CAT7RDR

I had the bright idea to get in a quick 40 miler before the next round of rain. However, about 7 miles into my ride along the La Habra Hgts East-West Rd corridor, I looked up at the dark clouds and wished I had brought my helmet cover.

Reflexively I tapped the top of my head and realized I forgot to put on my helmet. I had a balaclava on and did not notice the cold air. This is a first. So I cautiously meandered over to Whittier Cyclery and purchased a Specialized Tactic 4 MTB helmet. Pretty robust helmet with coverage for the Occipital bone and Temporal bones.

Only 21 miles but better than nothing and I have a helmet that I later checked was designed for Enduro and e-bike riders. I was in the market for a more protective helmet after a few concussions the last five years so this fits the bill.

jonathanf2

I finally got some pedal time between the rain and my kids home for winter break! I just did a quick uphill ride at Griffith Park. Also I've been using the holiday and rainy downtime to work on my bikes. I did a full hydraulic brake bleed on my gravel bike and swapped to longer cranks, while cleaning and re-greasing the bearings on my road bike.

joesch

I have been getting out every day soo far the last week which means getting wet and cold even with the layers and wp shell.
Try to do about 2 hours on the safest roads with my gravel bike that has 42 tires so still pretty safe.
Cant wait to see how white the hills look after all these clouds clear ...

jonathanf2

Finally some sun here in LA! I knocked out two hours of riding this morning around HLP, ER and Pasadena! I was surprised that everyone I rolled up on was out on their "winter" gravel bikes. It felt good to stretch the legs and even better with the fresh after-the-rain air!

diphthong

local san diego metro 34-spot with some wetty wet dirt involved on those '23's. fun!

looking to come up to "the city of the fallen angels" area on sunday to do the velo-retro vintage ride in pasadena and
environs along with some early 2022 junk miles beforehand/afterwards in the peevee area. junkman's gotta junk...

SoSmellyAir

Earlier this afternoon I rode my usual 25 mile loop through Tustin Ranch and Irvine. Shaded portions of bike lanes and MUPs are still damp, so I may be due for a bike wash and chain waxing soon. Good to be out in the sun again even though I was cold nearly the entire time.

diphthong

those irvine mups hit the spot a few x's a year. you are fortunate to have them nearby. so sez an out of towner. well-maintained, plentiful and handy/dandy.

SoSmellyAir

During this colder than previous winter the local MUPs are fairly empty which makes for some faster rides without traffic lights and stop signs. In the summer they are quite crowded with pedestrians, children, dog walkers, and other cyclists. The local MUPs are also generally bumpier than the bike lanes on local roads. For example, I saw someone almost wipeout descending the Shady Canyon Trail Bikeway when I was climbing it. I am finally braving the switch to clipless pedals when the weather gets consistently better, so I expect to be riding the MUPs more in the spring.

Happy new year to my fellow SoCal people.

joesch

Was nice to finish the year on dry roads after a wet week.
Was also a Super year end for me on my classic Colnago.
Got in over 3 hours but the last hour was feeling the cold more with the increasing winds.
Close to 3k feet which is good for me.
Good END to 2021 !

Eric F 

I finished 2021 with a 29 mile road ride on NYE. No hurry, no training intent. Just riding and enjoying the cool sunshine.

Just less than 3400 miles for the the year was a bit less than I had hoped, but such is the nature of my life these days. Hoping to get that number over 4000 for '22.

CAT7RDR

Made it up to the Santa Fe Dam area this morning.
44 miles on the 29er. Thankfully getting new Deore brakes this week.

joesch

BTW all the local mtns look amazing and its postcard making time. Hope some can make it to the resorts for some snow fun

CAT7RDR

Another 44 miles and 4700 feet of climb this time riding an O/B to Pantera Park in Diamond Bar.
Nice cool breeze and clear sunshine in the low 60's.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38283741


The Glendora Ridge looks inviting on the way to Baldy Village. Over-the-Line game going on in the foreground.

SoSmellyAir

This sunny afternoon I rode the whole length of Santiago Canyon Road in the eastbound direction. My observations:

1. I must respectfully disagree with 2seven0 (see, e.g., post #1373); the pavement (at least in the bike lane) is not pristine. Many lengthy patches of sand and loose gravel on the surface (from gravel truck spills?), and one spot (over a culvert) where the top two layers of the pavement is missing from almost the entire width of the bike lane, exposing the sharp-looking medium size black rocks beneath. Thankfully I did not get a flat after riding over that spot.
2. The route has much more climbing than I had expected. I really wished for a 12-28 cassette (instead of my usual 12-25 cassette). I need to get much fitter before I ride Santiago Canyon Road again.
3. I saw a white ghost bike (near Loma Ridge Road) which made me sad and slightly worried for the remainder of the ride.
4. Also unexpected were the long, white-knuckled descents at each end: (a) from about Loma Ridge Road down to Irvine Lake, and (b) from about Gertner Estate Road down to Cook's Corner. Since I was worried about gravelly patches I had to scrub some speed.

On my way home I rode Glenn Ranch Road from El Toro Road to Portola Parkway (past Oakley HQ) to fit one last climb into my route. Turned out to be a really bumpy ride (especially the descent from Saddleback Ranch Road to Portola Parkway) because of the top layer of the road is missing due to road work.

diphthong

1. the whole stretch of santiago canyon rd (scr) got paved like 2 years ago and was like butter. it was looking good after the fairly recent fires in 2020. some current loose dirt/gravel patches/carpets to
be expected after the week of big rain that socal got recently given the slopes/runoff along that road. last time i was up there, there was a 100-150 yard stretch of pavement under construction related to new homes going in
adjacent to scr just west (uphill) from cook's corner and before the turnoff to the steep mojeska canyon climb.

2. congrats!! we knew you could do it!!

3. yah, that ghost bike definitely has a tragic/sad story behind it...as do they all.

diphthong

a tale of two rides:

https://www.strava.com/activities/6462547520

https://www.strava.com/activities/6463649014

got after some of the "ugly" rancho palos verdes climbs (ganado, crownview, fellowship park + up to marymount).
mixed in the pretty ascent/descent of nearby via colinita. wanted to get in some decent effort/el gain before the
next ride...

the velo-retro vintage bike ride starting from the aquatic center area just south of the rose bowl. been wanting to roll
this for a few years but on the very rare occasion i'm actually off work on the first sunday of every month, was on vacation
or totally spaced. anyway, finally made it. very chill and a great group with a fairly leisurely pace over the course of roughly 23 miles.
gorgeous bikes and plenty of comments from peds/fellow cyclists re: the steeds.

SoSmellyAir

True, I forgot all about this previous week of heavy rain in today's sunshine.

Thank you for the encouragement! This sub-forum has some serious climbers judging from the routes posted.

diphthong

this is in your backyard. one pretty stiff climb along with some other decent climbing. hit it early one summer morning after
doing some of the laguna niguel and/or rancho santa margarita area in the next few months. some nice history.

https://www.strava.com/routes/27328447

planning on hitting it again soon and knocking a little time off the personal record. def no pics this next effort.

jonathanf2

My first ride for 2022! The fire road to the Hollywood Sign was definitely sketchy with lots of damp hard packed dirt, loose gravel and a few baby heads on the road caused by the previous rainy weather. The fast downhill was extra sketchy with all the oblivious tourists driving around the blind Hollywood street corners!

CAT7RDR

I have to get back out to that area of OC. I really enjoy the 12 miles of rural landscape, no stops, running water in the Santiago Creek and I occasionally will see Mule Deer along the open pastures.

Saddleback is also a nice climb. I imagine Silverado and Modjeska are still closed except to locals?

joesch

What crankset do you have paired with the 12-25 cassette ?
You must be a good masher

joesch

Would love to see some pix of the classic rides.
Were you on the pinarello ?
Nice day of riding and commuting !

Eric F 

First ride of 2022...38 miles of steady mid-effort tempo with a good friend. Rio Hondo trail to SGRT, over the top of Santa Fe Dam, start and finish in Sierra Madre. The uninterrupted pedaling of the bike paths is the kind of effort my fitness needs right now. It was a bit cooler than I prefer, but not too bad.

SoSmellyAir

Shimano 50/34 chain rings on Cannondale Si crank. I don't think I am either good or a masher; my local area is just relatively flat? Maybe I should install my 11-28 cassette, but I then I would miss the 16T cog.

diphthong

no pics as i kept the phone in the jersey the entire time. woulda taken the ‘85 pinarello but did some serious climbs on a ride just before and needed something with better gearing-hence the ‘95 look kg 131 carbon-fiber rig.