bikefor2

We want to do the ACA pacific coast route from San Francisco to San Diego in mid-April. It doesn't look like there is really much of a point to riding through LA, so we were wondering if there is any easy way to hire or otherwise find public transportation through the LA area? The challenge will be the tandem bicycle... A taxi cab won't work for a tandem but there may be other ways to accomplish this. Ideas??

kayakdiver

Riding through LA wasn't all that difficult and was kinda fun riding down the beach on the bike lane. Consider just riding through it.

NoTrail

Yes ... just ride it. First, it's not worth the hassle to avoid it. Second, there are routes through LA that I promise will be worth the ride.

Booger1

Not worth the hassle,ride on through.Stop in Santa Barbara if you don't like city riding,because from there to San Diego is nothing but city pretty much.

Between Santa Barbara and Malibu is alright,about half riding the coast,the other half riding inland,but south of Malibu,nothing but people,cars and houses for 120 miles.

Enjoy riding through Laguna Beach......

Cyclesafe

Not really. But Big Sur, it ain't. Several quaint beach communities, Camp Pendleton, and Coronado Island. Not so bad. The only sketchy part is th couple of miles though the LA/LB harbor area before you get on the bike path in Long Beach.

keenancook

Ha, real helpful everybody's been to the original question. I'd jump on with most of the others and say just ride it too. It isn't too bad. If you're trying to go super cheap LAX makes a decent free place to sleep midway through the city... just lock your bike outside, bring in your panniers and unroll your thermarest on the floor...

Booger1

They won't let me ride through Camp Pendleton,I don't wear a helmet.....but they have no problem sending me out on the 5 freeway without one?

Cyclesafe

I prefer the freeway anyway. Big wide shoulder. A couple of miles shorter too. Lots of fun riding through the rest areas making motorcycle noises...

fietsbob

Just stick to the coast, and you bypass most of it.

sstorkel

You can often get a mini-van or van taxi if you specifically request it. Will that work? Dunno about the cost, but it probably isn't worth it. Agree with everyone else: the ride isn't terribly interesting, but it isn't that bad. I'd plan to stop in Santa Monica or Venice at the end of one day, then hit the road early the following day and zip through before the traffic gets too bad. If you can do it on a weekday, you'll avoid much of the pedestrian traffic on the beach paths.

Newspaperguy

I was just out in that area a couple of weeks ago. Los Angeles is massively big, but it's not a bad city for cycling. You can get on the bike path around Santa Monica and follow it to Redondo Beach. From there, I hooked up with the Pacific Coast Highway through Long Beach and to points south.

DCwom

You didn't say how you were going to get back to San Fran after the ride? If you're going to shuttle cars around maybe you could somehow work the car shuttle in the LAX bypass and move the tandem yourself. I've found that sometimes the easiest (not the fastest) way to shuttle the car with a tandem is to rent a small car during or at the end of the ride and shuttle tandem transport vehicle to the end point, perhaps this may work for you.

Booger1

Instead of heading towards PCH after Redondo Beach,you can go around the backside of the hill through Palos Verdes.It's a few miles longer,but it's much nicer.

It's like a mini Big Sur except with million dollar houses on the hills.

Trump golf course is back there,you can stop by Ports of Call,there's a little aquarium back there at Cabrillo beach,there's a maritime museum.

The maritime museum has the only manned submersible to EVER go to the bottom of the Marianas Trench( the deepest place in the ocean,deeper than Everest is tall,by a long ways) off the coast of Japan.It sits outside and you can see it for free,cracked window and all,along with some other displays.

For the price of cabs in L.A.,it would be cheaper to get a flatbed towtruck to haul you through town.That's how I get my big tool boxes around town if I need to move them.Got AAA?...

NoTrail

Why not just head north instead? Beautiful country up there.

stevepusser

A few years ago did a mini tour from Santa Barbara, and rode from Leo Carillo campground to Union Station in downtown LA. I took the Metrolink commuter train to San Bernadino (motel), then rode up to Silverwood lake in the mountains for a few days. The point is you can also jump on an Amtrak Surfliner train here with bike racks and head as far south toward San Diego as you want.

arctos

Unfortunately the Amtrak Surfliner will not allow tandems or other unusual non-standard single bicycles such as recumbents according to their website.

stevepusser

Crud, you are right. Even the Metrolink's new Bike car does not allow them: https://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/...new-bike-cars/

surfjimc

You really don't need to bypass LA or drive through it. If you map the route, you will see that from Santa Barbara to beyond Laguna Beach. The only place you have to go inland is a stretch through Oxnard, and that's not a long piece. Mostly bike path if you want, from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes. You have to cut through the Port before Long Beach then its back to the beach. It's really not a bad section. You're at the beach, it's just very urban.