Robvolz 

Stunning weather. Got my Colnago Fork in Oakland, thanks Chaz

now meandering south.

what should I visit?

merziac

Velo Cambria, in you guessed it, Cambria.

I got nothing else, gotta be some in Santa Barbera.

obrentharris 

Which route are you taking and what do you want to see in these shops?
Brent

Robvolz 

Taking 101 unless there is a more beautiful reason to go further towards the beach, like a beach, a winery, a must-have taco or a decent shop.

I try not to make assumptions, but since I posted on the C&V site, I’m looking for tubular/sew-ups, a steel frame from a fav producer, a chain side campy NR crank.

what I’m Really looking for is, a combination of retail therapy and spreading some economic love to the shops that have kept our hopes and dreams alive.

I was very saddened to hear about the demise of Cupertino cycles. And I thought to myself about the times I have purchased on the Internet instead of spending my money in these wonderful shops, if they would still be around.

billytwosheds 

If you make it to Santa Barbara, stop in at Open Air Bicycles on State Street. I haven't been there in years, but the old crew were into track/fixed things and vintage stuff a ways back. Its where I got the parts for my first crappy single speed build about 15 years ago.

Stape Cycles looks neat, newer.

Tons of excellent food nearby too.

Bosco13

If you've never done the drive and have some extra time, skip 101 from Santa Cruz to San Luis Obispo (boring), and take HWY 1. You won't be disappointed.

bikingshearer 

+1 on Velo Cambria. Nice shop, some nice vintage stuff (not a ton, but some), good people, and they do a bunch to support the sport. You'll have to either (1) drive down Hwy 1 through Big Sur or (2) from 101, head west on Hwy 46 at Paso Robes, then continue south on Hwy 1 through Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo and back to 101.

Speaking of which, SLO is a college town. There has to be something there.

gugie 

Wally's is a sponsor of Eroica California.

Bad Lag

+1

I can't believe anyone would opt for 101 in lieu of Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) without good reason. To miss it would be a tragic loss.

rccardr 

Seconds ln Wally’s. Bet he has more stuff stashed away than any of us could use in a lifetime.

Robvolz 

wine
oh, and wine.

im a master sommelier candidate

mhespenheide 

Echoing Wally's and Velo Cambria.

The two Bici Centro co-ops are well worth checking out as well. The one in Santa Maria is more my style (and the head operator, Ken, became a friend) and has more components out. Either can be hit-or-miss as any co-op can, but they're worth the time gamble.

merziac

And Linn's in Cambria for lunch, dinner or?

Wine too.

Kabuki12

Yes, Wally’s Bikes in San Luis Obispo. Also the shop in Cambria and Linn’s in Cambria for eats, save room for pie. Open Air in Goleta was very helpful in 2016 when I had a blow out on my Raleigh Comp GS but I didn’t see any classic bikes in there. The younger crew were very attentive to my needs , I had them replace both tires and tubes. They did a great job and even had short Presta stem tubes! Wally’s has a little building in the back that is crammed with vintage racers , also a few nice display bikes in the main shop. I bought my ‘73 Windsor Pro from one of the mechanics.

winstonb 

Boom boom bike room in SB if you're into vintage mountain bikes. Ventura bike hub if you want to make it a little further past SB.

squirtdad

burger at Nepenthe.....touristy but good

repechage

BiciCentro - bike co-op - weird hours now.
there is a new shop in Montecito on Coast Village Road- Mad Dogs and Englishmen?
My wife saw it and I did not get there.

the rest of the town has gone mod.
Hazard's in the Funk zone has gone concept store... young woman at the counter was pleasant and cheerfully told me they had plenty of black handlebar tape. Packages at $42 and $55 per two roll package. No black cloth she lamented. Profit margin is King.
cranky's was straddling the old and new, gone now, victim of State Street rent factors.
which is unfortunate, as every block has 2-5 empty storefronts.

Oh yeah, there is a curious Hipster bike shop, near Handlebar Coffee Co on upper De LaVina.
I am not sure that bike shop knows what they are yet.
saw the place when they were closed but were also selling vintage Playboy magazines, skateboards? Frames, old mtb frames. T-shirts.

xiaoman1 

Enjoy you trip, Ben

gugie 

Remember that you're paying for the view, the burger's thrown in at no extra charge.

Jeff Wills

I'm not sure the Open Air Bicycles is the same as it was 15 years ago (their website is pretty generic). I'll have to look around the next time I visit.

I remember the old Open Air Bicycles next to the train station. I worked in that building (for Bike'alog) for a couple months before Bike'alog moved out to Goleta in 1990. I also met a nice girl there...we just had our 30th anniversary.

diphthong

other than calera winery for pinot, viognier and chard nearish hollister, you're better off reeducating your palate once you hit the arroyo grande/santa maria area/santa ynez valley. the pinots steal the show but absolutely do not sleep on the syrahs.

sure...there are a handful of places here and there in the paso robles area and elsewhere but the concentration of excellent juice in that central california area is compressed between arroyo grande to the north and the lompoc/solvang/los olivos area to the south. speaking as someone tasting 3,000 wines a year since 1991 and buying for fine dining wine lists a majority of that time, including recently.

so hit pch once you hit the carmel/monterey area heading south and bounce inland towards the 101 once you're forced to hitting the northern boundary of vandenberg afb near santa maria/lompoc. best of both worlds. ride first, taste second. beware tho...there are some fantastic rides in the santa barbara wine country area...refugio rd, gibraltar, east camino cielo, fig mtn, santa rosa rd, jalama state beach rd, foxen canyon rd, etc...

diphthong

The Disneyland of the Central Coast and still worth the effort...if just for a decent rest stop/spell.

billytwosheds 

Probably not the same.

But the story about meeting the girl and having something to celebrate with her now. That's cool AF.

I know the spot you're speaking of, in the train stop in SB. There are more people on here with central coast experience than I realized!

Eroica CA is top of my list, since ending up in SB at a friend's house would not be a stretch at all.

repechage

Open Air Bikes is up on State street only now.
might have dead stock in the back but are a local mod bike shop now.

the state of play for bikes there is a bit sad now from a vintage viewpoint.

Baron and Cecile packed up and went back to Europe. He left behind a storage locker of rims and junk. A guy bought it at auction and became bewildered soon enough. How many Roval rims can one expect to sell? Or low spoke count Martanos?