diphthong

i guess it depends exactly where in san diego you live. between the ocean’s edge and the foothills (escondido, poway, lakeside, lemon grove, eastern chula vista) and south of camp pendleton to the border is a fairly consistent diet of canyon & mesa.
there is plenty of elevation to be had riding north or south along the 805 or 15 fwys. for consistent coastal views in the county, you can head from border field state park tucked into the sw corner of the nation in san ysidro up to point loma, then north to oceanside. la jolla and point loma have the only serious hills along with coastal views. when it gets san diego humidity ugly, the 3 mile stretch along the top/southern end of point loma is the best cool relief in the county. it’s currently $6 a visit for
bikes (good for 7 days). i usually buy the $80 national parks pass because i hit a few np’s a year along with 10-12 visits to cabrillo national monument. the little climb up to the light house is exhilarating as is the quick descent/ascent along the se dead end road and the .7 mile descent/ascent to/from the tide pools.

sd county doesn’t have much in terms of flats. it’s either on the western or eastern edges. a vast majority of the county is hilly. once you get past the obvious coastal point loma to oceanside route (which is a quintessential ride), the julian corridor of the laguna triangle, mesa grande and palomar mtn beckon.

i’ve only seen e-bikes coastally (word?).