Topics

1

Routes / KATY Trail - Conditions and Spring Flooding

« on: May 01, 2023, 10:51:46 am »

We are scheduled to ride the KATY Trail the first week of June trying to miss the spring floods and beat the heat. We are coming up on our no refund cancelation window(s) for lodging and shuttle and I am not encouraged by the flood reports for the Mississippi River. Can anyone offer any local information?

I have already checked here https://dnr.mo.gov/document/missouri-major-rivers-flood-conditions-report-april-28-2023 but forecasts versus boots-on-the-ground reports are two different things.

2

Routes / KATY Trail in June - Flooding and temperature

« on: February 01, 2023, 01:06:47 pm »

We are looking at doing the KATY Trail the first week in June this year. I know that flooding can be an issue and with recent climate changes 5 year old trip logs are starting to become irrelevant in regards to weather and temperature. Are there any locals here that would like to chime in. I consider anything over 80 oppressive heat 

Don't mind getting wet for a day or two but all week kind of sucks. Plus on most rail trails having to detour due to flooding usually means step climbs to get out of those wonderful long flat valleys.

3

General Discussion / Anyone doing the ACA Van Supported TransAM this spring?

« on: March 22, 2022, 10:42:05 am »

A group of us will be trailing a few days behind and would love to follow the journals of riders ahead of us in order to get insight from the advanced "scouts".

4

Gear Talk / Tubeless versus Tubes - how well do tubeless hold air?

« on: February 28, 2022, 10:32:38 am »

I just built out a new set of wheels (actually had these built professionally) to incorporate my new dynamo hub. I decided to go tubeless with this build since that seems to be the trend. I was super happy with the weight savings - 1.8 pounds lighter with the new hub.

I now have two sets of wheels for my Surly Disc Trucker - the original set with tubes and a tubeless set. The rims are Velocity Cliffhanger 26" which are tubeless rated and the tires are Surly Extraterrestrials - also tubeless rated. Schwalbe does not make a 26" tubeless. The tires were mounted with Stan's and the bead set with a tank air compressor.

Anyway, I have not put air in my tubed tires since last fall and they are still holding pressure, while the tubeless manage to hold air for a little less than a week. Since it is the dead of winter in New England I have only ridden about 20 miles on the tubeless and have added more Stan's a few times now. I am waiting for a warm day to put them into a tub of water to trace any leaks.

My question is - is this normal for tubeless tires to be losing air so fast?

5

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Editing RidewithGPS Routes with an Android Tablet

« on: January 06, 2022, 11:17:56 am »

We are riding cross country this spring (COVID permitting ) and I have almost the entire route mapped with Ride with GPS. I have the days routes starting and ending at planned lodging, but all plans tend to go out the window in the first week, with a cascading result over the remaining weeks.

I want to be able to update my Ride with GPS routes on the trip. However, I want to save 2 pounds over my MS Surface Pro and carry a Samsung A7 with a Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad to edit along the way.

Anyone use this setup to edit routes? Fat fingers and old eyes keeps me from wanting to edit routes on my phone.

6

General Discussion / Is a TransAm Ride Coast-to-Coast

« on: December 04, 2021, 08:03:07 am »

We have put together a group of riders to ride a modified TransAm route using the Eastern Express and actually ending in Seattle. The original TransAm starts and ends in estuaries, as does the Eastern Express with our ending in Seattle. Some riders want to start and end at the ocean to make it a real "Coast-to-Coast" ride. I have always viewed it as a cross-country ride, but looked up the meaning of coast-to-coast this morning:

Definition of coast-to-coast
1: extending or airing across an entire nation or continent

So, according to Merriam Webster the ocean really has nothing to do with it. Unlike hiking the Appalachian Trail, which is a strictly defined route, riding Trans American, cross-country, etc. are loosely define objectives. What is the general feeling about riding across America - dip a tire in an ocean start and finish or start and finish at the land's end, be it estuary or ocean?

7

Routes / National Forest Road 7623 Thompson Falls, MT to Burke, ID

« on: October 29, 2021, 11:38:21 am »

Gravel Forest Road - 13 miles to save 20 miles - Has anyone ridden it?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/47.5430442,-115.5975236/47.52099,-115.8171683/@47.5279895,-115.813034,12.25z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m10!3m4!1m2!1d-115.7526557!2d47.5302273!3s0x5360f03d46733c1f:0x29c1775b4be5477f!3m4!1m2!1d-115.7981679!2d47.52608!3s0x5360f08620c29bd5:0x4471724307998aaf!1m0!3e1

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Gear Talk / Showers Pass Transit CC versus Elite 2.1

« on: October 26, 2021, 09:24:10 am »

I am curious, do people tour with the Transit or the Elite? Does anyone own both?

I have been waiting months for the Transit CC Jacket to come back in stock in yellow. My last investment in waterproof gear was for backpacking and it is all black - not ideal for visibility in the rain on the road.

Last week Bike Tires Direct had the Elite on sale at a great price and it was in stock. The Elite has a 5 Star rating for waterproof and breathability versus the 4 Star rating on the Transit. I ordered it on a Friday and they provided amazing service and it was in my hands on the other coast by Monday.

Sadly this jacket, yeah I should have read all the fine print on the Showers Pass site, is a disappointment. The cut of the jacket is for a model or a skinny track rider, not your typical touring guy in their 60's. Loved the jacket out of the box. However, here is my fit evaluation -

First up no side pockets, although the side vents could be used to get at pockets of an inner jacket

Second problem, cut too tight for an inner layer - this is a base layer jacket. Aside from rain I use my rain shell for warmth and wind proofing in camp. On super cold nights you need to layer up since you clothing options are limited if you packed light.

The zipper is a left hand zipper - not the right had zipper like every other jacket I own.

The waist is long in the back (good) but short in the front

The sleeves are really too long with a velcro closure, which works, but if you walk with the jacket unzipped the velcro on the sleeves snags the waist band.

Sadly,  at the end of the day, I am sending this jacket back and looking for an alternative or waiting until the end of the year and riding in black with a hi-vis vest.

 

9

Routes / Palouse to Cascades Trail West of Ellensburg

« on: October 09, 2021, 12:27:27 pm »

Has anyone actually ridden this with a loaded touring bike? I want to finish my TransAM tour along this route and will be hitting it at the end with a loaded Disc Trucker running 1.75 tires.

From the latest pictures it looks like a loose gravel surface, but the question is how deep does the loose go? It looks like there are hard packed travel lanes in most places.

I know East of Ellensburg, all the way to the Idaho border, is pretty unrideable on a touring bike but I had read heading West from Ellensburg was quite doable.

10

General Discussion / The best music for touring

« on: September 30, 2021, 01:43:33 pm »

I know a lot of people frown on ear buds, but my Samsung buds have an ambient sound setting that allows me to hear traffic. So, when I hiked the AT there were some days that you just had to grind out the hills. It was 2007 and there were no viable solar chargers so I swapped my iPod with my daughter for her MP3 player that took a single AA battery and held 108 songs.

I love the sound of nature but climbing mountains in 90 degree plus weather I resorted to music to survive. I had the same 108 songs for 175 days but it made a huge difference. My Samsung phone current has about 4 days worth of music on it. I have seen some younger groups using USB speakers and blasting music, but to me playing music outdoors over a speaker is rude, particularly in the wilderness.

Does anyone else play music climbing? Or pushing those last 10 miles into town?

Some of my somewhat eclectic picks - for climbing
- Santana Soul Sacrifice (11 minute Woodstock version)
- Zeppelin - Black Dog
- Mark Knopfler - Border Reiver
- Heart - Barracuda
- Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell
- Pointer Sisters - Neutron Dance

Coming into town
- Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
- Golden Earring - Radar Love
- Marc Broussard - Home

11

Gear Talk / Velocity Cliff Hanger for tubeless

« on: September 19, 2021, 03:40:45 am »

I am looking at building a set of tubeless wheels for my 2019 Disc Trucker. I am looking at the Velocity Cliffhanger Rim since I have had great luck building wheels with Velocity Rims. Has anyone built these out as tubeless? 26" X 36 hole

Does anyone have a rim that they like better?

Also, they offer machined sidewalls and non-machined sidewall and a  polished NSW sidewall (+$30). I am assuming since I run disc brakes there is no need for machined sidewalls but not sure I want to spend an extra $60 on a pair of polished non MSW. Pros and cons?

12

Gear Talk / 1X, 2X, or 3X

« on: September 17, 2021, 06:47:53 am »

I am sure that this discussion has been posted before, but I cannot seem to find a thread.

We are putting together a group for a TA next year and at least one person is looking at a new bike. Their bike of choice currently is a 1X front sprocket, electronic shifters, tubeless tires, and a carbon frame gravel bike.

I know there are a lot of opinions but does anyone have any experience touring with a 1X set up?

From what I have read here tubeless tires are not quite ready for touring, any experience?

Anyone tour with electronic shifters?

I think carbon is ready for prime time, so that was merely for background information.

13

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Google Maps to RidewithGPS Conversion

« on: July 14, 2021, 03:27:14 pm »

I had being using MapstoGPX.com for this conversion but it appears to be permanently broken. Does anyone have an alternate way to get my route out of Google Maps into RidewithGPS?

14

General Discussion / The frustrating collapse of the rental car industry

« on: June 21, 2021, 04:38:51 pm »

Okay, our usual plan for week long trips on a bike path is to drive to one end and rent a one-way truck/van and drive to the other end. Trying to finally do the Erie Canal after injury and COVID delays and finding most local car rental offices (drop off near the trail) closed, and no vehicles left to rent - particularly one-way. Amtrak is an option, but no long-term (or safe) onsite parking at their stations. The only option to arrive in Buffalo from Boston area is just after midnight in a sketchy part of town. - Got a hotel to agree to pick us up. Now trying to figure out how to get home.

15

Routes / Crossing the Vernita Bridge on the Columbia River

« on: March 01, 2021, 08:42:44 am »

I have been mapping alternate routes across the Palouse area of Eastern Washington and one route people seem to use on CGOAB is Route 24 from Othello to Yakima which involves crossing the Vernita Bridge. Highway data shows AADT at 5,000 vehicles a day. The span is 1,000 feet long with no shoulder. HAs anyone ridden it? Most journals say the traffic is heaviest in the early morning hours before 8:00 am. After that truck traffic will increase.

One video journal I saw of a group crossing the Vantage Bridge showed them putting out road flares at the start of the bridge to warn drivers. Not sure if that is a good idea or would just piss people off. We are traveling east to west so we will hit there in the middle of the heat at the end of July. so morning travel is ideal.