Commuting - Los Angeles?

I've been contemplating going to LA for the past 2 years or so and still haven't gone for one reason or another and I'm back to thinking about it for certain reasons... any commuters out there have any experience cycling and cycle commuting in LA? How is it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Usual?

Good Day! I guess my response will be "it depends"! Depending upon where you settle back into L.A. will determine how easy it is to commute. I do commute once a week from San Gabriel Valley to Simi Valley (weather . . . like we have weather in So. Calif. . . permitting). It is a 62 mile commute over two solid grades . . . La Tuna Canyon and Santa Susana Pass. Sections of the ride are "great" and other section (especially in the Arleta area) are "poor". Road conditions are way below par and don't stop too long . . . rough neighborhoods.

Los Angeles region, if you recall, can be very hilly. If you're looking for flat terrain, this may not be the area you want to relocate . . . unless you can afford the beach areas and find employment in the beach areas.

What is going for L.A.? The weather! Last Saturday . . . prime biking weather. Upper 60's and Sunny! 80 plus miles all in L.A. County! Didn't get run over once! :D

When I visited downtown LA for training, I didn't remember seeing many bikes but lots of FAST moving cars. Even the sidestreets provided no relief as cars were going 45 mph! As far as I could see, only the minorities were riding bikes. I would hate riding down there but if that's where you're going to relocate, I wish you the best of luck.

As the most car-dependent city in the world, I wouldn't recommend it...

A very small part of the appeal is actually the challenge... heh.

As far as I could see, only the minorities were riding bikes. I would hate riding down there.....What are minorities?

I use to commute from Glendale to downtown Los Angeles via Glendale blvd.; in a big city with idiots behind the wheel you have to have all your senses working and drive defensively ALL THE TIME. I did that for 5 years and only had one accident in Glendale where a lady turned right in front of me to park and I had no choice but to bounce off her car. Her insurance bought me the 84 Trek 660 I now have. If your commute takes you into night riding make sure you light yourself up to the hilt. Get reflective clothing, brightest taillight you can find, add those handlebar end taillights, hang one of those UFO taillights off the helmet; all these taillights because most accidents are from the rear. Get a headlight that is bright but you don't need one of those HID jobs because the riding at night on LA city streets is almost like daytime, and add a front blinker.

But the biggest advantage to living in that area for bike riding besides weather is being able to ride into the mountains, just make sure you go in the AM hours because in the PM hours people start driving into the mountains and that can get interesting. There are also numerious bike clubs you can join and you can ride with a group, a little safer.

Stay away from riding in Echo Park (I rode there but I'm crazy), Elysian Park, Watts, and maybe a few others I'm forgetting due to the gang activity. Glendale, Pasadena and LaCresenta areas are great areas to live. There is also a city in Ventura County called Simi Valley (I lived there as well at one time) and another called Thousand Oaks, both are only about 40 miles from downtown LA, and both are one of the safest towns in America. I use to commute from Simi Valley to Canoga Park by taking Santa Suzana pass to Box Canyon rd to Roscoe blvd to Canoga ave into Canoga Park. Also living in Ventura county allows you to find cheaper car insurance and just a tad cheaper rent!!! And that area has some excellent riding from smaller mountains between Simi Valley and LA to the larger ones up hwy 23 towards Los Padres Nat Forest area or you can do the hwy 118 and head towards the coast. Way too many riding possiblities to list here. Again a lot of bike clubs in those 2 cities as well.

L.A. is full of bike commuters.


What are minorities?

Ha! I think we may be seeing how whitebread this forum may skew. The vast majority of bike commuters are non-white without the usual accoutrements "bicyclists" like to wear.

Yes, if you zip through Echo Park or Watts on that shiny Colnago with matching jersey, you'll stick out like a sore thumb. But all of those places are quite safe if you're dressed like a normal person.

It seems L.A. drivers are generally pretty decent to bike riders. I'm always surprised at the stories told by some folks here from other parts. I think the freeways are where people tend to get really nasty.

There are some remarkable mountains surrounding the city. However, I know nothing of the riding conditions there. Ditto off road. It can be hilly in some parts of the city. Weather is generally great. Smog seems to look worse than it feels. Some nice coastal riding. And it's a great place for urban rats to explore.

I lived in the beach area in the early 60s & commuted to & from work on highway 101. Rush hour traffic then was mostly stop & go. Road bikes were a real novelty & there were some close calls as people (drivers & peds) didn't allow for how quickly you were closing on them. I doubt I'd recognize the area now. Don