SoCal riding: best style, places, etc
 

Going to visit family in Northern Los Angeles and taking full advantage of that $30 delta bike fee. I’ve visited a ton but never ridden.

Anyone know the best style of riding (gravel, road, mtb) or bucket list routes? Added info: I am partial to road riding and am an intensely decent climber and descender. Better than most, but not the best.

I love a good climb or scenery

Please be more specific. Los Angeles is a very big place.

Glendora is the best ride I can think of but depending on when you’re coming down it might be too cold up on Baldy. I think this might be a bad time of the year for some of the major climbs in the area.

yes, starting point is going to be helpful.
but this time of year, i think mtb is the way to go, especially early morning if it's been super cold overnight you get some hero dirt in the AM

Ditto previous comments on starting point, but also what you're looking for -- scenery, elevation, distance, duration, etc. We had a serious cold snap over Thanksgiving, including a lot of snow at unusually low elevations, but it has warmed up a bit and your options are plenty.

The more detail you provide the more likely I (and others) can offer guidance and routes. In addition to where you're staying, whether you will have access to a car to drive to a starting point.

If you're going to be here between Xmas & New Years there will be a number of Rapha Festive 500 rides you could join.

Edit: the Circle of Doom route posted above is great, but I'm pretty sure that the closed section of 39 up to Angeles Crest would be a nightmare right now.

My apologies. Family is in studio city, but will have a few days open with a car so can travel if it’s a great ride.

Does that kinda clear up specific place? I’m from Georgia where we can travel across the state in a few hours.

studio city is a good central location to loops thru griffith park or some steep fire road climbs thru the verdugos.

No need to apologize, though additional info on what you're after would help.

While I know a lot of the standard MTB routes, I'm exclusively road right now so my recommendations would tilt that way. That said, there are some good fire roads that you could access all along Mulholland, which is just a short (~1k feet) climb up from Studio City.

Here are three general options; if one particularly appeals I can supply a route.

Mountain: Into the San Gabriel mountains, long steady climbs as high as ~8k elevation, scenic vistas of the entire basin, plenty of options depending on distance.

Ocean: Canyon climbs, each typically ~2k feet, varying steepness, scenic views of the ocean and the valley, plenty of options but generally including the mixed blessing of riding along Pacific Coast Highway (ocean views but trafficked).

Ridge: Local route, ride along Mulholland Drive with variety of shorter (~1k) climbs through Beverly Hills and/or Bel Air.

Please identify what kind of riding you want to do and what your fitness level is.

You can do anything from 100 miles with 300 feet of climbing to 100 miles with 20,000 feet of climbing.

Climbs can be 10 miles long averaging 2-3% to 2 miles long with 22% kickers.

Descents are the same. There's at least one I know where you can hit 45mph w/out pedaling.


Gravel in SoCal is not gravel in the midwest or NorCal.
It can be fire roads or single track here and depending on the time of year you could have magic dirt or bone dry hardpack.

Malibu canyons. Ride/drive up PCH and take your pick. Many are easily linked. You'll find nothing better. Anywhere.

If I were choosing: ride Latigo and go from there.

Another fav or mine: Park at Zuma Beach. From there ride west (left) on PCH. Up Encinal Canyon (connecting Decker) to Mulholland. Turn left and ride Mulholland all the way back down to PCH and then back to Zuma. If you like great, fast, tech descents...go down Decker to PCH. Hang on tight.

Malibu is pretty good. Swamis loop is worth considering as well imo

Tuna Canyon is supposedly one of the best, although I haven't done it yet.
The LaGrange Nichols Route is easy to do and gives you some views...

Tuna canyon is overrated imho, at least the descent. It’s very steep and technical and the road surface isn’t that great. I would even go so far as to say that it could be dangerous. Imo descending Glendora is much more fun and relaxing and you don’t have to go hard on the brakes the whole time. The area around tuna canyon in Malibu is pretty nice overall but there are people in super cars hauling ass up there so you have to pay attention.

If you are in Studio City a ride up the Angeles Crest Highway would be pretty nice. Also a ride out to Griffith Park and up to the Observatory is nice.