Cycling in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has some of the steepest streets in California. We tend to think of San Francisco as the city with the steep hills, but there are a few very short hills in Los Angles that are even steeper than the San Francisco hills.

The three steepest hills are Eldred Street at a nominal 33%, Fargo Street at 32%, and Baxter Street at 32%. They are all very short, around 1/10 of a mile.

We were in Los Angeles for a day and I thought I’d try riding all three of them. They are all in the same general area, with Eldred off by itself, and Fargo and Baxter right next to each other off Allesandro Street. One thing to note is that Fargo and Baxter are both one-way streets, downhill to Allesandro. However, the climbs go up from Allesandro, so the wrong way up the one-way street.

Because these hills are so steep, you need to be well over the handlebars to avoid doing a wheelie. In my case, that meant sitting on the very front of the saddle. To keep my normal leg extension, I raised the saddle just over an inch for these climbs.

Elbert Street

Eldred Street is ugly, cracked, and short, and doesn’t have the elegance of Fargo Street. The real climb starts where the asphalt changes to concrete, and because the concrete is quite cracked, you need to pick a good line.

On my first attempt I was about half way up the smoother section on the right in the photo above, when my foot came loose from the pedal and I stopped. I didn’t dare ride down so I walked down. After a short rest I tried again and this time made it to the top. Again, I walked back down.

Fargo Street

Fargo Street was my favorite of the three climbs, and also the longest. The Los Angeles Wheelmen used to hold an annual ride up Fargo Street, but this has not been held since 2018, when the street became one-way.

On my first attempt I started the climb standing, and about half way up changed to sitting. I was weaving a bit and my bike decided to head off to the side and I couldn’t make it go uphill so I had to stop. Then I walked back down. Resting at the bottom, the idea of completing Fargo Street seemed so daunting that I reconciled myself to only riding Eldred Street.

But I had to try again, and on the second attempt I sat the whole way and didn’t do any major weaving. This time I made the top and when I finally topped out I was panting like a dog. Instead of riding back down the same way you can turn right, then take the second right and come down Duane Street much more easily.

Baxter Street

After a short rest I went over to Baxter Street. After doing Fargo Street I was more confident. Also Baxter looks less daunting than Fargo. I suspect it is less steep than Fargo because I rode it first time, without any weaving at all. Which is fortunate because the parked cars make the road narrower than Fargo. Again, turn right at the top and come back Duane.