Topics

1

General Discussion / Entire Trans Am Route in one tour?

« on: June 23, 2018, 04:10:49 pm »

Hi!
I hope you are all well.
Last summer I toured from Vancouver down to Imperial Beach in about 25 days.
I really enjoyed it.
This summer the plan is an ultra light tour around the coast of Ireland...

I have been following the Trans Am Bike Race at the moment and like the look of the route...
I have 6-8 weeks free next July and August....
Would this route be do- able in one tour next summer?
I generally do a minimum of 120 km each day and up to 200+ Kms every few days...

Thank you for reading,,

Dublin Dave.

2

General Discussion / Pacific Coast done... where next?

« on: August 08, 2017, 04:12:57 pm »

Hi there!


So I have finished the Pacific Coast route from Vancouver south to Imperial Beach...
It was a fab trip... i was a bit nervous about cycling in the US, but found the majority of drivers to be polite & careful...
One car came very close to me outside San Fran & a couple of RV's further North...
I found Malibu & Laguna Beach quite stressful with very heavy Summer traffic, kinda impatient drivers & no hard shoulder.. so was glad to get through there..
The toughest day was probably the Lost Coast in California...the climbing was non-stop.. the road surfaces were realllly bad.. potholed & gravel, so more suited to a hybrid/ mountain bike than my roadbike....
The State Parks were fab.. in my opinion, of better quality in Oregon & Wash State than Cali & accommodation options with hotels, motels & Air b n' b were great...

My question is... I have finished this trip & am already looking at my next trip... probably next July... somewhere in the US or Canada...

Can any of you recommend an ACA route to do  after the Pacific Coast?

Thank you!

Dublin Dave.

3

General Discussion / Places to stay in Soledad or Gonzales on detour around Big Sur?

« on: July 26, 2017, 11:37:34 pm »

Hi! I hope you are all well..i am in San Fran & planning my detour around the Big Sur...
I plan on cycling initially to Captalia/ New Brighton State Beach & from there detour south of Salinas-- Gonzales--Soledad-- King City---

I am looking for a campsite/ motel around Soledad but am finding it tricky....
No state parks & most motels are in King City...
Can any of you advise on places to overnight?

Thanks a mil!

Dublin Dave

4

General Discussion / On Pacific Coast.. to stay in San Fan or keep moving?

« on: July 20, 2017, 09:16:40 pm »

Hi! I am making my way south into California & looking ahead to San Francisco... I was in San Fran for a few days in 2003 & liked it...
I am planning on resting for one day in the area... the rooms are obviously on the expensive side...

Would you stay in San Fran or continue on to somewhere like Half Moon Bay?
If you choose to stay in the city, where would you stay?!

Thanks a mil..

Dublin Dave.

5

General Discussion / How to find & plan accommodation on Pacific Coast route? Advice appreciated!

« on: May 14, 2017, 11:36:26 am »

Hi there! I hope you are all well!
I am planning a bike tour from Vancouver south to Mission Beach in July.
Generally on tours, the night before, I look ahead at 4/5 potential accommodation options 100-150kms ahead of my current location.
In France I used a campsite, BnB app and websites....

I plan on staying in Hike n' Bike campsites and treat myself every 3/4 days to a BnB or guesthouse...
I have the digital & paper maps from the ACA... I can see 'Service Directory' information on the paper maps with some accommodation options...

I have the maps on my Garmin & also on my Maps.me App...

What is the easiest way to plan accommodation options while en route?

Thanks a million!


Dublin Dave.

6

Routes / Worth cycling around Olympic National Park on Pacific Route??

« on: April 26, 2017, 04:13:06 pm »

Hi there!
I am planning my Pacific Coast tour...
The route starts in a Vancouver & heads south to Bellingham--Bremerton--Astoria.

Would it be worthwhile to detour around Olympic National Park via Port Angeles--Fork -- Aberdeen and rejoin the mapped route?

I am thinking in terms of scenery, wildlife and quieter roads?

I appreciate all advice and feedback!

Daveymac.

7

General Discussion / Is touring the Pacific Coast in July safe?

« on: April 16, 2017, 07:36:17 am »

Hi...


I am planning a bike tour from Vancouver to Mexico in July.
I started another topic and added this question at the end...but just wanted to get more feedback..

I commute daily in Dublin & generally have no issues... a couple of close shaves...
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of cyclist fatalities in my city & I am worried about the volume of traffic in the States, the size of RV's & possibly areas where drivers are not accustomed to cyclists....

Do you think this route is safe?

Are there any precautions I can take to make the trip safer?

Clothing/ lights/ mirrors/ time of day to cycle/ route detours etc...


I appreciate your feedback...


Dave.

8

General Discussion / Do i need lights and a handlebar mirror for Pacific Coast in July?

« on: April 09, 2017, 02:22:40 pm »

Good evening!

I have 2 quick questions...I plan on cycling down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to Mexico, in July.
I only plan on riding during daylight hours..

Do you think I will need front and rear lights at any stage? (tunnels etc)

Also, would any of you recommend getting a handlebar mirror to keep an eye on traffic behind me...would it offer any additional safety/time to react if a vehicle gets too close?

Thank you!

Dublin Dave.

9

Gear Talk / How to camp lightweight and sleep more comfortably? any advice please?

« on: January 11, 2017, 12:38:59 pm »

Hi there! I hope you are well!
I am planning a bike tour south from Vancouver in July.
Ideally, I would love to 'credit card tour', but with all the great and cheap campsites, I think camping will be a great option..
My current set up is:
-Vangoo Banshee 200 tent: weighs 2.3kgs or 5.07 pounds.
-standard summer season sleeping bag.
-Thermarest blow up mattress.
I put all these in one of my rear pannier bags...

Is there a lighter and more comfortable alternative to this set-up?

Also, when I camped down through Europe I found that I didn't sleep very well and woke the next morning, often tired and with a sore back..I would set the tent up, blow up the thermarest and sleep in the sleeping bag on top of the mattress...then put some clothes in a pillowcase for a pillow..
Can you recommend making my sleep more comfortable while keeping a light-weight set-up?

Thanks so much!

Dublin Dave.

10

Gear Talk / Best bike computer for bike tour on the Pacific Coast?

« on: December 23, 2016, 10:30:35 am »

Hi! I hope you are all well.
I am planning a bike trip along the Pacific Coast next summer.
I plan to navigate using offline maps on my smartphone and as a backup, and to store all my trip stats, to use a bike computer.

Ideally I would like to download the route onto this bike computer device and just follow it..

Could any of you recommend the best device for this?

Thanks so much!

Dublin Dave.

11

General Discussion / Cycling from Vancouver south to the Mexican Border in July?....Alone?...Advice?

« on: October 10, 2016, 03:30:16 pm »

Good evening!

I am writing this from Dublin, Ireland. I am researching a trip next summer to the West Coast of America: I plan to fly into Vancouver and bike tour south, as far as I can in 4-5 weeks..
I have bike toured up to 3,600kms down through Europe and really enjoyed it..

I have a few worries and concerns & would appreciate some advice please...
Is July a bad time to attempt this trip? I am worried that most accomodation will be full and that the traffic will be really heavy... oh, and that the temperatures will be really high

I am a bit worried about attempting this alone...Is it relatively safe?
If I follow the Pacific Coast Adventure Assoc. maps, is it possible to meet and cycle with other people?

I am not a huge fan of camping and would like to stay in a lodge or Bn'b every few days if possible!

I would love to do one of the Adventure Association Group Tours, but there are none, on this particular route, next July!

Thank you for reading & I look forward to your feedback!

Dave Mac.