Messages

1

Classifieds / touring shoes

« on: January 06, 2007, 01:36:02 am »

I use Shimano sandals all year long. In the summer I wear light weight wool socks. In the winter I switch the socks out for heavy wool. I add a layer of Saran Wrap over the toes once temps get down around 40 degrees. Fashion at its finest!

BTW, I've worn the same pair of sandals since 1999. Best shoe dollars I've ever spent, on or off the bike.

Kelly

2

Gear Talk / Recumbent advice?

« on: October 15, 2005, 09:25:42 pm »

I am a long time cycle tourist who has ridden a recumbent since 1998 due to severe saddle soreness. I've never set fanny on a diamond frame bike again. I ordered a RANS Stratus (long wheel base) from Kelvin at Angletech, sight unseen. It was love on the first try. Kelvin is very good at asking questions about your riding style and matching you up with the correct bike.

Other resources are: Recumbent Cyclist News and the Recumbent and Tandem Magazine. Also, The Easy Racers Recumbent Club.

RCN publishes a newbie issue about once a year, I'm sure you could get one on back order.

I was going to go with a RANS VRex, but Kelvin said since I have a bum knee I would be better off going with the long wheel base bike.

Recumbents are nice and cushy for touring. I did the ACA's Lewis and Clark Expedition this summer. There was one other recumbent. John and I agreed we were fatigued at the end of the day, but nothing hurt. That is a great feeling. We were a bit left out of the conversation while the others traded bag balm tips.

3

Routes / Best route to traverse America

« on: October 20, 2006, 09:01:45 pm »

Tipsy said back in August he was leaving in a couple of weeks and nothing from him since. So . . .  I suppose this comment does him no good, but perhaps it will help someone else.

I have not ridden the Western Express, but have talked to several people who have. There is plenty of altitude gain. wind is a serious factor - blown off your bike fierce. Temperature can fluctuate drastically. There are long, long distances between towns.

Basically, it's one of the harder routes across.

I have ridden the Trans Am down into Wyoming. People are used to cyclists along that route. That's good for camping and supplies. There's also plenty of other cyclists enroute to compare notes with. The western section of the Trans Am is scenic and a great ride.

Kelly I.

4

Routes / Portland OR to Astoria along Columbia

« on: October 18, 2005, 12:53:33 am »

We rode this route while finishing up the Lewis and Clark in July. We followed the ACA maps. Our route into Portland was very nice along the river. We stayed at a GREAT hostel right downtown. Fabulous ambiance.Close to REI and Powell's bookstore.  Our route out of town to Astoria was on Hwy 30. We stayed in the park adjoining the swimming pool, free showers. Very nice. We spent a night at Ft. Steven's in the hiker biker sections ($4. each). Then down the coast to Seaside. Another great hostel - centrally located. We took Hwy 26 back to Portland, spending the night in Banks at the local park (no showers). Hwy 26 was very hairy for the last 5-8 miles into town as there was road construction and the lanes were closed down to a bare minimum. I'm sure the construction will be done by next year. The bike shop in Portland suggested Hwy 6 through Tillamock as a better cycling road back to Portland.

5

Routes / Lewis & Clark in 2007

« on: October 15, 2005, 09:12:26 pm »

I rode the L&C  with Adventure Cycling this year. It is a great ride! We averaged 50 miles per day fully loaded. We had one day of 88 miles which was too far, even downhill. There were several times we passed by interesting historical sights to get to the evenings camp site.  If you have any specific questions feel free to contact me off list.

kiniguez@sopris.net

Kelly

6

General Discussion / What to buy??? Bent or straight up???

« on: May 09, 2008, 01:28:22 am »

Groundhog,

I'd love to hear more of your trip. Do you have a journal posted? I ride a Stratus XP and will be riding the North Star this summer. It sounds as if you covered much of the same territory.

Kelly

7

General Discussion / Where's your bike taking you this summer!?

« on: March 30, 2008, 06:15:54 pm »

My summer plans are in fate's hands. I have signed up for ACA's North Star. At the moment there are 5 people registered with 8 needed to make the trip a 'go'. It's looking dim as the decision day is April 7th.

If the North Star doesn't happen I'll have to start again from scratch. Perhaps wandering around Colorado - I've been riding mostly out of state the past few years.

Kelly

8

General Discussion / camp food

« on: July 06, 2007, 01:16:16 am »

Chip,

I like to buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it, and do a stir fry with onion,  green peppers, tomato, broccoli, etc. I used to use raw chicken, but the price of the store bought chicken is about the same and saves fuel.

If you get stuck shopping out of a convenience store I have found good success with a sauteed onion, adding a can of chili beans, corn, and green beans. If you have an envelope of onion soup mix, that's yummy.

Good luck!

Kelly

9

General Discussion / Any last minute advice??

« on: May 15, 2007, 11:40:12 pm »

Don't get so wrapped up in making the daily mileage that you forget to smell the flowers.

Have a great trip!

Kelly

10

General Discussion / Hotel/motel vs camping

« on: March 14, 2007, 04:32:09 pm »

The Southern Tier sounds like a great route, I'm sure you'll have a fun time.

It seems that most cyclists go through a progression of sagged rides such as Ride the Rockies, moving on to short hotel trips, short camping trips and then to long self contained camping.

I would respectfully suggest that you try a weekend self contained camping trip before you commit.

One issue is the additional weight of camping gear. It is a change when you are accustomed to just you and the bike. Some people take only a tent/sleeping stuff and not cooking gear. Others take the entire house.

Sharing expenses with another person makes traveling much more reasonable.

Have a good time!

Kelly

11

General Discussion / ACA TOURs - Sign in

« on: January 27, 2007, 12:57:46 pm »

http://www.alaskatrekker.com/biking.htm  This site has some good information.

The Alaska Bicycle Touring Guide was printed in 1992. Some information would be outdated, but elevation info. would still be correct.

http://www.blm.gov/ak/gdo/denali.html  Has a photo of significant snow in June, 2006. I wonder if it was all melted by July?

All of this info. came from Wally Werner.

Kelly

This message was edited by Kelly on 1-27-07 @ 12:32 PM

12

General Discussion / Do I really need to carry a spare tire?

« on: January 06, 2007, 01:28:03 am »

In Montana during 2005 my tire was sliced by a piece of glass. Our best attempts at booting it lasted less than a day. The ACA map listed a local bike shop - the owner, Joe, drove a new tire out to me for a very modest fee. Emergency road service for bicycles!

Lesson learned. In Oregon during 2006 I carried a new spare - Schwable Marathon. I again had a tire sliced. But I was prepared. I didn't hurry to replace this spare. Bad move. I picked up something that kept giving me multiple, multiple flats. My nightly entertainment was  checking the same 4" of tire over and over again, both inside and out. Had I been able to toss that tire and start again I would have.

So my advice would be to carry the spare and replace it ASAP if you use it.

BTW, I actually carried 3 sizes of spares. 16" for the BOB trailer, a 20" front tire for my RANS Stratus recumbent and a 26" for the Stratus rear.

Kelly

13

General Discussion / Pacific Coast Route

« on: September 10, 2006, 06:40:25 pm »

I'm sure ACA will be doing one in the fall of 2007. It looks like they run a trip every year.

Kelly

14

General Discussion / MSR Velo Tent

« on: April 18, 2006, 12:31:00 am »

I have a Velo tent. I take it only when I am sharing sleeping space with someone else, it's too heavy to take for one person. The actual tent is a typical two person tent. I LOVE the huge vestibule for storage and extra space foul weather. We are taking it on a six week tour this summer.

Kelly

15

General Discussion / I got halfway there when...

« on: October 17, 2006, 11:12:29 pm »

My husband's first good bike was a Specialized Sirrus. He put many a mile on that bike and really enjoyed riding it. I wonder if it's the big brother to your bike? On our first loaded tour (camping, no cooking) Jacinto had multiple flats the first day and started breaking spokes the second day. We limped in to a bike shop. The mechanic said his bike was a great club bike, but the tires weren't wide enough nor the wheel strong enough to support the weight on the rear rack. I would suggest checking with your local bike shop about the wheels/tires.

No one has mentioned gearing. My mantra is that you cannot go low enough. I only have one set of knees and I'd like to keep them happy! I don't worry about the high end of gearing as I know gravity will take me down the hills. I do want to be able to ride up anything in front of me. No matter how slowly I climb, it's much easier to ride my bike than to push it fully loaded.

I agreed with the suggestions for fenders and mirrors. For added visibility I wear brightly colored clothes. I wear lightweight EMS orange gloves at all times. The hope being that drivers will see me signal.

Taking a 2-3 day 'shake down' tour is an excellent suggestion. It's much easier to make a change in gear while you're still at home!

Have fun,

Kelly