Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles County, Fourth Edition (Entire County Area; 71 Trips, 83 Rides) [Paperback]

Donald G. Brundige (Author), Don Brundige (Author), Sharron Brundige (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2000

The book provides 71 on-road trip descriptions (83 total rides) in Los Angeles County. Rides vary from those for short-length family trips on separated bike paths, many longer exploratory and workout trips for more experienced riders on various quality bike routes, and a few "gut-buster" tours for the most physically fit and motivated bikers. There are over 1100 one-way miles of biking described. Included are a coastal century (up and back) from the City of Santa Monica to Port Hueneme in Ventura County and a tour of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. Trip domains include beaches, parks, valleys, canyons, harbors, rivers and lakes.

Included is a master map to show ride locations within the county and a master matrix that identifies ride location, level of difficulty, route composition (percentage of route on bike trail, signed bike lanes or open roadway) and a general trip characterization (i.e., Is the trip scenic? Is it in a natural setting? Are there landmarks and/or sightseeing attractions along the way? Is this a mileage and/or elevation workout?).

Each trip description contains a detailed trip map and elevation-distance profile (non-flat rides) and scenic or character-interest photographs are scattered throughout the book. The route maps note the location of water sources, landmarks, sightseeing attractions and campsites among other points of interest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"......have coauthored ten books, mostly about bicycle touring throughout Southern California. .......found at most quality bike shops......" -- Southern California Bicyclist (contributors since 6/99)

About the Author

We wrote our first on-road cycling book, "Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles and Orange Counties," in 1987, because we believed we could do it better. After cycling these county areas for fifteen years, we looked for a guide that could provide us with new riding adventures that were thoroughly documented in terms of written description, maps, photos and elevation/distance contours. We couldn't find such a book and decided to give it a try ourselves. Our first publication in 1987 was a resounding success!

We then set out to cover the entire Southern California on-road area. What followed were a collection of the "Bicycle Rides:" series which included San Fernando Valley and Ventura County, a subsequent revision and expansion of the original book into separate Los Angeles and Orange County guides, Inland Empire, San Diego and Imperial Counties, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, as well as updated/revised editions of those publications.

While writing these on-road tour books, we also spent time in the local mountains with various individuals and groups of riders who were introducing a new and different biking venue. We soon found that mountain biking was a great blend of our bicycling and hiking/backpacking skills and eventually developed "Mountain Biking L.A. County" (Southern Section), which plied the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, Simi Hills, Verdugo Mountains/San Rafael Hills, Puente Hills, Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island.

A recent and grandiose project, a diversion from our first love, is "Outdoor Recreation Checklists." This book provides exhaustive equipment checklists and extensive gear tradeoffs for a wide range of outdoor recreation activities. This entry- and intermediate-level four-season book covers both land and waterborne adventures ranging from camping to remote mountaineering to chartered rafting or sea-fishing trips. It was developed based on the authors' 25 years of cycling, hiking, backpacking, snorkeling and downhill skiing experience and the collaboration of a group of grizzled veterans in activities such as rafting, canoeing and kayaking, boating, scuba diving, mountain climbing, cross-country skiing and fishing.

Most recently, we totally rewrote and expanded our most popular books, "Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles County" and "Bicycle Rides: Orange County." Keep your eye on us as there is more to come!

Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Bd Enterprises; 4th edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961915188
• ISBN-13: 978-0961915186
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,267,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bicyclist heaven! Just hop on your trusty steed & go!, September 19, 2000

By 

Kiril G. Kundurazieff "Opinions issued from T... (Santa Ana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles County (Entire County Area; 50 Trips, 62 Rides) (Paperback)

I bought this edition a few years ago just when I was starting to do more than ride to & from work & the store.

This edition has over 60 routes for Los Angeles County.

The maps are detailed, the turn by turn description of each ride includes places to see, tips for preparation, & a bit of history.

The terrain covered includes Beaches, Parks, Canyons, Harbors, Lakes, & Mountains.

There are safety tips & equipment tips as well as other sources of info.

The only drawbacks are not the books fault, & with a brand spanking new 4th EDITION just released in June that includes another 20 rides & a complete update of many of the old ones, these problems have been solved.

Use this edition with a current THOMAS BROTHERS MAP as a way to check changes in route & terrain & you will be ok.

Phone numbers & addresses may be outdated in this edition as well.

All in all, well worth the price of admission.

I also recommend the ORANGE COUNTY & INLAND EMPIRE editions as well, with the same reservations on account of age.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bicycle Rides in Los Angeles County, June 4, 2002

By 

Richard J. Farrar (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles County, Fourth Edition (Entire County Area; 71 Trips, 83 Rides) (Paperback)

I have reviewed the 4th Edition of "Bicycle Rides in Los Angeles County," published June 2000, by Don and Sharron Brundidge. This guide has something for every type and level of bicyclist: family outings, sightseeing buffs, distance workouts, and elevation workouts. This edition is greatly expanded compared with the previous editions, with 21 added rides. Also several of the previous rides have been updated.

I especially like the maps and elevation contours. Starting points and parking are indicated, as well as parks, special points of interest for sightseers, restrooms, water sources, and occasional eateries along the way. At the beginning of the book there is a Master Trip Matrix that is an excellent starting point for planning a ride. The Trip Matrix has items like the general location, level of difficulty, mileage, vertical gain characteristics (hills), percentages of pure bike trail, marked bike lane, signed bike lane, or none of the above (called Class X), and other trip features and highlights. The latter include general scenery, landmarks, and special sightseeing attractions.

I have checked the distances and elevation gains with my own GPS and Avocet vertical gain watch and found the guides to be quite accurate. Options are described for shortening certain rides. Another feature I liked was the description of the connectivity between near-by rides for ambitious riders who want to do multiple rides in a day's outing. I can't think of a more complete guide for either the serious or casual cyclist.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bicycle Rides in Los Angeles County, June 4, 2002

By 

Richard J. Farrar (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bicycle Rides: Los Angeles County, Fourth Edition (Entire County Area; 71 Trips, 83 Rides) (Paperback)

I have reviewed the 4th Edition of "Bicycle Rides in Los Angeles County," published June 2000, by Don and Sharron Brundidge. This guide has something for every type and level of bicyclist: family outings, sightseeing buffs, distance workouts, and elevation workouts. This edition is greatly expanded compared with the previous editions, with 21 added rides. Also several of the previous rides have been updated.

I especially like the maps and elevation contours. Starting points and parking are indicated, as well as parks, special points of interest for sightseers, restrooms, water sources, and occasional eateries along the way. At the beginning of the book there is a Master Trip Matrix that is an excellent starting point for planning a ride. The Trip Matrix has items like the general location, level of difficulty, mileage, vertical gain characteristics (hills), percentages of pure bike trail, marked bike lane, signed bike lane, or none of the above (called Class X), and other trip features and highlights. The latter include general scenery, landmarks, and special sightseeing attractions.

I have checked the distances and elevation gains with my own GPS and Avocet vertical gain watch and found the guides to be quite accurate. Options are described for shortening certain rides. Another feature I liked was the description of the connectivity between near-by rides for ambitious riders who want to do multiple rides in a day's outing. I can't think of a more complete guide for either the serious or casual cyclist.