iding with a group is a great way to connect with the local cycling community, learn new routes, and challenge yourself.
If you’re visiting Los Angeles with your bike and are looking to join a group ride you’re in a good place as there is a ton of riding options here in LA. So much so that you should be able to find something almost any day of the week.
I’m going to cover some of the major groups and shops that host regular rides and how to find them as some post on social media, some use Strava, and others have their own website or app.
Please do note that this is not an exhaustive list and I’ll be focusing on West LA groups as those are the ones I’m most familiar with at this time. However I do hope to follow up with an East LA post in the future.
Cycling in West LA:
The westside of LA is a popular spot for cyclists as it offers a variety of riding options from chill beach rides to the challenging hills from Santa Monica to Malibu and beyond.
As a result a lot of rides congregate on the westside of the city and many bike shops and brands have set up shop here as well which has helped to foster a growing cycling community.
So you should be able to find something at almost any level and in a variety of distances. Finally, as LA can get quite hot, the west side of the city offers slightly cooler weather due to the closer proximity to the ocean which is a plus on those long distance rides.
Group Rides:
The group rides will be broken down into those offered by local shops, brand held rides, and finally club rides.
Shop Rides:
These rides mostly start and end at shops on the west side of LA.
Luft
A boutique bike shop in Venice that features some very cool brands around the world, a fun community vibe, and is the home to Black Heart Bikes.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- They host some major brand rides throughout the year which are lots of fun and the local riding community shows up in mass.
- During the summer they do weekly gravel rides in the evenings after work which are fast paced and lots of fun.
- Every month they host a women's only ride so there is really something for everyone.
Where to find their rides:
- Follow them on Instagram for the latest updates on weekly rides.
- They also post on their site upcoming rides here and events here.
- Address: 1930 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Hellen’s Cycles
A local bike shop that’s been a part of the LA cycling community for over 50 years. Located in Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, they have a repair shop on site and feature a number of different bike brands for sale. If you have a bike issue they have probably seen it and are there to help out.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- Hellen’s host road and off road rides. They describe their pace as “spirited” but do have places along the way to regroup.
- Typically they ride on the second Saturday of each month.
Where to find their rides:
- Rides are posted on their Instagram or Facebook pages.
- Address: 2501 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Pedal Mafia
An Australian clothing brand that has setup their first US shop in Santa Monica. I’ve written about them here but I’m excited to see them setup a presence in Southern California and start to host some group rides.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- They host a weekly 7:30 am Friday morning coffee rides.
- So a great ride if you’re looking for something more casual and early in the morning before going into work.
Where to find their rides:
- They post details of their rides on Strava here.
- Address: 2909 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Rapha
An international cycling clothing brand with club shops all around the world. In addition to selling clothing they typically have a coffee shop on site and host a variety of fun cycling events throughout the year in addition to weekly rides. They are located in Santa Monica.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- Rapha has a membership service so there are some rides that are member focused but they also have a variety that you can just show up for and join them.
- Some of my favorites are their Wed morning 6:30 am Griffith Park ride and the Friday or Saturday morning social rides.
Where to find their rides:
- Rapha has their own app for members which will list out their rides.
- They also post all their rides on their club calendar which you can find online here.
- Address: 1347 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Goodr
A popular sunglass shop located in Venice which offers everything from casual beach shades to more sports oriented sunglasses at affordable prices. I’ve written about their cycling glasses here if you’d like to know more about them and my impressions.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- They host a monthly bike and bagels on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 8:30 am.
- I have not ridden with them yet but I don’t think you cannot have a good time when there are bikes and bagels involved.
Where to find their rides:
- Goodr has a few instagram accounts and one is for cycling. They post their rides on that account which you can find here.
- Address: 1348 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Brands:
These are rides by cycling brands that have a presence in the LA area but not a physical shop where they start and end at.
Canyon
A Germany based direct to consumer bike brand that offers bikes for all categories of cycling. Despite them mostly having a presence online they actually have a showroom in Southern California which is about 1.5hrs from LA where you can see all their great bikes in person.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- They typically host a variety of rides in Los Angeles from road to gravel throughout the month.
- I actually joined my first ride with them earlier this month and Rivian and it was a fun social ride with a no drop policy.
Where to find their rides:
- They have a dedicated ride page for Los Angeles on their site here.
- For full details on what’s coming up follow them on Strava here.
Cycling Clubs/Groups:
There are a variety of cycling clubs and groups on the west side of LA. Below are a section of them that host group rides.
Velo Club La Grange
La Grange is an LA cycling club that’s been around for well over a decade. They are membership driven similar to Rapha and are well known for their LG50 rides which is a monthly supported ride targeting 50 miles and their Sunday Nichols Ride which is a fun challenge.
They are a very welcoming group so if you are not a member and looking to join a ride you can typically just show up and ride along. However if you do reside in LA and join them for a few rides it’s worth joining as they are a great group and host some very fun special rides and events throughout the year.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- They host a variety of rides almost every day of the week. These can range from casual social coffee rides on Fridays to fast loops around Santa Monica on Thursdays.
- On the weekend they generally will meet for longer rides often going on the PCH where you’ll get to experience some of the nice climbing out here in LA.
Where to find their rides:
- Their regular weekly rides can be found on their site here.
- For members weekly and special rides are sent out via email.
Mixt Race
A group of amazing women riders that have hosted a weekly Thursday night ride since 2017. They will take you all over LA and you’ll get to experience the city at night which is unique amongst the group rides I have been on. You’ll see a variety of bikes, outfits, and everything here so come as you are but bring lighting and a helmet so you are visible and safe. There is no membership but they can be supported through their merch here.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- Their rides head out at 8 pm every Thursday
- They offer two speeds, the spicy mixed race ride is their fast drop ride while their medium mixed pace is their slower ride.
- The spicy is generally around 30 miles and a route is not typically provided.
- The medium ride generally has a route provided, shorter in distanced, but may still be a drop ride.
Where to find their rides:
- They post their rides on Instagram
- The rides always start in Venice at the CVS Parking lot in Venice which you can find here.
The Fireflies (FFCC LAX)
The Fireflies is a cycling club that was started by a group of fellow cyclists that were riding together in various events to raise money for fighting blood cancers.
To this day they still focus on riding and raising money and the club has expanded around the globe from London to Mexico City and even here in LA. The LA chapter is very welcoming and is an extension of the same type of spirit as the original group with a focus on helping new riders get ready for their annual SF to LA ride. In addition to this they host a variety of rides during the week from coffee rides to longer stints around LA.
Rides Overview and Highlights:
- The Fireflies typically have rides everyday from Wed to Sunday.
- They even mix in a little bit of gravel which is a nice addition if you’re looking to explore some of the fire roads around LA.
- Most of the rides start and end on the westside of LA but they do fit in rides on the east side and outside the city, so there is a lot of variety here.
Where to find their rides:
- If you visit their website you can sign up to their Weekly Ride Newsletter which provides all the ride details for the upcoming week.
Final Thought
I hope this list helped you find a group ride if you're visiting LA or showed you some new groups you can ride with if you're a local.
If there are groups I've missed as I'm sure there are let me know and I'd be happy to add them to the list.
Thanks for visiting my site and hopefully I'll see you out on the bike sometime!
