Cino vs Eroica California
 

I've been hesitant to start this thread, but after spending a weekend in Cambria and found many things wanting, I decided it was worth discussing here out in the open.

I was about to write a long winded comparison, but rather than do that, let's crowd source it.

Compare and contrast any of the following:

Route
Organization
Comraderie
Ease to get to the event
Food
Rest stops (number, location
Extras (bacon, beer, booze...)
Overall cost (lodging, flights, entry fee, etc.)
Concours event

You are going to get Cino oversubscribed

Never done Cino, so I really can’t make a comparison.

I don't think there has been anything said about ECA that would make me want to attend. It's either an endless discussion about gearing or a complete lack of organization.

But the comparison is apples to oranges. Small versus large event. ECA has the concours, swap, multiple rides, multiple routes. Cino has the expectation of self-support. They aren't the same.

My goal is for Cino to sell out. I believe they cap it at 165 (a plus compared to Eroica).

A little envious here at times of you all who can travel and make these awesome rides happen in such fantastic locations.

Never having attended either event, call me a potential customer/participant/sufferer.

Just for me, Eroica does not appeal. Too large, cost vs return has never seemed worth it. Again, just my view. If I lived in CA, I wouldn't do it.

Cino seems appealing. I could see traveling for that. It always seems like the folks who put it on care more about it. If I lived in or near MT, I would do it. Maybe I'll make it out there one of these years.

It’s easy: Cino is better.
Go there.
Do the ride.
Nice people, good food, organized, and….did I mention nice people?.
Carry on.

I have been to every Eroica CA nd have enjoyed them all. I liked this one best of all. That was entirely down to (1) being able to ride and spend time with great people, (2) seeing and learning about a bunch of really cool bikes, (3) riding and spending time with great people, (4) riding in a beautiful locale, and (5) seeing, riding with and talking with a bunch of great people sharing a common bond. For me, it's worth it. Of course, I can drive to it in half a day and can afford the motel room.

Did I mention that the people make it all fantastic?

I have not been able to make it to Cino, but hope to some day. From what I have read and seen here, it is a much more intimate gathering, also featuring great bikes and fantastic people, also in a beautiful place. It sounds like Cino is Eroica distilled down to its essence. Cino also sounds like it's better organized, and my gut says that is because it's still small enough that one passionate on-site person can oversee pretty much everything whereas Eroica is significantly bigger, requires more people giving more attention and requiring supervision, all of which is hard to from 6,000 miles away.

Which do you prefer? YMMV. I generally like small dinner parties better than large cocktail parties, so I imagine I would prefer Cino if and when I get there. But for the foreseeable future, I'll still go to Eroica CA. Yes, there are frustrations, but it is a gathering of the tribe and I like this tribe. A lot.

I haven't done any of them, but Cino is the one I'd want to do first.

And I've never done Eroica CA, so I can't, neither :)

Regarding Cino, however, first day pranza needs to look like this again:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21e6329138.png

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e7bc161c24.png

DD

If you liked Eroica California, you'll love Cino.

They are both great for different reasons.

Eroica has always been a bit of an organizational mess, this year more so than prior years. However, I've come to expect that so it doesn't bother me and I compensate by being relatively self-sufficient. On the other hand, Eroica also has the concours, multiple routes, amazing coastal vistas, a ton of interesting people, and always a great spread in Cayucos.

Cino is nice because it is small, super friendly and local, and has quirky aspects like the bacon lady. I hear that it has great rest and food stops too but I haven't made it that far yet. Perhaps this year.

My wife says that Cino riders are better looking, so there’s that.

Hmm, let me see. One is in California. The other is in Montana. One is a single day ride (though I suppose with the Nova, one could get a couple of days of riding in), the other and out-and-back two-day ride. One gives you a two-year-old medal for completing, the other a chance to spend a night in a really stinky hot-springs hotel. One has lots of rules about bikes and riders on its website, the other an actual person checking on your bicycle at the start and signing your number card if you pass muster. One has shrimp cocktail and chocolate covered strawberries at 8 am on a beautiful pier jutting into the Pacific, the other a lady frying bacon at the top of the first hill. One has Tuscan soup, bread, and wine at the second rest stop (if you got there early enough), the other martinis at the top of the significant climb on day 2. One has its proceeds benefitting a worldwide conglomerate of cycling events and merchandise, the other benefitting a Montessori school. One has an "ethos," the other was threatened with a lawsuit for using the name "Cino Heroica." I'm sure there are many more differences.

I concur 100% ,Very well said Brother!

I would Love to head out someday and experience the CINO event. It sounds great, and Im down for anything that has to do with old bikes , and people that have really cool old biking stories..Which is pretty much Everyone here.

After I attend CINO I will be qualified to give my opinion. Until then the only thing I can say was that L'Eroica was a fantastic weekend for me, simply because I finally met alot of my fellow BF members.

Never been to "Eroica CA" but Cino is a very Special gathering of great people and their vintage bicycles. Everyone should do it at least once! The charming little town(Pop. 500) of Hot Springs is special too. A time travel experience back to last century. Staying at Alameda's Resort this year, so a 1950's experience vs 30's-40's found at Syme's. Daily $ rates will appeal to the C&V crowd, they are much lower than the surrounding Kalispel lodging. Don

OK,

so as a New attendee, i can only speak to the Eroica CA event, so here's some observations..
1. Great location with good hotels and food, and great coffee....
2. Great riding location, at least the Piedras Blancas short route was fantastic.
3. Great Concept, old blokes, old bikes, a concour event, a bike jumble and vendors.
4. Great Poeple who attended and that i met, a bunch of vintage bike nerds including me.
5. The Nova is a good idea because you get cross pollination over to the vintage event.

so far its all nothing but good.

So conversely i saw some posts and heard some stories that there is room for improvement, so i have to agree that these were real issues that would make a better experience.
so some of the issues i saw myself and heard rumor of:-
1. Bit disorganized to start the rides, yes but it all still worked
2. Lack of Volunteers to staff all the needs, ie Food/ Water/ SAG stops, yes this is probably the biggest concern from a safety standpoint..
3. It used to be better. yes i agree reminiscing isn't what it used to be...things were always better in the past right, rose tinted monocle and all that.
4. There was a word on the street that the lighthouse Park Ranger type chap who was very nice to us, limited the amount of riders allowed entrance to a maximum of 200, sounds like a planning snafu, or there were more riders than registrations, maybe some nova riders decided to show up and do the classic ride? or there was a control placed on the lighthouse group size, as i observed the Ranger marking down something on a clipboard as we arrived.

Conclusion:-
I would absolutely do it again.. i would absolutely recommend it to other riders.. this was the first ECA since pre-covid, and where it is true we got medals and posters from 2020 ok, should they throw those away and charge all those who had paid for previous years for a new registration instead of giving the full credit for the cancelled events?
I have a friend in the UK that has done Tuscany and Britannia and he said they were very well organized and well ran. i see the cup at 3/4 full, The organizers are 80% of the way there..

G

I have done Eroica's in Gaiole, Brittania, Hispania as well as every pre-covid Eroica California. Even at its best (under Wesley) the California event is not run nearly as well as those European locations. I attribute it to a lack of support from the corporate ownership, which reflects their belief in the location. EC probably has the smallest turnout of any of the Eroica events and so gets the minimal amount of support ($$$) to operate with. This lack of support leads to all of the deficiencies previously noted about the event. But being a smaller event has it's charms as well. Can you imagine an Eroica California with 7000 or 8000 riders? That is what they can get in Gaiole and Brittania!

I don't believe that EC will survive as an event for much longer. There does not seem to be enough enthusiasm for it from the ownership for it's value as a marketing tool. Once the cost/benefit ratio is lost the event will be no more. On the other hand an event like Cino has a whole different reason for being. It is more a labor of love. Cino won't last forever either but as long as it does it will likely remain a fun and intimate gathering.

That would be a shame, as it would seem to a first timer like myself all the ingredients are there, its a bit east coast specific, we came from Louisiana and that was quite an expense, so one on each coast would be ideal, however if they cant get Cali to work then they certainly wont get it to work anywhere else in the US.

My experience in organized events like this albeit on a smaller scale is that there needs to be a driving force, it can be one man or a small group or even a set of rules from corporate, but without a captain at the helm alas its going to be a tough road. i hope to do the Britannia at some point as i'm from the UK, then who knows maybe another somewhere else.

The lack of wifi for the vendors was a big deal as how can someone buy something with out the ability to pay, so prospective buyers go off to the ATM to get cash and never return, then if you lose the vendors, then its a deck of cards tumbling from there... lets hope that was an oversight that can be corrected. i think those vendors should get some kind of discount for next time as an incentive to come back.

Gary

I'm glad to hear that you had a good time there, it can be a fun event. I did not attend this year's Eroica CA but I have been to every other edition. While I agree with some of your points, I don't agree with others.

1. Compared to Paso Robles (where Eroica CA was held prior to 2019), Cambria has few hotels and no real low budget options. This is a big downside IMO. It's understandable due to the fact that Cambria is a much smaller town but it's hard for some people to justify the cost of lodging.
2. I though the Piedras Blancas route was terrible.....though of course that's just my opinion. I hated spending nearly the entire ride on the highway and the lack of gravel....the gravel is a big part of the appeal of Eroica. The short route out of Paso Robles was much better IMO because it had more options if one wanted to ride more. Due to how it was routed, you could either shorten or lengthen your ride if you felt worse/better while riding. That option doesn't really exist with the short route from Cambria due to the location.

Understand that 'the past' was as recent as 2018. The Paso Robles years weren't perfect, but if someone ended those rides thirsty or hungry it was the own fault. The stops had plenty of food and water and the support was infinitely better than the 2019 edition, which was the first year in Cambria. From all accounts the 2022 version was pretty much a repeat of 2019, perhaps even worse. (Eroica CA did not happen in 2020 or 2021.) You should also understand that during the Paso Robles years Wes Hatakeyama was running the show and he was removed from that position once it went to Cambria. He was very passionate about making it a great event.

And since this is a thread about Cino vs. Eroica, I'll just say that you should make the effort to attend Cino at some point. It's well worth the trip. At this point I doubt that I'll ever go to Eroica CA again unless some major changes are made, but I'll go to Cino every time I'm able.

Wes did a great job with Eroica California and his loss is to the detriment of the event.

I'm going to chime in just to say Eroica CA will be a loss when it goes. I was not overly impressed this year but for all the complaining, be careful what you wish for.

Any one that has not gone to this should go before its gone and it may be already if the organizers listen to the unsatisfied.

Far from perfect, many things are, a herculean task to be sure, if they have it again, I will go, the bikes, people, talk, camaraderie and rides cannot be found anywhere else on this scale in the US.

As was said above, the two are apples and oranges, both are great in their own right, no true comparison can be made.

I was talking to @gugie about this. I thought maybe a more relevant comparison would be Eroica CA vs Fauxroica (the self-supported ride that a bunch of people did when the official event was cancelled last year. He convinced me that the self-supported version has a lot potentially going for it, most of which are imitations of Cino offers.

In theory, everything I love about Eroica (the people, the bikes, the courses) could be replicated without the official organization, and a few of the things I don’t like could be fixed in ways they can’t be with the official event. I do have some fear though that even the gathering of people (the absolute heart of the event) wouldn’t work out. It’s possible to find a date that works for a very small number of people. Once that number gets over a dozen or so, it becomes impossible. But when the number is in the hundreds it’s kind of possible again, for at least enough people to make it a great gathering. I would go down every year just to hang out with the five people I shared a house with, but also meeting a bunch of other people that I didn’t expect to meet makes it really special. It’s really hard to get the critical mass to make that happen.

On the surface, the things we’d lose without the organization are the dinner, the concours, the vendors, the route support, and the swag. I could do without all of that, and the concours is the only part I’d really miss. But the intangible beyond that is the singular event that draws people in.

And I guess maybe that’s why Eroica vs. Cino is worth talking about. Cino is an event. And, yes, it is a totally different kind of event, but that’s kind of the point. If the Eroica organization throws the towel in on Eroica CA and those of us who have enjoyed it wanted to keep it going in some way, what kind of event would we want it to be? Something just like it is? Or something more like Cino?

I hope it sticks around because even if I don’t go, I like the idea that a thing like this exists. But if the right group of people said, “Hey, we’re going to go down to Paso Robles a different week and just get together and ride,” that’s what I’d be doing.

Same for me. However, it is close to 2500 miles from my home. It would have to be part of another trip. I like the whole format, especially the capping of the number of riders.

Not sure what a "true" comparison means, but one could definitely compare and contrast based on the list I provided in post 1, above.