Nashville back to LA for a visit

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Shane16a, Jul 1, 2013.

  1. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Hi, I'm Shane!

    Born and raised in SoCal and moved to Nashville, TN where I picked up mountain biking. It's amazing but anyone reading this knows that. Anyhow, I'll be in SoCal July 26th - August 9th and want to hit some trails while I'm there.

    The trails I'm used to are single track that range from flowy dirt to technical rocky climbs and descents. All the trails here are loops that start and end at the trailhead. I'd like to ride similar since it's what I'm comfortable with but am open to almost anything that doesn't require a full faced helmet and pads/guards.

    So far, I'm thinking of hitting Turnbull Canyon in Hacienda Heights and Crafton Hills in Yucaipa due to their close proximity to family members we'll be visiting.

    I ride an Ironhorse MKIII that I'll be mailing before we leave.

    Any advice, trail suggestions in and around the LA County, etc, I'm opened to. I'd prefer not to ride alone so if group rides are common, I'd love to hear it.
     

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  2. marshal

    marshal New Member

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    Hi Shane, welcome! I spent a lot of time in Nashville, although it was a long time ago. I remember the Exit Inn, kinda across from Vanderbilt U. Had a WKDA sticker on my car - it got me a lot of great prizes and tickets! Always fun and good times when I was there!
     
  3. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Yeah, Nashville is a blast. The music scene downtown is really cool. Small venues with great bands; I've seen Deftones, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Face to Face, etc... here and tickets are usually less than 20 bucks.

    So, Trail suggestions! I know the trail surface will differ in CA from here where I imagine lots of dust on hard dirt. But as far as loops go, can anyone suggest any? I'll be staying in the SGV so anything close to there would be good but I'm down to drive an hour to a great trail.

    Also, will my tires be suited to the trails? I'm currently on 2.3" weirwolves UST and run ~25lbs in front and 30lbs in back.

    thanks again!

    -Shane
     
  4. xhuskr

    xhuskr Powered by Guinness

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    Shane,
    I'm sure you'll get lots of trail recommendations including some of our local parks. Turnbull is fun and if you choose a day/date it can be posted as a group ride. It not Hades heat, I'd be up for it. I'd also recommend Santiago Oaks which has become a great system of trails and loops like you mention back home. There are great trails in lots of places including the San Gabes and the Santa Monicas. I'll let those with more experience with those trails chime in...but if you have not hit the San Juan Trail, I"d recommend that....I prefer that during the week and early. Shoot me a PM. I should have time off for mid week rides and would be happy to show you around. As for tires..ride what you know..
     
  5. ridinrox

    ridinrox Well-Known Member

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    I leave for Big Bear on the 25th and return on the 29th so anytime after that I'd love to show you around some good trails here in OC.
     
  6. irv_usc

    irv_usc Active Member

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    If you're staying in SGV, El Prieto/Brown Mountain is really popular. It starts near JPL in Pasadena if I remember right.

    Here's a recent ride I did in Turnbull. We started from the Hacienda Heights side, which doesn't allow for much of a warmup, you're climbing right out of the car. If you start on the Whittier side, it should be a bit more forgiving.
    http://app.strava.com/activities/60354034

    Also in the general area, you might want to check out Powder Canyon/Schabarum Park, Fully Loop, Bonelli Park, or Chino Hills State Park.

    I don't think you'll have any traction problems with those tires. There are a lot of thorns out here so it'd probably help if you run sealant in those tires.
     
  7. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Awesome! Thanks for the replies. The trails mentioned sound great and I'll definitely be hitting you guys up when I'm there and ready to get out. Going to start researching the trails mentioned, getting maps, etc.

    Luckily, the tires are full of stans so thorns shouldn't be a problem.

    The elevation changes seem crazy. If this works, this is the kind of trail I'm used to:
    http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/197422610/8743870

    My wife is going to kill me for turning this vacation into my own mountain biking adventure... HAha
     
  8. northshore

    northshore Active Member

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    Welcome fellow Iron Horse!
     
  9. irv_usc

    irv_usc Active Member

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    If I'm reading that right, 400ish feet of climbing over 10+ miles? I'm going to say most of the riding out here requires a good bit of climbing to reap the rewards.

    Also, if you're limited to your riding time it might be cheaper/more fun to rent bikes from the local shops instead of shipping your bike out.
     
  10. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Yeah, it's a lot of up and down here. Shortish steep climbs with lots of rocks and roots. I'd consider the trails here a lot more XC than what I've researched so far in SoCal.

    I thought about going the route of renting bike(s) too but will be getting a great rate by shipping the bike from the office I work at here to the CA office. Shipping both ways will cost less than 40 bucks.
    Also considered renting or buying a cargo box to take it on the plane but they're easily $300+ to buy and would be $80 to rent + $50 each way on the plane since the dimensions are outside the standard checked luggage size.
     
  11. RustyIron

    RustyIron Rob S.

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    Hey, Shane.
    PM me when you're thinking of riding. Turnbull, Powder, Chino Hills--they're all close for me. Mid-week is good.
     
  12. ridinrox

    ridinrox Well-Known Member

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    Hey Rusty, I've never ridden Turnbull, can I join in on the fun too?
     
  13. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Looks like I'll be going riding tomorrow. Now to decide when and where.
     
  14. irv_usc

    irv_usc Active Member

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    Anywhere! the weather this week should be awesome to be out riding...
     
  15. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Guess we're visiting family in Yucaipa, so I'm going to hit Crafton, I think it's called and then head over to the trail behind Jenson. Hopefully I'll bump into some folks that don't mind me tagging along.
     
  16. FijiRob

    FijiRob Member

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    Come race Over the Hump at Irvine Lake tomorrow night. Lots of fun !
     
  17. Shane16a

    Shane16a New Member

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    Made it to Crafton in Yucaipa... and man, I apparently don't know what climbing is!!! Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable.... but those were the steepest, longest climbs I've ever ridden. I'm going to try and make it to Turnbull Canyon or Sycamore Canyon tomorrow based on who we go to visit.
     
  18. irv_usc

    irv_usc Active Member

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    Yeah, that's what I meant when I said 400 ft over 10 mi. Around so cal you easily get 1000 ft over 4-5 mi...

    If you're going to hit sycamore maybe stop by Jenson USA in riverside and get some pointers on the way.
     

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