whats next big climb for me? suggestions..
 

i usually ride griffith park > mt hollywood to observatory then go back up to mt hollywood via vista del valle dr then around the golf course. another ride is camino san rafael to chevy chase/lida loop. 2 weeks ago i finally did GMR and did it non stop then we went back down from the back to East Fork and back to encanto where we started. i started cross training now with MTB and already did carbon canyon(northridge) and Aliso canyon(matthis). Whats next big climb should i take after my GMR ride? angeles crest or malibu(latigo canyon)? which one is harder?

GMR to the lifts. ACH to Dawson's Saddle

Encanto to Crystal lake (and on to Dawson's saddle if you're feeling it)

Onyx

How far up GMR did you go? The village is mandatory and the lifts add a certain je-ne-sais-quois to your morning.

is gmr to the lifts harder than doing gmr reverse(coming from east fork)?

we did the 9 mile to the ranger station then went back down from the backside to east fork and back to encanto. gotta check this downsons saddle.

Hopefully you can see this: I even included a detour to the crystal lake cafe on the way up: Encanto to Dawson's Saddle - A bike ride in L.A., CA

I haven't actually ridden it yet. Too chicken.

Yes, might even say it's twice as hard.

hmmm...some 12%. im not sure if im ready for this ride..lol

just the first 2 climbs at camino san rafael at 13% were already killing me and those arent even a half mile long i think

I have actually ridden it, several times (a dozen or more) and there's no need for chicken-(ness). From Encanto to Crystal Lake road is 23 mi. of pretty much constant climbing (3 micro-descents). Then 2 mi. to Crystal Lake Cafe where food and drinks are available.

Then you have 6 miles of the closed part of Hwy 39 (new signs indicate it's very closed now!) to get to CA Hwy 2 (Angeles Crest). When you get to Hwy 2, turn right and it's 5 mi. to Dawson Saddle (7,901 feet of elevation). Overall a vey fun climb!

Yes, the Mt. Baldy Ski-Lift climb is more difficult but from Baldy Lodge it's only 4.6 mi. with 2,000 ft. of climbing. So . . . quite do-able but certainly not easy. I did it last Sat. in fact; all kinds of (climbing) fun!

Onyx is also a great climb (and part of Breathless Agony). You can start from the Ranger station on Hwy 38 and just keep going, up Damnation Alley, around the Forest Falls U-Turn, then up to Angleus Oaks (food and drinks available), then 20 miles (really 19.7) to Onyx Summit at 8,443 feet of elevation.

And then there's Mt. Palomar. It would be a bit of a drive to the start, and you will have lots of motorcycles going up and down, but . . . it is a beautiful climb (9 miles @ 9% on the severe climb bit) with a lovely market/cafe at the summit for food and drinks.

Rick / OCRR

i'll look into this...i honestly didnt find gmr that hard..it was just long..my legs and breathing was fine. only had a lower back pain but my buddy said its probably due to my saddle being to far back. i already adjusted it forward and felt so much better now. i think camino san rafael and chevy chase were harder than gmr but just shorter.

4.6 miles 2000 feet...now thats pretty intense climbing..not too sure if im ready for that

Quite do-able, just don't hammer up it at the start, leave something for the "Bowling Alley" section near the top. It's 1/4 mile @ 18%. That gets your attention!

A pro rider (Joe Dombrowski) went up those 4.6 miles at 12.6 mph during the Tour of Calfornia a few years back. Me? I'm riding less than half that fast at 5.2 mph. So yes, you can do it . . . but how fast can you do it, that is the question.

Rick / OCRR

sounds good! i'll continue to train for it :)

Here is a combination of climbs you might like. I rode on Saturday, but at least this time of year, you'll not want to spend too much time at any of the food/water stops (or if you do . . . bring lights)..

Five of us started at 8:00AM from Encanto Park in Duarte. We got on the SGRT very close to the park, then merged with Hwy 39 a mile or so later. We took Hwy 39 to the Crystal Lake turn-off and from there 2 miles to the Crystal Lake Café, where we had lunch.

After lunch we descended to East Fork. At this point, 2 of our riders took Hwy 39 back to the park, i.e. an out-and-back route. Three of us took East Fork to Camp Williams and after a short food/water stop rode Little GMR up to the GRR/GMR junction. At this point, 2 riders went down Big GMR and took Sierra Madre back to the start.

I took GRR over to Mt. Baldy Village, filled my bottles at the Lodge and rode back over GRR to GMR, then to Sierra Madre and back to the park. Total miles: 96.2 (not quite a century). Total climbing: 11,161 feet.

Strava: Bike Ride Profile | Encanto to Crystal Lake Cafe, Camp Williams, GRR to Mt. Baldy Village, back GRR/GMR near Duarte | Times and Records | Strava
Garmin: Garmin Connect

This route strings together several good climbs and I think you would like it.

Rick / OCRR

It should be clear to anybody reading that Rick@OCRR errs on the side of "more climbing is better than less climbing". That's a heck of a day in the saddle Rick! :thumb:

Gandor - if you like climbing, the lifts are doable with the right equipment. I have a compact crank and for the lifts installed a 11-32 cassette and made it up. Rick is much slimmer than I am and I think he just uses his 32 cog for the particularly difficult bits. If you don't already have a 32 cog, you might want to incorporate that into your planning (or you could probably get away with a 30 if you're using Shimano)

Another fun climb... the palm springs tramway. Only 4 miles, but it's a beast.

Like you said, you should have the right equipment. I did gmr(5%) fine on my 12 speed, but I can't handle baldy(8%) without it feeling like a knee torture exercise.

Thanks TrojanHorse,

Yes that was a good day of climbing, but it was peanuts compared to my current top climbing day which was over 20,000 feet in 206 miles on the Devil Mountain Double in NorCal. That was brutal!

Yes, I agree with your advice to gandor to try to fit a 32t rear cog and a compact crankset. You are also correct that I ride most of the ski-lift climb in my 34x28, only switching to the 32 for the "bowling alley" section near the summit.

Have yet to try the Palm Springs tramway . . . but it's on my short list!

Rick / OCRR

i was actually planning on switching to a 32 cog and with this suggestion of yours then it sounds like a must have for me before i hit mt baldy..current have 11-28t and struggling anything over 10% grade. thx!

already have a compact crankset so all i need is a 32 cog setup...already called incycle and quoted me about $300 installed(cog set, chain, and rear derailleur. i'll probably get it done after bikethecoast this weekend.

Plenty of non-superhero people do this climb or any of the others here in a 34x28. I'd advise trying it with the 28 before spending your money.

Right, I agree, you may not need the 32 so try it with your 28 first. The first time I did the Ski-Lift climb it was with a 39 x 27, so you may be okay with what you have. At least ride it first to find out!

Rick / OCRR

I did Ganado first time last week at Palos Verdes. No computer but my guess was somewhere around 18-20% I'm sure google maps will tell you what it is.

We'll be doing a Whittier Hills ride this Sat. Nov. 8th with an 8:00AM start from the TGI Fridays parking lot in Brea, on Birch, across from Brea Mall.

About 60 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing; no super long climbs but lots of short steep ones (including ascending the dreaded Descending!).

Rick / OCRR

Palomar. ~1 hour.

We're riding GMR/GRR this Sunday if you'd like to join us. 8:00 AM depart from Boulder Springs in Glendora!

Riding to Mt. Baldy Village with the Ski-Lifts as an optional extra credit climb. Maybe see you there!

Rick / OCRR