jeff^d

Howdy,

I have a potential job opportunity in Rancho Cucamonga and am considering the change from Michigan's upper peninsula, population density 20/square mile. I've been doing a lot of research on the area and am trying to wrap my head around living in such a drastically different environment.

I'm 24 and am not interested in the least in what most of LA has to offer, but the proximity of the ocean, various national parks and forests, and all the great riding are really appealing to me. I fly out to interview for the position this weekend, but so far the job sounds a lot more interesting than what I'm doing now. We'll see.

For the last 5 years I've commuted year round by bike, and I would only move to the Inland Empire if I could continue to do so. I could comfortably live within a 15 mile radius of Rancho Cucamonga. I have all the appropriate gear to commute, but I've no experience riding in such an urban environment. So, my questions are, 1) how popular are bike commuters on less-trafficked roads in the IE?, 2) do you have any suggestions on areas to live in regarding bike friendliness, and 3) am I crazy for thinking I could do this in the Inland Empire, or am I crazy for thinking I'll be close to some great riding (mountain and/or road)?

Thanks for the help!

Psydotek

It's doable. If you're in Rancho Cucamonga, there's a major road that runs right through the city that's very bike friendly (16th street/Baseline, same street, different name depending on the city you're in).

Mr. Beanz has alot of experience with riding in that area.

Brian Sorrell

I can’t speak for commuting through Rancho Cucamonga, but nearby in Riverside, I’m starting to see a lot more of us. If you look up “Inland Empire Critical Mass”, you’ll find some references to the monthly CM ride in RC. There are definitely people doing what you want to do.

As far as good riding nearby, there’s plenty. The Santa Ana River Trail through Riverside is lovely (and a popular route for commuters). It currently runs from Hidden Valley Wildlife Preserve in Norco to Waterman Road in San Bernardino. It picks up at Green River Road in Corona and runs to the ocean. The plans call for connecting the mountains to the ocean through this trail. There are lots more good routes, but the SART is my favorite. Stick around here and you'll also learn all you've ever wanted to know about the best riding in LA / OC.

Redlands has an active cycling club that you might look into, as does Riverside, though both of these cities might be a bit far for you to live in. There is ample opportunity for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, skydiving, skiing, snowboarding --- it’s a challenge to get bored around here.

Be aware also that the IE is essentially at the edge of a desert. It gets hot. Personally, I love it, but it can take some getting used to.

socalrider

Commuting in the IE is very easy to do.. The weather is great 300+ days of the year to do so. Being in the IE, you will be exactly 1 hour from the Beach, the Mountains and Desert.

Cities to live outside RC, would be Upland, Ontario and as far west as Claremont to keep in that 15 mile radius..

CranRasp

The local bike club in Rancho Cucamonga is Cycling Connection, you might want to give their web site a look see.

https://www.cyclingconnection.org/

gr@sshopper

Insanely great riding out here man. Yeah. Insanely.

LCI_Brian

As much as the IE can be the butt of jokes from people in the OC, the RC area isn't too bad. You're also a lot closer to the some of the road climbs on mountain roads than I am.

jeff^d

Thanks for the input, I'm looking forward to visiting this weekend! We're getting dumped on again, 4-6 inches since last night already. I will miss this weather...on occasion.

twowheeltom

I just went outside to check the weather. Looks like another day of regular bibs and SS jersey for the commute to work.

For what it's worth, I always thought if you lived in SoCal, you really have no excuse for not being a good cyclist. There is so much variety to the riding that's available to you that, if anything, you'll have a better chance of being burnt out.

jeff^d

How about the option of riding to singletrack trailheads, as opposed to throwing the bike on my car and driving there? I imagine the majority of good riding is in the mountains to the north and east -- any suggestions of places to live within a reasonable riding distance for mountain biking? I've been looking at the area towards Devore.

There are some reasonable cottages for rent on Craigslist near Lake Arrowhead that look great, but unfortunately that seems too far for a daily bike commute.

TrevorInSoCal

Depending on where you live in the IE, there are several options for good, some great even, mtn. bike trails within reasonable riding distance.

Check out the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park for some decent mountain bike trails near Rancho Cucamonga. The Santa Ana River Trail, in the San Bernardino mountains, is an epic singletrack ride, on par with some of the best trails in the country, though much of it is still probably under snow right now.

You'll have to live in Redlands, or Yucaipa, to be within reasonable riding distance of that one. I live in Redlands, and the trailhead is a 14 mi. road-ride from my house. 14 mi. of road is kind of a drag on a singlespeed, so I often end up driving that portion.

There are some decent trails around Box Springs Mtn. in Riverside as well, but Riverside is probably a bit of a haul for a bike-commute to Rancho.

I don't know of too many mountain biking trails near Devore, except for some trails in the hills, behind Calstate San Bernardino.

gr@sshopper

Just do a GMR loop while you are out here. It'll convince you!

As for singletrack - it all depends on how far you want to ride on pavement before the trail.... I don't understand why, but I get very bored riding my mtn bike for more than a couple of miles on the streets. So I end up driving it too much.

LCI_Brian

There's some lower elevation stuff, mostly "fire roads" west of Devore, near Lytle Creek, and in the area east of I-15, south of Silverwood Lake.

https://www.desertmud.com/bike_details/EventID/39
https://www.desertmud.com/bike_details/EventID/33

But I think most people would rather drive a little further and a little higher in elevation for cooler weather and arguably more scenic rides.

I like this map of the San Bernardino Mountains: https://www.fineedge.com/mountainbiking/topomaps.html

And don't forget the huge elevation gain for the ride home, since it's about 1000' in the valley to about 5000' for Arrowhead!

jeff^d

Well, I interviewed on Friday and was offered the job today! 99% sure I'll be out there by mid-May.

Saturday I drove all over the IE, from Pomona to San Bernadino, Alta Loma to Norco, up to Devore, Lake Arrowhead to Running Springs, along with Mt. Baldy and the GMR loop. Saw a couple bikers on the GMR loop which was encouraging. Hard to believe how quick you are up in the mountains and out of all the crazy IE business! Especially the GMR loop, that is a beautiful valley and I probably only saw 5 cars the whole time.

Thanks to all for the advice, hopefully I'll get to meet a few people out there for some great riding. Now to find a place to live...anybody have an extra bedroom they'd like to rent to a 24 year old engineer/cyclist? I'm clean and quiet and get along well with pets of all kinds.

Oleanshoebox

Good luck out here, man. No room to rent but would love to show you some sweet Socal singletrack. Either way, welcome to the IE.

ANK

Welcome to SoCal. I grew up in the IE. I lived in Rancho Cucamonga from age 4-18. My parents still live there.

socalrider

There is local paper in Claremont, called the Claremont Courier, Claremont is a great little town to live in. The paper comes out on Wed & Saurdays.. Many houses in Claremont have studio's that they rent out. Some of the studio's are basically little apartments behind the main houses.. here is a link to there website, but the paper seems to have more listings than the website for studios..

https://www.claremont-courier.com/pag...sifieds_1.html