811
Gear Talk / Re: Road Training/Touring Bike--Tricross Sport?
« on: March 30, 2010, 12:23:31 pm »
Look at the Winsor Tourist. It will fulfill all your touring needs for $599, which includes shipping.
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812
General Discussion / Re: Do we have to book for campings during summer?
« on: March 30, 2010, 08:53:41 am »
Buy the ACA Great Parks South map 1. After you get to Boulder ride Left Hand Canyon to Ward (ask anybody on a bike in Boulder, as everybody knows this route). Then you can follow the GPS route to the TA. It'll keep you off the ugly roads.
813
Gear Talk / Re: Road Training/Touring Bike--Tricross Sport?
« on: March 30, 2010, 07:58:07 am »
Keep your current bike. Buy one of the touring bikes mentioned. The actual price you will pay, as opposed to the MSRP, will not push your budget. There are many touring bikes which can be had new for under $1000, leaving you enough left over for equipment. Don't try to make one bike do it all, as it will end up doing everything poorly.
814
General Discussion / Re: REI Bikes
« on: March 29, 2010, 01:33:15 pm »
Any bike sold as a touring bike is going to be just fine. Don't overanalyze things. Buy the one you like the looks of and fits you best. If you're going to be heavily loaded and/or on poor roads, get a wheel with lots of spokes. If you have bad knees and/or are taking routes with a lot of hills, get a bike with low gearing. You don't hear many people complain that their gears are too low.
It's going to be hard to find anybody who has owned more than a couple of bikes that are still on sale today, so it's going to be hard to get objective direct comparisons.
In my opinion, it would be better to buy a bike that the manufacturer specifically markets as a touring bike rather than one the salesman says will do fine for touring. I look for as many of the following features as you can get: 36 spoke wheels, clearance for wide tires, V brakes, long chainstays for pannier clearance, mounts for at least three water bottles, long wheelbase for stability, mountain-bike gearing, drop or trekking bars, fender, and fittings for front and rear racks. You certainly don't need all of these features, but get as many as you can.
It's going to be hard to find anybody who has owned more than a couple of bikes that are still on sale today, so it's going to be hard to get objective direct comparisons.
In my opinion, it would be better to buy a bike that the manufacturer specifically markets as a touring bike rather than one the salesman says will do fine for touring. I look for as many of the following features as you can get: 36 spoke wheels, clearance for wide tires, V brakes, long chainstays for pannier clearance, mounts for at least three water bottles, long wheelbase for stability, mountain-bike gearing, drop or trekking bars, fender, and fittings for front and rear racks. You certainly don't need all of these features, but get as many as you can.
815
Routes / Re: Is Cycling from South to North on the california coast a good idea in April?
« on: March 29, 2010, 08:20:28 am »
In addition to wanting to be on the side of the road with the view, you should also be aware that all the drivers will be looking at the view too. You'd prefer that they be looking at you than away from you, so that they are less likely to kill you.
816
Colorado / Re: Weather in May
« on: March 29, 2010, 07:21:57 am »
That's the weather for where?
Note that this thread is over a year old.
Note that this thread is over a year old.
817
General Discussion / Re: Sleeping Bag Ratings?
« on: March 27, 2010, 05:46:03 pm »
Sleeping bag ratings are just a rough guide. Everybody reacts to the cold differently. It also depends on what you wear to bed, what tent you have, and, most importantly, how much insulation you get from your sleeping pad. Sorry to say, there's no good way to know without personal experimentation. In most cases, however, the rating is at the optimistic end of the scale.
818
Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Dulles Airport to Yorktown to start Trans am
« on: March 26, 2010, 02:50:55 pm »
If you do decide to take Bob's advice and fly on to Richmond, here are the ACA suggestions on how to get to Williamsburg from Richmond:
To shuttle by bike from this airport: ride north on Krause Road to Hwy 60 and turn east (right) onto US 60. Ride this to the junction of State Hwy 33 & 156. You are now on the Trans America Bicycle Trail (see your route map for details) Williamsburg is 45 miles east on US 60/State 33 & 156. Total distance from airport to Williamsburg is about 50 miles.
Airport Shuttle from Richmond to Williamsburg: Call Groome Transportation 804-222-7222 / 800-552-7911. The fee is approximately $35. They can take boxed bikes. Call for reservations. (http://www.groometransportation.com/)
To shuttle by bike from this airport: ride north on Krause Road to Hwy 60 and turn east (right) onto US 60. Ride this to the junction of State Hwy 33 & 156. You are now on the Trans America Bicycle Trail (see your route map for details) Williamsburg is 45 miles east on US 60/State 33 & 156. Total distance from airport to Williamsburg is about 50 miles.
Airport Shuttle from Richmond to Williamsburg: Call Groome Transportation 804-222-7222 / 800-552-7911. The fee is approximately $35. They can take boxed bikes. Call for reservations. (http://www.groometransportation.com/)
819
General Discussion / Re: Camping in NP
« on: March 25, 2010, 07:50:28 pm »
It's not always true. I've been turned away from a full National Park campground on my bike. Check the policies of the individual campground. Even then, it may depend on the host that you find there.
820
General Discussion / Re: Bike Cover
« on: March 25, 2010, 03:39:56 pm »
I've never noticed that my saddle absorbs any water. It seems to shed it like a duck.
821
Routes / Re: cross-country WITHOUT ACA Maps
« on: March 24, 2010, 02:57:29 pm »If you read about trips on crazyguyonabike.com, it might do well to keep in mind they are cyclists on a well known and mapped route for bicycling.Not any more so than any other touring web site.
822
General Discussion / Re: Bike Cover
« on: March 24, 2010, 02:20:29 pm »
I can appreciate taking a cover for security reasons. And I can appreciate wanting to keep your chain dry so you don't have to relube it so often. But I cannot really appreciate the other reasons for taking a cover. If I were ever to take a cover, and it seems very unlikely, it would be something much lighter than a blue tarp. And I don't see any reason to cover your saddle unless it is real leather.
823
General Discussion / Re: Getting my bike case from the start of my ride to the end
« on: March 24, 2010, 09:22:50 am »Pete, I thought you already had the air caddy. That would be one. But it would be hard to find at a bike shop. Since it folds up, however, it would be cheaper to ship from the start to end of a tour, and easier for somebody to store for you.There are some fairly good containers that can be had for $100, perhaps less than the shipping cost.Can you recommend some specific ones?
If you google "bike shipping boxes" you can find a number of others. One problem might be which ones might be in stock at a bike shop at the end of your trip.
My hardshell case from Performance only cost me about $170. In this market, given some of the shipping costs I've seen, it might be cheaper to throw it away rather than ship it home or ahead.
I prefer to start with a bike shop box and then reinforce it with stuff I find at Home Depot. That's for the trip out. For the trip home, I think I'd settle for letting a bike shop pack and ship it. Even if they don't do as good of a job as I would, at least some minor damage won't ruin my tour.
824
General Discussion / Re: Getting my bike case from the start of my ride to the end
« on: March 24, 2010, 07:12:15 am »
For point-to-point tours, I prefer not to bring my hard case. Shipping an empty case is usually the same cost as shipping one with a bike inside. So I just use cardboard containers when doing point-to-point. If you are concerned about damage, there are a number of ways you can reinforce the cardboard container and/or pack it well inside.
If you do want your case at the end, then you can ship it in the normal ways such as FedEx or UPS. You can ship it, with prior arrangement, to a bike shop, to a hotel, or to a Warmshowers or Couchsurfing host. Any of these can hold it for you. For a fee, you can sometimes have FedEx or UPS hold it for you as well. For an especially long trip, you could ship it home and then back to the finish as your trip nears its end. With all this shipping, it might be cheaper to buy a new case at the end. There are some fairly good containers that can be had for $100, perhaps less than the shipping cost.
If you do want your case at the end, then you can ship it in the normal ways such as FedEx or UPS. You can ship it, with prior arrangement, to a bike shop, to a hotel, or to a Warmshowers or Couchsurfing host. Any of these can hold it for you. For a fee, you can sometimes have FedEx or UPS hold it for you as well. For an especially long trip, you could ship it home and then back to the finish as your trip nears its end. With all this shipping, it might be cheaper to buy a new case at the end. There are some fairly good containers that can be had for $100, perhaps less than the shipping cost.
825
General Discussion / Re: Trans Am bag question
« on: March 21, 2010, 07:39:56 pm »
You probably won't ever be sleeping above 8100 feet, except for Fairplay at almost 10,000 feet and the Breckenridge/Frisco area which is above 9000 feet, and maybe Guffy at 8600. In July, I would expect temperatures overnight in those areas to touch freezing, but not get much below it.