jsigone

78 drop in wasn't that bad but I was also lead in the group and went brake free most the way, road was cleaner than I'd imagine after rains. I didn't get passed by traffic until I hit the bottom orange groves. That hill is always the mercy of a nice driver to block other cars and let us do our thing, otherwise we're hugging guard rails not just the painted line. One of the guys had front D issues to we "fixed" it to stay in only the small ring. The bolt that tightens the cable stripped threads on the front D body. Doesn't help for downhill speeds unless he stay aero since he can't pedal higher than 20mph

haa the group had some F bombs to say going up Bandy, since I took over route creating duties, they nick name them to FJR route (F****in Jeff Route) when in doubt go UP!! All of lower HVR has been repaved and wasn't even flooded by the Xmas tree farms which was a surprise. There was a mud pit w/ lots of truck tire marks but wasn't spilling into the paved road like most years.

diphthong

nice! a fun descent if you can get a sympathetic motorist/truck driver and the headwind isn't too bad.

oh. i bet. don't leave your water bottles unattended anytime soon...

excellent news! upper highland valley and the ramps were good as of late summer but the lower stretch on the southern
side of lake hodges to pomerado needed love. glad to hear the love was given.

Eric F 

Saturday...40mi road ride (Altadena - Duarte - So Pasadena). Easy to moderate tempo. Got chatting with a guy rolling at a similar pace towards the end of my loop. It turns out our kids are both currently students at the University of Oregon. https://www.strava.com/activities/8354602512

Sunday...Late-morning gravel quickie to the lower part of Cherry Canyon. Feeling pretty good, but wish I could have ridden longer. I continue to be very pleased at how well my gravel bike handles a wide variety of terrain. https://www.strava.com/activities/8360473311

jsigone

that hero dirt looks FABULOUS!!

Eric F 

Yup. My area handles rain REALLY well (mostly decomposed granite with very little clay content), doesn't leave bikes a big mess, and riding doesn't damage the trails.

CAT7RDR

Got out this morning before the next round of rain.
Completed some repeats in the Whittier Hills.
Turnbull Canyon is in good shape. Some limestone boulders and rocks along the side of the road but no issues.
34 miles and 5.5K of climb.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10302924233

Snow Capped Mt Baldy

SoSmellyAir

Finally had time to take a first ride on my gravel bike this past Thursday. Missed the recent atmospheric rivers but could not avoid some big puddles.

Eric F 

Fun gravel bike ride today, linking 2 loops that I usually do on my MTB (Brown Mtn. and Cherry Canyon). The challenge of being under-biked for a lot of sections was a blast. Also, I saw multiple groups of teenage MTB’ers from the local HS teams out in the dirt today. It’s awesome to see so many kids being introduced to this sport, and seeing how much it’s growing every year.

jonathanf2

I've been MIA for awhile, but I've been riding every week both road and gravel. I recently converted my 2x gravel bike to 1x mainly for the weight reduction, better chain stability and a more simplified drivetrain. This morning I climbed Cherry Canyon before and after my daughter had soccer at the local sports complex in the area!

SoSmellyAir

Another cassette > disc rotor setup. I almost bought those special edition Gravelking SK too but never thought of getting them in both colors. Sweet!

jonathanf2

I'm running semi-slicks in the back for better road handling and the knobbies on the front for more bite on the trail during fast descents.

Eric F 

Easy-moderate tempo spin this afternoon. Felt really good, but was a bit underdressed and a little cold the whole time.

SoSmellyAir

I would not even dare to think about this setup until my gravel riding skills improve by a lot; from just a couple of rides on loose gravel but otherwise relatively tame terrain, gravel riding seems to be much more involved than road riding and does not afford any time to daydream.

jonathanf2

You should definitely try Chino Hills State Park which is closer to the OC. The dirt roads should be fairly dry right now and it's not overly hot. Its good training grounds for gravel bikes and you have various options for climbs, single track and wide dirt roads.

I grew up riding BMX bikes and MTBs as a kid. Gravel bikes for me really bring back that joy I had. I'm sure you'll adjust quickly!

Eric F 

Riding any bike where the traction can vary significantly from moment to moment will demand your full attention. Experience teaches you how to evaluate conditions quickly, and know how to deal with them. Sometimes those lessons are learned harshly.

jsigone

playing the in wet-ish dirt. Black Mt drains pretty well except for a few spots

jsigone

more MTB are lunch on some local trails

https://www.strava.com/activities/8446460478

CAT7RDR

Those pics brought back some nice memories for me.
My now deceased cousin and I would hike that trail back in the 70's-80's before MTB's were much of a thing there.
Thanks!

diphthong

finally out for the first time this year between work and days off filled with heavy rains.

22 miles or so yday around lake murray, mission gorge, santee, fletcher hills and la mesa.

26 miles today in the (san diego county) south bay around chula vista, imperial beach and coronado. windy!

sore in all the appropriate places given last ride was december 26th. energy levels low. still, nice to be out-finally.

jonathanf2

I did some more dirt climbing yesterday. The trails were rough due to the recent rains. Lots of ruts, rock slides and debris everywhere! I definitely had to be more on-point when riding the single track. I also swapped out my GRX crankset and put on my spare 105 crank converted into 1x. The road crank has a more straight chain line with my 50t cassette cog and the 42t chainring still clears the chainstay, so it's not a big issue. I'm starting to become a believer in the 1x drivetrain, especially since I built a 1x road bike early last year. I've dropped 2x roadies on the climbs and I've been able to keep up on the fast road group rides, especially if I can catch a draft. Though I'm still keeping my main road bike 2x for the all-around versatility. I'm even thinking of swapping out the 50:34t chainring for a 52:42t for more speed.

Eric F 

I took my gravel bike up Brown for the first time on Saturday. It's definitely rough right now, but it was good to see that someone (MWBA, probably) was out there quickly to address some of the big issues, including a landslide that was across the whole trail/road, filling in some other area, and setting a rock barricade in front of a really deep rut.

Other than small differences in drivetrain friction in some combinations, 1x or 2x doesn't make a bike slower or faster, it only changes the gear ratios you have available. Likewise, changing a 50/34 to a 50/42 doesn't give you "more speed", it only changes available ratios. In that particular case, it reduces the low end of your available gear range.

jonathanf2

It was the first time I actually walked a few sections on that trail. Also the landslide area was really rough. There were a bunch baby heads laying around,which were more than what a gravel bike can handle!

For gravel I've found 1x has advantages in better chain retention/less chain slap with a narrow/wide 1x chainring and gravel RD. In addition there's a bit of weight reduction. Also the reason I was looking at a 52:42t chainring has more to do with out all sprints going out of saddle on a 52t and the ability to spin at a good cadence and conserving energy with a 42t on the climbs. I find my current 34t (on my 2x 50:34t) small chainring rarely used unless on extraordinarily steep hills and I can always plan ahead to swap chainrings prior to a ride if I need lower gearing.

jonathanf2

I climbed the Hollywood Sign yesterday. I challenged myself and climbed it with my 1x 44t - 11-32t gearing. It was a bit more difficult than using my 2x 50:34t, but it was still manageable. I just couldn't do any major sprinting up the hill without blowing passed my redline. Unfortunately on my way back home my front tire blew and I ended up crashing on a fast downhill descent at Griffith Park after doing some extra credit climbing at the Observatory. My elbow got shredded like cheese on a grater, but no broken bones. I was able to limp back home! Anyways, first crash of the new year!

Eric F 

Sorry to hear about the spill, Jonathan. I hope you heal quickly.

SoSmellyAir

What caused the blow? Hope you have a speedy recovery.