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General Discussion / Re: Bike Storage During Trip
« on: May 29, 2017, 03:25:07 pm »
Storage areas often have space available. Tell them what you are doing. They may cut you a good deal or even let you leave it there at no charge.
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General Discussion / Re: How to find & plan accommodation on Pacific Coast route? Advice appreciated!
« on: May 17, 2017, 04:22:23 pm »
You would have to use what's available. There might be warm shower hosts along the coast. There might be couch surfing hosts. I did the PCBR and mostly free-camped. I got showers in state parks. I used hostels four times---SF, Santa Cruz, Venice Beach, and Jim's in SD. I believe Jim's is not there anymore.
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General Discussion / Re: Atlantic Coast Route
« on: May 16, 2017, 04:40:26 pm »
Back in 1990 I started north from SE coastal FL on May 1st and reached Bangor, Maine May 22nd. I took two days off the road due to rain. The prevailing wind then was south to north. I do not think I could make it in that time again. I can feel the age.
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General Discussion / Re: How to find & plan accommodation on Pacific Coast route? Advice appreciated!
« on: May 16, 2017, 04:37:18 pm »
There are plenty of state parks with hiker-biker sites. They are quite inexpensive. There are hostels.
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General Discussion / Re: Pannier Discussion
« on: June 29, 2016, 08:31:29 pm »
You might use lesser panniers. Get some aluminum sheets and fix them inside. However, it is not necessary to use sheets that cover the entire inside wall. Strips connected from the outside will stiffen it just fine.
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General Discussion / Re: Do you pack a Spare Tire???
« on: June 29, 2016, 08:28:06 pm »
I used to carry a spare tire. That was when I used less expensive tires. For example, with cheap tires you might use 4 on the rear and three on the front from Florida to California. With cheap tires, if you get a small slit, it gradually gets larger, and eventually it balloons up, and starts twisting off the rim. Thump bump thump bump thump on every revolution. There are millions of bits and pieces on the road to pierce tires.
With stronger tires, Schwalbe Marathon, the tires can take several pierces and slits. They hold together. You need only one set from coast to coast. I used to carry a spare. The last few tours I did not because I used tires that were stronger and more reliable.
Don't go anywhere without a patch kit, levers, and a pump, no matter what kind of tires.
With stronger tires, Schwalbe Marathon, the tires can take several pierces and slits. They hold together. You need only one set from coast to coast. I used to carry a spare. The last few tours I did not because I used tires that were stronger and more reliable.
Don't go anywhere without a patch kit, levers, and a pump, no matter what kind of tires.
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General Discussion / Re: wild camping in WA, OR and CA
« on: June 19, 2016, 02:45:38 pm »
I have bicycle-toured about 40,000 miles through 19 countries, and many times across the USA north, south, east, and west. Most all nights I spent wild camping. You can usually always find some place somewhere. Try to get through towns and cities where free, stealth camping might be nearly impossible to do. Except in and near cities, there was no problem finding such sites in CA, OR, and Washington.
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General Discussion / Re: How do I convince my partner touring is safe?
« on: June 06, 2016, 08:19:14 pm »
You might point up some statistics from ACA how many people have done this over the years without having any problems.
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General Discussion / Re: How to figure average miles per day
« on: June 06, 2016, 08:17:36 pm »
Let's say you do a 30 day tour. Of those thirty days you cycle 25 and rest 5. You average your miles by dividing 25 into the total. Some people may average their daily miles by dividing the total by the total number of days on tour. I do not see the sense in that. I have never heard of anyone explaining their hourly wage by 168 hours in a week, only by the number of hours actually worked.
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General Discussion / Re: Biking across America
« on: May 22, 2016, 03:14:37 pm »
They say this will be the hottest summer on record since the 1800s. A hard helmet will save you in a headlong crash to the cement, but it will not provide nearly the comfort and protection from solar radiation as a broad brimmed straw hat. Make sure there are openings around the stove-pipe so air can circulate in and out above your head. The difference in comfort and relief from the heat between a cap and a helmet and a straw hat is easily perceptible. It keeps the sun off all your face and it protects your neck and shoulders. It is not any help in a crash, I'm afraid.
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General Discussion / Re: Demands on energy
« on: May 17, 2016, 09:00:54 am »
I looked into Perpetuem. I have not used it but it is sure to be an excellent adjunct for long distance touring. A couple of beers with a meal at the end of the day is the way to go. Cytomax, like Perpetuem, gives a noticeable boost in energy. One thing about EE, Redline, and Cytomax is the psychological affect in that you do not notice the expending of energy, and times seems to fly. Two hours seem life 5 minutes.
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General Discussion / Re: Demands on energy
« on: May 16, 2016, 11:40:41 am »
This is the first I have heard of Perpetuem. I'll have to look into it.
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General Discussion / Demands on energy
« on: May 15, 2016, 10:45:41 pm »
Wholesome food provides the necessary nutrients for daily activities. But, can it serve well for a man on a fully loaded touring bicycle carrying 40 pounds of gear against headwinds, and over hills and mountains? At my age, 66, I have found it necessary to supplement my energy needs. Sure, there are canned drinks, e.g., Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, etc. I have found these drinks to be helpful at times. The real shot in the arm comes from the small shots of energy drinks. EE, eternal energy, works almost as well as 5-hour-energy, and the cost is only 88 cents a shot. Redline works very well, too. Both are on the shelf at Wal Mart. In WM EE is $5.00 and change for a six pack, and in Walgreens it is over $9.00. On tour, I would down one EE in the morning, and a Redline in the afternoon. The difference was easy to feel. It works.
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General Discussion / Re: Locks for a solo Trans-Am camping tour?
« on: April 01, 2016, 03:56:44 pm »
Those U locks are strong as all get out. However, a hand-held drill can open one in a minute or two with the right bit. Just go into where the key hole with the drill. That method would be used only by thieves looking to purloin an expensive ride, I think. It happens. It makes noise, too.
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Routes / Re: Question for those who have toured in Europe
« on: March 27, 2016, 01:40:29 pm »
I did a considerable amount of touring in western Europe, eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union. In the UK, a magazine-like atlas of maps worked perfectly. Detailed road maps worked well for all other places. There were times when designated bike paths or bike roads would have been great improvements in conditions. Generally, finding places for stealth camping was easy. In eastern Europe there were usually people along the roads, even at night, making it impossible to find a place to duck into the woods where nobody could see where I had left the road.