1
News:
Your username and password for these discussion forums are unique to the forums. Your forum login information is separate from your My Adventure Cycling login information, and your login info for the Cyclosource online store. You will need to create a separate login for each of these. However, to make things a bit easier, you can use the same email and password for all three accounts. Also, please note that your login information for the forums is not connected to your Adventure Cycling membership number. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
We have blocked registrations from several countries because of the large quantities of spam that originate there. If the forum denies your legitimate registration, please ask our administrator for an exception. webmaster@adventurecycling.org will need your IP address, which you can find at many web sites, including http://whatismyipaddress.com.
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
2
General Discussion / Re: Touring Question
« on: March 18, 2013, 09:04:45 am »
I recently watched a movie on Netflix entitled 180 Degrees South. Our hero catches a ride on a boat to Chile on the way to Patagonia to climb a mountain. He was retracing the path two of his heroes took four decades ago and he was going to meet those two in Patagonia. On the way the boat broke and they spent a couple months on Easter Island where he met a girl who, once the boat was repaired, went with them. Once in Patagonia they got to hang out with Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins and enjoy personal tours of the 2 million acre Concervacion Patagonica and go surfing. When it came time to climb the mountain the ice was melted and they were stopped within a few hundred feet of the summit because conditions were too dangerous. He moped about this for days maybe longer....as if the entire journey was a waste and a failure. Mr. Chouinard was fine with stopping even farther from the summit saying:
"What's important is how you got there, not what you've accomplished". and
"When everything goes wrong, that's when the adventure begins"
So my question is:
Why do you want to ride your bike across the country? Why set another, arbitrary goal like that which is already causing stress and frustration? Raising decent kids is a goal. A career is a goal. Contributing something is a goal. Bike touring is bike touring. It's not a race or a contest and as Mr. Chouinard (who, apparently is my new hero too) also said;
"it's about the changes that happen inside you"
Go when you can...overnight, a week, three weeks or three months.
"What's important is how you got there, not what you've accomplished". and
"When everything goes wrong, that's when the adventure begins"
So my question is:
Why do you want to ride your bike across the country? Why set another, arbitrary goal like that which is already causing stress and frustration? Raising decent kids is a goal. A career is a goal. Contributing something is a goal. Bike touring is bike touring. It's not a race or a contest and as Mr. Chouinard (who, apparently is my new hero too) also said;
"it's about the changes that happen inside you"
Go when you can...overnight, a week, three weeks or three months.
3
General Discussion / Re: Bike and Cars - share the road
« on: January 23, 2013, 09:16:30 am »
I agree with the comments about being visible and predictable. Also, know the laws and ordinances where you are riding and try to follow them. IMO, most of the anti cyclist sentiment is caused by team strip wearing middle of road riding "racers" or by tight pants wearing tattooed hipster messenger wannnabes. I think drivers are more courteous when they see a relatively normally dressed individual on a bike with racks and bags. Maybe that's just my bike touring snobbery shining through 
4
Routes / Re: The Western Southern Tier in the Winter (January-Feb)
« on: January 06, 2013, 10:39:51 am »
I rode through Death Valley in February a few years ago and the weather was fantastic. We rode from Midland, TX to Big Bend and up to Austin in February one year too and the weather was fine, even though a little cold at night and it snowed the day I got to Austin. If you have time a detour to Big Bend is worthwhile although there was snow on the ground in Terlingua Ghost Town a few days ago. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151167308545946.448844.114093440945&type=1
I think AZ and NM might be the sketchiest for winter. If it was me I would get on Amtrack's Sunset Limited at Yuma or Phoenix, AZ and ride it to Alpine, TX then ride down to Big Bend and back up to Marfa to continue to Austin. In fact that sounds really fun!
I think AZ and NM might be the sketchiest for winter. If it was me I would get on Amtrack's Sunset Limited at Yuma or Phoenix, AZ and ride it to Alpine, TX then ride down to Big Bend and back up to Marfa to continue to Austin. In fact that sounds really fun!
5
General Discussion / Re: Need advice - NJ
« on: January 06, 2013, 10:21:03 am »Hi cmtbiz,
Welcome to bicycle travel and Adventure Cycling!
I'm not sure where in NJ you are but you might want to take a peek at these two Bikeovernights in NJ for inspiration:
http://bikeovernights.org/archives/category/new-jersey
The only mapped routing we have in New Jersey is the Atlantic Coast Route, Section 2: http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/7_10/atlantic-coast-section-2.cfm
Hope this helps get you going.
Best,
.Jennifer.
ACA's Bike Overnight is a great site. An overnight trip can be good practice. You can learn how to pack, what to take and how the bike handles and get it all sorted before going on a longer trip. And overnight trips can be excellent escapes to recharge the mental batteries!
6
Routes / Re: Southern Tier in March of 2013
« on: November 06, 2012, 09:34:54 am »
Not sure why you would event think about not using full coverage fenders. They are light and cheap and make things much more pleasant when the roads are wet (which they will be at some point). Two things I can almost guarantee is that you will be caught out in the wet and that you will get caught out in the dark....use good lights too!
7
General Discussion / Re: Advice needed!!!
« on: November 06, 2012, 09:29:35 am »
If you have no previous bike touring experience I would highly recommend doing one or more short trips, even if just overnight, to work out the details of how to pack and how to do things. And basically, the same stuff you take on a week long trip will suffice to ride across the country imho.
8
General Discussion / Re: Tire Pressure
« on: November 06, 2012, 09:20:02 am »Here is one expert's take on tire pressure: http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/BQTireDrop.pdfhmmmm, I just re-read that article and realized that front tire pressure and rear tire pressure can/should be different. My linear way of thinking made me miss that. I've always been careful to have equal pressure in both tires. Must experiment.
9
Gear Talk / Re: Panniers - dry bag vs. traditional
« on: October 04, 2012, 07:20:46 am »
Racktime panniers are well made, use the Ortlieb attachment system, have integrated rain covers, have more exterior pockets than Ortlieb dry bags and are very reasonably priced. Racktime is a Tubus sister company but they are made in China.
10
General Discussion / Re: Overcoming butt pain
« on: October 04, 2012, 07:15:46 am »
A leather saddle will give good support with most of the pressure on the sit bones, not on the soft tissues. Leather starts out firm but has some give or spring immediately and the leather softens with use conforming to the anatomy. Finding the right shape and width is the challenge....a wider saddle generally works best with an upright riding position when more weight is on the saddle. Correct saddle height becomes more important with a leather saddle. I don't think it's reasonable to assume there is any saddle one can ride without getting off once in a while or shifting weight around. I can't sit in my arm chair indefinitely without changing positions once in a while. But there shouldn't be any "pain"
11
Gear Talk / Re: Surly Disc Trucker v. LHT
« on: July 18, 2012, 05:17:19 pm »
After writing my recent post on the Disc Trucker I realized I could not come up with a lot of downsides. As to the fork's ability to withstand the disc brake forces I will say that even though the Surly crew bolsters the image of being a bunch of beer swillin' yahoos, they have top notch engineers.
12
Gear Talk / Re: Bike Shorts
« on: July 09, 2012, 08:17:58 am »
There are three brands I like: Endura, Endura and Endura
13
Routes / Re: Route Advise Needed: Across Idaho
« on: May 11, 2012, 01:10:36 pm »
I would discourage you from riding from Banks to Horseshoe Bend (as suggested in another reply) or any part of 55 between Boise and McCall. You will probably get run over. That is a scary road to drive in a car. Your original idea of taking 20 to 84 at Mountain Home would work- highway 20 would not be too bad on a bike (traffic wise). From Mountain Home look at the Oregon Trail Back Country Byway which is largely dirt but well graded.
14
General Discussion / Re: Is the ST Near Mexico Safe?
« on: May 07, 2012, 11:48:36 am »
I rode from Midland Texas down to Big Bend and across the Southern Tier to Austin in 2010. I rode from Austin to Baton Rouge last year. Always felt completely safe (except in cajun country). There are 20,000 border patrol employees in the US and I think most of them must work in Texas. There are more of those trucks than any other vehicle. And Nuevo Laredo is a long way from the Southern Tier. If one is looking for trouble they will be able to find it anywhere. No fear mongering!
15
General Discussion / Re: Must have iPhone apps
« on: February 17, 2012, 12:45:13 pm »
AllStays Camp and Tent