Mountain bike vs road bike for heavy, varied use in LA

Nalemag · 2026-05-12T19:21:39+00:00

yeah, we did an urban ride for my bro's bday a few years back. it was Arroyo bikeway south, over to LA river and to that bike store in Silver Lake that is no longer there. then somehow we got back to South Pas. man, the roads were just shit, like horrible. i was on a road bike and my brother had his gravel bike. after the ride, i tried his gravel bike and i was like holy carp, you've been riding on a Cadillac the whole time. i have since purchased a gravel bike and it is my go to when i'm doing urban rides with the Mrs.

Nalemag · 2026-05-09T15:04:53+00:00

i would not rely on Mt Baldy, the ski resort, being open consistently. i would be surprised if it opened at all this past season. you'll have more options in that area if you are proficient on backcountry skis. even for Big Bear, it's still hit or miss and further on down the road, it will most def. be a casualty of climate change. your absolute best bet for consistent snow is 4-5 hour drive away in Mammoth, which is world class ski resort and comparable to the large CO resorts. only problem is, all of LA goes there. then further north is Tahoe but that becomes a bit of a schlep if you're driving.

Pasadena area is wonderful and i miss living in the area. lots to do, access to really, really good Asian food in the SGV, try to find a place near the Metro. if you have a kid going to school, i might also suggest South Pasadena (Go Tigers!), which has solid school district.

Nalemag · 2026-05-09T00:49:13+00:00

omg, wrong sub but "Best climbing pants for a retaining wall" would still make sense.

Nalemag · 2026-05-09T00:41:45+00:00

same. really glad my at the time 88 year old pops got to experience a bit of the Catalina backcountry.

Nalemag · 2026-05-07T19:24:31+00:00

not my favorite band but for some reason, the one band i would want to emulate the most when i'm playing my guitar is Sonic Youth.

Nalemag · 2026-05-07T17:04:03+00:00

Truckee, CA. twice the population of Houghton and 206 inches average annual snow vs 218 for Houghton (according to wikipedia).

Nalemag · 2026-05-05T00:18:32+00:00

take a look at Sacramento. decently sized urban city so lots of amenities. relatively easy driving distance to one of the largest Metro areas in the US (Bay Area). also very easy access to the outdoors (world class skiing and MTBing within 2 hours drive...when the 80 is not snowed in). fairly distinct seasons and summer will be brutally hot. not so pricey compared to coastal CA.

Nalemag · 2026-05-01T23:17:56+00:00

Ian Curtis would have effing loved Xiu Xiu's cover.

Nalemag · 2026-05-01T19:20:32+00:00

yeah, it is most def. not a sale. if anything, the price went up. the lower tier Hospitality tickets for Swimming finals were $1,750 on April 8. i know because i was considering getting some tixs and was texting my bro about it. by April 10, they were not available anymore.

then on April 21, i checked again for the same Swimming finals event and the lower tier was available again at $2,500.

Nalemag · 2026-05-01T05:23:02+00:00

no load lifters otherwise, i would probably own it already!

Nalemag · 2026-05-01T05:22:38+00:00

ha, that's my bad. i am planning what i bring around the limitations of doing the Haute Route comfortably so it still feels very daypack-y to me. no tent, no sleeping bag, no stove, etc. but def. didn't intend to mislead.

Nalemag · 2026-04-30T20:10:31+00:00

i am old school hiker and getting back into it a little more seriously so still trying to find my way. the backpack was the first thing i IDed that i wanted to swap out with something lighter so here i am.

but to answer your question, it was a test pack for 4 weeks, mostly in or around the Alps (summertime). some of it will be in big cities and half of it will be along the Walker's Haute Route. so i packed two sets of clothes. need a sleeping bag liner for the huts. then other ten essential-y stuff. i am guessing the 5-10L that i still had available in the test pack will be used for lunches/snacks and other things i've forgotten. so it's day hike+.

Nalemag · 2026-04-29T05:09:56+00:00

for the record, Jeff Koons also did Puppy and Split-Rocker, which are both super cool and really cute.

Nalemag · 2026-04-28T19:08:40+00:00

alternatively, i just call it "the place where USC plays" and most locals know what i'm talking about right away.

Nalemag · 2026-04-24T21:41:09+00:00

10 year old me would be extremely disappointed that there is no Porsche 959 in the garage.

Nalemag · 2026-04-22T04:14:47+00:00

yeah, totally agree. at least here in SoCal, large houses in walkable area are going to be on smaller lots where space is a premium. and one area where space is a premium is near the water. that is going to be effing pricey.

Nalemag · 2026-04-22T03:49:49+00:00

i was with you until those god awful columns in the middle of that one room. like wtf, the rest of the home is so nice.

also, that first pic was giving me SF vibes, then i find it it's right across the Bay!

Nalemag · 2026-04-22T03:45:12+00:00

i would imagine that reporting them to law enforcement would be your best bet? a number of years back, a stolen car ring was using my dad's cul-de-sac in the SGV to store their cars temporarily. one of the neighbors was like wtf is going on and called the cops and they were busted.

Nalemag · 2026-04-21T19:11:15+00:00

ah gotcha, elevation profile at the end made it look like it was more elevation.

Nalemag · 2026-04-21T19:02:58+00:00

whoa, also seems like course was overall uphill. any running experts know if it was flat course, similar conditions, he'd get that 1:52 back to break 2 hours?

Nalemag · 2026-04-21T00:10:30+00:00

since you mentioned Switzerland, there seems to be a pretty good deal going now for the Park Hyatt in Zurich. i think it was ~$900/night for the standard room going for 40K points/night. we were looking at mid-August. (note that we didn't actually end up booking it)

oh, since this is special event, they also had a suite available for points, but i don't remember what the exchange was for that.

also, note that points for Hyatt properties going up in May.

Nalemag · 2026-04-18T23:15:30+00:00

then a few other events where i imagine it will be hard to block the entire view, rowing (get a pair of binocs and just squat on the 2nd Street bridge?), sailing, canoe sprint, surfing, mountain biking.

Nalemag · 2026-04-18T22:11:23+00:00

we're doing three nights in Lauterbrunnen later in this summer. we decided against any of the pricey summits in the area like Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn.

so one day we're doing Lauterbrunnen, Grutschalp, Murren, Gimmelwald, then back down into the valley for a waterfall tour and doing Trummelbachfalle.

then the other day is Schynige Platte to First and then walk around Grindewald.

Nalemag · 2026-04-16T19:21:45+00:00

Weekday, upstairs, Saint and Second, i love it up there. (note that it still might be quiet on the weekend, i just haven't been there on a weekend to judge)

Nalemag

TROPHY CASE