Topics

1

Routes / seeking routing suggestions for Southern Illinois loop trip

« on: September 27, 2023, 03:15:12 pm »

Seeking routing suggestions for Big Rivers ride in Southern Illinois. My tentative route:

Start in Carbondale.
South on EITHER Route 127 or Route 3 to Cairo (which is better?)
Ride along Ohio River (Routes 37/45) to Metropolis
Ride along Ohio River north (Routes 146/1) via Cave in Rock Park to Golconda, Shawneetown
Return to Carbondale via Route 13 or any better local roads to the north of it

This is from the 1969 American Youth Hostel Atlas!

Seeking scenic, low-volume roads. Any alternatives/suggestions would be welcome. Also, any sense of terrain.
 

2

Gear Talk / Expeience with Panaracer Gravel King Plus for tubeless touring?

« on: September 16, 2023, 05:56:18 pm »

Going tubeless. Do not appear to be Schwalbe options in 700 cc/35 tubeless tires. Bike shop is pushing Panaracer Gravel King Plus. Experience? My criteria is flat protection and difficulty mounting where necessary.  Do you carry folding tires in remote region as backup?

3

Routes / seeking route advice for biking in western Texas NOT on US 90

« on: August 29, 2023, 08:27:00 pm »

Doing a loop cycling tour starting and ending in Del Rio, TX. I will ride the Southern Tier route from Del Rio to Marfa. Seeking advice/experience on eastward routing return options. Tentative route: 

--North to I-10 via Fort Davis
--I-10 to Fort Stockton
-- US 385, Texas 305, US 190 to Iraan
--US 190 to Eldorodo
--US 277 to Del Rio

A bit worried about the 90-mile ride from Sonora to Del Rio, as it looks rather desolate.

Would appreciate any suggestions on the above, and better alternatives (sorry, fixed on the Del Rio loop concept) and on what to expect re elevation gain, amenities (most likely few if any) AFTER US 90 What about the riding conditions on the non-interstate US highways?  For those riding on I-10, have you had problems re flats from blown up tire steel pieces?  Going in late October/early November. Looks like mixed wind direction, decent temps. Finally, does anyone know of any repair options should that be needed - can't find any bike shop or equivalent beyond Del Rio.

4

Routes / Seeking advice on riding Florida's northeast coast

« on: February 24, 2023, 09:14:17 pm »

Seeking feedback on biking Florida Route AIA from south of the Georgia state line to Daytona Beach, using Jacksonville and DeLand Amtrak stations to get to and from my home in the Northeast. Particularly would like assessments on riding A1A - safety and ride worthiness generally. My wife is somewhat traffic adverse. Probably in mid-April.Would need to connect via spurs to and from train stations. Could alternatively do some kind of loop via the St. John's River/AIA, with Jacksonville and Palatka, as north and south termini.

5

General Discussion / Riding Yellowhead Highway in British Columbia

« on: December 11, 2021, 12:50:49 am »

I am thinking of cycling east to west in British Columbia from Prince George to Prince Rupert. Seeking advice/experience on:

Road shoulders/condition - I have heard that shoulders are very narrow or even broken up in places.
Prevailing winds
Difficulty - Only long stretch appears to be between Terrace and Prince Rupert. Grade?
Insects- are black flies/mosquitos a big problem. Bears?
Are there any/many repair shops?
Any other general advice as in is this ride worth doing, would be appreciated!
Going in July or August.

6

Routes / likely winds/wind direction in late March/early April in Florida keys

« on: February 23, 2021, 02:02:04 am »

Planning on cycling from Florida City or Homestead to Key West and return in late March or early April. Any experience/advice on likely wind strength/conditions. Will be a factor in how many days I separately allocate for out and back.

Also, can you recommend a good starting point south of Miami (for instance Florida City?). Is there a bike path/lane the entire route and if not, safe riding?

I noticed lots of ride accounts - any recent or relatively recent recommendations?

Thx

7

Routes / cycling in death valley national park, to and from vegas

« on: February 14, 2020, 12:39:02 am »

Guy from Philly planning a solo bike road ride through DV in late March/early April. Would love any suggestions/comments on my planned route: Las Vegas to Pahrump, Pahrump to Amargosa Valley at CA/NV border, Beatty to Stovepipe Wells, Stovepipe to Death Valley Junction, DVJ to Shoshone, Shoshone to Pahrump, return to Las Vegas. Road riding only, no camping, avoiding Furnace Creek cause of $$$. Yes, I'm passing on some of the big Death Valley attractions to keep climbing moderate and avoid backroad riding.

Questions:
--Is there a good one day Red Rocks ride outside of Vegas?
--Am I likely to encounter scorpions/tarantula? (insect phobic)
--Likely wind conditions?
--Are desert thorns a big problem?
-- Recommendations generally?

Thanks!

8

South / seeking alternative routes to natchez trace in mississippi

« on: September 18, 2019, 08:47:32 pm »

Bicycling the Natchez Trace from Natchez to Tupelo. Seeking any parallel/alt routes to break up the sameness and take us through some of the small towns we might otherwise miss. Per the map, options would seem to be MS 18 from Port Gibson to Jackson, and MS 15 south of Houston. Suggestions? 

9

Routes / looking for ideas on loop tour from Pensicola FL to Mobile AL

« on: August 03, 2019, 08:51:55 pm »

Seeking feedback on possible bike trip along the Gulf beginning in Pensicola into Alabama via Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan, north along Mobile Bay (presumably on AL 193) to Mobile, then somehow crossing the bay and looping back through Ala to Pensicola.

Is this trip worth doing? Any route recommendations? Particularly seeking help on how to get across the Bay going west from Mobile, and on best routing options for return: along eastern side of Mobile Bay/lesser-travelled roads returning east through Ala or even detouring north through Bay Minette. My main concern is whether the traffic would be prohibitive in certain areas, and that ugly-looking bridge crossing.  Any other recommendations would be appreciated. Good bike shops for rental in Pensicola? Would go in late October/early November. Looking to ride 30-40 miles a day and stay in B&Bs, Warmshowers or commercial accomodations.

10

General Discussion / How to fly with front and rear panniers without getting killed on baggage fees?

« on: January 08, 2018, 02:16:04 am »

Flying with my front and rear Ortleib panniers - 4 checked bags. Major airlines charge $25 for 1st,  $35 for 2nd, $150 for 3rd and $200 for 4th. My old panniers snapped together. Filled rear Ortleibs  probably too big/heavy to combine, but seeking way to combine front panniers to at least save $200 for get total down to three checked pieces. Ideas? Options I'm considering: finding a suitcase large enough to fit two front panniers, shipping the front and/or rear panniers via FedEx/UPS, or somehow combining the front panniers with some sort of belt or webbing - worried won't stay together in transit. I ship my bike itself using shipbikes.com/aircaddy, but box won't accommodate a filled pannier. Going cross country so need all four panniers.

11

Routes / Cross-country US entirely via US 83

« on: December 23, 2017, 03:36:37 am »

Hi - Planning on riding US 83 from Westhope, ND (Canadian border) to Brownsville, TX. Seeking any advice re prevailing winds, sections to avoid, how to handle the one or two sections along Interstate, any other general advice. Going from late April to end of May.

12

Routes / looking for experience, assessment biking along eastern PEI perimeter

« on: September 21, 2015, 10:02:17 pm »

Seeking advice on possible bike tour tracing perimeter of eastern half of Prince Edward Island. Seeking general assessment and recommendations re routing.

Intended route:
--Charlottetown to Tracadie, Mount Stewart, Morrel, St. Peter's Bay
--Route around the Eastern Cape via North Lake/East Point, Souris
--South along Rt. 4 to Montague
--Wind along coastal routes 17/4 to Panmure, Murray River, Murray Harbor, Woods Island
--Return along Transcontinental Highway to Charlottetown.

Questions:
--Which direction would you suggest (re prevailing winds) - clockwise or counterclockwise.?
--Comments on proposed route and alternatives? (NOT interested in Confederation Trail, which just about everyone seems to recommend. I prefer routes through communities vs off-road.
--How desirable is my planned trip generally?
---Do you know of any route guide. I am going to get the official Kings Byway route, beyond that I am using old Elliot Katz and Walter Sienko guidebooks.?

Much appreciated

13

Routes / Seeking advice on which side of Danube to bike (Passau to Vienna)

« on: March 21, 2015, 12:57:30 pm »

Bicycling from Vienna to Passau; seeking recommendations on whether to cycle on north or south (upper or lower) sides of Danube for various stretches. The Esterbuer/Bikeline route guides give details but not that much in the way of narratives.

That is mainly why I am posting, but also interested in:

--Best stretch to do by train to cut down on total distance (wife has some medical issues limiting daily distances) I am thinking of Krems to Vienna
--Recommendations on overnights: Right now looking at: Ansbach, Mauthausen (more for distance spacing), Melk, Krems.
--Best overnights for Salzburg to Passau: thinking of Burgheisen, Obendorf. Tittmoning and Branau sound good also but choosing former for ride breaks.
--Idiosyncratic, cool stuff I won't find in the guidebooks


If there is a good  thread on this feel free to point me. Thanks

14

South / seeking ideas for expanding alabama coastal connection route

« on: December 17, 2012, 10:33:19 pm »

Hi: Just read Cindy Ross' article in the Dec/Jan issue - she writes about a 160-mile route in the Mobile, AL area, basically a loop that starts in Grand Bay, then across through Dauphin Island to Gulf Shores, north to Foley and Fairhope and then ending in Mobile. This sounds intriguing but I need more miles to make this worth my while. Any ideas of how to branch into surrounding parts of Alabama/FLA/Miss to make this a say, 250-350 mile route? Looking for some general ideas. I would want to make this a loop trip starting and ending in Mobile, probably (where I could ship my bike to and from, and fly in and out of...)

15

International / route ideas for cycling in greece

« on: December 17, 2012, 10:22:49 pm »

Hi:

I am thinking of bicycling in Greece next fall - am looking for a route with mostly moderate terrain - did a search on organized bike tours to get an idea where people go....not many trips in greece, among those that do go, the Cyclades and parts of the Peloponnese seem popular....any thoughts or recommendations on routes/cycling in Greece generally? I am probably an average cyclist with experience riding in Portugal, Ireland, italy, the US and Canada. Don't want to do much in the way of mountains...Thanks.