The beach bike path

You can cross four beach towns without starting the car

A paved path runs along the sand for most of the length of the county's coastline, from Pacific Palisades south through Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey, then on to Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance. It is separated from traffic nearly the whole way. In a city where the distance between two neighborhoods is measured in minutes of freeway, that is an unusual thing to have.

The practical effect is that a rental in the South Bay puts Hermosa and Redondo within an easy ride, and a rental near Santa Monica puts Venice and Marina del Rey in reach. You are not going to ride the full length and back in a morning unless you ride seriously. Pick two or three towns, ride one direction, stop for lunch.

Cruiser rentals sit near the pier in Santa Monica, along the Venice boardwalk and in most of the South Bay downtowns. Electric bikes have spread across all of them, which changes the arithmetic on distance considerably and makes the return leg a different proposition.

Where it slows down, and which way to ride first

Three stretches are slower than the map suggests. The Venice boardwalk section is thick with pedestrians most of the day, and riding it at any speed is neither possible nor polite. Marina del Rey routes you around the harbor rather than along the water, which adds distance. And the path detours inland in a couple of places between Playa del Rey and the South Bay, so there are short blocks where you want the route on your phone.

Afternoon wind on this coast usually comes onshore out of the northwest, which means the southbound ride is the easy one and the return leg is the work. If you are going out and back, head north first and come home with it behind you.

Mornings are better for a second reason. The path is shared with runners, skaters, dog walkers and families on rented four-wheelers, and it thins out considerably before the middle of the morning. The marine layer that annoys beachgoers in May and June is an advantage here, since riding in flat grey light beats riding in full sun with no shade for miles.

Bring a lock and use it. Bike theft along the busier stretches is an ordinary problem, and a cruiser left leaning against a rail while you eat is an invitation. If the house you are staying in has bikes, ask your local manager whether it also has a lock before you count on one.