Einstein Bros, University City

The ride to Einstein Bros Bagels in University City on Regents Rd (close to where I work) was cold and windy. Going to the bagel shop was okay because the wind was at my back for most of the way. But the ride back was slow with the wind in my face.

The bagel was good. I got the apple cinnamon. It had a bit too much apple and not enough crunchy cinnamon sugar so I'm only giving this shop four stars out of five.

Route and stats are below.

Blue Box Bagels & Brew, Sorrento Valley

My ride to Blue Box Bagels & Brew was a simple out-and-back along the coast. The ride was fun and went on some new roads for me thanks to the Komoot app.

I had a cranberry bagel, and even though it was a bit dry (I got there after noon and they were closing in about an hour so I didn't expect it to be fresh), it was quite delicious. Now that Einstein Bros doesn't make cranberry bagels anymore, I'm officially naming this the Best Cranberry Bagel in San Diego.

Blue Box Bagels is a small shop in an industrial park with no outdoor seating. Hopefully they'll expand in the future to a nicer shop to go along with their delicious bagels.

Einstein Bros Bagels, Bernardo Heights Pkwy, Rancho Bernardo

My ride to Einstein Bros Bagels in Rancho Bernardo was good but cold (60 degrees is cold in San Diego!). I let the Komoot app pick most of the route and it did a good job. In one case, I had to go between two dead-end streets on a steep foot path but I was able to just barely get up it in 3rd gear.

I decided to get an apple cinnamon bagel (with sugary apples on top) and it was delicious. After a long ride, the Einstein Bros Gourmet bagels really hit the spot.

Stats and route are below.

I ♥ Bagels, Oceanside Blvd

I don't know why the two I Blood Pump Bagels shops in Oceanside get such good ratings on Google Maps (4.4 and 4.5 out of 5!). I'm very underwhelmed by the bagels. The one I had on this ride was dry and not very tasty. The table was dirty. And I had to wash it down with Diet Pepsi instead of Coke Zero. Maybe I should start calling it "I !♥ Bagels".

The ride was good. It was only 22 miles and I didn't run into any bike snobs that wanted to race me.

And my electric bike worked beautifully. I rode home on the same route I used to take with my non-electric bike when I lived in Oceanside. The three big hills on the route that used to just about kill me on my regular road bike were a breeze with the e-bike even on ECO mode.

Einstein Bros Bagels, Del Mar Heights Rd, San Diego

My ride to Einstein Bros Bagels on Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley was fun but cold. On the 101 along the coast, I passed a cyclist in full biking gear; I was going about 25 mph to his 22 mph. He then pedaled hard for about a half mile to almost catch up to me. Once he got close, I kicked the power up from ECO all the way to TURBO and pulled away from him at about 28-29 mph and didn't see him again. I love my e-bike for getting rid of the bike snobs that want to race me.

The bagel at Einstein Bros was delicious, as usual. However, I overheard a horrible rumor that they've discontinued the cranberry bagel which is one of my three favorites (along with blueberry and chocolate chip). I hope it isn't true. But if it is, maybe I'll try the apple cinnamon.

The route and stats are below. For the first 20 miles on the way to Einstein Bros, I averaged 20.8 mph which is really fast for me. Unfortunately, I can't count it as an official time because I ran a few miles above ECO mode to get rid of the pesky cyclist who wanted to race.

Garden State Bagels, Encinitas

My ride to Garden State Bagels was short and fun, and the bagel was good too. I got lucky with the chocolate chip bagel because they had come out of the oven recently so it was still hot, chewy and delicious. However, when they cooled down, they weren't as good (as Amelia confirmed with the bagel I brought home for her). Hence, four stars out of five.

My front tire was losing quite a bit of pressure during the week, and I was happy that it lasted the whole ride after pumping it up right before I left. However, on Tuesday morning it had gone completely flat so I finally had to change the tube after more than two years of riding.

I ♥ Bagels, Vista Way

My ride to I ♥ Bagels on Vista Way in Oceanside was good but the bagel shop experience wasn't so great resulting in only a 2 star rating. First off, the server got my order wrong and then messed up my change (the meal was $3.60, I gave her a $20, and she gave me back $3.60 in change!). Then it took at least 5 minutes to sort is all out and get me the correct change. Then the bagel was a dry and not very tasty. Lastly, the only outdoor seating was in the sun looking out at a parking lot--not very pleasant.

But it was still a good ride.