ROJA

Hey folks- I am from NorCal, but I will be down in Santa Barbara for a wedding next weekend. I am thinking about bringing my bike and trying to get a quick ride in one of the days. I am thinking maybe 40 miles or so of scenic riding on great riding roads (the less traffic, the better). Climbing is not a problem, of course. I just need to be back by about 2:00 for the wedding (12 would be even better).

Should I just join the Saturday Echelon ride? https://www.echelonsantabarbara.org/RidesGroup.cfm

Or is there a definitive Santa Barbara ride that is not to be missed?

Any ideas or interest in putting together a group ride?

Thanks in advance!

Nachoman

Danno turned me on to this one. It's definitely not to be missed, in my opinion.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...99#post1774880

Rip Van Winkle

I'm not from Santa Barbara, but my favorite ride up there is riding 101 from Santa Barbara to Gaviota State Beach and back. The scenery is awesome!

I also enjoy riding to Ventura and back.

Of course, I bow to the expertise of the locals on this one.

umd

The Echelon ride is pretty good... depending on how skill level it's really more of a "B" type group ride. There is another ride on Saturday that heads out of down eastbound and goes to Casitas Pass. Some of the group turns around at the pass and comes back, and some will go around Lake Casitas... I don't remember the times exactly but I'm pretty sure it's usually back in downtown SB by 11 or so. I leave from my house in Goleta at 7:30 to meet up with the ride at 8:00 and I've been home by noon.

If you want to do riding on your own and like to climb, the Gibraltar climb referenced above is good and I think the road is open again.

If you do the Echelon ride, beware it has moved starting locations to the Vieja Valley school parking lot... I don't know if that page has been updated yet.

umd

You've got to be kidding. There are much better places to ride and much nicer scenery to look at than riding on the side of a freeway. I'll go out those routes if I need to get somewhere but that is not where I would pick to ride to experience Santa Barbara...

umd

Also, and I'd map it for you but I have to get going... a really nice road is Mountain Drive. You can start from the Mission and go up Mountain Drive all along the backside of Montecito, then stick along the foothills for some killer steep but short climbs on Park Lane and experience probably the best view of the Santa Barbara area (yes, better than from Gibraltar) on the climb up Bella Vista before bombing down the dead-straight, mile-long 10% drop of Ladera Lane.

jmechy

The ridge ride is certainly a good one. Some of the patches are terribly paved, so be warned. I haven't been up there since they repaved, I've heard it can be even more scary now because it will go from nice new pavement to craters very suddenly. The views are quite amazing from the top, make sure you get off the bike and walk it on up to through the gate and to the top where the Ranger station is.

umd

I think they finally fixed the last stretch. If you do go up there... go up gibraltar and down painted cave & old san marcos. That way you have the crap roads going up at 5mp, not going down at 40...

Nachoman

Is this it? (also courtesy of Danno)
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...40#post1848409

umd

Yes, that is mountain drive but I prefer going in the other direction. Also, it cuts out Park Lane and Bella Vista which are much more climby.

Nachoman

On a related topic, I just made reservations at the El Prado Hotel, on State Street, for early May. I'll be doing these same rides and probably one more in Solvang.

cyclezen

agree with that.
from LaCumbre peak to Painted cave the road has been paved (most all...) and is like a 'powder' ski run. Upper Gibraltar still sucks and is like riding a minefield.
Did a MTB ride up Romero Cyn/Rd yesterday morning to the Camino Cielo saddle and the fog followed me up as the morning wore on...
These past days the mountains have had a cloud layer, which makes for a chilly ride. Especially one as long as the Traverse is. Maybe consider a more valley based ride if you see a cloud layer in the peaks...
What umd said. The ride from LaCumbre down to Cathedral Oaks, at the bottom, via Camino Cielo/Painted cave and Old San Marcos IS the best freekin downhill, even counting Figueroa Mtn! With a few uphills, Camino Cielo westbound is a TOTAL rip! Painted cave rocks and has only a few poor sections now and Old San Marcos may be the best 3+ miles of downhill short of Angeles Crest area - switchbacks, twistie ESSs, fast straights and almost NO traffic, it is descending heaven!

I like, for a climby with fast downhills, ride (if you consider the SB Mission as a start point - I'm in western Goleta, Mission is 12+ miles one way) Mission- to RT-Foothill (192) to LF-Mission Cyn to RT-LasCanoas Rd (steeper side climb of about 700 ft.) which bears RT at top just beyond Scofield Pk. Follow this down to crossing where Mountain Dr becomes Gibraltar Rd, following thru intersection straight across, Canoas becomes Mountain Dr heading east. Follow for a bunch of miles - be careful of creeklet small water crossing (you can tiptoe across), always greasy with algae (ask me how I know... or ask umd ... ) You'll also be going directly throught the 'Tea Fire' burn area, very interesting - watch for cyclist mailbox - look ofr other sculptures on this property, very kool. Eventually East Mountain Dr gets to San Ysidro Rd, make RT. Zoom down to Easy Valley Rd (also 192) make LF, follow East Valley for some miles while it slowly climbs towards Toro Cyn Rd. At the top of Toro Cyn Rd you have choice...

A. climb Ladera Lane which Tees at top of Toro Cyn - a LF - I think umd is wrong... Ladera is ONE mile of 12% (not 10), steady, gut-wrenching climb. There are no let ups. You pretty much see 95% of the climb from where you are at the bottom. I like this way, cause the reward is prolly one of the 2 BEST Downhill Runs in the SB Valley - Bella Vista is Incredible! for those who LUV descending! LF at top of Ladera - follow to Park Ln which drops hard to Foothill/EastValley Rd (192) which you'll remember from going out on it. Head west - RT - towards center of Montecito and then back to SB. If you go straight at Sycamore Cyn Crossing to Camino Viejo, it climbs gently to top of SB Riviera, becomes Alston Rd, follow around and down for another great downhill (be wary if cars and driveways) for GREAT views of all of SB laid out below. Left at bottom/circle puts you into lower SB. Rightish up Alameda Padre Sera (APS) climbs you again to top of Riviera and follow through to eventual drop down to SB Mission at bottom - another sweet little descent. This ride is Zen at its best.

B. Don't go up Ladera, instead Drop down Toro Cyn and its sweet downhill run (your tires will grip better than you ever expected..) to Carp, where you can 'out and back' to Rincon Point and follow Via Real back into Summerland, go over Ortega Hill (not the bike path around) , drop down (descend, of course... to Coast Village Rd and follow back to Montecito Center and eventually SB - Cabrillo Blvd....
or go right at bottom of Ortega hill, onto Sheffield and go north/up to 192, LF on Foothill/192 for the familiar section you came out on.
Either way you'll have some wonderful roads and scenery, more or less climbing with more or less AB FAB descending...
Start at 9 and be back before 12 for sure... ready for the wedding fun...
print out a couple of googlemaps, otherwise the directions should get you around (except for the flatish parts in carp - you can really only go 2 ways, east (ventura direction) or west (SB direction), hard to get lost.
If you don't absolutely rave this ride, you are guarranteed to get your money back... bring a cam

Echelon Sat Ride - as umd says has change 'start' to Vieja Valley School at 8:30, which is on Nogal Dr (where State and Hollister Aves become each other...). Echelon ride is varied with a little climbing and a little fast pace and a little sprint at end og Glen Annie Rd (if you want go...) overall miles are, I think, about mid 30s. I'm not sure since I always get in at least 10 miles before meeting up with the ride and then do another 8 or so on my own after I break off from the return.
If you do this, this coming wkend (instead of other options), I'll be there - look for an Olde Pharte on a S-works tarmac who looks and acts like a total Kook!

umd

You got a new bike?

cyclezen

here are a few pics of weather and Romero
sunny and nice below - not quite as nice above

cyclezen

nope, had it for a year now...
just hadn't ridden it but maybe 3x
toooo many bikes... decidin which ones to sell
I really like my Marins... the steelie and the ALU tunafish can...
then what do I do with the 3 Nagos, the Spec Roubaix, The Titan... uggh, there's more...
usin the S-works now soz I can decide if its a keeper...
some hard decisions, but I'm spendin too much time wrenchin and bein that I'm prolly gonna croak soon, I better whittle the stable down some, for the missus...

oh crap, and I don;t even wanna think about the MTBs...

Rip Van Winkle

Well, excuuuuuuseee meeeeee!!!!!!

I guess you missed the part where I said I'm not from Santa Barbara, and I bow to the expertise of the locals.

I actually used to get a kick out of riding on the freeways, but I guess I'm just not as freaked out by traffic as some folks are. Going back and looking at the original post I see now that the OP did request a route with less traffic.

umd

You're excused

I didn't miss the part where you said you weren't from Santa Barbara. Bad advice is bad advice, and if you aren't familiar with an area why would you give recommendations?

I'm not freaked out by traffic, I don't mind riding on the freeway when I have to, there just isn't any point to it as there are better roads. The only thing nice about riding on the freeway is that you get to go faster because of the draft from the traffic, but otherwise they are relatively featureless and boring.

cyclezen

and not to flame or pile on, but that section of the 101 may seem 'scenic', but it also has a reputation to be dangerous and deadly.
for the decades I've lived in the area, there have been plenty of episodes of cyclists/riders being struck by motor vehicles out there. Back in the 90's a group was plowed into and I seem to remember 2 guys died and one guy lost his leg, we're talkin from the hip down, lost. Incredibly, over the years I have seen him out ridin again, quite powerfully.
One of my best friend riders was hit out there, had his hip and back broken. Something he never quite recovered from, and even though a veritable locomotive, he did quit cycling. We both then ended up also ridin together on Motos. Sadly he moved away a few years back.
That section of 101, between Goleta and the Gaviota tunnel has serious accidents every couple weeks, with cagers injuring or killin themselves and others more frequently than any other place in the SB valley, except maybe the 154.
I avoid the 101 like the plague.

Rip Van Winkle

Roja, sorry if your thread got hijacked a little. I was only trying to be helpful.

Cyclezen, sorry about your friends. Your comments were very compelling, and I appreciate them.

umd, flame me again if it makes you feel better. However, I don't appreciate being rediculed when I'm only trying to help a fellow cyclist.

For the record;
The stretch of 101 from Gaviota to Goleta has been part of the Bikecentennial/Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast route for more than 30 years. I've ridden it several times, and have met many other riders who have. Other than a few narrow bridges along the way, I've never really heard any complaints about the ride prior to this. I agree that the tunnel at Gaviota is pretty bad, but that wasn't part of my original recommendation. It's a beautiful route that passes three top notch state beaches.

Back in the early eighties, I used to ride a half-century called the Kangaroo Baggs Tour and Tandem Rally. It ran from Ventura to Santa Barbara and back. They used to get over a thousand participants, so it couldn't have been that bad. It was a nice ride that went through portions of Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpenteria, Mussel Shoals, Seacliff, the Rincon and Ventura. Yes, part of the ride was on the freeway, but the shoulders there were very wide, and I never felt threatened. Of course, it's possible that the ride was discontinued because of the danger, I don't know. I do know, however, that I was out camping on the Rincon just last week, and saw quite a few cyclists making that trip.

At least now you know where I'm coming from. I didn't just pull this stuff out of my butt!

umd

You've got serious problems if you interpret my post as flaming you. I am simply pointing out that your recommendations are off base, particularly for the OP's question AND for the notion that the scenery is beautiful compared to so many other routes through the area.

If you read my reply to you, I said "you've got to be kidding" in response to the part of your post that I bolded, about the "beautiful scenery"

Rip Van Winkle

LOL! UMD, how did I know that you'd have something to add? Jeez, you're not a Republican, are you?

(I'm just teasing you, don't get bent out of shape over that last one, ok?)

Go ahead, and zing me again, and then let's put this one to rest. Perhaps we both misunderstood each other a little. No harm done.

Roja, enjoy your trip to Santa Barbara. I'm sure the locals there will take good care of you. It's a nice place, and one of the most bicyle friendly cities that I know. I wish that I could live there too!

umd

Thank got I'm not. Maybe you should go back to sleep for another 20 years?

Rip Van Winkle

Yeah, maybe I should! Jeez, I'm getting old!