Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: North Nevada & Utah in summer

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:09:23 pm »

Yes, follow Going To The Sun Road along Lake McDonald. Then continue on Going To The Sun Road over Logan Pass and down to St Mary. You can camp in any of the Glacier NP campgrounds for only $5. Once you get to St Mary, you can then either go into Alberta (following the ACA route), or go off-route for a shorter trip to Cut Bank if you need to save time.

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General Discussion / Re: North Nevada & Utah in summer

« on: May 09, 2013, 08:40:04 am »

I suppose it's too late to change your flight to go to Seattle instead of Portland? Bellingham would be even better. It's about a 40-mile ride from Bellingham down to Anacortes. If you want to skip going to Anacortes itself, it's only 25 miles from the Bellingham airport down to join the Northern Tier in Bay View along the beautiful Chuckanut Drive.

There are many ways to cut miles, but IMHO one you should not cut is Going To the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Do not take the Marias Pass alternate or you will miss the absolute best part of the whole route!!!

You can cut out 35 hilly miles by staying on 89 from St Mary, MT to Cardston, AB and 40 more by skipping Alberta entirely and heading straight for Cut Bank from St Mary. You can save some miles by staying on I-94 across North Dakota, but I recommend against it unless you really like interstate riding. You can cut off 125 miles in Minnesota by taking the Little Falls Alternate (and a few more by taking the Donn Olson modifications to the Little Falls Alternate). You can save 215 miles by taking the ferry across Lake Michigan (assuming you're taking the North Lakes route), but you'll lose the better part of a day on the ferry itself. There are lots of places where you can save 10 miles here or 10 miles there (particularly in Ontario if you're taking the Lake Erie Connector), at the expense of busier roads and missing some charming back roads. You can cut off another 150 miles by finishing in Portland, Maine rather than going to Bar Harbor. I don't recommend any of these shortcuts, but if you need to cut time, then compromises need to be made.

Spend an hour to take the $20 ride on the Maid of the Mist when you're at Niagara Falls. It's worth it. And camp along the Erie Canal across New York--the towns are charming and the hospitality is great.

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General Discussion / Re: North Nevada & Utah in summer

« on: May 06, 2013, 10:15:33 am »

A high pass is better than 30 hills, mentally at least. With a high pass, it seems like you're actually getting somewhere. With 30 hills in a row, they all seem pointless.

19

General Discussion / Re: North Nevada & Utah in summer

« on: May 05, 2013, 12:58:40 pm »

About Yellowstone, there are some risks for cyclist regarding Grizzly and other animals? In the park I will stay in the lodge and in Grant Village campsites.

If you stay in established campgrounds and store your food in the provided bear boxes, you will have no problems with bears or other animals. Be aware that the lodges are quite expensive and require reservations far in advance. If you have camping equipment with you, the campgrounds are very nice and I don't see a need to stay in the lodges.

The only thing I was thinking is that the central part of my trip seems a little boring..SD and Iowa are flat and with endless road.

If you want to see America, then you'll want to see the central plains too. Every place has its own charm. Those flat roads for a while will seem like a nice break from all the hilly terrain you will have been doing. Many towns on the plains will let you camp in their city parks and use their swimming pools for free. And the people are very friendly.

20

Routes / Re: Looking For Route Recommendations

« on: May 05, 2013, 10:51:12 am »

Given the choice, I would prefer nice wide shoulders.

I would always make the other choice. The widest shoulders come on interstate highways, but noisy interstate highways are very far from the peaceful and beautiful experience I am looking for. If only one car comes by every hour or two, I don't need a shoulder. There are lots of roads where cars are that infrequent, and such roads are often very scenic.

21

Routes / Re: Looking For Route Recommendations

« on: May 05, 2013, 10:34:15 am »

Almost everywhere in the country except for southern California fits your requirements. Note that you can typically get wide shoulders or very little traffic, but usually not both at the same time.

Try Montana, or Wyoming, or Kansas, or North Dakota, or northern Wisconsin, or the Erie Canal, or west Texas, or rural Kentucky, or Idaho, or any of zillions of other places.

22

Gear Talk / Re: Bike Sizing

« on: May 04, 2013, 04:23:49 pm »

Is there any way you could test ride each? I realize that this is a tall order because finding a bike shop with one of each on the floor might be very difficult.

Another possibility is to talk with the bike shop you intend to order through. See if they'll agree to order one and let you test ride it. If it feels like the other size might be better, ask if they can then order the other one. The bike shop I deal with would do that.

Note that adjustments in seat height, saddle setback, stem length, etc. can fine tune the fit, and any good bike shop would be willing to make those adjustments for you.

23

General Discussion / Re: first big bike tour

« on: May 04, 2013, 04:18:54 pm »

This web site has a great how-to department that provides background on all your questions. I suggest you start there. Specifically on the topic of touring bike selection, start here:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/adventure-cyclist/online-features/touring-bike-buyers-guide/

24

Gear Talk / Re: do I have too much crap?

« on: May 02, 2013, 12:33:48 pm »

Yeah, the first day that I tried riding to work with front panniers on I scraped them on the ground twice.  Since then I've been more careful.

Well I agree that this is unacceptable. But it is far from a universal problem with front panniers. Different panniers or a different rack would surely eliminate this concern.

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Gear Talk / Re: do I have too much crap?

« on: May 02, 2013, 11:39:27 am »

Scraping my panniers on the ground when you lean it over too much...

Has that actually happened to you?

26

Gear Talk / Re: do I have too much crap?

« on: May 02, 2013, 10:27:51 am »

I also don't like how much I have to watch the bike in corners with the fronts on.

Watch for what?

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Routes / Re: East Coast Greenway--Will my bike be ok?

« on: April 30, 2013, 02:21:37 pm »

28 is slightly below average for a touring bike, but it not really "narrow". I suspect you'll be fine on the ECG. Most of the route is paved anyway. Leaving soon?

28

Routes / Re: East Coast Greenway--Will my bike be ok?

« on: April 30, 2013, 02:04:17 pm »

I have not ridden the ECG, but according to their web site, "some of the off-road segments are unpaved and, while they should support narrow tires, some people may find them uncomfortable." You quoted the "700" number from your tires, but it's really the other number (the width) that is significant here (e.g., 23, 25, 28, 32, 35 37 40, 45, 50).

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Gear Talk / Re: OCD bike tech and extra spare parts?

« on: April 28, 2013, 09:07:41 pm »

Many experienced bicycle tourists are already carrying most of what you list. Except for the spare tire, all the items on your list are fairly light. But if you had something that I did not and needed, then certainly I'd be very happy to see you.

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General Discussion / Re: How to Blog? Crazyguyonabike?

« on: April 28, 2013, 07:46:24 pm »

If you are getting ready to take a bicycle tour, and if you want to keep a journal of your trip, then creating and updating a journal of your trip at CGOAB is pretty easy. You don't need to figure out how to navigate the whole site--you just need to figure out how to write a journal. Start by clicking the "Help" button on the top line of every page. Then scroll down to "Creating a New Journal". If you decide to use CGOAB for your journal, then you'll have to read more of the help page. You might eventually want to read it all.

If you want to see whether or not you like the format of CGOAB journals, then just click the "Journals" tab on the home page, and click any journal you want to start reading it. Just step through the pages with the NEXT button. It's pretty simple.

You can then read blogs at Wordpress and other sites to see which you like better. As has been previously said, a blog can be just about anything you want, but a journal is something quite specific.