Riding in LA
Thread started by
PhillySpokes at 08.22.08 - 1:27 pm
Hey I'm moving from Philthadelphia to LA in a few weeks and I am wondering what the riding scene is like out there. Philly has a big bike culture so drivers are kind of used to us, and the streets are so narrow and the blocks are so short that really, bikes rule the traffic game out here. Whats it like in LA? Are there a lot of side streets for getting around? Are drivers conscious of bike commuters? Are some areas better than others?
I intend to take my rides out there and I defiantly want to catch one of your group rides, but what is the commuter scene out there like?
Any info will help.
Thanks
Scott
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PROPS for a guy who has most certainly ridden "THE WALL".
Philly is much better for drivers being polite to cyclist in my opinion.
Out here you are nothing on a bike, compared to an over paid teen actor, driving his/her brand new beer/shampoo comercial paid for, BMW or MERCEDES, and they are only 17.
They are gods gift to society!!!
parlorbikes08.22.08 - 1:34 pm
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the city is spread out and the streets are wide. but it's not as bad as the media would have you think... the faster you ride the safer you are as you blend in with traffic rather than "obstructing" it. Few drivers here feel that bikes are traffic unfortunately but that is changing.... the streets are shitty in a lot of areas especially on the east side, though you will come across potholes and grating everywhere. Drivers are ignorant and tend to not want to share the road. prepare to be yelled at. but also prepare to laugh histerically as you pass them while they are parked in insane traffic.
BUT
No other city on the earth is rocking it the way we do in Los Angeles. Look at the calendar ---> there are all kinds of social rides, party rides, fast paced rides, rides for the fuck of it rides all for which the community comes out and has a ton of fun. clique-y behaviour has not set it and I don't think it will.
hey If you like fast paced rides consider this a personal invite to Wolfpack Hustle you will see the entire city in one night. If you like to party hit up C.R.A.N.K. Mob if you like to cruise along and see the sites hit up any Midnight Ridazz ride... fuck it. hit them all, you will find a group ride that suits you. Introduce yourself when you get to town. It's a large community spanning the entire city and everyone more or less has love for each other.
Roadblock08.22.08 - 1:34 pm
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Mostly seat of your pants riding...
Most drivers don't know how to react when they see a bike on the road...
Most don't understand the concept of "share the road"...
Most don't realize that a bike can hang and roll pretty fast...
Bottom line:
Be aggressively visable, but ride defensively...
el zilcho08.22.08 - 1:36 pm
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As you may have heard Los Angeles is really spread out so there may be a few bike commuters but there is no commuter "scene". We are still at a stage where we see a random person on a bike and we rubberneck "Do I know him/her?".
If you know where you are going to go to school or work in Los Angeles, try to find a place to rent close by and you'll be fine.
If you are coming to LA to break into the Film Industry chances are you'll be freelancing ie working all over the place and that's not possible to do without a car.
6am call 30 miles from your house and no public transportation?
Other than that. The social bike scene is very awesome. Everybody's nice and friendly and if you have beard like I see you do you'll get laid all the time esp if you like dudes. :-)
,
marino08.22.08 - 1:46 pm
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OMG, Scott. Get ready.
Whats it like in LA?
It's fucking fun as hell is what it's like. Every ride is an adventure.
Are there a lot of side streets for getting around?
Yes. For commuting, I prefer the thoroughfares, unless the road's really shitty. The cars go faster, it's true, but the roads
tend to be better maintained, and they're wider. Other people will chime in with their opinions, I'm sure.
Are drivers conscious of bike commuters?
No. Usually, they don't even see us. Be prepared for that. Also, might wanna read up on the vehicle code. I know, it's annoying, but having that knowledge at the ready can shut up an assy driver pretty quickly.
Are some areas better than others?
Yes. There are so many areas to Los Angeles, it'd be hard to detail them all here. Where will you be moving to/commuting to? Or do you know yet?
I intend to take my rides out there and I defiantly want to catch one of your group rides, but what is the commuter scene out there like?
The city being big as it is, and with everyone having their favorite route to get anywhere, I found commuting to be kind of a solo thing. But maybe other people in other areas of town have a different experience.
The short answer is, biking is blowin' up in LA. But car drivers still think it's a driving town, and there's still a lot to do to make it as bikey as other cities like Portland, San Francisco, and it sounds like Philadelphia. But because it's hard, and it's weird, one thing we've got is community. We take care of our own. You'll see this on any ride you come on. It's kinda nuts.
katiepoche08.22.08 - 1:51 pm
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just remember this... RIDE LIKE YOU ARE COMPLETELY INVISIBLE.
Roadblock08.22.08 - 1:55 pm
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"We take care of our own. You'll see this on any ride you come on. It's kinda nuts."
Yeah, pretty much
imachynna08.22.08 - 1:56 pm
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by the way... THE L.A. BOGANS ARE COMING!!!
what's a bogan? hint: they're from Australia.
Jazzy Phat Nastee08.22.08 - 2:02 pm
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Wow, that sounds pretty good. I mean, in philly the scene is so cliquey that my friends and I never really participated. It sounds like the riding is harder out there but the community is ill as shit. I'll be down soon with my cruiser and my fuji, hit you guys then.
peace,
scott
PhillySpokes08.22.08 - 2:26 pm
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We got cliquey too but it's not mandatory.
marino08.22.08 - 2:29 pm
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actually we GOT 2 (TWO) YES COUNT THEM,
1: ELITE CORE
2:CORE ELITE
AND BELIEVE ME, THEY BOTH SUCK !!
DON'T GET INTO THERE 'NOSE IN THE AIR" ATTITUDE.
ALSO WE GOT 'HIPSTERS' THAT REFUSE TO CLAIM VICTORY.
eddieboyinla08.22.08 - 2:36 pm
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BOGANS IN FLANNIES.
oh shit.
next there's be westies.
westies with souped up cars, mullets, and Cold Chisel collections.
Bike God, save us.
ephemerae08.22.08 - 2:52 pm
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Riding in LA is awesome because the weather is always perfect for it. _ALWAYS_.
I personally haven't encountered all that many problems with drivers in LA. Ride defensively, take up your space, and you'll be fine. There is the occasional 17 year old asshole in a car, but you usually catch up to them at the stoplight, and if it's a girl I like to chat them up (be nice and they listen!) and if it's a dude send them an air kiss or something that they're not expecting.
Check out
http://www.lafixed.com/, they have faster-paced rides and a little different community.
There is also the weekend-warrior lycra scene. The only time I rode with those guys was early on a Saturday morning after partying at C.R.A.N.K. Mob all night. They were actually surprisingly slow. Plus I don't think it was Tecate (don't know what that is? prepare to find out!) that they had in their water bottles.
The other pleasure of LA riding is the bike path on Santa Monica and Venice beaches. Check out all the cute girls in bikinis! Pimp out your bike and they will give you compliments about it!
Oh yeah, and we're serious when we say NO RIDA LEFT BEHIND!
vladster08.22.08 - 3:11 pm
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i started riding 2 weeks ago or something
daily 8 miles.
i most agree with them^^^
drivers dont expect you to be on the road so they really slow down and are afraid to pass, well in my exp.
i rarely ride on the side streat bcs i hit a nice bmw one time
but you definitely see people riding on the sidewalks.
welcome to la holmes
aksendz08.22.08 - 11:21 pm
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Yeah, as Marino mentioned - if you plan on working in the business, you must have a car. I will never hire a PA who doesn't have a car. It sucks that skill set is still limited to owning a car here but its critical to the production for you to make runs, etc.
stevo408.23.08 - 1:22 am
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THE LA BOGANS ARE COMING (we're almost here!!)
July08.23.08 - 2:22 am
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