Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Need Help With Shifting on Climbs

« on: June 08, 2013, 10:16:04 am »

Hi Jennifer,

I envy you, starting out with bikes.  My wife and I started out, together, on Mountain Bikes, and graduated to touring.  We are old (I am retired now), and our first bikes were 10 speeds.  It took us a while to get the hang of shifting.

I'm sure you figured it out, but the smaller the front gear, and the larger the rear gear selected, the easier it is to pedal.  If you are like us, and the hill is very steep or very long, it's just a matter of time before we wind up in 1 / 1 (smallest front gear and largest back gear).

A couple of things we found out.  First, we try to keep our cadence in the 80 - 90 range - as was stated earlier, if you are pedaling faster than than, move to a smaller back gear - if you are pedaling slower, move to a bigger back gear.  Second - it takes a long time to shift the front gears, and you cannot pedal hard as you do it - so shift to the small front gear a little before you need to.  And, third, when you are in the smallest front gear, you might want to stick with just the first five gears on the back.

Just go practice on some hills.  Take a friend with you and experiment.  Laugh at each other.  Laugh at yourself.  Have fun.  You will figure it out.

Happy Trails,

Pat

2

General Discussion / Re: 6 weeks from Vancouver - which route?

« on: June 08, 2013, 10:00:10 am »

Hi - Sorry you cannot do the trip you planned.  I have no idea how much of the Trans Am you could do in six weeks.  If you don't go, I hope you get another chance.

I haven't done the Cascades.  We have done the Pacific Coast.  I would suggest catching an Amtrak train down to Portland, and going over to the coast, maybe at Astoria or Seaside, and riding south.

Happy Trails,

Pat

3

Routes / Re: Recommended Route San Jose to ACA Pacific Coast Route

« on: June 06, 2013, 08:45:46 am »

Hi Peter,

You are in for a real treat, from Monterey on down to San Luis Obispo.  ACA has maps which lay out a route for cyclists to follow - Map 4.  It starts at the Golden Gate Bridge and ends in Santa Barbara.

San Jose is a large town (9th or 10th largest in the country) and spread out.  If you are planning on rolling out of your driveway, where you live might influence your choice.  As you well know, the problem is the lack of easy roads through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the coast.  I was hoping someone would chime in and tell you the easy way to get there.  And, maybe, someone will.

In the mean time, I will share with you what we have found as far as possible routes, moving from south to north:

Gilroy - Hollister -  Watsonville  - The idea would be to ride down to Gilroy on surface streets, use US-101 to get to Highway 129, and ride to Watsonville.  The problem here is that, it seems, US-101 does not allow bikes on it.  We have driven US-101 south from Gilroy, specifically trying to imagine bikes, and have seen "No Bikes" signs.  We have never seen a bike on this part of US-101.  There are several narrow bridges, with no shoulders, poor sight lines, and one is quite long.

An alternative would be to take a long detour by going to Hollister, using Bolsa Road - Highway 25 - go nearly to Hollister - Highway 156 - back to US-101 - Highway 129 to Watsonville.  I am not sure about Highway 129. Parts seem narrow, poor sight lines, difficult, and might be startling for drivers to find a bike on it.  But I am sure a rider would be fine on it.

Hecker Pass - The idea is to ride down past Morgan Hill, and take Highway 152 over to Watsonville.  We have never ridden this, either.  It is quite steep, very busy, has no shoulders, and poor sight lines.  If you consider this, go drive in your car.  We decided it is too dangerous on a loaded Surly.

Old Santa Cruz Highway - The idea is to get to Lexington Dam, ride up Old Santa Cruz Highway, ride Summit Road over and take Soquel San Jose Road down to Soquel.  Once at Soquel Avenue, a cyclist is on the ACA Route.

The issue is getting to Lexington Dam.  The only way I know to ride a bike to it is up the dirt section of Los Gatos Trail, complete with an impossibly steep little hill for a loaded Surly, not far from the face of the dam, as well as the dam face itself. 

A cyclist could start at one of the pull-outs on Old Santa Cruz Highway, just south of Bear Creek Road, and avoid the dirt section.  In fact, this is the very route my wife and I take.

Highway 9 - The idea is to ride to Los Gatos, climb to Skyline, and then either go on to Santa Cruz on Highway 9, or take Skyline to one of the roads down, like Bear Creek Road, or Mountain Charley Road.  We have never ridden loaded Surly's up Highway 9, but imagine it to be a long, steep slog.  Once at the top, the rider still has a long way to go to get to anywhere.

Other Northern Options - I am sure you have looked at the map, and wondered about Page Mill Road, which would involve a lot of climbing, and still be no where when at the top.  Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay seems dangerous, due to the very high volume of traffic, lack of shoulders, and sight line issues.

Starting in San Francisco - A cyclist could take surface streets up to San Francisco with little risk.  We have been dropped off in San Francisco before, and followed the ACA Route.  On the ACA Route, Devil's Slide has been slightly eased by the opening of the tunnel.  I'm not sure if bikes are allowed in the tunnels, or if a cyclist still goes over the top like we did last year, sans the cars.  Non-car ways of getting to San Francisco could involve riding up on CalTrain or BART, but you would need to confirm the logistics, timetables, and costs before you attempted this.

I am hopeful I am over thinking this, and a simple, clear, easy, safe choice exists.  I am also hopeful that, over time, ACA will provide recommended routes from air ports / train terminals in large US cities (such as San Jose - which is surprisingly much larger than San Francisco) to the routes.  Until they do, we will continue to take Old Santa Cruz - Soquel San Jose Highway to get to the coast.

Happy Trails,

Pat

Pat

4

Pacific Northwest / Re: Kelso/Longview to Astoria

« on: June 04, 2013, 09:11:58 am »

Hi Max,

I am happy Kelso / Longview has baggage service.  We had wanted to get off at Kelso / Longview, but the train did not allow anything out of the baggage car.  The only stuff you could take off the train was carry-on, and they did not allow bikes in the passenger cars.

Happy Trails,

Pat

5

Routes / Re: Hotels in Astoria, OR

« on: May 23, 2013, 08:55:17 am »

Brian,  We started in Astoria last July.  We stayed at the Astoria Dune, which was going through some kind of remodel to correct various things.  We did roll our bikes into the Room, and they had a free breakfast.  We could not get internet from our wing.

You will see bright, sunny pictures of Astoria.  Just remember, it is at the mouth of the Columbia River.  In early July, it was dank and overcast.  I think the economy has seen better days (like most of the country).  We couldn't wait to get out of Astoria.

Pat

6

Routes / Pacific Coast Highway - Section 4 - Map 47 & 48 Single Lane Restrictions

« on: April 10, 2013, 10:59:52 am »

Hi - My wife and I did a preview drive (yes in our car) of part of the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey.  We can across two single lane restrictions due to road repair work.  The first was on Map 47, near Rocky Creek.  The second was on Map 48, near Lucia.  There is a bike button to push for the lights, presumably making them longer.  Both spots were extremely constricted.  The road width appeared to preclude a car and ANYTHING else coexisting on the lane - in other words, no passing room, from a car approaching from the front, or the rear.

What is the community experience with riding through this?  For instance, on Monday afternoon, the Rocky Creek stop was not staffed, and relied on light control, causing me to wonder if a heavily loaded bike would actually have time to get through the uphill toboggan run without getting creamed.  The second stop, near Lucia, was staffed, shorter, and more likely to be successfully negotiated.

Thoughts?

Pat

7

Gear Talk / Re: Rack mounted tail lights

« on: April 08, 2013, 09:13:53 am »

Dan,  I went through exactly what you are enduring, with the same problem with both front and rear.  I searched the web and could solve it for $$$$$ or bending metal.

I finally hit on a simple PVC solution that I cobbled together out of some left over garden parts.  I built a PVC bracket in the shape of an "L", and attached it under my rear rack and above my fender.

Parts List - six 90 degree elbows; six PVC pieces cut to length;  four zip ties;  a little black spray paint.
Time to assemble - 10 minutes + paint drying time.

I've used this on several thousand miles of touring.



Happy trails,

Pat

Pat

8

Gear Talk / Re: Panniers

« on: March 27, 2013, 09:48:04 am »

Hi Kardar2 - My wife and I have Ortlieb classic rollers.  They are on the expensive side if purchased new.  We bought 1 pair using the 20%, 2 pairs at REI used gear sales, and 1 pair on Craig's list.  We got used to the single compartment - fewer places to look.

Life is always full of choices.  Sometimes, for some things, it is worth spending a little extra.  Last summer we toured Washington State and Oregon in the wettest season in some time - not a drop of water inside.

Happy trails,

Pat

9

General Discussion / Re: Campsites and bike theives!

« on: February 22, 2013, 10:46:08 am »

Great question zone,

If I may expand your concern a bit, think about what you do to protect you and your stuff on tour.  First, we try to maintain situational awareness, whether we are on the road, or in a campground.  Second, unless we have our bikes in plain site and complete control, we always lock the bikes to something (yes we lug around Kryptonite Locks and Cables).  Third, we keep our stuff out of sight much as possible (in panniers when stopped and zipped up in the tent in the camp ground).  Finally if it's valuable, we carry it with us (we use the little straps that come with the handlebar bags).  And, as best we can, we keep our eye on our stuff.

Is this a sure fire recipe for success?  I wish it were, but the best defense seems to be to attract as little attention as possible, and make it at least a little less easy than it might have otherwise been.

I think it is easier with two people, but it sometimes means you don't just leave your stuff on the spur of the moment and walk down to the beach.  You have to plan it out a little bit.

Having said all that, remember the first rule of touring -- have fun!!!!!!   Try not to get yourself into vulnerable positions, and take reasonable steps.  Don't let this fear spoil a wonderful opportunity.

Pat

10

General Discussion / Re: Melissa Carter: Cars aren’t the problem with ‘Share the Road’

« on: February 21, 2013, 09:26:17 am »

I feel sorry for her.

11

Gear Talk / Re: Generator Hubs and USB Devices

« on: February 10, 2013, 09:17:15 am »

I appreciate you having the courage to experiment while on tour.  And I am grateful you took the time to share your experiences in such an informative and entertaining matter.  You hit on many of the points that I've been considering.

Thanks,

Pat

12

Gear Talk / Re: Generator Hubs and USB Devices

« on: February 08, 2013, 09:47:20 am »

Hi,

I bought one of those at an REI used gear sale, complete with X on it.  I toured with it last summer, and was usually able to keep my old Garmin Edge charged with it, or the battery pack.  But I was always happy to see an unused outlet.  You can buy an insert which lets you charge AA or AAA batteries.

I also just bought an ORANGE JOOS, and it proudly sports another X on it.  I'm experimenting with charging and discharging it.  I need to find some better instrumentation if I'm going to do very much, though.

Thanks for the feedback,

Pat

13

Routes / Re: Seattle

« on: February 04, 2013, 05:35:52 pm »

Hi John,

THIS ONLY DISCUSSES HOW TO GET OUT OF SEATTLE - WE DIDN"T SPEND MUCH TIME IN THE TOWN ITSELF.

You are in for a wonderful ride.  I envy you.  Make sure to take a camera, because you are going to get some spectacular shots.

I'm not sure how you are getting into Seattle.  We came into Seattle on AmTrak.  We were NOT impressed with the train station.  It was being remuddled, and the staff were unfriendly.  If we had been forced to assemble our bikes in Seattle rather than Portland the night before, I'm not sure how it would have gone.

I have no experience with SEATAC.  But riding to the ferries seems pretty straight forward.

The ACA maps for the Pacific Coast take you from Brimmerton, Washington, to North Bend, Oregon.  We took the ferry from Seattle to Brimmerton (about an hour), and then rode to the west side of town, where we spent the night in a pretty good ACA suggested motel.  We were able to duck under the highway, and catch the ACA route.  It takes you down, roughtly parallel to I-5 down to Longview, Washington, where it takes a right at the Columbia River, and on the Cathlamet ferry.  Once across the river on the ferry, US-30 takes you in to Astoria.  And, from there, it is down US-101 to North Bend.

We loved the Oregon coast, especially the Otter Crest Loop.  The Washington State route had very little coast line south of Seattle.  And, to our good fortune, last June was the wettest June in some time, with 200% of normal.

If I we have a do over, we will strike out for the coast from Portland, rather than starting in Seattle.  As it turns out, because my wife's rear hub starting making "funny noises", we took the train from Centralia Washington to Vancouver Washington, where the guys did their magic and charged us a pittance.  TO get back on track, we rode side roads from Vancouver to Kelso (the only strenuous part was Green Mountain Road which was a bear).  From there, we were able to rejoin the ACA route.

Happy Trails,

Pat

14

Gear Talk / Re: Generator Hubs and USB Devices

« on: January 21, 2013, 09:56:11 pm »

Thanks guys - I will check the stuff out - let you know what I decide - Pat

15

Routes / Re: Allegheny Gap

« on: January 20, 2013, 08:34:58 am »

Thank you - I'm sure I'll have more questions later - Pat