LA ain't that bad. I usually ride solo daytime and definitely only in groups at night for safety concerns, but mainly due to lack of visibility. I carry four lights total, and run them day (2) and night (all 4). Plus there are lots of passionate cyclists in the city. My weekly group rolled 100 deep last night and everyone got along. Any mechanical issues and people are ready to help at a moments notice, plus no one gets dropped. In fact I feel the cyclists who ride the city have a greater sense of camaraderie since we're definitely a minority in a car dominated and cyclist-unfriendly city. Also I always plan ahead and avoid areas that might be traffic congested or might not be safe. Plus I find riding with urban cyclists, you develop a keener sense of riding intuition when it comes to navigating traffic and other obstacles. Lastly there are some amazing spots only accessible by bike that most people in LA aren't aware of.