The Most Surprising Thing About Seeing LA By Bike

The fact that Los Angeles is a car city is something I struggle to understand. I relocated here from Montreal, one of the world’s top cycling cities. There, cycling is more than just a mode of transportation; it’s practically a religion. Montreal’s residents ride in negative 20 degree (Celsius) weather without apology, bundled into layers, dodging snow plows and icy patches. When I arrived in Los Angeles and felt the warm Pacific air, my reaction was simple: there was no excuse. If the Montrealers can do it in a blizzard, surely Angelenos can do it in the sunshine.

What I didn’t expect was how much riding a bike would teach me about a city I thought I knew from watching film and television.

My eco-adventure started bright and early at Bike and Hikes LA, well before the morning rush of cars began pouring onto the streets. I signed up for the company’s six-hour “LA in a Day” bike tour and was looking forward to getting a serious workout and a chance to discover the city. Secretly, I was hoping to memorize bike routes and paths I could return to on my own. 

I packed the basics: water, sunscreen, and snacks, since lunch wasn’t included. Once our small group had assembled, we were briefed on the route, safety procedures, and what to expect from the hills. 

This is where I had to quickly decide what type of rider I was going to be. Pedal assist? My ego said no. I’m in great shape. I ride regularly and not to mention it’s in my blood. My great-grandfather George “Plonky” Parkinson, was a bicycle mechanic from Blackpool, England, who hand built an early 24-speed bicycle prototype in a small workshop. This was at a time when 10-speeds were common and 18-speeds were only just beginning to emerge.

That being said, our guide was convincing. As someone who rides this route regularly, he told us that he even uses pedal assist. So, I took his advice and was grateful for it later, around hour three, when we stopped in front of Jay-Z’s $88 million Bel Air home. 

We saw a few more celebrity homes (some are unavoidable in Los Angeles) but what really interested me was the knowledge our guide shared along the way. Our group wasn’t particularly interested in a star tour once it became clear he had a much deeper understanding of the city. He opened doors to histories of the neighborhoods themselves, explaining how wealth migrated from one part of the city to another. He shared what stood in different areas before today’s structures, and how events you would never associate with a quiet residential street shaped the block we stood on. He had the knowledge that comes from genuine curiosity, not just from memorizing a script. 

The landmarks accumulated. Will Rogers State Historic Park and UCLA deserved visits of their own. Jackie Robinson Stadium struck more of a personal chord. Before Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he spent the 1946 season with the Montreal Royals. Seeing his name here created an unexpected connection between the city I left behind and the one I now call home.

In the years I’ve lived here, I’ve never managed anything close to recreating this experience by car. Try driving from Venice to West Hollywood on a weekday afternoon and you can forget it. I once attempted this drive, leaving at two o’clock for a six o’clock film premiere and barely made it. By bike, it is possible to cover the same distance and have time to stop to eat. 

During the full day bike tour, lunch was my favorite part of the day. Not a mansion or landmark, just enjoying sandwiches on a grassy hill overlooking the Ocean. Nobody was posing for photos or staring into their phones; each of us were present and talking as if we’d known each other for years despite having met only hours earlier. We were no longer tourists working through a checklist. We were explorers comparing notes.

Although we came from different countries and perspectives, we discovered something Los Angeles doesn’t advertise nearly enough: it’s a bikeable city, and it has the potential to be a world-class one. 

That doesn’t mean cycling in Los Angeles is perfect. Even as a group, we encountered distracted drivers and stretches of infrastructure that still have room for improvement. As fuel prices rise and cities evolve, I hope the culture continues to shift toward more sustainable forms of transportation. After all, Los Angeles has built an identity around wellness, sustainability, and outdoor living. Cycling seems like a natural extension of that story. 

Because by bike, Los Angeles reveals itself. Small bridges, houseboats, and hidden gardens, details that disappear when you’re sealed inside a car. More importantly, it reveals your relationship with the city itself. 

I booked a guided bike tour on my first day in Los Angeles not because I couldn’t explore on my own, but because I wanted someone to help me see beyond the obvious. Years later, that experience still shapes how I move through the city. Whenever I revisit those neighborhoods by bike, I find myself looking around the edges of what I assume I already know and discover again something new. 

Maybe that’s what continues to draw people to Los Angeles. Beneath the stereotypes and postcard images is a city that rewards curiosity. It asks you to let go of your assumptions, leave your ego behind, and find a pace that works for you, even if that means accepting a little pedal assist now and then. 

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