What's with So Cal?

[vaxn8r]

OK, first off, I used to live here...longer and longer ago it seems. I was raised here and spent several of my adult years here in OC. Here are some of my observations of my 2 days here this week.

1) People over dress on the bike. I mean it had to be 65-70 at 8 AM and about 75 by 10AM and I didn't see another rider that wasn't in tights or at least knee warmers, most had at least a vest and I'd bet fully half of them wore a jacket. I'm talking I had a sunburn when I got home. It's hot here!

2) People put a lot of stuff in there pockets. I don't know what because it looks like they are wearing the entire clothing department from Performance Cyclery, maybe a case of Cliff bars or 2 dozen inner tubes. I don't know, it looked like people were geared up for an unsupported DC. Maybe they were.

3) Part of my ride was on a bike path (it was the best way to get down to the coast). On one section of sidewalk with cyclists and joggers and walkers all sharing the way a group of about 12-14 cyclists barreled just about everyone down at high speed yelling "HO! HO! HO! Dude! COMING THROUGH!" Wow! Did I mention this was a sidewalk? What a way to get regular folks behind the cycling movement.

4) The weather was great!

5) It didn't rain and I didn't have to wash my bike afterwards.

6) No fenders!

7) Lots of Carbon bikes and lots of Trek and Felt. I don't even know what a Felt is but they ride a lot of them in Orange County.

8) The view of the ocean out over Corona Del Mar is gorgeous and the homes on the other side of the street are conspicuous consumption gone wild. Kind of surreal.

9) I never tire of seeing what people drive down here. You don't just drive a BMW, it seems like you have to have a model not made for the US market and then customized. Same for pretty much any SUV. They're all tricked out to the tune that pretty much every tricked out car looks kind of like every other tricked out car....which makes you wonder why not just get the thing stock and be different? It is fun though. I saw four Maserati today.

10) I know the airport at Orange County was redone about 10 years ago but it still sucks. My United flight dropped us about 1/2 mile from the terminal, making us walk through one of those quanset hut things high schools use when they run out of room, back onto the tarmac and finally into the terminal, which was jammed with people. OK, I know they have issues with flights out of Newport Beach but there's what? 5 Million people in OC now? That airport is about the size of Eugene's. Seriously.

OK, with all the carping, I still like it down here. The beach was awesome today. The weather seems perpetually 75. There's a million good hamburger joints, I have a thing for Tommy's, even if it isn't so good for me. I just forget sometimes how quirky it is.

[dave thompson]

SoCal is its' own country.

[swoop]

orange county is its own country. la isn't orange county. la is its own country and so is san diego and so is santa barbara. every 50 miles is a whole different world.

[wooly]

Thin blood down here in the OC Vax. I wish I would have seen you out there this morning. This is my hood! In all seriousness, OC has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Money and excess weren't flaunted like it is now. It seems like the LA scene has crept its way down here to the coastal towns of OC, especially Newport, CDM and Laguna Beach. Talk about tough raising kids here. Anyway, the cycling is great in these parts. Let us know when you're down next time.

[bcm119]

that was a fun read. reminds me of flying jet Blue into Long beach..what a crap hole. Now, flying into SB, thats a different story.. like landing at a mexican restaurant. Speaking of which... yeah, I miss so cal!

[max_powers]

Yes I've lived and ridden in Coastal OC for over 20 years

Sat am on PCH you will spot numerous high end sports cars, after you've seen 5 or more Ferraris and Lambos in an hour, kinda loses any panache.

I really wasn't that warm this am with a cool marine layer. Used to see a group of Canadians here for winter training, and of course they would wear shorts.

Overall, vg area to ride and train with plenty of smooth bike path roads, off road paths for miles, new developments in hills created climbs and lotsa competition if u want it. I've had very few problems w/ drivers over the years.

and now the fixie fad is happening here....

[steelrider]

I like it just fine in SF. Went for a mid-day ride to the Presidio, pumped up a few hills. Cruised by Ocean Beach on the way home--low and behold there were small, glassy waves. Sprinted home, loaded up the hatchback and off to the beach for an evening session. You can have the hype and over-consumption down south.

[Climb01742]

yeah, when i'm in LA for work, i always marvel at what passes for cold enough to wear layers of clothes. of course it could just be me being jealous of the weather. :rolleyes:

LA is a rolling car museum. love seeing pristine old cars that would have been rust heaps back east here.

[Jeff N.]

I'm lovin' San Diego. No place I'd rather live. My wife and I are lucky, though, in that she works at home and I commute 15 miles to and from work on my bike, so traffic is not an issue for us. For the most part, anyway. But if I had to deal with the heavy traffic on a daily basis, I'd be a basket case in a week or so, I'd imagine. Jeff N.

[mso]

Yesterday my hubby and I had a beautiful ride in 75 degree temps down Del Dios and through Rancho Santa Fe. The weather was perfect and the scenery excellent when I wasn't holding on to my handlebars as cars breezed by me every second. The traffic is getting worse. Used to be on weekends you could enjoy quiet roads, but with all the building down south here in San Diego not so anymore. Two cyclists were hit and killed over the past two weeks. One was on coast highway in the bike path. Too many people, too many cars and everyone is in a hurry. I'm a native S. Californian but it's time to move on the weathers great but the traffic sucks.

Oh and the OC airport...Remember the PSA terminal you'd drive right up to the door :)

[Ozz]

...You don't just drive a BMW, it seems like you have to have a model not made for the US market and then customized. Same for pretty much any SUV. They're all tricked out to the tune that pretty much every tricked out car looks kind of like every other tricked out car....which makes you wonder why not just get the thing stock and be different? It ....
Brian: Please, please, please listen! I've got one or two things to say.

The Crowd: Tell us! Tell us both of them!

Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! ...You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals!

The Crowd: Yes! We're all individuals!

Brian: You're all different!

The Crowd: Yes, we ARE all different!

Man in crowd: I'm not...

The Crowd: Sch!

[SoCalSteve]

orange county is its own country. la isn't orange county. la is its own country and so is san diego and so is santa barbara. every 50 miles is a whole different world.

+1

I like the country I live in (LA).

[andy mac]

no matter where are are living - San Fran, Portland, Amsterdam, NYC, Sydney, summer or winter - my lovely wife finds a way to be cold...

:crap: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused

[jeffg]

And my mom and sister still live there. Del Mar is cool but Carlsbad reminds me of a westcoast Stepford.

I have been living in Norcal for about a month now (after a year in Manhattan and two years in Frankfurt) but I know the area well. Yesterday people were dressed in tights and it was 65. I was riding in a light jersey and bib shorts.

The one thing I prefer about where we are staying now is that you can really get out to an area that seems like the country here that is still close to work. We are staying in woodside near the base of king's mountain road and it is quiet with lots of horses, redwoods and amazing cycling (and Robin Williams and Neil Young at the corner grocery).

Of course, on weekends, folks heading out to the coast use woodside road 84, so they slow me down on my way down 84 ... But any morning before work (if I haven't been working all night), I can climb Old La Honda and Kings' Mountain.

My gripe is that both Norcal and Socal are places where money rules much more than Europe for a good quality of life, atmo. I'd rather wear a suit but go home at a decent hour than do Cal casual and work till 3 am. Work to live or live to work?

[vaxn8r]

Oh, yeah, ride report stats...gotta do a tiny bit a braggin...

Serotta Legend. Full DA kit and DA wheels. 50.2 miles. 2:30:17. 20.0 mph. 1800 elev gain...I don't know where. About 50 stop lights??? Tooling around Balboa Island and Corona Del Mar and those bike paths included in total. My Garmin shuts off if I'm not moving but otherwise those are the actual numbers.

I felt pretty good.

[vaxn8r]

...We are staying in woodside near the base of king's mountain road and it is quiet with lots of horses, redwoods and amazing cycling (and Robin Williams and Neil Young at the corner grocery).


Woodside...I was out there about 6 weeks ago. Old La Honda. Pescasdero. Tunitas Creek. Epic climbs. That same trip we also rode over the GG Bridge to Mill Valley and up over Panoramic Hwy and Shoreline Hwy. Nice!

[mgm777]

Talk about tough raising kids here. Anyway, the cycling is great in these parts. Let us know when you're down next time.[/QUOTE]

I lived in Newport and Irvine for 15 years and was very into the local cycling scene...great riding. In January we moved back to my home state of CO...the Boulder area. Now, I can be on a quiet country road in less than 5 minutes. In the last couple of years in the OC, IMHO, the traffic has increased dramatically...it's everywhere, all of the time...I started to feel unsafe on the roads. We loved our time in the OC, but it was time to move on. The kids love being in Colorado near their grandparents and cousins again.

[Grant McLean]

Woodside...I was out there about 6 weeks ago. Old La Honda. Pescasdero. Tunitas Creek. Epic climbs. .... Nice!

Dang, i'm jealous.

My folks lived in Los Altos for most of the 90's, and i used to ride those hills
often. It's been about 5 years since i've been back, and boy do I miss the
riding there. Heaven.

(in the "winter" I was the pale Canadian guy happily wearing shorts!)

g

[Ken Robb]

I think some riders would very comfy in shorts down into the low 50's but deem it wise to cover their knees at 60F and below.

[Bud_E]

We're going to have to alert the border patrol. Too many of you out-of-staters are getting through ! :beer:

[Dan Le foot]

Talk about tough raising kids here. Anyway, the cycling is great in these parts. Let us know when you're down next time.

I lived in Newport and Irvine for 15 years and was very into the local cycling scene...great riding. In January we moved back to my home state of CO...the Boulder area. Now, I can be on a quiet country road in less than 5 minutes. In the last couple of years in the OC, IMHO, the traffic has increased dramatically...it's everywhere, all of the time...I started to feel unsafe on the roads. We loved our time in the OC, but it was time to move on. The kids love being in Colorado near their grandparents and cousins again.[/QUOTE]

Hi mgm.
We also lived in Irvine and Seal Beach before moving to San Diego.
We do have the best climate in America, I think. Sunny and mid 70s again today.
But the traffic. And the angry motorists that don't want to share the road is getting old.
Last spring we spend a few months in Colorado. Dolores, Durango, Lake City, etc.
Great riding there. Great scenery and some big mountain passes. (8% climbs at 12,000' are interesting). Not much traffic. And the motorists were courteous. They would actually only pass when it was safe to do so rather than squeezing cyclists off the road on a blind corner.
Now if we could only bring the San Diego climate to the Colorado Rockies...... but than again everyone would move there and we would likely have the same traffic problems we have here. :crap:
Dan

[BoulderGeek]

Now if we could only bring the San Diego climate to the Colorado Rockies...... but than again everyone would move there and we would likely have the same traffic problems we have here. :crap:
Dan

Those of us who have been here since the 80s are already leaving Colorado. While the overcrowding and angry drivers are trivial compared to So Cal levels, they are getting to be too much for those of us who remember when it was calm and civil here.

More and more I hear friends saying "This place sucks now. Where's the next cool place without a-holes?"

Pretty weather in CO, but the ragtag economy with unrealistic sacrifices built-in, the developers paving and putting up craptastic cardboard houses everywhere, and the general sense of overcrowded malaise have many of us ready to bail the heck out.

When even the Northeast starts to sound appealing, you know Colorado has gone to heck. I'm moving after 15 years. And I am not alone.

[chuckred]

Lived in Dana Point in the early 70's

Lived in CO in the late 70's...

Moved to Idaho and UT for the 80's and first half of the 90's. To Philly area in 95. Then back to CO in 2002.

Each area sucks in some way if you look at the bad, and try to compare the present with the past (well maybe Philly is improving, at least when I left). They also are all great in their own ways.

That having been said, and for what it's worth... the east coast does not sound in the least bit appealing after being back in the west!

While not having to live in So Cal, but getting to spend 3/4 of the weeks out there on business, it is kind of nice to mountain bike at night in, worst case scenario, leg warmers and a long sleeve jersey, perhaps light windbreaker!

[BoulderGeek]

Thanks for that perspective, Chuck.

I'm sure I'll feel better about Colorado after getting away for the summer. I don't want to sell my house until property prices nose up again. And, I may very well feel renewed after some travel and chill out on my angst a bit.

I've moved to PA and DC during spells for work and school. I do remember needing to bail out at around the 12 month mark, both times.

[petitelilpettit]

I've lived my whole life here in Long Beach, and I have to say you can't beat the weather. The coldest I have ever ridden in was an early morning in January where it actually hit the mid 30's (according to the Weather Channel). However, it was during a cold front. Most of the time, I ride with bib shorts and arm warmers, partly because I know that it may be 50 degrees at 6am, but it will warm up into the mid 70's within the ride time.

The traffic does tend to suck when it gets later and later into the day. Actually had a report on Saturday that some disgruntled driver threw tacks out into the bike lane. Had numerous flats from roadies to people on beach cruisers.

The fixie fad has hit SoCal. There are a few "organized" rides by groups called the Midnight Ridazz (yes, that's the correct spelling) as well as Critical Mass rides. The funny part is that these kids who are riding fixies are riding some very nice track bikes and ruining them. We've had kids come into our shop and build $2000+ fixed gears. Many just because they have the money to do so.

The Saturday morning ride can produce hundreds of cyclists anywhere from Long Beach to Dana Point along PCH. Also, many of those sports cars get out and enjoy their drive. Once you pass by the high-end dealerships in Newport Beach two or three times, you kinda lose the feel of rareness when you see them on the road.

BTW, I know the Long Beach airport sucks. Flew out of there to NY, and I was not impressed. Oh well.

Pettit

[stackie]

That paints a pretty scary picture. If it's cold enough for arm warmers, wouldn't you reach for a jersey first? Or, does the hair sweater keep you warm enough.

:) :beer: :beer: :banana: :banana:

Jon

[72gmc]

Yes, Long Beach airport sucks, but LAX is still the World's Largest Men's Room.

[fkelly]

I spent the winter of 2007 riding out there, from Upland where I inherited a house. Only did about 10 miles total on freeways too on the bike. (LOL: if you go south of Chino there is a section where you just can't get to the bikepath without going on the freeways). The weather is GREAT. I mean I am back in my Albany, NY home and it's April 2 and we are looking at a week of winter coming back in.

As to SOCAL, ride or drive up to Glendora and get the Glendora Mountain Road. It is totally closed to traffic and it is totally perfect road. You can go from 1000 feet of altitude to 4000 and not see a car. Then turn around and head back down or take another road that has almost no traffic over to Mt. Baldy Village. From there you can do a final three miles at 15% to Mt Baldy itself or you can head down to Upland. I hear that Glendora Mountain Road will be open to traffic again in June but you might have a few months still to enjoy it.

Oh, and there is no road kill in Southern California. I actually "noticed" this and it's hard to notice an absence. I mentioned it to one other rider I saw and he said "the people out here have killed all the small animals". I did eventually see some in the agricultural districts near Chino but not nearly as much as in Albany.