Parks of LA and OC, part 3

This is the third installment of my report on park explorations in LA and Orange Counties during and after(?) the Covid pandemic. 

I’ve found that I rather like finding parks, nature centers, wilderness areas that are new to me so I plan on keeping it up. 

There may be some repeats from the past reports which means that I revisited them or just plain forgot. My main resources for discovering venues have been Google Maps and more recently Alltrails. To get decent use out of Alltrails, you have to pay money, but it has helped me find some trails that I never would have imagined were there.

Some of my discoveries are simple walks around city parks, but others are in wilderness areas that require decent shoes/boots, water, sun protection, etc. Do your homework before you go. If it’s a place you can find on Google, I don’t include directions since you should be able to Google it yourself. Be careful where you park. I typically only do hikes of 4 miles or less due to some medical issues. If you are interested in serious hikes look elsewhere. 

Working backwards in order of discovery, I just went up a trail to Santa Susanna Pass from the east side. You can also drive up from the west side. This is better as an Alltrails hike, but you can probably figure out something from Google. Parts of the trail, the Devil’s Slide, require good boots and if you do this in the summer you’ll need water and good sun protection. Parts of the trail are pretty rough. I did it in the winter so heat wasn’t a problem. Over 700’ of altitude gain, but you can get some good views. 

Santa Susana Pass State Historical Park, Stagecoach Trail (ikemi.info)

I returned to upper Newport Bay and the Nature Center is now open. It’s a big one and I found it interesting. Photos at

Upper Newport Bay and Big Canyon (ikemi.info)

Using Google I did find a short little hike. Took me a while to find the trail head.

I discovered the San Dimas Nature Center which was kind of hidden in a park. There was no one around when I visited it but I thought it was interesting, then again I think all nature centers are interesting since they say something about the community. From there you can walk to the trail head of the Sycamore Canyon Trail (how many Sycamore Canyon Trails are there in the area-I’ve encountered three so far). Don’t try going through the equestrian center. It is possible to go around it. The trail is a straight up slog to the top, but the trail is good. There are apparently alternate trails, but I don’t know where they go.

San Dimas Nature Center and hike (ikemi.info)

I didn’t know there was a waterfall in Pasadena, but you can hike to one from the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. It’s about a 4 mile round trip (in spite of what is posted) and the trail gets rough near the end. 

Eaton Canyon (ikemi.info)

Out in Claremont you can  pay for admission to the California Botanical Gardens. 

California Botanical Garden (ikemi.info)

No problem walking around here on good walkways and trails. 

I was surprised that the City of Fullerton is full of trails. These are easy walking and there are more than I explored. You can Google them.

Part of the Fullerton Loop Trails (ikemi.info)

This is a little farther afield, but Placerita Canyon in Santa Clarita has a very nice nature center and numerous trails. Should be prepared for real hikes.

Placerita Canyon (ikemi.info)

In Monterey Park (the city) is Edison Trails Park

Edison Trails Park (ikemi.info)

This is a powerline trail but it has some altitude variations and is kind of interesting. 

More straightforward and flat is the powerline park in El Segundo

El Segundo Powerline Parks (ikemi.info)

Rio de Los Angeles Park in LA has a flat walking path with some interesting features

Rio de Los Angeles State Park (ikemi.info)

Lincoln Park in LA has an interesting walking path with a number of artistic installations.

Lincoln Park (ikemi.info)

I revisited Ascot Park in LA and finally decided to go north to the other entrance which takes you to a hillside neighborhood. You can walk on surface streets back to the parking lot to make a full loop.

Ascot Hills Park (ikemi.info)

Rose Hills Park (not the cemetery) has its own trails that connect with Debs Park near the Pasadena Freeway. Google should show you the connection. The western trail has some elevation gain.

Rose Hill Park and vicinity (ikemi.info)

In Rowland Heights you can do the Powder Canyon Trail which has some good climbs

Powder Canyon Trail (ikemi.info)

This is a flat linear walk, but from one side of the storm channel you can see the Great Wall of LA in Tujunga mural.

Great Wall of LA in Tujunga Wash (ikemi.info)

A nice island of green in LA is Augustus Hawkins Nature Park

Augustus Hawkins and other parks (ikemi.info)

Nearby, especially if you have a bicycle, are South Los Angeles Wetlands Park and  South Park to the north.

Bixby Marsh is a small preserve run by the LA Sanitation Dept. It only opens once a month:

https://www.lacsd.org/community-outreach/tours-speaker-s-bureau/bixby-marshland

Popular with birders from what I understand.

Gardena Willows Wetlands Preserve is open to the public again. Only open a few times a month and may require online reservations. Check at

https://gardenawillows.org/

A loop trail goes mostly around the  perimeter. Unfortunately, last time I went, there are no longer guided tours. 

Echo Park in LA has a paved walkway around the large pond. Try to catch the Lotus Festival

Lotus Festival (ikemi.info)

You can walk through Alondra Park

Alondra Park (ikemi.info)

Darby Park in Inglewood has a short paved walking trail. You can get a good view of Sofi Stadium from there. 

Thomas S. Burton Park in Hacienda Heights has a short walking loop around the park. I went there when I discovered that my desired trailhead was inaccessible. 

Columbia Park in Torrance has a walking path of about a mile. Also the venue for the local Cherry Blossom festival. 

Cherry Blossom Festival (ikemi.info)

In Brand Park in Glendale there are trails behind Brand Library. You can make a loop or go up all the way to the top. Although not long, one of the trails can be a gutbuster and becomes a scramble in some places. The one to the west? You could also just walk around Brand Park.

To the NW is Stough Nature Center, which is quite modern and has nice displays. There are trails that set off from it. I only ventured a short way up one of them since I had already explored Wildwood Canyon Park on the other side of the golf course. There is a trail that climbs up from there and connects to a paved road so you can make a loop of it. 

Wildwood Canyon Park and Stough Nature Center (ikemi.info)

Back down south again in Brea is Carbon Canyon Regional Park. You can hike to the southern side of the park where you can see a genuine redwood grove, planted from seedlings leftover from a bank promotion. They might not be too happy but they are surviving. 

Carbon Canyon Regional Park Redwoods (ikemi.info)

In the Whittier Hills a complement to the Arroyo Pescadero loop is the in and out Arroyo San Miguel Trail. At Arroyo Pescadero when you go up the entry trail, skip the turn off to the loop and keep going on the broken pavement. This should take you to a tunnel that goes safely under the street. 

Arroyo San Miguel Trail (ikemi.info)

Peck Road Water Conservation Park has some nice views and plenty of birds There is a colony of homeless people living there.

Peck Road Water Conservation Park (ikemi.info)

LA and Orange County parks where you can distance

Part 2

It’s been a year, so I should finally write this update, especially since near the end of 2021 with the Omicron variant becoming dominant here in LA, isolated (or at least social bubble isolated) outdoors recreation is important again.

One big change is that with the resurgence of traffic, it is no longer easy to get to Orange County, so not as many excursions down there. Also, from an LA Times article I learned that Bolsa Chica became too popular, with too many people and especially dogs disturbing the birds. 

I found that Google Maps wasn’t adequate for my explorations, so I invested in a subscription to the Alltrails app. I had been using it on an unpaid basis, but the subscription gives access to more trails, some I never dreamed existed. 

Trails may be urban walks or strenuous on rough trails with sun exposure. Study maps beforehand and look up trail descriptions if you can find them.  If it’s not a city park, or even if it is one, make sure you take at least water, snacks, and a hat. For hikes in the whittier Hills, take lots of water.

First off is an easy one, the Sepulveda basin and Lake Balboa in Anthony Beilenson Park in Van Nuys. Fires left a lot of the area barren and blackened but there are still some interesting things. Unfortunately the extensive Japanese Gardens are still closed. Mostly flat and easy to navigate with a smartphone. You can walk around Balboa Park:

Lake Balboa area (ikemi.info)

Nearby is the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Preserve and Woodley Park with trails along the large ponds that attract plenty of birds.

It is possible to walk all the way around the Woodley Lakes Golf Course if you are gunning for your 10,000 steps. On one leg you can parallel the LA River which might be scenic if it were ever cleaned up. 

South of Burbank Blvd. are trails near the Sepulveda Dam with a good photo op. Some of the trails here are kind of rough and could be cleaned up. You might want to keep your eyes open, and stay away if it is raining.

Nearby is Los Encinos State Historic Park which is free and open for short walks with a few historic buildings.

Los Encinos State Historical Park (ikemi.info)

For a little climb there is the short trail in Deervale-Stone Canyon Park, Sherman Oaks. Its Crisp Canyon Road trail head is unmarked and almost invisible. 

Near Marina del Rey are the Ballona Wetlands. Short but interesting trail. You cannot park nearby since all available parking is occupied by an encampment. You can park on the other side of Lincoln Bld on Bluff Creek Dr., where you can also access the educational Ballona Discovery Park.

Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (ikemi.info)

In the same area is the Bluff Creek Trail which parallels Bluff Creek Dr. The map shows two parallel trails, but the lower one is closed. At street level there are short unconnected accessible trails. The main trail gives you a view of what were the old Hughes Aircraft facilities which are now occupied by Google and Youtube. The hangar in which the Spruce Goose was assembled is easy to see. If you return by the street, you may get hassled by guards if you have a camera.

Bluff Creek Trail (ikemi.info)

If you want to see all the backed up container ships, you can get a great view from Deane Dana Friendship Park. Plenty of parking but when I was there the large visitor center was closed. Nice elevation gain if you want a workout. 

Deane Dana Friendship park (ikemi.info)

If you want another view of container ships, there is a short trail around the top of Signal Hill. Park at or across the street from Hilltop park. The trail starts at the park, but over half of the walk will be on streets. Some parts of the trail may be hard to find.

Signal Hill Walk (ikemi.info)

Back on the flatlands is Alondra Park to the west of El Camino College. The pond is kind of scenic. 

Alondra Park (ikemi.info)

If you want some elevation gain and some great views, you can now walk from the Hahn Rec. Center overlook to the Culver City Overlook. You can park in Hahn (free on weekdays) near the Japanese Garden. Pick one of the legal, civilized trails to one of the overlooks. You should be able to see the Culver City overlook as well as a lot of other sights. You should also be able to view the new pedestrian bridge that crosses La Cineaga Blvd. Hike down and cross it. This takes you to the lovely Stoneview Nature Center, which has one of the few open visitor centers in the area. You can continue on to the top and the Culver Center Overlook, where the visitor center is still closed. 

Hahn Viewpoint to Baldwin Overlook (ikemi.info)

If you want even more of a workout, you can get to the Overlook via the Culver City Stairs. These are popular and you may have to park blocks away, but you wanted a workout anyway. Very crowded.

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook via Culver City Stairs (ikemi.info)

Moving closer to Downtown, you can get some good walking climbs at Ascot Hills Park which is on LADWP land. A little run down, but there are some good views from the top. 

Ascot Hills Park (ikemi.info)

Near Dodger Stadium is Elysian Park, which has plenty of hills. There are picnic areas where people tend to clump but there are also plenty of trails and roads with adequate room. This was where the Firecracker 5/10K was run.

Elysian Park (ikemi.info)

If you keep going to Griffith Park you can park on the N side and start hiking from various trail heads. You can visit the Travel Town Museum for starters for free and have a walk around it, or even take a ride on the miniature train for a small fee. There is also a trail that starts right by it, wraps around and comes out at the Live Steamers Museum which is closed for the pandemic.  

Rattlesnake Trail (ikemi.info)

If you go up to the Caousel area (closed of course) you can take numerous combinations of trails, such as loops to the Old LA Zoo and the FernCanyon trail. The Zoo area has lots of picnic areas

Fern Canyon Trail (ikemi.info)

Hike to Old LA Zoo, Griffiths Park (ikemi.info)

An area which I would never have visited before but has been wonderfully rehabilitated is Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. The only shortcoming is that you cannot circumnavigate the lake since the NE side is blocked by a golf course.

Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park (ikemi.info)

In a similar vein is the creatively named Recreation Park at E. 7th St. and Park Ave. You may be better off searching for the Yokkaichi Japanese friendship park.  There is also a bandshell and a pond for practicing fly fishing casting. There is a clubhouse for a fly fishing association, but I don’t know if it is functioning during the pandemic. There is a short flat trail.

Moving far to the north for something completely different is the Hacienda Hills Trailhead for the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Authority. I hiked around there decades ago and a lot of work has been put into developing these trails. Warning: the very ornate gate does get locked on time (check the posted hours) and there is not another legal access point nearby. These trails can be very steep so be prepared for some serious hiking, although the trail surfaces are in good shape. You may be hiking under power lines, but one canyon I entered (steep to get into and steep to get out of) allows you to believe that you are far away from any civilization.

Hacienda Hills State Park (ikemi.info)

In roughly the same area and not too far from Arroyo Pescadero is the Worsham Canyon Trail. This is another challenging loop but the biggest challenge is figuring out where to enter it. I entered near Whittier College, parking at Penn Park. Other hikers told me that it was fine to enter from that direction in spite of some signs. The other entry point is from Turnbull Canyon Road, where there is very little parking. Kind of barren till you get to the S side.

Worsham Loop (ikemi.info)

Schabarum Regional Park has numerous trails. I parked near the equestrian center and entered the trail system there. There are apparently other trail heads. These hikes are in the hills so they do have elevation gain. 

Schabarum Park trails (ikemi.info)

Another good no nonsense walk up is Nike Hill near Rio Hondo College. Look for signs on Workman Mill Road and there is a small dirt parking lot. The trail head is marked and there are a lot of warnings to stay on the trail. There is shade and picnic benches at the top, along with the guard shack that once protected the base. This was a command and control site with no missile launchers. The launchers were located in the maintenance yard of a park in the NE quadrant of where Rosemead intersects the 60 Freeway at the end of Chico Ave., not too far from Progress Brewing. There is parking if you want to go for a walk on flat terrain for a change. Last 2 photos in this gallery are of the maintenance yard. Due to the elevation, the launcher doors are not visible.

Nike Hill Hike (ikemi.info)

Another flat walk is the Whittier Greenway. This follows the railroad bed with parks and educational/historical signage along the way, plus some art on the W side. I did it in two trips since it is 4 miles one way, which is the limit of my range due to arthritis. 

Whittier Greenway (ikemi.info)

Whittier Greenway, eastern half (ikemi.info)

Another concentration of Nike missile bases is in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In fact, the Rolling Hills City Hall was a missile base building and the launchers are in the maintenance yard (again). There are trails that start from the park near the city hall. Not too steep to hike around there. When the city hall was open, they were nice enough to print out trail maps for you.

If you want more of a challenge, there are many trails, usually steep, in the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve and the Portuguese Bend Preserve. https://www.rpvca.gov/1155/Portuguese-Bend-Reserve

Main entrance is at the end of Crenshaw Blvd. Past a certain point, you have to pay for parking via an app. If you are cheap like me, you can park a ½ mile or so back from the trailhead for free. 

Palos Verdes Nature Preserve (ikemi.info)

If you want something flat in the area, you can try the Boundary Trail which takes you past backyards. You can find the trail on Google, but the entrance is not marked, and it can be challenging to follow in places. You are in town, so you really can’t get lost. 

Boundary Trail (ikemi.info)

I did challenge the  traffic and made a few forays into Orange County. I decided to actually spend some money for an overnight campsite in Chino HIlls and do some more hiking there. 

Camping fee includes real showers. When I was there the camp ground was not crowded. Hard to believe there are shopping centers a few miles away.

Chino Hills State Park (ikemi.info)

A less ambitious trip was to Irvine Park to ride the train and visit the zoo. You can walk around the park without crowding. 

Irvine Park (ikemi.info)

The Fullerton Arboretum was finally reopened. Flat walks in a very pleasant and interesting environment. Parking lot may get crowded and you may have to park on surface streets in the frat area. 

Fullerton Arboretum (ikemi.info)

Finally, I made a trip to Franklin Canyon in Beverly Hills, very late in the day. A winding road gets you there, but I have to admit it was scenic with low stress trails. 

Franklin Canyon (ikemi.info)

July 4th weekend

Although just one week before my trip to Europe, I decided to make my annual pilgrimage to Kings Canyon and Sequoia. This time however, I decided to take my Subaru instead of a motorcycle, since I had ripped one or more muscle in my right arm, according to my doctor. I think I did this when I dropped my GSXF in a Santa Monica parking structure. I was able to lift up the bike by myself, but apparently damaged myself in the process. At least the parking attendants felt sorry for me and waived the $5 parking fee.

My departure was delayed by a funeral, so I skipped the Japanese art museum in Hanford that I normally visit at this time, plus their current exhibit wasn’t of particular interest to me. On the way I realized I’d forgotten my cell phone, and I knew that I would need one, so I stopped in at the Bakersfield Costco. The touch screen one I picked up in Missouri last year I’d really come to hate, so I figured this wasn’t such a bad thing, especially since I use prepaid cell phones. The new Samsung has a full keyboard, which also made it worthwhile.

After an overnight stay at a Motel 6 and a Del Taco dinner, I proceeded the next day to the Three Rivers entry point to Sequoia. There I found that they were doing road work on the road up into the park, so I stopped at the visitor center to see how I could kill time until the next time traffic would be allowed to pass. The suggestion by the rangers was to visit Hospital Rock and check out the petroglyphs, sometime I had never bothered to do before. They’re actually quite vivid and easier to make out than other petroglyphs I’ve seen.

At the Lodgepole visitor center they confirmed my assumption that the High Sierra Trail would probably be the best match for my bad knees. After taking lunch there, I backtracked to Crescent Meadow to the trail head. I had plenty of time since I was only packing in 6 mile to Mehrten Creek where the trail became difficult to the large amount of water from all the run off. My new Osprey pack turned out to be pretty good, with no imbalances or stress points. I was also carrying a lot less weight than I had in the past. The trail of course is very civilized, but I got to see how the pack performed over rougher terrain for a very short distance when I entered the Mehrten Creek camp site. I was amazed by how much water there was and it was a relatively tight squeeze between the rocks and the water to start the climb into the camp sites. This is a case where the minimum 100’ distance to the water is maintained by going up. The first site was occupied, so I climbed up to the second. I was lucky that I got there when I did since people continue to come in after me and had to climb even higher. In the morning I found someone very near my site.

The Big Agnes UL tent I got to use for the first time, as well as the Big Agnes insulated inflatable sleeping pad. There was no wind or rain so I didn’t get a chance to really test the tent, but I was glad that I got the 2 person version since it was just the right size for one person. In the store I had compared it to the solo version and decided that the difference in weight was small enough to justify more room. The pad has to be manually inflated, but is easier to deflate than a self-inflating pad and is much more compact. I used it with my NF UL sleeping bag and decided that the insulation is about the same as that of the Thermarests I’ve used. I slept in my Patagonia down sweater since the NF sleeping bag is pretty minimal. Might look for a light down sleeping bag after this.

I used an MSR remote tank stove and found that it takes much longer to boil water than one with a heat exchanger. I think I’ll eBay this one. Dinner was freeze dried since I was lazy, but it was a lot better than the stuff I had used long ago. For breakfast I had just Cliff bars and some hot chocolate. I was ticked at myself that I had forgotten my Via instant coffee. I got out in time to have lunch at Lodgepole again but before that I stopped at Moro Rock. I had always bypassed it in the past, but I decided that I would check it out this time. It was worth the detour and the steep climb up the stairs.

Photos at: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Sequoia2011/index.html

After lunch I drove over to Kings Canyon and the Grant Grove visitor center , and then down to Cedar Grove to link up with my friends. Didn’t have time to do much more than attend the ranger campfire before it was time to head home. That night I used the synthetic Big Agnes sleeping pad that is meant to go with the sleeping pad. It was considerably warmer that way, but that bag is too heavy and bulky for me to pack in these days.

Sunday I went home to meet my cousins at the San Fernando Obon.

Photos at: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/SanFernandoValleyObon2011/index.html

Tour de Sewer 2009

The Tour de Sewer this year was run on March 21. It was a good day for riding since it was a little on the cool side, but it wasn’t raining. Participation was noticeably down this year. The start was free form without staged groups receiving individual lectures on the route condition. As it turned out, the route conditions were good without any mud flooding the paths on the river. However, I was glad that I brought my hopped up Cannondale F-300 since the road was rough in places and I jumped the curb a number of times. I did go on the 30 mile path for a while until I figured that one out. Also missed a turn on the return leg to the river bed, but that took me to a 7-11 that was pretty convenient.

The rest stops were the same as usual, but the cookies were seriously upgraded. I ate way too many of them. The people who missed this ride must have been the ones in my time category. I pretty much brought up the tail end except for a couple of other guys. I usually have some company on the ride. On adavantage, or disadvantage, depending on your point of view was that I could eat as much food as I wanted. They were already shutting down as I rolled in and there was still a lot of food left over. Noticeable was the lack of any vendors. The recession was pretty evident.

The bike worked pretty well till the end when I noticed some drivetrain problems. Since the end of the route was flat, coming back up the bike path by the river, this wasn’t a problem. I’d been meaning to install some XT shifters, so this looked like a good opportunity. Photos at http://ikemi.info/graphics/Sewer2009/index.html

Walking Sticks

Hiking poles changed my hiking life. I first saw modern ones in the Alps where I noticed that everyone was using them. Some people were even using two, sort of like ski poles. We asked some of the locals how they worked and they said that they were great.

Since my knees were going, I decided that the poles might be a good idea. I’d used wooden walking sticks in the past, but not these adjustable aluminum poles. Some came with shock absorbers, that didn’t seem to do too much. Experience with cross country skiing carried over to the hiking experience. You don’t grab the grips of the poles. The straps are the most important interface with the pole. You only grab the grips when you need to steady yourself or apply thrust. I’ve tried explaining this technique to others with little success.

Carbon fibers poles having the highest performance since they are light and have inherent damping, delivering the effect that the mechanical shock absorbers were supposed to deliver. The only problem is that the adjustable joints never held. They had a tendency to collapse at the worst possible times. After going through two sets of poles, I gave up on carbon fiber. Titanium poles are a good compromise, being fairly light, but noticeably heavier than carbon fiber. For most people, basic aluminum poles can do the job at a fraction of the price of the more exotic poles. My favorites are Black Diamonds with lever action length adjusters instead of all twist adjusters. For overseas use I have a pair of really short poles that can fit into my bag when collapsed.

When I first started using hiking poles I wondered why they came with rubber cups, like the ones on ski poles. On hard ground they are pretty useless. Hiking in the Swiss Alps I learned why you need those cups on the end of your hiking poles. Those Alps would probably be like our Sierras if the Swiss hadn’t been herding cattle there since the Roman era or before. The soil in places is cow pies and squishy. Your poles sink in without the cups. Also, you don’t want to wear loose cuffs on long pants. That’s why you see the Swiss wearing those short pants and the long stockings.

Dahon Folding bicyles

Originally I got a folding bike so that I could take it on a plane. However, that idea fell through. I found that it cost $75 one way to take the bike with me. On the return the derailleur hanger was bent. I still liked the idea of a folding bicycle since it’s more convenient to throw one in the back of my Subaru Baja than using the roof rack. The first one I bought had a steel frame and a SRAM 3 speed rear hub plus a deraillieur for something like 18 speeks, or was it 21? With 20“ wheels, this bike was pretty stable and I didn’t mind riding it for longer distances. However, I decided that the SRAM rear hub was too complicated for me and I gave the bike away.

I still liked the idea of a folding bicycle. After looking at other brands, I decided to stick with Dahon, but this time I picked out a model with an aluminum frame and a single speed rear hub. This model came with an 8 speed cluster and some limited suspension. The suspension is good enough for Los Angeles urban streets. I converted the bike to a 9 speed with an XT cluster and an XT derailleur. Originally I had a twist grip shifter, but I changed this first to an XT trigger type shifter, which I raided for my Cannondale. A SRAM thumb shifter is going on next. I bought a smaller front chain wheel to get a little lower gearing. Going to a smaller chain wheel meant that I had to rig up a chain tensioner with a pulley. I didn’t care for the way the front wheel was built -radial spokes-so I got it restrung by http://www.gaerlan.com/. That probably wasn’t necessary.

For commuting I got the Dahon fenders and rear rack. I don’t think the rack was really meant for this bike since it has a swing arm suspension, but I adapted it with a U-bold. The fenders are pretty nice, albeit a little heavy. I replaced the handlebars but I haven’t replaced the seat since it uses a funny monorail system. I may replace the entire seat post someday. The pedals I’m currently using are the the ones from Performance that take an SPD on one side and a street shoe on the other.

I’ve used the bike on a 21 mile urban commute plus for getting around in San Diego. When I commute I use the SPD side of the pedlas. One good thing about a folding bicycle is that I think no one wants to steal one.

Cannondale R-6

I thought I wasn’t ever going to get another road bike since my rear end is getting so soft. However, while wandering around I saw a Cannondale R-6 and decided I might need one more. The R-6 is close to the road bike I’ve always wanted, how I’ve set up my ancient steel Colnago. Lightweight aluminum frame with a triple crankset for under $1K. I couldn’t keep my hands off of it, since even with a triple crank I knew I couldn’t pull the stock gearing with my weak legs. I put on the Mavic Kyzerium wheels that I had on the Colnago, which brought with them a wide ratio cluster. That meant I had to go to ebay and buy one of the new style XT rear derailleurs. Yup, these work fine on road bikes. this was in the right direction, but I needed some more so I started researching lower granny gears. I found that 26 tooth chan wheels should go right on to the Tioga crank without requiring any adjustments. I found that in LA these were impossible to buy over the counter, so I had to resort to the internet again. I also learned that technology had once more left behind and I had to learn about external bearing bottom brackets and the special tools they require. I found the tool I needed while on a trip out of state (which got me in trouble during bag check) and I was able to swap in the new granny with no problem.

The result was pretty much to my liking. I test out the gearing on Turnbull Canyon, and it worked without a hitch. I adjusted the the new-fangled (for me) combo brake lever-shifters without too many problems, but it looks complicated to swap the front brake to the right side per my normal preference, so I’ll leave that alone for the time being. The next big test was my annual Santa Ana to Solano Beach ride. Again no problems and a pretty pleasurable ride even with the stock saddle, which was more comfortable than it looked. Overall, the bike felt easier to ride than my reliable 25 year old steel Colnago. I have to admit though, that the Colnago does have a rather bizarre drivetrain, and its chainwheels are pretty worn. After I stole its wheels, I put back on a pair I had built with non matching hubs and a freewheel. At any rate, I guess I’m back into road bikes.