Hey everybody.

I live in Westwood and was wondering how good sepulveda is along the wilshire area, both north and south and how far one could go along it. By good I mean is there either a bike lane or really wide shoulder devoid of moronic SUVs and inconsiderate drivers.

Peace

Ah Sepulveda....

South of Wilshire on Sepulveda is not worth riding IMO. There is alot of traffic and lights to get in a good ride. Cars are parked along the way and there is no marked bike lane.
Wheel World is on Sepulveda. That's the only time I ride down there is when I need to pickup some mtn bike parts from them.

North of Wilshire, it's a pretty good strip starting around the military cemetary til Sunset. Nice and side and no parked cars for the most part. Once you pass Sunset and start ascending, towards Getty, cars start to drive really fast as it becomes a highway practically, so if you are uncomfortable with 60mph passing you, then avoid it. There is no marked bike lane, but cyclist take that route all the time to to the Valley. The ride down Sepulveda from the Valley is blast and fast. Wear bright colored clothes to the speedy cars can see, even in the day. There are twist and turns that have blind spots when you round them. So make yourself as visually loud as possible.

I did the Sepulveda ride once when I first moved to the westside. I wasn't cool with cars passing me so closely at 60mph. So I wouldn't recommend it, but I am chicken. Maybe you will have bigger cajones than me ;)

I drive up Sepulveda all the time when I head up the the Dirt Mulholland trailhead to go mtn biking. I rarely see road cyclist riding up or down Sepulveda. It could just be my timing though. Just because I don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

If you are looking for a nice long ride on the westside, the strand path from Malibu down to Hermosa during the weekday is one of best parts of living in LA to me. Weekends it's a nightmare with inept pedestrians wandering onto the bike path and you have to precariously play human slalom. But weekdays, it's a nice ride.

Thnx alot. That was really great info. I'm assuming that the best way to get to the path you mentioned is via San Vincente to Ocean, correct?

If so, what is the best to get from Veteran/Wilshire to SV? I usually follow Wilshire (along the sidewalk which really sucks) to the VA and cut through there. Any better routes that will not take up to north like the Montanna route?

Thanks

Thnx alot. That was really great info. I'm assuming that the best way to get to the path you mentioned is via San Vincente to Ocean, correct?
...

San Vicente has it's own potential problems too. Large groups of joggers routinely run in the bike lane against traffic and do not yield to cyclist riding with the flow of traffic in the bike lanes.

See recent thread on San Vicente:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=20031

good point. i was following that thread closely as well. really sux for use bikers here since we really don't have many other places to do :mad:

Sepulveda is probably THE major north-south route for bicycling. I'm on it a heck of a lot, heading from my Valley home up onto Mulholland, or down to the beach via the Veterans Administration and San Vicente. (You shall know me by my Mapei Colnago Dream and my hairy legs.) If you're driving it, you see a constant parade of bicyclists. If you're riding it, you don't see nearly as many...as everybody's going at about the same rate of speed. As long as you're not on Sepulveda during rush hours, it's quite livable. It's much less hair-raising than, say, Pacific Coast Highway or Sunset Blvd. Going through the tunnel at the top of the pass, however, does raise the BP. This is especially true going north, as that direction has only one lane.

Though the cars do indeed fly through there I've never felt uncomfortable because outside of rush hour the traffic is pretty light. On the weekends I've gone nearly a 3/4 to a full mile without being passed pretty regularly. Drivers over there expect you too and most merge to the left to give you room. In LA it's one of the better westside rides.

I love San Vincente but as a comparison you have many more potential accidents there with all the cross traffic and soccer moms flying off the surrounding residential streets.

thnx for the advice. its just that i'm used to riding in places where you can go for at least 20 miles or hours without seeing cars. but i guess la is another beast...

peace

thnx for the advice. its just that i'm used to riding in places where you can go for at least 20 miles or hours without seeing cars. but i guess la is another beast...

20 miles without cars? Sounds like a dream.

I'm pretty comfortable these days with cars and traffic and whatnot. That being said, Sepulveda is pretty ok. For the most part you've got a really nice shoulder with plenty of room. More mellow than PCH, and much more mellow than Sunset.

I also did Sepulveda recently right in the middle of rush hour and it was fine. Thing is, when traffic is bad, no one's going 60. Cars are lucky to be going half that speed, if they're not completely stopped. It's kind of fun to be huffing up the last hill to Skirball at 8 mph and still be passing traffic.

Also, if you're coming from Wilshire and Veteran, I would highly, highly recommend that you stay off the sidewalk. Each time the sidewalk crosses a freeway ramp it's a deathtrap. Just ride in the right lane, hold your own, and merge when necessary. Much safer to be going with the flow than to be crossing the flow. (I've been doing the Brentwood-Westwood-Brentwood run almost every day for the past year. It's definitely one of the worst stretches for cycling in the city.)

...(I've been doing the Brentwood-Westwood-Brentwood run almost every day for the past year. It's definitely one of the worst stretches for cycling in the city.)

I agree. I hope one day they improve conditions for roads between these two points.

There's just no safe route heading into Westwood from Brentwood or from any direction for that matter. I head into Westwood from the south (Rancho Park) and even I though I have alot of residentials streets to take, it's all tight getting into Westwood via any of the main streets (Gayley, Westwood, Veteran, etc...).

I was almost hit by a pickup truck on Westwood Blvd southbound infront of Ross before SM Blvd. Truck decided to try to drive in bike lane to cut ahead of bumper to bumper and cut into the bike lane right was I was passing him at 20-ish mph. Barely made it scratch free.

I agree. I hope one day they improve conditions for roads between these two points.

There's just no safe route heading into Westwood from Brentwood or from any direction for that matter. I head into Westwood from the south (Rancho Park) and even I though I have alot of residentials streets to take, it's all tight getting into Westwood via any of the main streets (Gayley, Westwood, Veteran, etc...).

I was almost hit by a pickup truck on Westwood Blvd southbound infront of Ross before SM Blvd. Truck decided to try to drive in bike lane to cut ahead of bumper to bumper and cut into the bike lane right was I was passing him at 20-ish mph. Barely made it scratch free.

I just posted this: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=175113#post175113. I'd been meaning to for a long time and was reminded by this thread tonight.

I was almost hit by a pickup truck on Westwood Blvd southbound infront of Ross before SM Blvd. Truck decided to try to drive in bike lane to cut ahead of bumper to bumper and cut into the bike lane right was I was passing him at 20-ish mph. Barely made it scratch free.

Sounds like fun to me.

You'd think that since Westwood is basically centered around a college they would make it more bike-friendly. But I guess more UCLA students have BMWs than have bikes.

My favorite is the half-block bike lane on Gayley between Weyburn and Le Conte. I have yet to figure out why they would even bother.

thx for all the advice. I totally agree that riding on the sidewalk sux especially where jerks are trying to get on the 405, but I'm still deathly afraid on riding along Wilshire (frying to fire analong?) I was thinking of going south along veteran than getting into the VA and trying to go north through there into the other part of the VA that is north of wilshire. I'm not sure if there is a road that is not heavily traveled along this, but never hurts to explore. Comments?

peace

thx for all the advice. I totally agree that riding on the sidewalk sux especially where jerks are trying to get on the 405, but I'm still deathly afraid on riding along Wilshire (frying to fire analong?) I was thinking of going south along veteran than getting into the VA and trying to go north through there into the other part of the VA that is north of wilshire. I'm not sure if there is a road that is not heavily traveled along this, but never hurts to explore. Comments?

peace

You could do that ... Veteran to Ohio, Ohio west to Sawtelle, which is where the VA entrance is. It's a little out of the way, though.

The other thing you can try is taking Veteran north to Montana, Montana west Sepulveda, Sepulveda south to Constitution, which is another entrance to the VA. If you're in the village, you can just take Gayley until it turns into Montana. If you do that, you're north of Wilshire the entire time.

You could do that ... Veteran to Ohio, Ohio west to Sawtelle, which is where the VA entrance is. It's a little out of the way, though.

The other thing you can try is taking Veteran north to Montana, Montana west Sepulveda, Sepulveda south to Constitution, which is another entrance to the VA. If you're in the village, you can just take Gayley until it turns into Montana. If you do that, you're north of Wilshire the entire time.


Thats not a bad idea, but its just that I live so close to wilshire that going that north would be somewhat out of the way. But I've gone from UCLA to Montonna and than to Sepulveda but not father than that.

Sounds like a plan though. Thanks for the input.