretty clueless. Seems like the most intense cycling is in North county, but I was on Coronado and that wasn't an option. There was a shop (Holland's) in downtown Coronado where I got a Felt F5 with 105 in 58cm. So based on location I just rode south down the bike path and then east to Otay Reservoir. I was running short on time so had to return, but east of there is some interesting terrain to try out. Here is my course FWIW:

coronado - A bike ride in Coronado, CA

It was a nice day, but headwinds coming back up the coast (I used to live in Oxnard and forgot the joys of riding along the coast into the wind).

scott s.
.


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## sandiegosteve (Mar 29, 2004)

San Diego is a mix of great potential with bad pavement. Up and down the coast are great and there are some good routes that go inland. I think Strava has some heat maps where you can see where most people ride.
In general, San Diego is much more car friendly than LA, but there are still bad spots.


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## woodworker (Jan 9, 2015)

Addressing the San Diego portion of your inquiry, there are a ton of different group rides out of various bike shops in San Diego, from moderate to extreme. You can check on the "Swami's Ride," under the Nytro Bike Shop in Encinitas, under Revolution Bikes in Solana Beach, to name a few in North County. Most of the rides go along the Coast, then inland, and they can be relatively flat or very hilly. If you're looking for a nice Coastal route, you can head either north from the La Jolla area to Oceanside, or, one of my favorites, from North County, e.g. Encinitas, up Torrey Pines, out to La Jolla Shores, then into La Jolla and up to Soledad Mountain, and back. It's very scenic, but there's a bit of traffic and plenty of fellow cyclists, particularly on the weekends. There are various different ways of heading out and back, and you can probably find them by searching on sites like Map My Ride or Ride with GPS. If you're looking for a tougher ride, you can do Palomar Mountain, which is to the East (45 minute drive from the Encinitas area). My recommendation would be up and down the South Grade. Feel free to pm me with any questions.


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## woodworker (Jan 9, 2015)

P.S. If you go to the drop-down menu at this website (San Diego Bike Shop, Moment Bicycle, has San Diego's Road and Tri Bike Experts), you will find some of the rides listed. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, they do hill repeats at the Tidepools at Cabrillo Monument. That's a really picturesque ride and probably a pretty good but short workout.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

What part of SD are you going to be near? I visit North County, around Poway/Escondido, regularly to visit family. I can now ride around a few 40 - 60 mile routes without maps any longer. Great routes from Solana Beach to Escondido to Ramona to Rancho Bernardo to everywhere on good roads with bike lanes. Get a map.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

I used to live in SD north county then moved to LA about 10 years ago - personally, I find the riding better in the LA area than SD county. SD north county coast is great with lots of good group rides, but the area inland has been way over-developed. The result is rides that were once rural and quiet are now busy roads. In contrast, the Santa Monica mountains give you great routes and climbs that are lightly traveled, especially on week days. Starting either from Malibu on the coast side or towns like Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village give you access to great routes.


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## woodworker (Jan 9, 2015)

StuntmanMike--just wondering how your trip went and what rides you took in San Diego. Hope it went well.


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