magbike

Bad idea? Will it be too cold? A friend and I want to start in North Los Angeles and go up the coast to San Francisco.

I did some initial research and it seems like we should be able to pull it off in 8 days (especially if we start in North LA) which is the total amount of time I get off work for Christmas.

However, another person mentioned that it would be insane to do it given how cold it will be. I figured that I should go to the Bike Forums to ask :-)

Any comments or advice? Thanks

peckma

Most people go north to south, as the winds tend to come out of the north. Cold? If you consider night time lows in the mid 30s cold, then it will be cold. Daytime temps can vary from 50s to 70s.

spdntrxi

North to south is way better (winds).. it's very cold in NorCal right now… highs in the 50's.. low in the 20's

johnny99

Winds come out of the north mostly during the summer. Winter winds are much lighter, however winter is the rainy season in northern and central California. "It never rains in southern California" said someone.

jabantik00

going south to north puts the ocean and the better ocean views on the other side of the road.
the short day lengths can be a bit of a bummer if you are on a tight schedule or if you are camping.
it may or may not be cold, and it may or may not rain, but december is one of the colder, rainier months for california.

johnny99

December is actually not much colder along the coast because there is much less fog and wind during the winter. The ocean keeps the nighttime temperatures well above freezing year round. Rain can be an issue; while most days are sunny, it can rain for several days in a row.

patrickgm60

+1. You may want to decide after checking the forecasts for the days you have in mind. The ride could be truly miserable, regardless of the view, if its raining all day.

Scooper

I've done S.F. to L.A. in June twice, but never south to north and never in the winter. It'll be cold and probably wet, so take clothes to dress in layers and rain gear.

Personally, I think it would be miserable.

Bikegeek1968

But when it does, watch out.

ovoleg

in this cold weather? no thanks jeff