Suggestions Needed
08-06-18, 03:19 PM
#1
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Suggestions Needed
I'm going to be in the Claremont/Pomona area in early October with a couple of extra days to enjoy some biking. I'm from the east coast and ride both a road bike mainly on flat road and a mountain bike through sandy trails. I've found a couple of interesting road routes on MapMyRide and I've heard of some decent mountain trails in area. In Claremont, should I rent a road bike or a mountain bike? Thanks in advance.
08-06-18, 10:39 PM
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Dunno about the bike rental situation around there, but here is a route which I have enjoyed a few times.
08-07-18, 10:12 AM
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Dunno about the bike rental situation around there, but here is a route which I have enjoyed a few times.
08-07-18, 11:12 AM
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you could do either or both. my experience is on the road side and there are some fantastic climbs in the san gabriel mtns/angeles national forest nearby. ca hwy 39 to crystal lake (and even farther to ca hwy 2 and dawson saddle at 7,900 ft), mt. baldy rd to the ski lifts and glendora mtn rd/glendora ridge rd (gmr/grr) are all challenging, epic and scenic. if climbing’s not your thing, the previously posted route works or you can head south from claremont and eventually join up with the santa ana river trail (sart) which will take you to the ocean/beaches. that would be a longer ride-closer to a century-there and back but would be pretty flat. october is my favorite riding month in so cal.
Last edited by diphthong; 08-07-18 at 12:34 PM.
08-07-18, 11:37 AM
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The climbs in the San Gabriels are definitely the first choice and in October should be really scenic. And, you could go back with bragging rights on riding one of the Tour of California's toughest stages.
For flat it might be easier to get to the San Gabriel River Trail, than the Santa Ana . Just follow Baseline on over. It would be about a century to the beach and back but with only a 1200' or so of elevation change. Most likely a tailwind all the way back, but in October we sometimes get wind conditions (Santa Ana's) that run opposite of normal.
There's a MUP that runs from the Claremont metro station to San Bernardino but it's flat, boring, has annoying expansion cracks about every twelve feet, and most likely a stiff headwind coming back in the afternoon. Not recommended.
For flat it might be easier to get to the San Gabriel River Trail, than the Santa Ana . Just follow Baseline on over. It would be about a century to the beach and back but with only a 1200' or so of elevation change. Most likely a tailwind all the way back, but in October we sometimes get wind conditions (Santa Ana's) that run opposite of normal.
There's a MUP that runs from the Claremont metro station to San Bernardino but it's flat, boring, has annoying expansion cracks about every twelve feet, and most likely a stiff headwind coming back in the afternoon. Not recommended.
Last edited by TGT1; 08-07-18 at 11:40 AM.
08-08-18, 05:03 AM
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ooga-booga and TGT1 - Thank you! The eastern coastal plains don't provide many climbing opportunities so I want to do something like you suggest for a change and for "bragging rights". I truly appreciate the input.
08-08-18, 11:13 AM
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the dirt riding should be spectacular as well, since there are many dirt paths and fire roads in the area. having hiked the area a bit, i’ve come across a few but don’t have any specific mtb ride recommendations. i’m sure the rental shop/local shop would have plenty of ideas. if you’ve got enough time, stamina and gear, you could do the mtb thing a few days, then switch over to roadie mode and cover all the bases. factor in the mtb routes would likely find you driving 5-10 miles to the trailhead
Last edited by diphthong; 08-08-18 at 11:17 AM.
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