Messages

16

Routes / Allegheny Gap

« on: January 19, 2013, 03:30:55 pm »

Hi - My wife and I are preparing to do the Allegheny Gap, probably from Pittsburgh to DC in the late spring, or early fall.

We live in California, and are ramping up our research.  Any thoughts on books or websites beyond the obvious would be appreciated.

We would like to use our Truckers for the ride.  We are used to them, they have sturdy racks, and we can haul all of our camping stuff.

QUESTION:  What are the trail surfaces like.  Can we use 35C wide tires?  Or should we be thinking about using our mountain bikes?

Thanks,

Pat

17

Gear Talk / Generator Hubs and USB Devices

« on: January 19, 2013, 03:19:16 pm »

Hi - This is probably an old topic, but it is new to me.  I didn't quite see what I was looking for.

BASELINE CONFIGURATION:  I just bought a new wheel with a Sanyo Sport Generator NH - H27,  6 Volt, 3 watt.  The documentation isn't answering my questions.  Powering front and rear lights is straight forward

ACCESSORY QUESTION:  What is required to recharge iphones, gps units, batteries, etc?  (I am seeing a number of products with lots of $$$$)

Thanks for your patience if this is old ground,

Pat

18

Gear Talk / Re: LHT Fenders - specific

« on: December 03, 2012, 06:10:43 pm »

I had an odd thing happen with Planet Bike fender.  My son drove my wife and me from San Jose to Corvalis, around 800 miles I guess.  My bike was the inboard bike on the rack.  When I got there, I found my front fender had "torn".  Because we were starting the Oregon coast the next day, I borrowed duct tape from by brother in law and taped it together.  It held for the 400 miles of the trip.

Now, when I move the bikes using the car, I duct tape the leading edge of the fender down to the tire.  I pull it off before we start to ride, and everything works out.

Happy trails,

Pat

19

Routes / Re: Pacific Cycle Route tour suggestions for visiting Brits

« on: October 18, 2012, 08:59:24 am »

Hi - I applaud your endeavor.  It sounds like fun, and I envy you.  If you can get hold of the Pacific Coast ACA maps 2, 3, and 4, you will get a good look at Portland to San Francisco (2 & 3), and San Francisco to LA (Map 4 mostly).

I did a very, very rough cut of where the ACA route generally goes, using GPSIES.  The Oregon trip is about twice as long, and the LA trip has over twice as much climbing.  As you plan in more detail, these numbers will change:

(1)  Maps 2 & 3: 900 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing  -- I've done AMTRACK from San Jose- to - Portland -- it is about 20 hours, and you will have to box your bikes.  As long as you don't have same-day connections to another train or air, you should be fine.
(2)  Map 4:  500 miles and 25,000 feet of climbing -- I've not done AMTRACK from LA to San Jose, so you will have to check their schedules.  I would not schedule same-day train or air connections as your arrival.

The weather is getting ready to change.  I live in San Jose (south end of San Francisco Bay), and we have had rain already and a cool spell, with a heat wave about to roll through.  From now until the true rainy season hits, the weather will be unpredictable and the winds will soon begin to shift from northerly to southerly.

Happy Trails,

Pat

20

Gear Talk / Re: How much does a sleeping bag liner increase warmth?

« on: October 12, 2012, 08:04:34 pm »

Also,  it's easier to wash and dry a liner on the road than an entire bag.  Just sayin'

Pat

21

Gear Talk / Re: front platform racks: Surly Nice or Old Man Pioneer?

« on: October 03, 2012, 04:50:46 pm »

Hi Mike,

My wife and I opted for the Surly Racks when we started equipping for our first tour.  The rack is very heavy, and mounting with the shims makes it seem harder than it needs to be (the first one took me an hour to mount, the second one about 15 minutes).

However, once the rack is mounted and bolted down (bottom and half-way up), we saw absolutely no give to the rack.  And, we probably had in excess of 35 pounds hanging from or on top of the rack.

We discovered, the hard way, that the key to mounting the panniers is the Center of Gravity (CG).  We found the critical element is to get the overall weight as low as possible, and as far back as possible.  Making sure the panniers and cargo cannot shift or wobble will make your life much easier.  Balancing the load side-to-side does not seem to be especially important, if you can keep them within a few pounds of each other.

Happy Trails,

Pat

22

Gear Talk / Re: Tablets/IPad or laptops

« on: October 02, 2012, 09:38:08 am »

I guess it depends on your needs.  When we went, we decided we needed a phone for voice comm and texting.  We used our Garmin annd ACA maps as well as road maps for navigation.  The camera has better performance than the iphone.  And I used the Kindle Fire for text blotting, net surfing, NETFLIX, etc.

That made for several challenges.  First, charging was a constant consideration for the Garmin (daily) and the ipphone and Kindle, based ln usage maybe every two or three days.  The camera was good for weeks.  Second, fusing pictures and text for the blog, requiring hotel or library computers (when they would permit external USB connection).  As another consideration, many tablets are not USB hosts, so direct hookup of cameras isn't workable.   Third, keyboards made for Santa's elves (I am using the Kindle at the moment until my new hard drive shows up from HP.  Typing is as much of a pain as I remember).  And lastly, there was soeme extra weight that the Weight Nazis would fret over, but made little differencento us.

Thanks,   Pat



Next year, I may try a netbook.

23

GPS Discussion / Re: How do you use the Adventure Cycling GPS waypoints?

« on: August 10, 2012, 11:02:09 pm »

Sorry for the confusion - A segment is one map - as in Oregon has 27 maps, and each is 25-35 miles long.  Pat

24

GPS Discussion / Re: How do you use the Adventure Cycling GPS waypoints?

« on: August 10, 2012, 04:55:30 pm »

Jennifer,

Yes - segment = section = map panel
Yes - route markers (waypoints?) and points of interest which may / may not be on the route

I wish you the best,

Pat

25

GPS Discussion / Re: How do you use the Adventure Cycling GPS waypoints?

« on: August 10, 2012, 09:40:22 am »

Jennifer,

The team at ACA does a great job pulling everything together.  For us, the routes have been reasonable and safe.  And the information provided for campgrounds, motels, etc, is a lifesaver - often considerably cheaper than the first place you come to down the road.  I really appreciate your efforts.

During the Spring we used the material from Pacific Coast Map 4 as field tests.  This summer, we did two, two week tours, one in Washington State, and the other in Oregon, using Maps 1 and 2.  We also used a combination of the maps and waypoint data.  We used the data in a combination of ways:

(1)  In the preps phase, I use GPSIES.COM to build routes to load into my Edge 705.  The routing waypoints are valuable in making sure I haven't misunderstood the maps (some of the Washington map segments were a little confusing).  Since I have trouble loading the non-route Waypoint into my Garmin, I make an Excel spreadsheet of the remaining data, and put it on our iphone and Kindle.  If the waypoints have contact information embedded in them, I have not found a way to unlock that.  The Waypoint segments don't line up with the Map segments, which makes a little extra work.  (For our in-route replanning, we work from the map segments to get the "next day" down).

(2)  During actual touring, we use the Garmin to figure out where we are and how much further we have to go (are we there yet?).  And the information on the back of the maps is very useful for locating phone numbers and which campgrounds and motels, etc.  The spreadsheet is handy to figure out end of day and other mid-day replanning.

If I were king for a day, I would hope to see the following:

(a)  Waypoint and Map segments aligned, with the same distances and same names
(b)  Contact information for Waypoints that are actual locations.

But, from a business model, I'm not sure how you make this data fusion work.  You charge, understandably, for the maps.  And you provide downloads of the waypoint data.  If you put all the requested data into the downloads, this would probably cannibalize the hard copy revenue source.

Happy Trails,

Pat

26

California / Re: San Fran to Santa Barbara

« on: August 08, 2012, 09:07:39 am »

Hi - I second the motion on the traffic south of San Francisco.  The sticky spot is Devil's Slide, going up and down.  That ride was pretty hair raising for us (our first ever tour segment).  From Montara all the way to Santa Cruz is a good road and fine scenery.  From Santa Cruz to Monterey it is mostly back roads, so not much traffic there either.

Just sayin,

Pat

27

Gear Talk / Re: Panniers and Racks

« on: August 05, 2012, 10:03:36 am »

We are happy with the Ortlieb Roller Classics...absolutely bullet proof for water!!!!

No outer pockets, but that is what a trunk bag or a handlebar bag is for.  There is one mesh pocket inside for smaller stuff...and a place to slip papers or solar arrays behind against the plate.

No inner pockets.  But, we find we pretty much take everything out when we camp except for clothes and have to repack in the morning.  So it doesn't make that much difference.  We are sold on plastic bags to keep things organized.

Happy trails,

Pat

28

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Pacific Coast Map 17 road.closure

« on: July 19, 2012, 03:54:08 pm »

Slab Creek Road appears to be closed for road work - if this hasn't already been flagged.

We went over the hill on US101, along with all the traffic - fortunately, there is a passing lane for the auto traffic.  101 might have had a higher climb than Slab Creek Road.  We are glad to be done with it.

Again, if this has been reported, sorry to clutter the blog.

Pat

29

Gear Talk / Re: Frame Saver or T-9?

« on: July 13, 2012, 09:27:36 am »

Cool Dave - if that works for you.

Happy trails,

Pat

30

Gear Talk / Re: Frame Saver or T-9?

« on: July 12, 2012, 12:57:22 pm »

Our LBS used boiled linseed oil.  They buy it by the gallon, and use it to coat the insides of everything.  They swear by it.

Pat