[dd74]

Mike - the problem here is not just the mountain roads. It's the traffic in general. L.A., land of the car and free-spirited driving as we might see in old 1950s black and white footage is laughable these days. As to cyclists, I think they are hardly a problem, IMO, except on very twisty portions such as Mulholland heading west toward Malibu, where they slow uphill travel.

With that said, not by any means would I part with my car simply because of traffic or impediments toward spirited driving on twisty mountain roads. Instead, I suggest you look into other options such as:

1) A different time of day when you won't run across (no pun intended) cyclists. Try driving very early in the morning or at dusk. The roads might be more free then.

2) A race track. Since I've been going to the track, I barely even consider mountain roads anymore for my pleasure driving. Plus, race tracks are much safer than mountain roads.