Ride Report 1st Time Aliso = To Hell With Aliso :)

Following up on my first “real” mtb riding experience last Sunday at Whiting and then hitting Whiting again on Veterans day, I went out on Aliso. I rode with my friend Johnny both times and again today, but my friend Trent joined us on this one. Aliso is his home trail, he lives right there at the bottom of Canyon Vistas. I didn't even know there was a trailhead there, I just remember the church entrance off of Alicia. Anyhow, on to the ride report . . .

First off, to hell with Aliso. Let me repeat, to hell with Aliso. We come in at that park at the bottom of Canyon Vistas and I am digging it. Some fire road and then we veer off to the right into some single track. That is my kind of riding. One sketchy section right at the end of the single track where you turn right, climb immediately, and then that kind of sketchy drop almost did me in. Still I was cool. A little more fire road. Then . . . WTF!?!?!?!? Mathis. Hell no. Did Trent not hear me when I said I was out of shape and new to this?

If you recall from my Whiting RR, I had to stop a few times just getting to Mustard and only made it 1/5 or so the way up before hike a bike. That was a leisurely cruise compared to Mathis. It took me two times just to get going. MTB climbing is different from road climbing. The front wheel ket coming up and I'd have to bail. 2nd, err, maybe 3rd try I got a tip to keep my weight back and lean forward. I made it a couple hundred yards. After a bit of hike a bike, there was a somewhat level section. Got up again, at this point, lactic death, pinch in the chest, lungs popping out my ribcage, and made it a bit further. A mix of hike a bike and a little climbing I finally see the ridge . . . the decepticon ridge. My friend Trent rides back down, “let's go.” Dude, let me rest. He tells me, this only a 1/3 of the way. I almost died right there. Call the chopper. I was spent. I kept going with a mix of hike a bike and climbing, mostly hike a bike.

Finally, like an hour later, we get there and Trent and Johnny are waiting for me, ready to go. I just got there I was about to pass out, but they had been waiting 10 minutes so were ready to go. Then, “We are going up there. Top of the World.” Hell with that. After almost puking, I hop on and make it to the little lookout to the ocean. After a little breather, climb a bit more, then walk of shame begins. At this point I am seeing Elvis and pink elephants and fairies. After a long walk, I climbed the last bit of TOW and chilled at the benches a bit.

Up next is when I decided, to hell will Aliso. Coming down top of the world, f that ish. To hell with that. Never agin. That was sketchy. Call me sissy la la, I don't care. That is not for me. That one steep section is too sketchy. Ruts and rocks and way too fast. I am no adrenaline junky. The climb sucked, but downhill from TOW was not my cup of tea. Plus, right in the sketchy section . . . "Pop! Clink, clink, clink. . . . rear spoke breaks, wheel gets tweaked, and almost ate it going way too fast. This part isn't an exaggeration, it was too close of a call. Then it stops being fun. I am just not into that kid of speed uneven road. More power to you if that is your thing.

We bent the broken spoke around another spoke and continued on. Instead of down Mathis (no way I ever do that) we took the fork to the left. Now I can do that kind of downhill. The brakes worked on that downhill and there was dirt and no ruts. But the bike was pretty beat up at that poimt and it was probably in better shape than me. The rest of the way out was more my style. We exited down a paved road and out into the neighborhood with my rear wheel wobbling.

This is what I learned, I don't like downhill. I don't like climbing, but that is just because I need to get into shape and burn off burrito gut. But I REALLY don't like downhill. That top of the world downhill . . . never again.

So what type of riding do you call it where you like riding through singletrack, through some trees, cruise through a meadow, etc.? I dig that. Out in nature, having fun, cruising. That's all me. Where do I go for that? Whiting with Cactus and what not was much more my thing. And Mustard seems like a driveway after Mathis → Top of the World. To hell with Aliso. The bike is in seeing the doc. To think I was looking at dropping ~$1,400 on an El Mariachi, but I may have been scared back into riding my CrossCheck along the paved SART.

 

You can buy a beach cruiser and ride back and forth on Coyote Run a couple of times.

Edit: Get out and ride a lot. I remember when I was starting moutnain biking. Downhills scared the *hit out of me and I had to hike a bike for any trails leading up to West Ridge. Just keep riding and get stronger. Once you're there, you'll become masochistic like me and love climbing. Funny thing is, my friend got me to clean Mathis before I could clean Cholla.

 

Mr. Planet - too much too soon. I started mt. biking in Colorado in 1989. When I moved out here in '99, I couldn't believe how hard the trails were comparatively. I missed the flowing singletrack through pines and aspens. I have become a much better rider, however.

Too many people take newbies to Aliso and say "It's easy." Aliso is steep. Every run except Coyote is steep. There are no easy ways up or easy ways down. If you want stuff like Coyote - trails that go up a little, down a little, left, right, up, down, flowy singletrack...Hmmm. The "back" side of Whiting is the best flowy singletrack around Orange County. Yes, Mustard is a bitch, but Cactus, Sleepy Hollow, Serrano and Live Oak are worth the climb. You could always just do those as an out and back and skip Mustard. Get some miles under your belt. I hear San Clemente Singletracks are flowy, although there are some short stout climbs (like 50 yds, not 2 miles). Stick with these until you are grinning ear to ear and begging for more. Or, take Andrew's advice above. Good Luck!

 

Aliso is different. I dont really like riding there, but its one of the closest place to where I live right now.

Dont give up on downhill and climbing just yet. Aliso has a weird way of seemingly endless riding when its actually really short. I have been out there with a group and people and asked "how far we just rode, maybe 10 miles?" No... the people with the GPS tell me more like 3 miles.



Peters Canyon isnt much climbing or hard downhills.

 

@BikeThe Planet:

I'm going to make a suggestion that will make me a target of extreme scorn and ridicule, but I am being serious:

Ride the Fully Loop.

It's reasonable short and has a little bit of everything. The climbs aren't too painful (and the ones that are are mercifully short) and there's bailout points and bypasses just about everywhere.

It's a good place to up your fitness as well as learn a few fundamental bike skills.

Another good place (if it still exists) is Waterworks in Ladera Ranch and some of the surrounding riverbed trails. I rode here when I first started riding and outside of the initial steep drop-in of Waterworks, is very beginner friendly. Waterworks is especially fun; a fast 1-ish miles of uber-buff singletrack.

If you're up to drive the universe, there are a few trails in Castaic Lake that are fairly beginner friendly.

As for the San Clemente Single Tracks, I like them, but the place isn't really too beginner friendly and it is an aerobic/interval beatdown in places, and depending on the moisture situation, can be sandy and un[leasant. Oh, the deer ticks are just an added bonus.

To end, don't give up; just about everyone on this board started in the same place you did. Stick with it and you'll be surprised how fast Mountain Biking will become the center of your universe.

 

Every time you say 'hell no' and then go back to something you're more comfortable with, you find yourself realizing the thing you're comfortable with is just quite not as challenging as it used to be, and eventually you find you crave variety and a little more challenge more.

Next thing you know, you're in better shape, and things that used to be 'hell no' become fun, and then 'hell yes'

 

Beat me to it. It's absolutely a good place to start. And on a Cross bike it's pretty fun.

 

We used to call it "cow pathing" and it was/is my favorite kind riding. However, I do like me some DH.

You definitely got in too much too soon and I can relate. There are a lot of rides I pass on becasue I know I will holding the group back more than should be allowed.

Do some more general riding around your neighborhood and on some easy trails. Right now, just getting used to riding an MTB is all you really need to focus on.

The stamina and endurance will come around slowly, but surely.

I wish more of the folks in our fitness category lived closer so we could ride more.

Don't give up, just have fun and be sure those who ride with you are aware if your limits.

It gets better, and tremendously so, I promise!

 

My first ride was at Aliso, I hated it. took me 20 plus minutes to get up cholla. I was at around 240 pounds and was riding a friends Kona colair.

I kept at it, rode as much as I could (bought a better bike for climbing) and now I love Aliso. still not to fond of climbing mathis, but I do it.

Now I'm down to 200 pounds and in love with my 29er SS. I can finally do cholla clean, working on doing the same with mathis.

 

Dont give up!

 

You should try Blackstar Canyon...Nice and smooth fire road...That's where I take new riders cause it's not too technical and you can turn around whenever you're done...

 

Great RR and we've all been there....I think I was there today even???

 

Don't blame it on Aliso, but blame it on your "buddy" Trent for taking you up Mathis.

 

I'd blame it on mountain biking. Might not be for you.

Perhaps you should venture into journalism since you like to write so much about stuff you don't like?:wave:

 

Some day it will all seem like "Out in nature, having fun, cruising."
You'll look back someday and laugh. Entertaining RR.

 

Well if you dont like to climb or down hill maybe you should find something else to occupy your time because most of the stuff around so cal is up then down. by the way i literally live 2 minutes from the top of cholla so if you ever ride in aliso shoot me a pm and maybe you can ride with my dad who doesnt like DH ether. Aliso FTW!!

 

+1000 soo true! you go back to your comfort zone then you'll realize its boring

 

Funny story bro, aliso was also my first ride about 6 months ago when I started riding and I gota say top of the world drop that u hate was my favorite as a beginner I just wish I could clime it.

 

Stick with it. My first real ride was at Aliso, I had to hike up Cholla, puked at the entrance by Rock-it just as a bunch of people rode up, then went down Mathis and thought that there was no way I was going to make it down alive or at least without crashing but I did somehow and it was amazing.
If you like the flowy single track stuff then definitely check out San Clemente single tracks, I am sure that someone on here will show you around there if you ask.

 

Lay off the mexican food and carry on riding and Aliso will be more fun.