Moving to Los Angeles - Anyone ridden much there?

@chez_jay Pleasure. If you've not been before, PM me. I've spent 8 weeks there across a few trips so have a good grasp on the area and have a spreadsheet of recommendations that I've sent to friends.

Depending on your tastes you could try topanga creek outpost... Chris there couldn't be more helpful.. a great little place to borrow something for off roading or bikepacking - last year the two of us borrowed a jeff jones and a surly, a tent and some other stuff and headed out for a couple of days and night - a nice change to downtown LA!

Anyone on the forum (still) living in LA? Moving out in a couple of weeks, and looking for people to ride with, tips on bike culture (to the extent that it exists), and opinions as to whether I bring my road bike with me or buy one out there?

I will be based somewhere in West LA, so looking forward to riding in the Santa Monica Mountains!

@jb ?

I live in Pasadena so don’t ride out that way very much anymore but have plenty of routes I can send. Your best bet is to join the RCC if not already. They run rides from Rapha every. Single. Day. There’s a great ride leader, Charles, who I can put you in touch with once you’re here.

Bike culture on the west side is very ‘I take myself seriously’. If you want more chill bike stuff, Golden Saddle in Silver Lake or The Cub House in San Marino are the places to be.

Thanks for the reply JB. I take myself incredibly seriously so the west side sounds perfect. I will try and check out all of the above (Rapha does sound like a solid low effort option)!

Do you have any thoughts on bringing a bike over? The lead times in the UK have been crazy for anything new recently - is there any second hand market (Craigslist and eBay didn't look excellent)?

One final question - Critical Mass - good crowd, or to be avoided?

Not my cup of tea. Very fixie 2010 vibe. Unsafe riding etc.

Rapha may seem low effort but they do some great rides on great routes.

Bikes are available here. Anything in particular you’re looking for?

I did bring a bike with me just in a cardboard bike box. I moved here with a bike box and two big suitcases with the intention of ‘starting over’ here.

Are you moving here permanently or just temporarily? Do you already have accommodation? Feel free to message me on WhatsApp. PM me for my cell and we can converse and I can share some routes.

This looks great and might be something you could join in with
https://youtu.be/wuDQzLRQ5JE

God, that route is miserable.

Met a guy from cub house who was visiting London last week. Solid dude.

No Idea 🙂 and will take your word for it,
I can only say it looks a 100 times better than the UK

Wait. Which shop do you work at again? But yeah, Danny is the best. Such a nice guy.

Ha, tbf, not that bad. But you get some of the worst drivers in all of California in that part of the world. Just cyclist hating republican cunts.

Still dredging this thread up...

@Clara will be out in LA semi permanently very soon and I'll be visiting whenever I can.

LA is big, I understand. But what is the reality of getting around by bike day to day? Location likely east LA, as yet unconfirmed. I understand since the inception of this thread Golden Saddle is no more and Silverlake is more grossly unaffordable than ever.

Also, to bring the thread full circle, how'd you get on @etienne?

One of the co-owners of Golden Saddle opened another store. But honestly, The Cub House on the San Marino/South Pas border is the best shop out here for cool bike stuff - without a doubt. Owned and managed by great people.... unlike the dude from GSC.

Getting around by bike is totally doable - but can you define 'east LA'? Be forewarned, if you refer to places like Silver Lake as 'east LA', you're gonna get a grilling. East Los Angeles is its own unincorporated area east of Downtown with a long history of it's residents facing redlining and racial discrimination. 95% of its population is Hispanic.

I don't know what work requirements are from a location perspective, but I'd strongly consider looking at Pasadena/the San Gabriel Valley if you want nice neighborhoods, safe bike riding, a community feel and rents that are cheaper than hip places like Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Highland Park etc. Out of all of the places I've ever lived, Pasadena is the only place I'd ever want to stay in for the rest of my life. Very, very bikeable, great riding generally both on and off road, good buses, good metro line to downtown. But in all honesty - having lived here without a car for six months, after having a car for eighteen months - living here without a car sucks. I bought another one after those six, long months. You don't need a car to do basic stuff, I still cycle to the grocery store and stuff, but because having a car opens up some of the best recreation opportunities in the world. Los Angeles is big, California is big. You will feel very stuck without a car.

Feel free to DM me if you want more advice. I've been here for almost four years now and have spent a lot of time here prior to that.

I moved here in July last year, not knowing how to drive. That has since changed. Feel free to PM if you have questions / want to chat. I also live in Silver Lake, which I describe to Londoners as “effectively Broadway Market in LA”.

Oh, and the road riding here is truly world class!

I moved here in July last year, not knowing how to drive. That has since changed.

Lol. I moved here saying 'I definitely don't need a car'. A week later, I owned a car.

Yeah - people warned me that I would need a car, and whilst it is possible to be selective in where you live and not have one (two immediate examples - I did it in LF / SL for 9 months, and a friend in Venice has done it for over a year), but the moment I got one my world expanded hugely - not only with weekend trips, but with more local things like hikes in the San Gabriels, going to Topanga / Zuma / Malibu (all with or without a bike). I still walk to a lot of places, use metro bikes locally (very underrated), and bus and metro, but as a general rule of thumb, this takes 2 to 2.5 times the amount of time the car would, and you often might need to throw an Uber in to complete some part of the journey.

the moment I got one my world expanded hugely

Exactly, and that's all it is. Staying within Pasadena and don't need to haul a huge amount of stuff? Bicycle. Leaving Pasadena? Probably car. I don't really ride bikes properly anymore, but when I did in the summer I'd drive to Carbon Beach every Friday, park there, and then ride 100k in the Santa Monica's and it was bliss. I love the San Gabriel's, seeing as they're in my back yard, but riding road bikes there can get a bit boring pretty quickly due to the lack of roads.

I lived in LA for a year. Rode once. Hated it. Hit the gym and took up running for the time. Wouldn't move back without at least 700k for a down payment. No thanks.

@JB @girondin Thank you for your advice. I haven't replied because life is intense but I have been keeping up.

Yes, maybe east of LA is what I meant. Although still working it out. Looking forward to checking Pasadena out in the next couple of weeks. Where should we visit for a day trip? I hear there is a flea market.

@Clara arrived a week ago and plans to be here for the foreseeable. I will be visiting from today until the end of the month.

Totally understand about the importance of the car. Definitely asking about bikes mainly as part of a commitment to saving as much money as possible at first so she can afford one in the near future. Our lives are planned about two weeks in advance at the moment. Hoping to extend that to 6 months planning before the end of the year.

Rose Bowl Flea only runs second Sunday of every month. If you're genuinely interested in the Pasadena area, here are a few places I'd check out just to get a feel for the place:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jtcqFS9J7TsKzc828

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nL2zjo1kZW5pMcEM8

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qKVvaDdq8XWQbu7i6

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2E2ohUPMxtrMvk7p9

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VKwhnKNrrC1LtoGUA

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Nwfx6wCkkwuGSaxQ7

https://maps.app.goo.gl/5pXdLpxAdQEDVkNs7 (this is a dirt parking lot to then take a stroll into the Angeles National Forest).

I haven't seen Clara in like a bajillion years, but if you guys want a tour guide, I am more than willing to drive you around for an afternoon.