Messages

3316

General Discussion / Seat versus Handlebar height

« on: September 13, 2007, 05:46:41 pm »

I tour with my bars at the same height on my touring bike as on my road bike (3-4" lower than the seat).  I think that on average tourists like their bars a good bit higher than that though.

3317

General Discussion / Miami->San Francisco advices-ccompanions

« on: December 20, 2007, 07:19:43 pm »

I haven't done the ST, but...

Adventure Cycling says, "The Southern Tier Route can be ridden between early fall to late spring."

A friend who has ridden the NT, TA, and ST, says that February is the best time to start a Southern Tier trip.

3318

General Discussion / Which Touring Tires?

« on: September 20, 2007, 08:22:33 am »

I checked out the one remaining Conti on my bike (Labeled  "Security Contact") and it was getting pretty worn at about 2000 miles, but hadn't flatted yet and wasn't quite bald.  I decided to just put a fresh pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.  They ride nice and I am sure they are very tough, but man are they heavy!

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 9-20-07 @ 4:23 AM

3319

General Discussion / Which Touring Tires?

« on: September 18, 2007, 10:16:57 am »

> I have got some of their replacements-the Travel Contact. I have about 2000 km on one now, and it seems great so far.

I had some labeled Security and Contact on the sidewall.  Are yours labeled Travel and Contact?  The ones I had were described as Conti's replacement for the Top Touring by the dealer.

FWIW: I was unhappy with the ones I had.  They were not prone to flats, but didn't wear well and the rear was getting bald at about 1000 miles or a bit more.

3320

General Discussion / Which Touring Tires?

« on: September 10, 2007, 02:57:32 pm »

>> "Continental Top Touring are out of production and probably getting hard to find.  Right?"

> Izzat so? I'll have to check that out. I know my shop still has two in stock. If they no longer make them I'll scarf them up and keep them aside for future use. I've never used anything else.  

That is what I was told at a couple bike shops and on one of the online forums or another.  It probably is a good idea to scarf up some if you can still get them unless my info is incorrect (someone please chime in if it is).

3321

General Discussion / Which Touring Tires?

« on: September 10, 2007, 10:21:33 am »

> Specialized Armadillo. I get 1500-2500 miles out
> of mine.

I consider that to be awfully low mileage for a touring tire.  Even the Kenda Eurotrek tires that came on our Windsor Touring bikes did better than that and I am under the imression that they are a cheap tire.

Four of the six tires finished the transamerica with 4244 miles on them.  One of the remaining ones was completely worn out, one might have had another thousand miles in it if you were willing to ride it until bald, and the other two actually still looked pretty good.

The wear was proportion with the load carried.

I am not particularly recommending the Eurotreks as they were somewhat puncture prone.

3322

General Discussion / Which Touring Tires?

« on: September 10, 2007, 08:29:30 am »

Continental Top Touring are out of production and probably getting hard to find.  Right?

The tire I was told was their replacement for the "Top Touring" wore out very prematurely. I think it was labeled "Security" and "Contact".   It was completely unsatisfactory IMO.

A recent search shows a "Continental Top Contact".  Does anyone know how it compares with the "Top Touring" and the "Contact" or with the Schwalbe "Marathon Plus" for that matter?

According to the listing the "Continental Top Contacts" are a lot lighter than the "Marathon Plus".  Does that equate to higher performance, but less puncture resistance?

3323

General Discussion / Is packing food necessary - Southern Tier

« on: September 04, 2007, 08:12:57 pm »

I haven't done the Southern tier, but...

On our recent TransAmerica we found that we could usually get food at regular enough intervals.  What choices we had were often very limited though.

Depending on what you want to eat you may want to buy a day ahead in some cases.

Also some things do not come in one meal portions so you may need to buy multiday supplies of some items.

I personally always would carry enough of something to get by for a day "just in case".  That could just be a few powerbars or some dried refried beans and instant rice.

Before you leave be sure you have the latest copies of the addenda for your route.

In some areas many places had closed recently or were temporarily closed for one reason or another.  So it is best to be a bit cautious in sparsely populated areas.

3324

General Discussion / Problem companion

« on: October 26, 2007, 01:02:57 pm »

The folks I knew that met online and planned to do the TA together wound up parting ways before the end of the trip.  I suspect that this common, but I am just guessing there.

I wouldn't hesitate to plan a trip with a stranger, but it would be said up front that I would go it alone if it didn't work out.

3325

General Discussion / Spare Tire recommendations

« on: May 23, 2007, 01:36:47 pm »

I agree that it is good to support the LBS.  I also agree that it is a good idea to buy good tires, but some of Paul's comments don't ring true to me.

First I didn't notice anyone in this thread saying to buy online, so those comments were strange.

Next, the comment about tires being damaged in shipping.  I have never heard of that happening and besides, tires are shipped to the LBS too and then in many shops hung out where everybody who comes in the store can handle them.  I am not worried that tires are likely to be damaged from either source, but if I were I doubt that it is more likely to be the case with online orders.

Regarding shipping, yes you have to consider shipping, but online prices are often still cheaper even with the shipping costs, especially since you are likely to not pay sales tax.

Paul you don't say why you think wire beads aren't worth it.  Care to explain?

Note that I am not particularly advocating for buying online, I just thought some of the reasons listed were pretty lame.

Buy from the LBS because you want to support them, or buy from them because it is convenient, or buy from them because they offer a better deal.

Personally I sometimes buy online and sometimes buy locally.  I decide which way to go on a purchase by purchase basis and go with the one that seems like the best deal.  If it is close I lean toward the LBS.

3326

General Discussion / Spare Tire recommendations

« on: May 16, 2007, 01:52:52 pm »

I don't know why folks seem to insist on a folding tire.  As World Traveler says a regular tire folded into three loops fits fine in a pannier or can easily be strapped to the rear rack or elsewhere.

If the tire you prefer comes in a folder fine, but otherwise just fold your wirebead tire like shown at: http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html

3327

General Discussion / Logistics, Getting People and Bikes to Astoria

« on: May 22, 2007, 10:15:41 pm »

"Renting a van to shuttle the bikes to the coast to ride a bit.  Then drive the van and bikes to another town to return the van and start riding again.  Sounds like quite an enjoyable way to start a bicycling vacation."

Not sure where you got that from.  We would rent a van to get from the airport to our starting point which could be Newport or Florence.  One van ride not two.

I need to draw the line somewhere; if getting riding right away was the only factor every tour would start at my front door.

Two days of "without pay" time saved is a big motivation if the ride is in a place I don't particularly want to go.  That is something like $640 out of pocket.

Also one of our party may run out of time to finish if certain events work out in a particular way and if we don't make pretty good time (she may need to be back to start a new job).  We want to avoid that.

That and the fact that when I asked for advice about starting from the airport I didn't find a single person who rode out of that airport even though pretty much every one who does the TA west to east flys in to Portland unless they are local to the area.

Newport to Florence on the other hand is a section of road I an anxious to ride so adding a day or more to do that is different.

3328

General Discussion / Logistics, Getting People and Bikes to Astoria

« on: May 22, 2007, 01:52:25 pm »

No reason other than our desire to minimize the time before we are on the route.  I will be into leave without pay before we are back and I want to minimize that.

We are now thinking of flying with the bikes and renting a van one way to Newport so we can ride just a bit of the coast before starting the shorter option of the official route in Florence.

3329

General Discussion / Logistics, Getting People and Bikes to Astoria

« on: May 13, 2007, 06:24:07 pm »

We are making kind of a last minute change. With only a couple weeks to go, our trip originally planned to an E to W transamerica is now possibly going to be a W to E transamerica if we can figure out the logistics. Does anyone have suggestions of how to best get us and our bikes to Astoria?

I imagine we would fly to Portland and take a bus or train to Astoria or possibly rent a car. I think it would be easier if the bikes were shipped directly to Astoria. The problem is where in Astoria. Can any one recommend a person, business, or bike shop in Astoria that would be willing to receive the three bikes and hold them for us for a reasonable fee?

I apologize to those who read crazy guy and BF forums for the duplicate posting to the three locations.

3330

General Discussion / Eating and spending on a two month biking spree

« on: January 01, 2009, 07:54:12 pm »

Robert,

Yes our experiences are quite different.  It makes me wonder if Bowling Green is that much different from the parts of Kentucky where I have ridden.  Given that it isn't a major metropolitan area and that we rode not all that far from there I am guessing that the difference is probably mostly in our respective expectations.

My experiences there indicates that Kentucky is a very nice state to ride in, better than some and worse than others.  Strangely the closest we had to a problem with drivers was that some of the drivers were excessively timid about passing.  We rode across the state (5 days) and it was not substantially different from Missouri before it or Virginia after.

You commented that "kentucky has poor riding conditions due to lack of sidewalks and bike paths".  For what it is worth I never ride on sidewalks and mostly avoid bike paths where possible when on tour.  There are a few exceptions on the bike paths (there was a great one near Breckenridge Colorado for example).  I have to say that if you consider Kentucky a poor place to ride for the reasons you stated that you might feel the same about every state we rode in as we crossed the US.  I advise that you either get used to riding on roads with no shoulder or pick your touring routes very carefully.

For other riders who read this I would say don't worry much about Kentucky beyond being ready to deal with loose dogs.