Category — biking

My dreams of chilling outside on the chaise lounge didn’t exactly pan out this weekend, since I spent both days doing wild bike rides at Sullivan Canyon.  The weather was pretty warm on Saturday, so we decided to take the shadier single trail up to the top.  I got almost to the top, then decided I would be having a lot more fun riding back down, so I did that instead.  It was a blast. 

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Santa Monica Beach is now officially “one of the Great Public Spaces in America today.”  Surfers, joggers and sun worshipers can rejoice in the knowledge that they are an intimate part of the success of the “birthplace of beach culture.”  For my part, I am going to celebrate by throwing on my bike shorts and taking a cruise along the bike path tonight to watch the sunset.

Here are some links that demonstrate why Santa Monica Beach is a Great Public Space:

• Santa Monica Pier
• Santa Monica Pier Cam
• Biking to the Music: Thursday Nights at the Santa Monica Pier
• City of Santa Monica Beach Information
• Santa Monica Beach Volleyball
• LA Bike Paths: Santa Monica & Venice

I have been a little bit hesitant to invest in a stationary exercise bicycle, because I have a lot of bad memories of the rickety, noisy one that my mom used mostly for hanging freshly ironed shirts.  It was a big waste of space, and induced more than its fair share of nighttime shin injuries.  However, I have been really intrigued by the stand bike trainers that allow you to use your current bike indoors like a stationary bike.  Indoor trainers seem like a great way to make the most of my time in front of the TV, or on those nights when I don’t feel brave enough to face traffic for my workout.  Plus, trainers waste a lot less space than conventional exercise bikes.

Here are some great links on choosing the right bicycle trainer:

Bicycling: Indoor Bicycle Trainer Guide

Outside: The Gear Junkie Scoop: Turin Bike Trainer

Cycling Review: A Bicycle Trainer: Critical to Cycling Fitness!

The Gadgets Page: CycleOps Mag Indoor Bike Trainer

I generally avoid anything spandex or flashy out of habit, but the following items have me convinced it’s time to upgrade my cycling gear:

Even though Astana is my favorite team, I really love the design and colors of the Team Slipstream/Chipotle jersey designed especially for women by Pearl Izumi.  Plus, the jersey is a great reason to buy these awesome matching Arm Warmers:

These award-winning Satin Shorts from Trashy Cat have also caught my attention:

It doesn’t really get cold enough for heavy jackets in Southern California, but I really, REALLY love the SheFox Thermal Jacket by SheBeest and may have to find colder places to ride!

I am on my way out to Las Vegas for the weekend to check out the 2008 Cactus Cup mountain bike race and festival.  Although I will only be watching the races and not riding, I am pretty excited because it’s the first Cactus Cup since 2001.  I think the Expo will be pretty fun as well; I am hoping I’ll get a chance to check out some new bike gear while I am there.   Ride Guide is supposed to be broadcasting coverage, but I checked out their site and it doesn’t seem like they are broadcasting live.  Hopefully I’ll get some pictures and videos to post next week!

Here’s a clip to kick off the weekend:

I saw a guy out on the trail a few weeks back who seemed to be wearing a skateboard helmet instead of a bike helmet.  However, it turns it out it was a super stylish bike helmet by Jorg & Olif.

I was so intrigued by the Jorg & Olif helmet that I was motivated to do a little helmet hunting around the internet, and found a few more inspired interpretations of the standard bike helmet:

Yakkay makes bicycle helmets that can be accessorized with funky covers that look like real hats.

I first saw these Sawako Furano helmets on Treehugger.  These beautiful designs will definitely make an impression.

Unfortunately, Roar Helmets are just for kids!  Too bad, they are really cool!

Nutcase Helmets are designed to be used with multiple sports, so they are great for people who bike and skate or snowboard.

I was pleasantly surprised to see an article in this month’s Bicycling magazine that names some of the best bike routes across the country. Our very own Mandeville Canyon made the cut, in spite of recent bad press about crazy motorists attacking cyclists.

The route that David Zabriskie of Team Garmin/Chipotle outlines for Bicycling allows road bike riders to enjoy a little of the off-road beauty surrounding Mandeville Canyon Road without damaging skinny tires, but it can also be easily modified as a point of departure for mountain bike riders who want a little road time. (Or for people who want to avoid Sepulveda altogether–I think that road would be quite frightening on a bike!)

I think a great variation to Zabriskie’s route, especially for people who LOVE climbing, is to start at Sunset as suggested, then turn left on Westridge Rd. and start climbing. The ascent up Mandeville Rd. is much more gradual, and I personally have only ever done the climb up Westridge starting from Bayliss Rd, but it’s a personal goal of mine to do the whole climb sometime in the near future, so I encourage other more adventurous riders to give it a try.

Once at the fire road, Mandeville can be accessed by more climbing up to the Gardenland trail (if you’re on a mountain bike) or by Dirt Mulholland. I don’t recommend taking a road bike on to the fire road right now, because the dirt has been pretty loose with lots of gravel recently, but if you know of anyone successfully navigating it on a road bike, let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

If you’d rather not risk skinny tires on the fire road, the ride down Westridge to Mandeville is exhilarating and provides great views of the ocean, Santa Monica and West LA, which is a great treat after all that climbing to the top of the hill.

All my weekday bike workouts combined with the weekend rides around Sullivan Canyon have gotten me to the point where I think I am prepared to handle a long ride out and back from the Westridge Fire Road to Topanga State Park. This Reseda Backbone Area and Topanga State Park map gives a good general idea of the the route we’ll be taking; I think we will aim for Eagle Rock and then see how far we feel like pedaling after that.

The great thing about my CamelBak backpack is that it is roomy enough to carry a nice sized lunch for two people (or even a six pack of beer if you really wanted ), in addition to a 70 oz. hydration bladder, so I have yet to run out of fuel on a ride. The down side is that it weighs a little bit more when it is all loaded up, and sometimes heavy items get lost at the bottom of that roominess–like the bike lock I rode around Sullivan Canyon with a few weeks ago. Grrrr. But I guess the extra weight helps make my legs stronger…hopefully strong enough for the ride to Topanga and back!

At any rate, Topanga State Park is a great destination for hiking and biking, so here are some links for more information:

• Bike Map Dude: Topanga State Park Featured Rides
• Modern Hiker: Hiking Eagle Rock and Temescal Peak
• Topanga Nature/Wildlife
• GORP: Sullivan Ridge/Backbone Trail

It somehow completely slipped my mind that there are free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier every Thursday in the summer. Last Thursday, I was pleasantly surprised as I rolled back along the bike path from Malibu and straight into the melodic sounds floating in the air. If I hadn’t already been late, I would have stopped and enjoyed the great atmosphere. Lots of people had picnic baskets and blankets, and it looked like they were having a ton of fun.

I noticed that they have a free bike valet right next to the bike path by the Santa Monica Pier, so I will definitely be taking advantage of that for the final concert on August 28th, “An Evening with Toots & The Maytals.” With any luck, I’ll also make this week’s show, Peter & Gordon and Gerry & The Pacemakers. I love listening to the oldies but goodies at the beach! I am just sorry that I forgot about the concert series until now!

If you enjoy cycling and would like to expose your child to it too, there are some safe ways to do so. You may want to hit clear paths to help them get used to riding on dirt, rocks and twigs first. There are all types of kid bicycles and motorized bikes you can train your children on. You can find something for every stage of bike riding – from training wheels to extreme dirt biking.

For the really early stages, you can attach your little one’s stroller to the back of your bike.

This is the Chariot Corsaire XL Bicycle Trailer, perfect for bringing along your young child on biking trails with you. Some even fit two children.

Of course there’s the traditional child bike seat, which is attached to the back of your bike.

After having some practice with training wheels, you can purchase this to ensure they don’t wander off or get lost with this InStep Pathfinder Bicycle Trailer. The two back wheels detach, and it can be attached to any bike.

Stepping up from the bicycle trailer is this towable trailer. It comes with practicing training wheels and a detachable towing device for outdoor trips.

For the children who are beyond training wheels and towing behind mom and dad and are ready for Moto-X, there are kids dirt bikes made specifically for youngsters. These are scaled down versions of actual dirt bikes and look extra cool. Surely your tween would enjoy one. Some go up to 17 mph.