Southern California - New bike ... newbie rides ... Malibu

Bought a new bike for summer, looking for good newbie rides in the Malibu area ... the canyons are a killer here. I ride every day in late morning, M/F. I am slow ... but willing to push. Looking for partners for encouragement (pain enjoys company) and suggestions for good rides. Is the beach path along the Santa Monica beach bike friendly?:eek: I am at Corral Canyon ... 2 miles north of Pepperdine. Thanks

The bike path from Santa Monica to Venice is ok for a beginner, but you have to be very aware of traffic or you will go down... and getting that sand out of your bike's little parts is not fun. Once you pick up speed, it will become too annoying for you to pass all the skaters and runner.

If I recall, there is a nice shoulder along the PCH, so you might want to try just riding along the coast, especially since that allows you to turn around whenever you decide you're half way done.

The mountains out there are indeed a pain, so I hope your new bike has some nice low gears for when you start climbing them.

Aside from that, if you're willing to trnasport your bike to Northridge on weekends, the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club has great rides for all abilities. www.sfvbc.org

Welcome McM!


the canyons are a killer here.

Boy, you got that part right. But if you are riding every day, and (as you imply) interested in pushing yourself, there is no better place to be. I love those canyons... when the traffic is light. And you have so many to chose from. Sure some of them are ridiculous (Decker, Los Flores), but others are more reasonable.

What is your current fitness level? Will you be ready to give any of them a try anytime soon (even if you have to turn around halfway)?

Agoura Cycles has a shop ride on Saturdays. there are always a few newbies. There are two routes; generally a 15-20 miler and a 30-40 miler.

www.agouracycles.com

Sheldon

Bought a new bike for summer, looking for good newbie rides in the Malibu area ... the canyons are a killer here. I ride every day in late morning, M/F. I am slow ... but willing to push. Looking for partners for encouragement (pain enjoys company) and suggestions for good rides. Is the beach path along the Santa Monica beach bike friendly?:eek: I am at Corral Canyon ... 2 miles north of Pepperdine. Thanks

Late morning is a good time to ride PCH. I'd go North from Corral Canyon away from Santa Monica on PCH and do the rollers avoiding the big canyon climbs. The beach path can be a nice recovery ride on weekday mornings.

PCH is really nice further up towards Pt Magu(sic?) in Ventura. The rollers are relatively calm and once it flattens out, you're riding just above the Ocean. It's my favorite flat ride in the area (and just about the only one!)

Encinal is generally regarded as one of the easiest on that side of the hill, so if you're going to push yourself into the Canyons, that's a good place to start.

no pics? This thread is awful

Thanks to all of you for the info, I just did Trancas to Leo Carrillo (11 miles), I was dropped by a guy in blue and white jersey on the roller south of Leo ... ouch! I will continue the PCH north for a while. The fitness level is low (40 minutes for this ride average 14 mph), but again, I ll be riding every morning. I just keep telling myself the pain is good!

I heard Yerba Buena is gentle, any info?

Thanks to all of you for the info, I just did Trancas to Leo Carrillo (11 miles), I was dropped by a guy in blue and white jersey on the roller south of Leo ... ouch! I will continue the PCH north for a while. The fitness level is low (40 minutes for this ride average 14 mph), but again, I ll be riding every morning. I just keep telling myself the pain is good!

I heard Yerba Buena is gentle, any info?


I've never been on PCH where I haven't been dropped by someone. People on PCH are often Triathletes or canyon climbers, and generally speedy little buggers.

No worries about getting dropped though, no matter how fast you get, there will always be someone faster. Build up enough speed to hang with people you like to ride with on the flats, and enough endurance to do the rides you like doing. You'll be healthy, happy and having fun on the bike.

Try Mulholland first, then Encinal. Stay off Yerba till you can summit those OK. Yerba is about 8.1 miles of 5.3%. Definitely stay clear of Los Flories and Deer Creek for a while. Have Fun, Bone

Again, thanks for the information. Doing PCH, Trancas to County line ... yeah boy!

Bone,
any complete routes suggestions? I hate to go back and forth on the same road. (I'll be visiting Santa Monica this w/end, not very familiar with the area...)
thanks
gene