Messages

31

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

« on: December 10, 2021, 07:47:43 am »

And don't forget -
With plate tectonics, the continent I rode across in 1987 has moved.

Are the plates moving apart or together? 

If the plates move apart, is your ride still consider entirely across the continent?  I mean, you might need to go back and ride those few inches that you cheated on by riding it 35 years ago.  So will I of course.  That sucks because between the two of us, we have probably crossed the country (by one or more definitions) close to 15 times. 

If the plates are moving toward each other, do we get credit on our next tour?  Can we give that credit to other riders who decide dipping is not for them?

.     Not just LOL. I am howling.

32

General Discussion / The more expensive tires are the least expensive.

« on: December 09, 2021, 08:38:06 am »

Paying seven or eight dollars for a tire on a bicycle might seem like a good deal. I used to pay that. Then I would take off from Florida to California fully loaded and camping. If the tires are readily available along the way you might end up using four or five on the back and three on the front. Not only that you could have 40 or 50 punctures along the way. That was my experience. Then I started using Schwalbe marathon tires. One set went all the way across from Southeast coastal Florida To San Diego or Los Angeles. I had eight punctures total. The marathon tires cost a little bit more upfront but the saving in time fixing punctures and stopping to buy new tires is more than worth it. Add to that the carefree worry free cycling on good tires and the more expensive tires are the least expensive.

33

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

« on: December 07, 2021, 04:15:27 pm »

People who dip their wheels in both oceans walk their bikes down to the water. Therefore, they do not cycle the entire distance. But what does it matter? I started transcontinental tours from Stuart Florida about 200 miles south of Saint Augustine on the east coast. I had to cycle well over 300 miles to get to Perry Florida where I could go West. On much of the ride I could look to my right and see the Atlantic Ocean. When I finally get to California I am on an estuary. That is coast to coast. It’s not that important. Reno Nevada is farther west than San Diego. If someone wanted to make a strict point going coast to coast, you would have to start from Saint Augustine for example or Virginia and go to the west coast that is the farthest west. That would be west of Reno Nevada into California and to the coast. I never thought about designations. To me it’s the adventure and the exhilaration. It’s the excitement. All that other stuff is for the nit pickers.

34

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

« on: December 06, 2021, 04:11:02 pm »

I started in Seattle, went to Bar Harbor, ME, turned south to Philly and then ended up on the boardwalk in Ocean, City, NJ looking at the Atlantic Ocean. I consider myself someone who has ridden across the country even though some of the W-E mileage was actually in Canada.

.           Of course it’s cross country tour. What is all this nonsense? What is somebody trying to say? Are they saying that if you don’t dip your wheels it’s not a full transcontinental tour? That’s nonsense. I wouldn’t even talk to anybody who defined it that way.

35

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

« on: December 05, 2021, 11:24:11 am »

You bicycle from Florida to California. You fly back from California to Florida. Therefore, you and where you began.

36

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

« on: December 04, 2021, 01:04:27 pm »

I am seriously considering another trans continental bicycle ride beginning sometime in January. It will be across the southern tier of states. They say so far this winter has been unprecedentedly warm. That maybe so but I will prepare for unprecedented cold just the same. I will have to go more than 300 miles north just to begin going west from the East Coast of Florida. I will not dip my wheel anywhere in the east. If I make it to California I will Not dip my wheel anywhere there. If I do I will get down to the wharf in San Diego and that is far enough near the gaslight district. That is a full transcontinental bicycling ride. Dip or no dip.

37

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

« on: December 04, 2021, 10:46:33 am »

Do it any Way you want. Dipping wheels is Nothing.

38

General Discussion / Re: Florida coast to coast dedicated bike path. C2C.

« on: December 03, 2021, 02:15:34 pm »

They do have a map online. Just this moment I saw a YouTube video that said the sea to sea coast to coast bicycle path in Florida has been done. Meaning finished and complete. I did not open the video.

39

Routes / Re: Brit riding across the US

« on: December 03, 2021, 06:40:25 am »

The first three posts on this thread are in line with information I recently got on crazy guy on a bike.com. He detailed the entire route from Santa Monica to the Windy City. He also posted detailed maps of the route. Go to that site and search Route 66. Like they have told you, plan ahead carefully. You could end up in high temperatures in areas where surfaces are spaced out long distances, I mean long distances by bicycle travel. Other than that it looks like A decent ride. If you do it, good luck.

40

General Discussion / Re: Southern Tier in Winter

« on: December 02, 2021, 11:21:07 pm »

As for myself, I got the highest daily mileage in winter, and the lowest in summer heat. The cold is invigorating. The heat can beat you down like a hammer. That is speaking only for myself. On one crossing of the southern tier, Florida to California there was extreme heat and also the beginning of cool weather. In the heat I struggled to get 60 miles in a day. I mean this was really hot, 100°F perhaps as much as 110°F. We all know what that means cycling out there over the hard top. West of San Angelo Texas a cold front moved in. What a relief that was. I started knocking out 80 mile days like a walk in the park. Extreme heat can take the wind out of your sails. Shorter days in winter I suppose or whatever you want them to be. When the temperatures allow and the wind isn’t howling in against you from all the wrong directions, Night cycling is quite pleasant and cool. You can make up for the day light hours that way. Of course there may be disadvantages to doing it that way. Setting up camp at night and eating and are preparing food could add to some disadvantage of convenience. It seems like whatever you do there will be some positive and some negative value to It. You just have to make whatever you consider to be the best choice for yourself based on the information you have. If you ever pulled into a campsite, stealth or official, on a cold cold night you know one of the last things on your mind might be preparing food. All I ever wanted to do was set up the tent or tarp or whatever And get inside that warm sleeping bag and go to sleep.

41

General Discussion / Re: Southern Tier in Winter

« on: December 02, 2021, 08:34:26 am »

In my opinion you are doing it the right time of year. The cool weather is much to be preferred over summer heat. Most of the time that far south it is pleasantly cool. It can get to extremes, so you might want to keep that in In my opinion you are doing it the right time of year. The cool weather is much to be preferred over summer heat. Most of the time that far south it is pleasantly cool. It can get to extremes, so you might want to keep that in mind. I slept out one night and it was 10°F. Another night it was 7°. That did not happen often, but if you are unprepared it only has to happen once. I got up on the morning of the 7° night and made my way to a waffle house. Someone told me one person had died of hypo thermia. They said he had been drunk. He fell down. He passed out. And that was that. Hi got me to a motel for two days. I was chilled to the bone. Most of the time though it is really just kind of cold and very cool. During the days it is often just cool.

42

General Discussion / Re: Finding accommodation

« on: December 01, 2021, 12:04:35 pm »

There seems to be a consensus that warm showers might be more trouble than it is worth. Then again, I just watched a bicycle tourist on YouTube. He praised warm showers.Not sure of the extent of his experiences by the time he said that.

43

General Discussion / Re: Finding accommodation

« on: November 30, 2021, 09:29:36 pm »

Warm showers might be useful. It would not hurt to try it. What I heard is it is kind of a problem. I was a member for a while. Hey cyclist on the Atlantic coast route contacted me for a place to lay over a while. I was perfectly willing to let him stay here and rest. The problem was I was getting to takeoff on a tour of my own. I did not want to alter my schedule. I told him that. In the course of our correspondence he told me I was the only person from warm showers who had answered him when contacted. There is another psych a list on YouTube. That is The Bicycle Touring pro. He said March the same thing about warm showers. He said it took a lot of time to contact members. Some do not even respond. He said it was such a time-consuming thing that he just gave up with it.

44

General Discussion / Re: Tent camping Florida Keys - January

« on: November 30, 2021, 09:21:19 pm »

I bicycled the length of the Florida Keys 6 times. In winter it will be crowded. Tourists are everywhere. There is a state park, perhaps more than one where you can camp on the beach. They might let you tent in some RV parks. Prepare to spend a lofty sum. The Florida keys are not particularly known for accommodating camping in tents. For a few hours sleep at an RV park you can rent a very nice motel in some other parts of the country. I could not find a reasonable place to tent in the Keys. Stealth camping is possible and quite limited.

45

Routes / Re: Interstate Alternatives

« on: November 29, 2021, 01:06:46 am »

In my experience, you are much more likely on interstate shoulders to get flats from the wires from exploded truck tires. They are common, nearly impossible to see, and seldom stopped by even the best tires. Besides, nothing interesting ever happens on the interstate, and interesting things happening are one of the best reasons to tour. Few people do a bicycle tour just to get from point A to point B.

A truck tire exploded in front of me once. It blasted shrapnel wires everywhere. It made one hell of a noise. It was about 200 feet away.