I had a great time with my family (my wife, two kids) and 20+ fellow MTB’rs and three of us on Unis - my 29/125, a 29/150, and a 26/137 muni. We ran across a couple of muni friends on their 36’rs and only saw one other uni the whole route!
We started at the Beverly/Vermont Redline station just after 10am and went out to Hollenbeck and back, stopping for lunch downtown on the return leg.
Got LOTS of attention all day, I think there are 100 photos of me out there on 100 cameras! Had to drop a bike rider who gave me a friendly challenge on a short, steep climb
We are organizing another awesome beach ride on Sunday, 10/23/11. Meeting place will be the Huntington beach pier at 9am. We plan to ride South to the “Wedge” in Newport (like last time) and maybe intersect with the Santa Ana River trail for a few extra miles, then back to the pier. I’ll post again as that date draws near.
Today (9/10/11) was Another awesome 26.2 miles of Big wheeled fun-ness at the annula Long Beach Marathon. I rode it non-stop and filmed while riding…shooting at least 20 minutes of footage along the way, and still managed to finish in 2:11.
Took a while just to get through the start line due to thousands of two-wheelers bottle necking at the start, and it took a good mile or so before things opened up enough to get a good pace going. I had switched my 110 moments for the lighter QuAx 114’s and they worked well, although I think I’m a tad faster with the 110’s.
Newest riding buddy, Clay, drove all the way in from San Diego, and I think there were a couple more one-wheelers out there too. Such a blast!
The crowds were great, and they sounded like a people at a rock concert, haha! Here’s the video, and I hope you enjoy.
Back from Ciclavia! Had a great time with David and Jeff. Thanks guys! Came across a few other riders on our way. The weather couldn’t have been more better.
Next Sunday, 10/16, is also open for a beach ride starting at Torrance beach, and riding north towards Santa Monica. If anyone wants to do this ride, a good start time would be about 9am.
Sorry we missed you! Kevin, Jeff and I rode the length of the course from the west end out and back… had lunch by City Hall. We ran into the two 36’ers from Santa Barbara. That makes, let’s see, at least 10 unicyclists by my count. I happen to know for a FACT that that’s a Ciclavia record!
Next time (either 4 or six months from now TBA), we should make a specific plan for a post-ride get together (maybe a downtown LA waterring hole).
And glad to hear of your success in Long Beach, Terry. Hoping to throw a rope around some of you guys for a couple of the slowest night rides in the near future. Will post something up shortly.
Here’s a couple of Night Rides that happen to be my regular and favorite rides. Los Angeles Critical Mass is HERE on Facebook.
Time: Ride rolls at 729pm on the last Friday of each month.
Place: Wilshire and Western
Size: 1,000 to 2,000 riders
Speed: 9-12mph average
Distance: 27miles average
Uni-friendly factor: 2-3 breaks about 15 minutes each. Ride is paced to be a “rolling conversation” so 36’ers are easy and 29’ers can keep up with some work.
Unique because: The only ride in LA that includes a rolling partnership with LAPD. They ride with us on bikes and motorcycles, in addition to protecting the ride from red lights (you get to roll just about EVERY stop light).
And then there’s the FMLY ride… a little more intimate and slow with a good entertainment factor. You can find their Facebook page HERE.
Time: Ride rolls at 8:00 pm on the first Saturday of each month.
Place: Crankmob park, aka Media Park (crotch of Culver and Venice boulevards)
Size: 300 to 600 riders
Speed: 9-11mph average
Distance: 24miles average
Uni-friendly factor: Lots of guys ride “freak bikes” (tall bikes, etc) so we fit right in. Also, the ride is in short segments (see below)
Unique because: They stage 3-4 bands in urban areas throughout the ride, so you ride about 4-7 miles then enjoy an Indy band, then roll again for 4-7 miles and hear the next one, etc.
Reply here or PM me if you want more details on either of these!!
We met one rider at the start who rode with us briefly and then we got separated (Red Nimbus 29er). If you are around chime in and say hello. We met another rider, Oscar (pictured above on the far left) near city hall. At the end of the route we met the two 36 riders from Thousand Oaks (sorry - not remembering everyone’s name ). With the above post from Namlak that makes 10. I also saw a guy on a 20" Torker on our way out, we exchanged hellos but never met. That makes 11 though!
Here are a couple more pics of Jeff (ThisGuyIKNow) and David (DancesOnH2O).
I try to stay away from Critical Masses since they are never really Masses, but a bunch of Hipsters on Fixies that go about 20mph making illegal moves throughout a city.
I try NEVER to ride in traffic if at all avoidable, and especially never at night! MUni trails, Beach bike paths and organized events like the marathon where the routes are totally closed to motorized vehicles.
I’m going to be in Pasadena tomorrow through Saturday. I know it’s not OC, but I was hoping someone could let me know of a nice Muni or road ride nearby. I will be at a science conference and will have a few hours here and there.
What level do you Muni at and what wheel/crank setup do you have? How are you on technical descents and/or climbs? We frequently Muni at Cherry Canyon by Descanso Gardens in La Canada - not far from Pasadena. It’s not too technical, though there are a number of challenging elements - short/sharp climbs, rocky sections, difficult turns with camber and elevation changes, some sustained climbing, etc.
El Prieto/Brown Mountain would be considered very difficult climbing and descending (1,700 feet worth of each!) with switchbacks, rocks, drops, and exposure. My skills have progressed enough (Started muni in January), that I’d like to give it a go.
I’m available Friday afternoon about 4pm or Saturday morning for a ride. I can give you a lift, too. I assume you’re in town for something at JPL or Caltech?
RIDE WITH ME on Sunday, 10/23/11!
The meetup location will be Torrance/Redondo Beach. Street parking is free. This scenic ride will take you through all the well known beach cities including Manhattan, Marina Del Rey, Venice, Santa Monica, and Will Rogers State beach.
If we ride the entire round trip it’s about 44 miles , but the group can decide how far we go. We never rush and enjoy the sights, and usually stop at Venice to walk around the famous boardwalk, checking out the wild & crazy street performers.
There’s also some great places to eat in the area, but we could also ride a bit further and eat at the Santa Monica Pier where they have pizza, burritos and burgers. This time of year makes for the perfect group ride, so come on out and join us!
Mbalmer and I had a nice road ride through Griffith Park here in L.A. on Friday evening! We rode approximately 14 miles with about 1,600 feet of elevation gain crossing the Hollywood Hills twice with an out-and-back to the historic Griffith Observatory.
After riding with Namlak through Griffith Park, I attempted Fargo Street the next day. I was not able to make it up to the top without a couple of stops. Such a short distance too . Here I am ALMOST at the top.
Now I have a goal to work toward. Changes I’ll make the next time I ride this road: Don’t do it in 80 degree heat, Use a lighter unicycle (I used the 26" geared), and don’t ride after a huge meal. I may have a chance at success. I could not ride straight up though. I had to zig zag up the street. I wonder what the grade is when zig zagging?
After the Fargo attempt I rode up to Chantry Flats. It was cake walk compared to Fargo, though it was now above 90 degrees. Once finished with that ride, I drove back to San Jose.
Woo!! Epic 48 mile Beach Cities Spectacular today, with my buddy Clay, his wife Alicia (on her bike) and me. This was such a blast and we loved every minute of it, and didn’t want it to end! Video coming up!
). With the above post from Namlak that makes 10. I also saw a guy on a 20" Torker on our way out, we exchanged hellos but never met. That makes 11 though!
, but the group can decide how far we go.
. Here I am ALMOST at the top.
