Possible move to Brea area - LOTS of questions please.....

herzalot said:
I disagree with others that you have to drive two hours to get Buffalo Creek style challenges. Aliso and LCWP have plenty of steep, feature filled chunk (although some of it is off menu). But steep chunk doesn't sound like what you are seeking. Your best bet is to get out here and do some recon to see what you like, then figure out where to live based on that.
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Ha-ha-ha.....you may be referring to my statement but I never said Buffalo Creek style *challenges*, I said Buffalo Creek QUALITY riding. Have you ridden Little Scraggy or Blackjack out there? I know you love your Laguna/Aliso riding and others love climbing fire roads for hours but Buffalo Creek is LIGHT YEARS better riding!!! Hell, I might even stay in SoCal if BC was my local riding area. Thankfully we have Downieville and the Lakes Basin type stuff.... only 10 hours away but closer for you OC guys. :D
 
Ryan M said:
Climbing alll over. All of these trails are in the foothills or mountains, so you're either climbing or descending. Marshall has 20+ miles and easily 3000+ feet of gain if you take the right routes. There are also dozens of other, lesser known trails that I didn't mention for you to explore.

As far as temps go...definitely not as low as coastal areas. You will have multiple 100 degree days in the summer. Mt. Wilson and Wrightwood, and not too far away, Big Bear; will all be 20 to 30 degrees cooler.
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I think this is a great option if wanting to commute to Brea and focus on riding. Glendora and La Verne are great, and closer to the trails in the Gabes. But Claremont is a fave of mine. A great college town that has some charm. Metrolink (commuter rail) access to LA. Only 20 miles to Brea, so yeah, you could bike commute (I don't know what that would be like).

Also note that our seasons are inverses. We ride in the winter, spring, and fall, and tolerate the summer. But year-round riding if you plan for it. Real mountains an hour away. Ocean an hour away. Deserts around two. Fantastic #vanlife opportunties up the 395 corridor and in Death Valley, and Anza Borrego.

Give it a try. If you hate it, you can go back to CO and tell everyone how awful SoCal is.
 
Matt said:
Where we riding around these parts?
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You have your personal bike valet pick you up and bring you to the trailhead of your choice, with whatever bike you want to ride that day.

Pelican Hill is in Newport Coast and is home to more than a few celebrities. You actually could easily access the Crystal Cove, LCWP trail network from Pelican Hill, but I seriously doubt anyone from there does so.

Take a gander here: https://www.pelicanhill.com/

That's the resort, but there are plenty of homes there as well. Might cost a bit more than you want to spend though. :eek:

When we were remodeling our tiny Laguna Beach house, we rented an apartment in Newport Coast and I rode Laguna Coast Wilderness Park from my garage. Easy access to freeways and airport. 25 minutes to Brea. Not all that expensive either. Coastal climate.
 
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herzalot said:
You have your personal bike valet pick you up and bring you to the trailhead of your choice, with whatever bike you want to ride that day.

Pelican Hill is in Newport Coast and is home to more than a few celebrities. You actually could easily access the Crystal Cove, LCWP trail network from Pelican Hill, but I seriously doubt anyone from there does so.

Take a gander here: https://www.pelicanhill.com/

That's the resort, but there are plenty of homes there as well. Might cost a bit more than you want to spend though. :eek:

When we were remodeling our tiny Laguna Beach house, we rented an apartment in Newport Coast and I rode LCWP from my garage. Easy access to freeways and airport. 25 minutes to Brea. Not all that expensive either. Coastal climate.
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LCWP=Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

if you were planning to stay longer, the answer would be different. But if you want to do California and get out, just go to Newport or Laguna and get it out of your system.
 
If your looking for long ST downhills. You won’t find any of that near the coast. 4 min downhills are hard to come by in the coastal trails. If you want long climbs and downhills you’ll need to go up into the National Forests. Cleveland, San Bernardino, Angeles, & Los Padres.
I don’t know jack shiot about Colorado. But, you crazy for wanting to leave that for here. OC is a melting pot full of look at me’s and illegals. I’m a native and I’m getting out of this pit in less than a week. I can’t happen soon enough.

Either way, good luck with your quest. It can only be as good/bad as you make it.
 
mtbMike said:
Ha-ha-ha.....you may be referring to my statement but I never said Buffalo Creek style *challenges*, I said Buffalo Creek QUALITY riding. Have you ridden Little Scraggy or Blackjack out there? I know you love your Laguna/Aliso riding and others love climbing fire roads for hours but Buffalo Creek is LIGHT YEARS better riding!!! Hell, I might even stay in SoCal if BC was my local riding area. Thankfully we have Downieville and the Lakes Basin type stuff.... only 10 hours away but closer for you OC guys. :D
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I rode Buffalo Creek before you knew it existed, thank you! I truly apologize for enjoying the trails I ride. Please forgive me.
 
Another consideration: Land management attitudes toward MTB. Bikes are tolerated in SoCal; CO NF and local agencies put more into bike specific trails and refraining from sanitation.

Lots of dog sht bag leavers in both, but Front Range takes it.
 
Matt said:
Thanks.....was going to get to that google search at some point.

Really appreciate all the input.

I'll be driving around a lot next weekend.
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Sorry - I am not a fan of esoteric abbreviations myself. I identified Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in my first post in this thread, and referred to the shorthand afterward.

I may be able to show you some local stuff on Sunday next weekend, if I haven't scared you away.

Everyone else seems to be telling you you're crazy. I will tell you that I am a much better mt biker riding here than I ever was in CO. There are many reasons for that that have nothing to do with the actual trails or geography (like improvement in bikes, for example), but I am one of the few here who has lived in Colorado for 30 years and actually likes it here equally. I'm also a much better surfer than I was in CO. ;)
 
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mike said:
Chris, you should spend some time riding CO in your current state. :) Bergen Peak awaits! ;)
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Don't worry I will. Fruita. Hermosa Trail. Front Range improvements. The modern Buffalo Creek. And yes, bike parks. Keystone. Winter Park. I will get back out there. I have to balance my wishes and limited vacation time with those of my wife and child - who prefer Hawaii.

It's just really frustrating to read all of this negativity bordering on hatred on this thread. The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but what's wrong with being happy for the amazing things we are blessed to enjoy? Have you sat in the summertime traffic on I-70? Or the winter traffic? We find ways to work around it. Some are blessed with work schedules (or retirement) that allows you to miss the peak clusterfuck moments. Some have to work a little harder to do so, or embrace the suck of being in the herd.

You have mastered it through whatever it is you do for employment. We can't all do as you've done. Should we?
 
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Sounds like a great vacation!

Should anyone do whatever it is that I do? No, do whatever it is that you do. And resist being myopic and sentimental about any one place because you are or were anchored there.
 
mike said:
Should anyone do whatever it is that I do? No, do whatever it is that you do. And resist being myopic and sentimental about any one place because you are or were anchored there.
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Myopic and sentimental... you might as well add "and that's why I'm better than you." Your nirvana is traveling around and experiencing new things. Great. Do not assume that's better than my nirvana.
 
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If the weather is that important to you then it sounds like you have already made up your mind, sure we have nice days but fire season is brutal, smoke and devil winds make it impossible to ride and we get a lot of it. I don't know if you know this or not but there is a mass exodus leaving from this place, it's not the California it used to be!
 
Is it perfect here.....nope. Is it perfect anywhere....nope. Anyplace has good and bad. Bo.rn and raised here....47 years. Sometimes you gotta go where the work is.

There is plenty of riding in Orange County....if you stay in the parks, be prepared, they get crowded. Head out into the National Forest(our little Cleveland NF) you can get away from the crowds. This is also where you'll find bigger mileage/elevation loops. You can do this in the parks, but you generally do a lot of little loops.

I've put a 50+ mile/7000'+ rides together in Chino Hills State Park, in LCWP/Aliso Woods/El Moro.

Where to live?? I'm not a fan of the coast, I like warmer temps. I'm in central OC, which means I can get to most riding spots within about 15 -20 mins. However, I'm not opposed to riding up to an hour to get to some of the rides from home.

Central OC makes it easy to get to some of the other areas(San Gabes, desert rides, local mountains) a bit easier. South OC makes some of the trails in OC almost a 1 hr drive.
 
@Matt , I live in La Verne and ride from my garage. Sounds like you’d be up to do the Sunset Ridge to Barrett Stoddard Loop. 45 miles and 6k’

If ya want more, hang a left at the end of Barrett Stoddard and climb Cucamonga Truck Trail to double your output. From La Verne, lots-a single track loops and figure-8s to add up the mileage, or Lots-a fireroad to really travel far. If you want, I could do it with you, but it’ll take me 20 hours.

@mtnbikej and @Faust29 will show you the big-mountain, big ride excursions. @herzalot will show you the goods along the coast. I like the goods along the coast. Your drive to Brea from La Verne will take you at least 40 minutes on a weekday at 8am. Closer to an hour on the way back around 6. Bike ride would be almost the same amount of time, but you’d be sharing the side roads with traffic trying to avoid the 57 fwy, and you’d be passing many cars through select intersections.

100 degree summer days In La Verne. I don’t mind the heat. Like @hill^billy said, tho, California is not what it used to be. Fire season is year-round these days, and it’s not a hoax. When (not if) wildfires occur, the smoke makes trails unridable. Tho there area usually places you could drive to with riding to avoid the smoke (hope I didn’t jinx it this year).

For Brea work, I’d live in Yorba Linda or Anaheim Hills and ride with JZilla and Faustie for the mileage you’re looking for. That work commute will be daily. It would be a big deal to me.
 
If you were moving from,say, Chicago, I don’t think you’d be getting the negativity from this group, by and large. I’ve had a couple job offers over the years just down hwy 470 from you. My wife wanted a new home so we had a place picked out at the south edge of Highlands Ranch, backing up to the private MTB trails there.

I’m happy that we stayed here, for various good reasons, but the mountain biking is not one of those reasons. It ain’t bad, in fact it’s pretty good. But it’s not private single track from my garage.
 
Matt I live near Brea. U work in Brea. Trust me u want to live near ur work. Traffic sucks.. Brea has great places to live.. so too Fullerton...
As for riding.. u have the best year ride riding in us... U just have to drive... But within one hour of Brea u have endless places to ride...within 10 minutes of Brea u have carbon canyon.. fullerton loop.. powder canyon...within 30 minutes u have a lot more... Endless miles in the santa and and San Gabriel's...

I ride Fullerton loop from home on weekdays..then drive to fantastic places on sat...

It's a great place for mtbkers...
I ve been riding 15 years.. and I still hit new dirt in scal....
 
If you want to ride in the midst of a winter storm, the Santa Ana MTBs are sometimes below the snow line, and lots of decomposing granite around to enjoy with proper outfitting. Palm Canyon Trail (or anything in the Coachella Valley) is prime when it rains.

If you wanna ride when it’s 110 degrees, Wrightwood or Big Bear or SART (that’s right bitches, we have SART++ if you’re game) or Mt. Pinos or even Wilson are options.

Like Herzie said, @Sidewalk will offer the details on the racing scene.
 
herzalot said:
Myopic and sentimental... you might as well add "and that's why I'm better than you." Your nirvana is traveling around and experiencing new things. Great. Do not assume that's better than my nirvana.
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Interesting comment. I'm all in on spirited discussion, but this is not the first time you've laid a superiority rap on me. I just wonder where that comes from. No doubt, the same place that makes you write that you are a "loser" or "suck" at something, or even try to rank the members here by skill. Be careful what you tell yourself – you might end up believing it. Humility and self-deprication are fine in doses, but inferiority complex is another thing altogether. Hold your head up, man. I never said or tried to infer that I am better than anyone, you included. If you think I did, you were absolutely mistaken.

Cheers; carry on! I can imagine Matt is like, no fukking way... :laugh::)
 
mike said:
Interesting comment. I'm all in on spirited discussion, but this is not the first time you've laid a superiority rap on me. I just wonder where that comes from. No doubt, the same place that makes you write that you are a "loser" or "suck" at something, or even try to rank the members here by skill. Be careful what you tell yourself – you might end up believing it. Humility and self-deprication are fine in doses, but inferiority complex is another thing altogether. Hold your head up, man. I never said or tried to infer that I am better than anyone, you included. If you think I did, you were absolutely mistaken.

Cheers; carry on! I can imagine Matt is like, no fukking way... :laugh::)
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haha.....nothing to see here....

All good here, still learning with each (almost :) ) answer.
Made it to the top step today for the first time in awhile. Thought I’d share with my potential new family!

I’ll ask some of the shops about the racing scene when I get out there.
 
I live in Tustin and love it. Perfect neighborhood for what I want. Decent sized houses and lots. I work in Anaheim which is only a few min before you hit Brea. I start work at 7am and traffic is never bad unless there's an accident or something random. I wouldn't have any problem commuting to Brea. I looked at homes in Brea/Fullerton and while nothing wrong with them, not really my jam and I've always just enjoyed Tustin, no real explanation, just feels like home to me. I'm usually home inside 30-40 minutes, even picking up my two kids from different daycares. Neighborhoods around me would be easily affordable in your budget. You could even live in pedal distance to Santiago Oaks. It's maybe a 5-10 minute drive for me, but there are neighborhoods right there. It's not big mountain, but there's plenty to ride and super enjoyable, even for quick after work jaunts. After the time change, I frequently drive straight there from work, change and get in a 1:30-2hr ride. Plenty of food, shopping and other stuff. Can be warm in the summer, but not terrible. It's not as cool on hot days like coastal Newport or Huntington, but I don't mind. If it's that brutal, I'm inside with the AC. Super easy freeway access to most major freeways. Honestly, besides normal SoCal complaints (traffic, etc), I love where I live.
 
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