I am probably the only one to ride along the beach down here. I feel like I am the main character in the "Halo" games, everywhere I ride where there are people, people are constantly making comments about the bike - esp the tires - all around me.
PM me for a ride!
dirtdad; 33.42 -117.62
Disclaimer: I own ComCycle USA, ride & enjoy participating in forums as a cyclist.
I'm in SoCal too. I live in Alhambra. I haven't done any beach riding yet, but I've been commuting through the city on my Mukluk. I've been posting pics here. I'd love to get together and ride with some fellow fatbikes some time.
I'm in Los Angeles and I ride Santa Monica/Venice/Marina/El Segundo/Manhattan Beach but right now schedule is pretty tight because of my baby so I ride the dawn patrol when I can. When I get more time I'll give you guys a shout.
I'm in Torrance. I ride the beaches at times and it appears that the life guards don't mind. Because of my schedule I usually will ride in the weekday mornings starting around 7:30. Still kind of leary of the salt water and the Pugs.
I ride OC and San Diego beaches. I wave at the life guards driving along the sand all the time, no problems. Heck, the nuclear power plant does not even mind. I ride at low tide becuase where I am, high tide can run up against a cliff or leave you with nothing but the super deep soft beach sand. Salt and sand water WILL wear out your bearings and drivetrain fast if you ride in it a lot. I wash the bike, I use Salt Away (get it a boat supply/marine store), WD40, etc. I still need to replace bearings and drivetrain bits a lot.
Originally Posted by Way
I'm in Torrance. I ride the beaches at times and it appears that the life guards don't mind. Because of my schedule I usually will ride in the weekday mornings starting around 7:30. Still kind of leary of the salt water and the Pugs.
dirtdad; 33.42 -117.62
Disclaimer: I own ComCycle USA, ride & enjoy participating in forums as a cyclist.
Good to know. I'd imagine that the weekends is the worst time to ride the beach. It would probably have to be really early to avoid the crowds. Although, as the temps drop, maybe that will be less of an issue.
Riding the beach when it is busy is really interesting. There are spots where it is crowded, but if you travel a long distance you begin to realize that the spots where there are people are actually pretty limited and concentrated. Most people experience the beach at a right angle to the shore. Surf bikers experience the beach parallel to the shore.
I am super careful in busy areas, the main thing you need to worry about is kids digging in the sand and running up and down with the surf. No one expects a bike to come from the side. I say hi to the kids to get their attention, try to identify their parents, slow way down, or climb up off of the optimal sand to get around them safely.
Off season is good for having less crowds for sure. But I kind of like the spotty crowds. I also like watching the surfers, talking about the bike, meeting people, etc. too.
Originally Posted by Area45
Good to know. I'd imagine that the weekends is the worst time to ride the beach. It would probably have to be really early to avoid the crowds. Although, as the temps drop, maybe that will be less of an issue.
dirtdad; 33.42 -117.62
Disclaimer: I own ComCycle USA, ride & enjoy participating in forums as a cyclist.
I live in San Pedro and purchased my Pug for its potential in the desert
I have toured the Red Rock Canyon area, SW corner of Joshua Tree, dry washes on
the backside of the San Gabriel mountains and a few other desert spots.
As for local beach touring it is nice to cruise the south bay in the winter when the
beaches are vacant.
My local coast rides on the Palos Verdes peninsula are kind of challenging with cobbled
beaches and hike-a-bikes around and over rocky points.
I have also done some beach rides on the central coast -lots of long lonesome
beaches there.
Group ride? That would be cool - a herd of fat bikes.
Hey, I caught a glimpse of you DirtDad as you went around the fence between Camp
Pendleton and Old Man's -Labor Day weekend --I was out in the water surfing at the
time--the next day I rode a long ways down the coast on the Pugs past the camp-
grounds.
I am sure that we me on Labor Day. The surf was outrageous, and not outrageous good, either, but the weather was nice.
I would LOVE to do a herd of fatbikes on So Cal beaches. That is why I started this thread. I have been riding the beaches solo for about 7 years now thinking of that. At one point it looked like Fatbikes were going to shrivel up, but now they are really getting popular.
This time of year most of the beaches are clearing out. I did Oceanside last weekend and plan to hit HB tomorrow AM, I have never ventured up there, I plan to find a place in Newport Beach to park. High tide is about 6:30, so that is about perfect. It is not a super low tide, but you can't be too picky. It just so happens I "vlogged" that ride on Labor Day. Watch in Youtube and see the whole playlist if you want to see lots. It features me blabbing and music video style:
Last edited by DirtDad; 10-21-2011 at 05:41 PM.
dirtdad; 33.42 -117.62
Disclaimer: I own ComCycle USA, ride & enjoy participating in forums as a cyclist.
I'm from San Diego. I saw some of these bikes at Interbike, and it certainly meets my requirement of something different from the other bikes in the quiver. Being an Engineer, I'll probably study this to death, come up with a "logical" justification, and then pull the trigger on a fat bike!
Here in Monterey Park in SGV. Gonna do an overnighter in Joshua Tree in early Nov and try to bring the pugs with me. Mainly going to videograph my buddies bouldering rock climb adventures.
Here in Monterey Park in SGV. Gonna do an overnighter in Joshua Tree in early Nov and try to bring the pugs with me. Mainly going to videograph my buddies bouldering rock climb adventures.
Let's meet up! I'm in Alhambra, near Fremont and Main.
I just rode across Catalina Island this weekend. We rode from Avalon to Little Harbor and camped. Then rode back to Avalon the next day. I rode the beach at Little Harbor. Only thing I was missing was a Packraft. I'll post a link to some pics soon.
I'm in San Diego county (La Mesa) area.
Just picked up my Pugsley this evening, and I can't wait to take her out.
We've got a cabin in Julian, so needless to say I'm looking forward to some snow.
Now my son wants one- I can think of worse things to lust over.
She's a stock 2011, so I'll be keeping busy doing some upgrading.
Would enjoy meeting some of you all for a ride sometime.
Damn,
I have class that day.
Sounds like a blast and only wish I could be there.
The visual of a bunch of fatbikes cruising the shoreline is just too good.
I ran into a guy on a half fat conversion this morning in Mission Trails. Lost track of the number of times he said "fun". He seemed very pleased with the results on the local ride which has several sandy spots and loose rocks in all the drainage areas at the bottom of the finger canyons. He also appreciated the small bump compliance on trails where there are lots of river rock half buried in the dirt. Good sales pitch on a beautiful morning. Getting closer to pulling the trigger.
Half fat would be nice, I guess, I have never tried one. They are relatively easy conversions. But in the sand what I am always fighting is the rear tire sinking in too much and losing traction, not the front so much. A front that is too big handles really slow. People love their half fats, but if I were king, I would design a bike that was the opposite. A fat rear tire, and a front that was as small as you could make it while giving you the float you need, however big that is.
Originally Posted by Devine Intervention
I ran into a guy on a half fat conversion this morning in Mission Trails.
dirtdad; 33.42 -117.62
Disclaimer: I own ComCycle USA, ride & enjoy participating in forums as a cyclist.
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Originally Posted by Way
