View Full Version : SoCal folks - need advice
I am going to be in the Anaheim area Friday through Sunday for my wife's family reunion and wanted to get a few rides in while I am there. Any recommendations on where I can rent a bike from? Also, any good routes you would suggest I try?
Thanks.
ofcounsel
06-24-2013, 12:54 PM
A good place to rent a bike from would be The Path in Tustin, not far from Anaheim.
www.thepathbikeshop.com
A Road Bike 4 U in Irvine also rents bikes.
http://aroadbike4u.com/
I believe East West Bikes in Fullerton also rents out Parlee's.
As far as routes go, Santa Ana River trail is flat and easy. You can catch it from the Amtrak station/Angel Stadium in Anaheim, then ride out to the beach to ride along Pacific Coast Highway.
If you want to do some climbing, head up to Glendora Mountain Road or Mount Baldy.
Thanks for the info, went ahead and reserved a bike from The Path bike shop. Looking around online I also found a couple group rides that look promising (one seems to head towards the hills, the other towards the ocean). But I am open to more suggestions if anyone has any.
Thanks again.
ofcounsel
06-24-2013, 08:35 PM
Awesome! Outspoken bike shop in Huntington Beach has a good Saturday morning group ride. They're very friendly and social. It's usually a good 30 to 40 mile ride along the coast. They have a quick A group and a chill B group. Great guys at the shop.
www.rideoutspoken.com
CaptStash
06-24-2013, 10:00 PM
I visit SoCal regularly and have enjoyed riding with Lightning Velo out of Long Beach, CA. They are a fun and welcoming group, but only ride with them if you're ok with riding in a paceline. They usually ride a very disciplined double paceline. The Saturday ride is a lot of fun.
You can finde their website here: Lightning Velo (http://lightningvelo.org/). By the by, their website has an excellent description of how to safely ride in a paceline. It's good reading.
CaptSstash....
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. And riding in a paceline is no problem :beer:
CaptStash
06-25-2013, 06:45 AM
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. And riding in a paceline is no problem :beer:
Then you might really enjoy the LV folks. Very welcoming and friendly group.
559Rando
06-25-2013, 03:40 PM
Joe at Synaptic Cycles is good people. He'll deliver and pick up the bike, yadda, yadda, yadda:
http://synapticcycles.com/
I'd get a Calfee Adventure from him :hello:
dvs cycles
06-25-2013, 07:20 PM
Then you might really enjoy the LV folks. Very welcoming and friendly group.
Thank you on behalf of our club for the good words.:beer:
Which group did you ride with?
yoshirider
06-25-2013, 07:39 PM
Here are some other groups in the Irvine area for reference.
aroadbike4u has a good group ride on Saturday morning. This is a fit and younger group and they have regrouping spots.
Bike Club of Irvine (BCI) is a group of all ages with multiple routes (very large group) and there are rides on Saturday and Sunday. There is a fast group led by a female registered racer. This group does NOT have regroup spots but there is a midway rest stop for socializing and grabbing coffee.
OCWheelmen is about the same as the description for BCI. They're a smaller group, but they're very friendly and they have regrouping spots.
Joe at Synaptic Cycles is good people. He'll deliver and pick up the bike, yadda, yadda, yadda:
http://synapticcycles.com/
I'd get a Calfee Adventure from him :hello:
That is pretty cool, thanks for sharing. His rentals are actually cheaper than the other options also for a much nicer bike; might have to give him a buzz.
Looks like I will be giving the Lightning Velo ride a try on Saturday, then head out for the hills on Sunday.
Thanks everyone.
ofcounsel
06-25-2013, 09:05 PM
That is pretty cool, thanks for sharing. His rentals are actually cheaper than the other options also for a much nicer bike; might have to give him a buzz.
Looks like I will be giving the Lightning Velo ride a try on Saturday, then head out for the hills on Sunday.
Thanks everyone.
Wow!!! You're right! That place is pretty cool!
559Rando
07-06-2013, 08:41 AM
Nice! How'd it work out? How was the trip?
It went well. The rental experience was painless; I got a Calfee Tetra Pro that was dropped off and picked up when I asked for, all at a very fair price. It also came pre-setup to match the contact points I had given, and I only had to do a very minor adjustment to the saddle height. I did forget to pack my own saddle though, so that was a bit of a bummer but the Aliante that was on the rental worked well enough.
As far as the rides went, on Saturday I rode with the Lightning Velo folks. After signing the waiver I was asked to sign, we had a conversation to decide which group I should ride with. They wanted me to start with the C group, but I negotiated a bit so I could ride at least with the B group. The ride wasn't quite what I had hoped it would be, with lots of traffic lights and a pace slower than I was hoping for. On hindsight, I think I should have tried to go with the A group but oh well. I ended up peeling off halfway into the ride and taking the Santa Anna River trail back to my hotel, for a total of about 50 miles.
On Sunday, I decided to go for a solo ride up Santiago Canyon Road. I have to say this turned out to be one of the nicer rides I have ever done. I am used to riding over short but steep hills in Atlanta, so having a long, gradual climb was refreshing. I ended up doing another 50 miles on this day.
If I get a chance to get over there again, I would like to try the hills of the Santa Monica area. I was staying in Anaheim and had to leave the car with my wife so I didn't have time to get over there this time.
559Rando
07-06-2013, 09:35 AM
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed cycling in my backyard! Santiago is a fun road. And I'm glad Synaptic was good for you.
SoCalSteve
07-06-2013, 01:56 PM
It went well. The rental experience was painless; I got a Calfee Tetra Pro that was dropped off and picked up when I asked for, all at a very fair price. It also came pre-setup to match the contact points I had given, and I only had to do a very minor adjustment to the saddle height. I did forget to pack my own saddle though, so that was a bit of a bummer but the Aliante that was on the rental worked well enough.
As far as the rides went, on Saturday I rode with the Lightning Velo folks. After signing the waiver I was asked to sign, we had a conversation to decide which group I should ride with. They wanted me to start with the C group, but I negotiated a bit so I could ride at least with the B group. The ride wasn't quite what I had hoped it would be, with lots of traffic lights and a pace slower than I was hoping for. On hindsight, I think I would have tried to go with the A group but oh well. I ended up peeling off halfway into the ride and taking the Santa Anna River trail back to my hotel, for a total of about 50 miles.
On Sunday, I decided to go for a solo ride up Santiago Canyon Road. I have to say this turned out to be one of the nicer rides I have ever done. I am used to riding over short but steep hills in Atlanta, so having a long, gradual climb was refreshing. I ended up doing another 50 miles on this day.
If I get a chance to get over there again, I would like to try the hills of the Santa Monica area. I was staying in Anaheim and had to leave the car with my wife so I didn't have time to get over there this time.
If you ever are looking for hills to climb, try Malibu...many climbs off of PCH...some of them 10 miles long or so.
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