Messages

1

Routes / Re: Canada mortorists

« on: January 28, 2013, 11:14:10 am »

If there is any generalization about drivers, it's that suburban arterials and commercial zones are the worst, cities are ok if you keep your wits about you and ride predictably, and country is good as long as you can avoid the high volume traffic with no lane space.  IMHO, of course.  But even at that, it's all a generalization.  You have to learn to read the conditions.

2

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle Touring vs Backpacking

« on: January 28, 2013, 11:07:33 am »

I just find the speed of travel from walking to be too slow.  Maybe I just haven't learned to slow down enough, I've only backpacked a total of about four weeks in my life.  We'd probably all agree that travel by car is too fast, you don't see anything.

3

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle tourism route mapping advice and examples?

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:32:31 pm »

I have seen shoulder widths broken down into less than or more than four feet.  You also have to consider rumble strips in some areas.  Consult the Montana bike map http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/docs/bike_map.pdf for an example of roadway ratings.

Common sense tells me that four feet is really a minimum as a useable shoulder width.  Perhaps a foot of rumble strip and three feet of unencumbered shoulder might be a practical minimum.  Five feet useable is much better.  But you really have to consider shoulder width AND traffic volume levels to rate a road.

4

General Discussion / Re: Tales of Calamity and Woe

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:24:57 pm »

Had a threadless stem slip and dumped myself and stoker on the ground; she took the brunt of it with bruises and abrasions, but it wasn't a tour ender.  Though the stem had an unusual clamping system, that's no excuse; I had failed to check it recently, and I am suitably humbled by it.  The other one was a spill on a wet unpaved trail, this time I took the brunt but we were able to continue.  We now avoid any unpaved riding in the rain.

5

General Discussion / Re: Advice needed!!!

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:17:13 pm »

But trust me on the sunscreen.

A skin cancer survivor...

6

General Discussion / Re: Stupid Hotel Question

« on: November 28, 2011, 09:24:44 am »

A good resource: http://motelguide.com/.  This lists the non-chain motels, by state and town.  We have used this quite a bit, and almost all of the places we have used have been decent or better.  Properties will generally be better in more rural locations.

7

Routes / Canal Trail, Rochester NY

« on: June 15, 2011, 08:04:47 pm »

The Northern Tier uses the Erie Canal Trailway from Lockport NY eastward to Palmyra NY.  The section from western Rochester to Pittsford is paved, and suffers from an ongoing problem that comes and goes: tree roots causing sharp bumps in the pavement/tarmac.  Unlike a rail trail, canal trails are not lined with deep ditches and built on soil that was polluted for decades with coals from steam locomotive fireboxes; they are on good dirt with minimal drainage and lots of water nearby.  Thus, the trees actively grow roots and cause upheavals in the pavement.  (This is not a problem on the unpaved parts.)

When the pavement gets too bumpy the Canal Corporation scares up some money and repaves it.  This alternates as sections get bumpy.  Right now, one section has gotten bumpy enough that you need to exercise caution: between Kendrick Road and East Henrietta Road.  I would still recommend using the canal trail, but watch your speed and avoid the bumps if you can.

The road alternative over this part of the trail, NY Bike 5, is a horrible route.  It uses Elmwood Avenue and Monroe Avenue, both of which have no bike lane and four lanes of medium-to-heavy traffic.  Drivers on western Elmwood, around Strong Hospital, seem to always be impatient and intolerant of bikes.  So stay on the trail, but stay on your toes.

8

Gear Talk / Re: Uncomfortable seats

« on: December 16, 2010, 11:13:15 am »

See http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=RrzKj&doc_id=6231&v=2q for an article comparing recumbents to diamond frames.

BTW, being seen on a recumbent isn't an issue, in actual practice.  I wouldn't ride a low racer in traffic.  And some of them sit higher than others.

9

Corridor Plan Updates & Routing Within Corridors / Alternate routes?

« on: November 02, 2009, 11:33:24 am »

Hello,

My name is Dale Oswald and I live near Rochester, NY.  I'm an active tourist, solo and with my wife, singles and tandem.  I have the good fortune to live within a mile of the Northern Tier, and regularly host travelling cyclists.

My specific question is: Does the proposed route selection process make provision for alternate routes?  A good example of a use for this would be to provide on- and off-road routes.  Consider our the Erie Canalway trail, the route of the Northern Tier hereabouts.  It has long sections that are nicely improved but unpaved, and NY Bike 5 parallels it for a long distance.  Riders might prefer untrafficed, slower, more scenic trail - or good roads that are faster and perhaps a bit less scenic.   They might elect the unpaved if it's dry and the paved if it's raining.

Do the various agencies have the discretion to create alternante routes through a specific corridor?

Thanks,
Dale

10

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Adirondak Park Loop, Map 3 - 2009

« on: September 08, 2009, 09:44:51 am »

Grist Mill Rd., near Stony Creek, NY is closed for construction and is impassible (Sept 09).  The marked detour adds about 4 miles to the route.

The bridge is being replaced.  I could find no projected completion date on the web.  At this time, the old bridge is removed and the new one is being prepared for concrete pour (rebar in place).  I would guess it will reopen sometime during 2010.

11

Connecting ACA Routes / Minnesota Beeline

« on: May 28, 2007, 08:17:37 pm »

In 2005, we rode from Fargo ND to Winona MN via the trails that parallel I-94.  We chose to do this rather than using the AC Northern Tier for 1) more trail mileage and 2) to visit Minneapolis.  Our route was:
- CR54 to Fergus Falls
- Central Lakes and Lake Wobegon Trails to St. Cloud
- County roads and suburban trails to Minneapolis
- Streets and trails through Minneapolis
- County and state highways to Cannon Falls
- Cannon Valley Trail to Red Wing
- Highways to Winona

We liked this routing.  Have any of you used it?

AC's routing via the southern option is about 440 miles.  We didn't take the shortest route possible so we rode 460.  We enjoyed the trails and a day off in the city.  There is a decent network of trails and good bike maps for getting through Minneapolis.

12

Connecting ACA Routes / Northern Tier to Boston

« on: May 28, 2007, 07:55:43 pm »

Bike 5 across NY is mostly a pretty good route.  I recommend not using it in two places; the Bike 5 routing is on very busy roads with no shoulders in these spots:
* Rochester: take the (paved) Canal Trail between Long Pond Rd. in Greece and Pittsford.
* Albany area: take the Mohawk-Hudson Trail (also paved) between Schenectady and Cohoes or Albany.  It's a few miles farther.

Presuming an eastbound routing, you can take the Northern Tier to Palmyra, then get on Bike 5.

I'll follow up later with one route that a friend used between Cohoes and Newburyport MA.

13

Urban Cycling / commuting by bike

« on: June 05, 2007, 09:28:42 pm »

Try riding partway.  At my previous job I lived 22 miles away; I drove far enough to ride the last 8 miles.  At my new job, I'll be driving 23 and cycling 11, instead of driving 31.

It stretches your gasoline and gives you a workout, without spending four hours a day riding and changing clothes.

14

Urban Cycling / what bike do you use for pure urban ridin'?

« on: June 05, 2007, 09:24:30 pm »

Back in my wedgie days, I commuted on a '73 Raleigh International (pretty lugged 531 frame, mostly campy) that I adulterated into a commuter bike.  I changed to a split shift to give me drag racing gears, randonneur bars, short Weinmann sidepulls.  Added fenders, converted to clinchers (27x1 1/8 front, 27 x 1 1.4 rear - I'm 220#).  Of late, I've replaced the wheels with 700Cx28s.

But that's not what I came to talk about.

I want to convert this bike into an urban assault vehicle - the kind of bike I'd ride from the Battery to the GW Bridge, or up Michigan Avenue, or Younge Street...  My plan is to use a Sturmey Archer AW (alloy hub shell) with two speed derailleur on it, single sprocket the front, very narrow flat alloy bars, replace the Record pedals with SPDs.  Put on the fattest 700Cs that fit the frame, probably 32s, for the occasional pothole jump.  I might even strip/sandblast off the three coats of marine epoxy paint and replicate the original Chartreuse - or paint it flat black to reduce the theft value.

It needs to be light enough to accelerate well and carry onto the subway, yet strong enough to withstand the bad streets.

Thoughts?

15

Classifieds / Looking for 19" Terry Trixie

« on: July 25, 2005, 12:26:16 pm »

Any leads?  We need low stepover for a 5'2" with back problems (need low stepover height).