Messages

1456

Gear Talk / The $64,000 question...Riding gloves!

« on: September 11, 2007, 03:24:59 pm »

Update on my earlier comments.  I said that the Gel-Vent Pro was comfortable but fell apart.

Since then I complained to Pearl Izumi and at their request provided the info off of the tag so they could tell when they were made.  I am waiting to hear more, but it sounded like they had a problem with the batch my gloves were in and they will replace them with a set from a batch that did not have a problem.

I am excited because they are very comfortable and my only complaint was the durability of the (fake?) leather.

1457

Gear Talk / The $64,000 question...Riding gloves!

« on: September 06, 2007, 05:46:32 am »

I can tell you some that aren't the best choice

Comfortwise the Pearl Izumi Gel-vent Pro is great but is not suitable because the leather falls apart about the third time they get soaked or laundered.

The inexpensive lycra backed gel glove from performance is cheap, but less comfortable.  It held up fairly well on a recent TransAmerica.  The lycra was shot after 4300 mile though, while the palms were still fine.

My daughter has been using some gloves from specialized.  The design is good comfortwise and they seem to be holding up well, but it too early to tell with maybe 2000 miles on them.

A touring friend we met on the road was having excellent results from a pair of specialized gloves that were a touring specific model, but he said they were no longer in production.

If someone doesn't come up with a better solution I plan to try one of the models from Specialized next.

1458

Gear Talk / Rain Gear

« on: September 05, 2007, 09:25:37 am »

I am in the plain old coated nylon camp.  I'm not crazy about any of the breathable garments that I have tried.  I find that I am almost as wet with Goretex and if it is cold I am colder with Goretex than with a non-breathable garment.

If it isn't too cold I prefer to just get rained on and wet.

1459

Gear Talk / Panniers or Trail Bob for USA crossing?

« on: September 28, 2007, 05:17:48 pm »

It seems to me that one issue that doesn't usually get mentioned when this topic comes up is that you have to deal with shipping the bike AND with shipping the trailer if you are flying to or from your tour.

Question to those who have done this... how much of an expense or hassle was it?

1460

Routes / Suggestions about getting in and out the BlueRidge

« on: December 30, 2008, 09:50:09 am »

Another option would be to stay on the AC and follow the TA from near Richmond to the BRP.  I remember the road being pretty good there.

You would miss Skyline Drive that way though.

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 12-30-08 @ 8:51 AM

1461

Routes / East Coast Trip Suggestion

« on: December 14, 2008, 03:53:20 pm »

It is good to know there is another bike tourist near by.  Feel free to contact me at pete dot staehling at gmail dot com if you feel like comparing notes or anything.

1462

Routes / East Coast Trip Suggestion

« on: December 12, 2008, 07:16:13 am »

I haven't ridden the AC route per se, but looking at the map it looks like it goes through areas I remember as being nice riding.

Where are you in Baltimore?  I am between Parkville and Towson.

1463

Routes / Northern Tier - Hingham, MT

« on: December 09, 2008, 07:18:12 am »

Be suspicious of any green grass in much of the west.  It is usually green because there are sprinklers.  We never got caught by sprinklers on the TA, but had a couple near misses where we were just out of range of the sprinklers.

1464

Routes / Minneapolis to Portland

« on: December 01, 2008, 03:54:43 pm »

Also maybe try couchsurfing.com.  If you are using Adventure Cycling maps you can probably find plenty of free camping places on the maps.  I know that was the case on the Trans America.  I have not ridden the Northern Tier, but imagine it is similar.  I know that we managed to stay for free better than half the time and for cheap a lot of the remaining time.  We did that without using warmshowers.com or couchsurfing.com.  

1465

Routes / Getting to Astoria?

« on: November 10, 2008, 03:07:01 pm »

This is a rehash of something I posted over on the crazy guy on a bike site, but some of it may be useful.  At least some of it is applicable to an Astoria start, but much of it applies to alternate starting points.

We flew into Portland and didn't wind up going to Astoria. We wanted to start our ride on the coast for a day or so. For us the best solution was to rent an SUV big enough for our three bikes. Prices varied widely and not all offered one way rentals, but Enterprise was reasonable. Splitting the cost three ways it was the cheapest option we found.

The bus option was limited in a few ways that made it less than convenient. There was no service to Newport or Florence. We didn't want to start in Astoria, but considered it since there was bus service to there. There were three of us and the buses could only take two bikes per bus. There was no way to be sure we wouldn't be competing with others for the rack space. They ran infrequently enough that riding on different buses didn't seem like a good option.

We wanted to ride a bit of the coast before heading inland so we dropped the car off in Newport, but I am pretty sure there was a place to drop off in Florence.

We rented the car for one day and were able to spend a day sightseeing the Columbia gorge and Portland while we had the car. We rented a yurt at Beverly Beach State Park and dropped the car off in the morning, just within the 24 hour limit.

1466

Routes / Norfolk to San Antonio

« on: October 23, 2008, 05:12:28 am »

Norfolk is a reasonable starting point, but you might consider one of the Washington DC airports, Dulles maybe, or if you actually want to see Washington DC maybe one of the others.

A DC start would be a good way to go if you want to ride Skyline Drive and the Blueridge Parkway.  Coordinating places to stay is a bit tricky on the BRP unless you go off the parkway which will involve a steep climb back up.  If you go that route be prepared for the not so long, but very steep climbs in the Appalachians.

1467

Routes / Norfolk to San Antonio

« on: October 21, 2008, 05:06:49 am »

I am sure that you can find suitable roads for that route, but don't know the route well enough to give specific advice.

If it was me, I think that if the most direct route was not the goal I would be inclined to go west sooner.  Maybe follow the Trans America to the Blue Ridge Parkway and take that south.  Or possibly go a bit farther west and down through Tennessee and Alabama.  The Appalachians in Virginia are tough, but pretty.  Tennessee and northwestern Alabama are nice rolling hills the way you would probably go.

Another possibility would be to go even farther west on the Trans America and then down the Mississippi valley.  It would be a good bit longer though.

1468

Routes / Trans Am vs. Northern Tier

« on: November 01, 2008, 07:08:10 am »

We chose the TA and were happy with the choice.  It avoids larger cities.  The only big towns we passed through were Eugene, Missoula, and Pueblo.  All of those were quite bike friendly and a nice change of pace.

I have not done the NT, so I can't really compare though.

BTW, another option to consider is using the Lewis and Clark route for the part west of Missoula.

1469

Routes / Atlantic Route distance

« on: September 23, 2008, 11:11:37 am »

I am not all that familiar with the AC Atlantic coast route, so take this for what it is worth...

You could probably find a route that was much shorter, but the AC routes are usually longer for a reason.  They tend to avoid big cities and favor more scenic choices with lighter traffic.  That necessitates a longer route.  Additionally many bridges and tunnels need to be avoided in some way since they do not allow bikes.  That too can add substantial mileage.

1470

Routes / Pac coast help 2

« on: August 25, 2008, 06:11:46 am »

Don't let the rain get you down.  It can still be a great ride even in the rain.  I hope you get great weather for the rest of the trip.