[looping38]

Hello everybody !!

I'm french, so i'm sorry if my English is a little weird.... But you're lucky, you're not going to hear my accent !!!

Anyway... A friend and I are going to Californie this summer, from 08.14.06 to 08.31.06.

First, we're gonna spend 4 or 5 days at San Fransisco. Next, we'll drive to LA by the road 1 (Santa Cruz, Carmel valley...) for 1 or 2 days. Then Las Vegas and back to SF by the Death Valley and the Yosemite National Park.

We're renting a car (maybe a Pontiac G6 :thumbsup: ).

And we'd like to rent some mountain bikes if we have times. So why not to meet you for a ride around San Fransisco or Santa Cruz... That will be great if somebody could show us your best singletrack and your best riding area !! (I don't know if you understood me....:skep: )

Any suggestions ?? any idea ????

See you and thanks....

Looping from France.

 

[imridingmybike]

Hello everybody !!

I'm french, so i'm sorry if my English is a little weird.... But you're lucky, you're not going to hear my accent !!!

Anyway... A friend and I are going to Californie this summer, from 08.14.06 to 08.31.06.

First, we're gonna spend 4 or 5 days at San Fransisco. Next, we'll drive to LA by the road 1 (Santa Cruz, Carmel valley...) for 1 or 2 days. Then Las Vegas and back to SF by the Death Valley and the Yosemite National Park.

We're renting a car (maybe a Pontiac G6 :thumbsup: ).

And we'd like to rent some mountain bikes if we have times. So why not to meet you for a ride around San Fransisco or Santa Cruz... That will be great if somebody could show us your best singletrack and your best riding area !! (I don't know if you understood me....:skep: )

Any suggestions ?? any idea ????

See you and thanks....

Looping from France.

Looping,

Sounds like a great trip you have planned! Speaking for myself, I'd be happy to show you some trails when you get here. My guess is many of the other locals will help you out as well.

Another idea would be to try to join a ride already planned. Monitor the NorCal board for upcoming rides, locations and dates.

Oh - and your English is just fine:thumbsup:

 

[singlespeed.org]

There have been similar posts on this that provide some good information. Check out:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=194310
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=196551
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=198111

 

[zorg]

I would have gladly taken you around, but that w-e you're in town, I'll be taking the kiddies to Disneyland.

Have fun.

Allez les bleus! :thumbsup:

 

[Ryan G.]

Singletrack is plentifull in Santa Cruz and some other areas surronding San Francisco. Post a ride on the day(s) you are here, or like above look for ride posts. Usually always something on the weekend

And good luck with the soccer thingy this Sunday...

 

[looping38]

There have been similar posts on this that provide some good information. Check out:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=194310
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=196551
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=198111

Ok, i'm going to take a look, thanks.

to Zorg : Disneyland !! Can we come with you ???? Please, please please !!!

We'll try to look out for rides into this forum when we'll be arrived...

And if you known some cheap accommodation.... let me known !! That would be great....

See you soon :thumbsup:

PS : I hate these f****** Italians !!!!!!

 

[looping38]

Quote:
Originally Posted by singlespeed.org
There have been similar posts on this that provide some good information. Check out:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=194310
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=196551
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=198111

Ok, i'm going to take a look, thanks.

to Zorg : Disneyland !! Can we come with you ???? Please, please please !!!

We'll try to look out for rides into this forum when we'll be arrived...

And if you known some cheap accommodation.... let me known !! That would be great....

See you soon

PS : I hate these f****** Italians !!!!!!

 

[HarryCallahan]

Hello everybody !!

I'm french, so i'm sorry if my English is a little weird.... But you're lucky, you're not going to hear my accent !!!

Anyway... A friend and I are going to Californie this summer, from 08.14.06 to 08.31.06.

First, we're gonna spend 4 or 5 days at San Fransisco. Next, we'll drive to LA by the road 1 (Santa Cruz, Carmel valley...) for 1 or 2 days. Then Las Vegas and back to SF by the Death Valley and the Yosemite National Park.

And we'd like to rent some mountain bikes if we have times. So why not to meet you for a ride around San Fransisco or Santa Cruz... That will be great if somebody could show us your best singletrack and your best riding area !! (I don't know if you understood me....:skep: )

Any suggestions ?? any idea ????

Looping from France.

Hi,

Here are some ideas. Cheap but safe lodging? Check out the hostels in the Marin Headlands and at Pigeon Point and Monterey. Marin Headlands also has some nice trails and views of San Francisco that you've seen in the movies. Only bummer is the hostels are "dry". You have to take your adult beverages outside and be discreet.

Riding? Marin Headlands for the scenery. Wilder Ranch near Santa Cruz for fun trails and great views.

Coastal California in the summer is pretty popular, so I'd try to nail down reservations now. South of Monterey, Morro Bay has lots of hotel rooms. Check out the kayak tours there; lots of fun. Montana de Oro State Park is beautiful.

Santa Barbara is beautiful but expensive.

Driving through LA? Get the Doors' LA Woman.

Driving to Vegas? Read "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". RIP, Hunter

Death Valley will be hot. :madmax: It wasn't named accidentally or casually.

Even coming from France, the Eastern Sierra are likely to impress you. Stop at Mammoth. Rent bikes therre if you can. Going from there to Yosemite, check out June Lake and the June Lake loop and stop at Mono Lake too.

Yosemite Valley is a zoo. Camp outside the valley, get in there very early in the day, and hike away from the crowds.

On the way out, the "Bug" Hostel is a pretty cool place.

 

[JGR]

Hi,

I'm the guy who will come in California with Looping38 ("Howling Mad 38" for U)

Yesterday we rided at "Les 2 Alpes" ( "French Whistler MTB Park") and he broke his frame :cryin:
After 5 years and 3 Megavalanche it said "STOP it's enough !!! Buy a new frame and retire me !"

In France the importers are greedy. Are there good shops at SF to do a good deal ?

See U soon

 

[zorg]

Hi,

I'm the guy who will come in California with Looping38 ("Howling Mad 38" for U)

Yesterday we rided at "Les 2 Alpes" ( "French Whistler MTB Park") and he broke his frame :cryin:
After 5 years and 3 Megavalanche it said "STOP it's enough !!! Buy a new frame and retire me !"

In France the importers are greedy. Are there good shops at SF to do a good deal ?

See U soon

There's plenty. What are you looking for?

 

[HarryCallahan]

There are lots of bike shops in both San Francisco, and the greater bay area. I'll put together some links and you can do a little advance shopping.

Aside from import mark-ups, France has a value added tax, right? I thought I heard it was something like 33%. California has an 8% sales tax, so not as big a bite.

 

[JGR]

An all mountain frame with arround 6" travel and not too heavy (~14Kg) like Santa Cruz Heckler, Rocky Mountain Slayer...

 

[JGR]

There are lots of bike shops in both San Francisco, and the greater bay area. I'll put together some links and you can do a little advance shopping.

Aside from import mark-ups, France has a value added tax, right? I thought I heard it was something like 33%. California has an 8% sales tax, so not as big a bite.

Exact in France the VAT is 19.6% But we could import it as a gift so without import mark-up

Thank in advance for the links:thumbsup:

 

[looping38]

Thanks HarryCallahan for yours advices, but i'm scared now, do you think we're gonna die in the Death Valley ??!!??

JGR is right : I'm going to have to buy a new frame right now. I may take advantage of our trip to get a new one.... and i'd love a Santa Cruz HECKER !!!!

See ya.....


PS : I don't get my passport yet....

 

[Bernhardt]

It'll only be about 120F(~50C) not a problem as long as you have tons of water and stay in the non-existent shade while you're doing anything. There is no good mtn biking in Death Valley as it's a National Park. In the summer, it's pretty much a drive through - especially if you don't have a high clearance vehicle - with a couple of short hikes (15-30 min). Telescope Peak(11,000+ft ~3300m) on the west side of the valley has a continious down slope to Badwater (I think it is) at - 250 ft. If you decide to go to more than Yosemite($20) and Death Valley($10 - if they bother to collect) get a National Parks Pass for $50. It'll get you into any National Park or Monument(except for Devils Postpile because they have a bus fee(mandatory) and you have to take the bus between 7am and 3pm, unless you ride your bike in or are going to camp in the monument) for a year.

Santa Cruz/Bay Area - let us know when you're here(or going to be) and someone here will show you around.
Southern Ca riding tends to be straight up and straight down fire road/break - surface is often thin layer of sand over sandstone which makes for interesting traction. Some trails/areas to check out in in the greater LA area: Mt Wilson, Malibu, Ventura/Santa Barbara, Santa Ana River trail(up near Big Bear), and down in Orange County(where Disneyland is) you have Saddleback and its canyons(Santiago, Modjeska, etc), San Juan trail, El Moro, Top of the World and a couple of others that I can't remember the names of in the Laguna Beach area.
Vegas: Red Rocks - about 45 mi Northwest of town.
I'd definitely stop at Mammoth for a ride.
Tahoe - lots of options if you have time.

Personally, I think I'd go for a Blur LT over the Heckler...but that's me & the riding I tend to do.

 

[HarryCallahan]

Here are links to two bike club web pages. If you look at the "sponsors" links on each of them, you'll find links to lots of shops. You'll also find links to maps on both club pages.

The "ROMP" club is on the peninsula south of San Francisco and so are a lot of the shops they list. MBOSC is in Santa Cruz, and so are their sponsor shops.

http://www.romp.org/

http://www.mbosc.org/

Here's a link to the Death Valley website. It's a National Park. I wouldn't choose to go there mid summer, but you have to drive across desert from LA to Vegas and Vegas to Yosemite anyway.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

You should be fine as long as you do a few basic things.
Make sure your car is running well and you have fuel. Travel early in the day. Carry extra drinking water. Don't go off-road, and if you do break down, stay with the car. Rig some shade if you need to, but stay with the car. It's easier to find than you are if you wander off. That's just good desert travel practice.

There's great camping along the eastern Sierra, if you are interested, including car camping out of Big Pine, Bishop, Tom's Place, and Mammoth. There's a bike park at Mammoth, and even though they got a lot of snow this winter, in another month they should be pretty much open. Here are links to the Inyo National Forest and Mammoth:

http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/pacficsw/inyoinfo.htm

http://www.mammothmountain.com/

 

[zorg]

Thanks HarryCallahan for yours advices, but i'm scared now, do you think we're gonna die in the Death Valley ??!!??

JGR is right : I'm going to have to buy a new frame right now. I may take advantage of our trip to get a new one.... and i'd love a Santa Cruz HECKER !!!!

See ya.....

PS : I don't get my passport yet....

Depending on what brand you get it can be worth it or not: Cannondale and Santa Cruz are completely overpriced in France, and are a bargain in the US. Turner, Titus, Ellsworth, you're better off getting them in France as the mark up is low and having the warranty is worth the extra 10%. To get your frame back to France, you might get slapped with custom duties and VAT, unless you send the frame through the postal service and underreport the value. Of course, if the package is destroyed or the frame damaged during transport, it's your loss. Good luck.

 

[JGR]

Looping has received his passport last week so now we could confirm our arrival :thumbsup:

This WE we were at the Mégavalanche of l'Alpe d'Huez and I imitated Looping... My Tomac Six Shooter is fissured

So now we don't need 1 new frame but 2...
...he definitely wants a SC Heckler. I prefer an original frame with ~6" rear travel for ~6lbs, here SC is going to be too fashon... I'm not well off so I can pay around $1000...

Another good news, we'll be able to ride in Santa Cruz Bay the 08/19/06, in Sequoia Park the 08/27/06 and in Yosemite Park the 08/28/06 and 08/29/06.

 

[HarryCallahan]

Here's a link to Mountain bikers of Santa Cruz:

http://www.mbosc.org

On their web site there are maps of Wilder Ranch. Also near Santa Cruz are Nisene Marks and Soquel Demonstration forest. fort Ord, site of the Sea Otter Bike Races, is down by Monterey. You can also link from MBOSC to Virtual Parks and find maps for lots of other places.

For what it is worth, you can't mountain bike inside most US National Parks, so no hitting the trails inside Sequoia NP or Yosemite. But you should see them if you can. They are both totally amazing places. And a bike can be very useful in Yosemite Valley. Weekend traffic can be bad in the valley, and having a bike to zip around sets you free. Just bring a good lock, ride to the trailhead, and lock the bike up.

 

[looping38]

We're still coming !!!!!! :thumbsup: