Messages

16

Routes / Re: TA Route Missoula to Tetons/Jackson

« on: July 11, 2020, 03:56:43 pm »

Took me 8 days going the opposite direction from Jackson Lake into Missoula.  Add a day or two for the extra leg into Jackson, and maybe for sightseeing in Yellowstone.  You'll have a big climb from Sula up to Lost Trail Pass I got to go downhill on and a big downhill coming out of Yellowstone I had to climb; the rest pretty much evens out.

BTW, don't count on cell coverage except in the towns through there.  It's beautiful and remote.

17

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: GPS query

« on: July 08, 2020, 12:36:47 pm »

The first response is usually a clarification question.  In this case it is, what do you want to do with a GPS?

If you want to pre-plan your trip, particularly a trip on roads and streets, one of the Garmins is the way to go.  Pick your roads, lay out the route, put it on the Garmin (I started with an 800 and it still works well, but the 830 and 1030+ are improved from that), and follow the route.  The maps are on the GPS.  No need to worry about rain or battery life if you've got a power pack.  As John Nelson noted, you can go a week with a decent auxiliary battery pack; then treat yourself to a night indoors (B&B, motel, etc.), do your laundry, have a hot shower, and oh, yes, recharge everything.

Forest service roads or trails?  I don't know, perhaps the Montana or 62 John Nettles referenced would be better.

I personally like to find places there's no cell phone service.  That usually means traffic is lighter, and the scenery is superior.  It also means if I need some kind of navigational help, you better have downloaded the map and saved it before you left.  The GPS, if you didn't lay out a route, will have roads and road names (usually, depending on the map), and a dot to show where you are.  If you forget to download a map and get into such a zone, your cell phone will have a "You are here" dot on a blank screen.  Not very helpful (BTDT).

18

Routes / Re: Natchez Trace Parkway

« on: July 05, 2020, 03:51:49 pm »

Double-check the fine print on your airline travel voucher.  I tried to rebook a canceled trip a while back, and found out (too late) the travel had to either start or be completed by the date on the voucher.  Like you're thinking now, I had thought I only had to book it by the expiration date.

Expensive lesson learned.

19

Cycling Events / Re: Missoula to McCall Idaho?

« on: July 01, 2020, 08:19:45 pm »

Looking at gurgle maps, my initial thought is "You can't get there from here." 

It looks like the most "direct" route would be to follow the TransAm route "west" of Missoula (map3?), then head south after Lolo Pass from Kooskia and pick up U.S. 95.  I have no idea what that stretch of 95 is like.  An alternative might be 93 south past Sula (next TransAm map "east) to Challis, then work your way west from there.  93 up to the pass has pretty decent shoulders, and you won't be slowing traffic coming down from the pass much.

20

Gear Talk / Re: Touring capable road bike

« on: June 23, 2020, 03:12:29 pm »

First a couple questions.  What kind of touring are you and your wife planning to do?  There's a big difference between B&B tours (load is rain gear and a couple sets of clothes), supported tours (rain gear and sunscreen), and fully loaded touring (cooking and camping gear).  Next, what kind of terrain are you going to ride?  Towpath, rail-trail, or Florida may give you much wider gearing latitude than Appalachian hill climbs.

It's getting pretty hard to find a road bike that's not a loaded touring bike, with 20 gear inch lows.  Brifters on a triple are either Sora or NOS (i.e., hard to find).  Also, if you load any bike up, it won't feel like a tri bike. 

21

Routes / Re: Heading out of South Florida (Broward County) north.

« on: June 21, 2020, 04:19:01 pm »

P.S. Remember that if you ask 10 people for their opinion, you will probably get 10 different answers.

No, I think that's 11 different answers. 

Re: the different sites.  Remember (as in, never forget) crazyguy is a private site.  If you disagree with the proprietor, don't do it on  that site.  Best advice I neglected was to use CGOAB for the trip journals, and don't participate in the forum there.  It's easier to post a cycling journal on CGOAB than anyplace else I know.

You might also want to check out the Touring section of bikeforums.net.  Many of the same people here participate at bf as well, but there's less emphasis on Adventure Cycling routes over there.

22

General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: June 13, 2020, 04:49:13 pm »

That DuMonde sounds really great.  After reading about it on their site I was about to go get my billfold so I could order some.  Then I noticed the three bottles of chain lube I already have in the back room, and remembered the bottles I'm actively using in the garage...  At this rate I'll need more chain lube sometime after 2025.  Maybe '28.

Hey, the stuff is usually cheaper when I've been browsing a new bike shop than a pair of gloves!

23

General Discussion / Re: Lube when long distance touring

« on: June 12, 2020, 08:38:15 am »

If you're going to be riding longer than a week, or if you get rained on, you'll need to be prepared to re-lube.

Paper napkins (grab a few extra from the diner at lunch) do well for wiping the chain down.  I've learned that T-9 creates a nasty build-up if you don't wipe the chain thoroughly after application, but it will persist through a light shower.  If you're touring in arid areas, you might use a lighter lube. 

24

Routes / Re: Southern Tier in Sep -- Plan B

« on: June 06, 2020, 11:23:25 pm »

FWIW, I believe Alaska still has a 14 day quarantine requirement for people coming into the state.

If OP can stand to wait a couple more weeks, the desert heat starts easing in September.  Mid to late September might be a reasonable start from the west of the ST.  (Plus, you'd have a few months to wind up hurricane season in the Gulf.)

25

General Discussion / Re: "Least amount of car traffic"

« on: June 01, 2020, 08:34:17 am »

It's funny, though.  In my neck of the woods there are traffic-phobes who are raising money to create future rail-trails, while the USBRS folks in my state won't consider the future designation of anything but highways with shoulders as a state bike route.  The reality on the ground is we have an existing thatch of quiet, paved country lanes that no one is promoting.  Shrug.

At least the USBRS planners near you have the sense to insist on shoulders!  The southern end of one USBRS near me ends with a five-mile jog to ride a U.S. highway with a lot of traffic but without shoulders for some 3-4 miles to the state line.  Uphill.  I tried it once, and I've sworn not to risk my life on it again.  I'll stay on the not-quite-zero traffic road climbing the same escarpment that has shade.

26

Food Talk / Re: Eating well on tour.

« on: May 25, 2020, 11:54:53 am »

I agree with you on the cost -- you can often eat at a diner (and interact with the locals) for about the price of a freeze dried meal.  And the diner tastes a whole lot better!

But on the salt thing, I once described a baked potato on tour as a salt delivery vehicle.  I found I needed to concentrate on getting enough salt (along with fluids and carbs) to deal with long, hot days in the saddle.  One of my enjoyable memories from my first tour is sitting down with my daughter in a restaurant, taking a bite, and both of us reached for the salt shaker.  It's kind of like how tight do you torque a bolt: shake, taste, shake some more, and when it tastes too salty, don't put that last shake of salt on next time.

27

General Discussion / Re: Stopping vs Rolling Thru Stop Signs ??

« on: May 24, 2020, 04:58:18 pm »

hikerjer, where do you live?  I think I need to write your state Chamber of Commerce to let them know I'll find another state to vacation if any of that goes through -- with a note of how much I've spend in a couple of states...

28

Gear Talk / Re: Aurora or Aurora Elite? and frame size question for short rider

« on: May 24, 2020, 04:54:45 pm »

What claims are you speaking of?

I thought that was fairly obvious from my previous quote of your post:

If you are wanting to tour I would go with the Elite, however having said that either of the Aurora's are really only light touring bikes, they are not really adequate for long distance touring, though they are very nice looking bikes.  The Elite has the 105 components and they are very durable components, but they are road components as is the Sora, and not intended for carry heavy loads up mountain roads like the Deore.

I could think of several bases for saying the Auroras were "not intended for carry[ing] heavy loads up mountain roads, and so I thought it was better to ask why you made those claims.  I'm glad to hear you were just concerned with the gearing.  I generally agree with that concern; if you'd added that to your first post I'd not have commented on it.

In the present thread, I'm not sure gearing is a major concern for (a) commuting, (b) gradually longer recreational rides, and (c) shorter credit card or camping tours.  Absent steep climbs while heavily loaded, I suspect many riders can manage touring on road bikes.  And if it's still possible to put a smaller chain ring on 2018 105 crank, even that difficulty goes away.  Perhaps I'm guilty of short people-ism, but I wouldn't be surprised if ianraff starts touring with a total load (bike, rider, and gear) that's half of what I started my first cross-country tour weighed.

Froze, congratulations on buying you Marrakesh; I hope it serves your well.  You are putting lots of miles on it to get ready for your tour, right?

29

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Tri-cities Washington state

« on: May 23, 2020, 02:37:55 pm »

...and if you don't want to follow the Missouri all the way east, you can take the L&C to Missoula, MT, and either take the Trans America east (south) from there, or make a two-day jog north to the Northern Tier.

30

Gear Talk / Re: Aurora or Aurora Elite? and frame size question for short rider

« on: May 23, 2020, 02:35:41 pm »

What will you be using this bike for?  Touring I assume because this is a touring forum?

If you are wanting to tour I would go with the Elite, however having said that either of the Aurora's are really only light touring bikes, they are not really adequate for long distance touring, though they are very nice looking bikes.  The Elite has the 105 components and they are very durable components, but they are road components as is the Sora, and not intended for carry heavy loads up mountain roads like the Deore.

This is all OBE (Overcome By Events) since OP bought the bike already.  But I'm curious, what basis do you have for these claims?