Topics

1

General Discussion / LA Union station to Santa Monica

« on: November 23, 2023, 01:20:57 pm »

I'm planning on doing Route 66 W to E next spring having found out the hard way (twice) why E to W is a bad idea.
I would like to take Amtrak to Los Angeles which would land me in downtown LA. I'd rather not ride to Santa Monica from Union Station. Is there another way to get me and my bike to the start of 66? Or is the ride from Union Station quite tolerable?

2

Routes / Westport OR to Champoeg SP

« on: February 22, 2021, 02:03:20 pm »

Is there a way to do this without going through Portland? From the RWGPS map route 47 looks promising, has anybody done that?

3

Classifieds / Trek 520

« on: July 02, 2020, 02:52:45 am »

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Trek-520-51-2cm-Hand-built-wheels-bags-rack/402313128967?hash=item5dabbb2c07:g:EpUAAOSwVhNe83X5

4

Connecting ACA Routes / Help I Need a Durango detour from 66

« on: April 23, 2017, 08:03:21 pm »

On May 1 I'm restarting my Route 66 tour from Tulsa OK where I had a mishap and had to come home. Some friends of mine are going to be in Durango CO about the time I'll be there and I would like to make a detour from the ACA route to meet them. I could simply go to Santa Fe and head north from there but  I'm hoping there's a way I could leave 66 earlier and rejoin it past Santa Fe. As it is my wife and I are planning on a non-cycling trip to Santa Fe later in the year so I won't be missing much. Suggestions please.

5

Routes / Coos Bay Bridge Bypass Yes and No?

« on: March 28, 2017, 09:07:09 pm »

THe first part of the bypass is a delight; a quiet, pretty road with a bit of climbing and a great view of the bridge. However once you get to Hwy 101 (See Detail#2 Map 22)you are on a busy highway with not much to see. A rather a bore in fact although it does have an adequate shoulder until you meet up with the original ACA route north of Bandon. It seems to me a much more interesting route would be to ride across Coos Bay and rejoin the original route just south of the bridge. Am I missing something?
From Detail #1 it looks like there's a road that joins Newmarket St. that you could use.

6

General Discussion / Planet Bike Air Kiss CO2 Bicycle Inflator woes

« on: December 19, 2016, 06:51:49 pm »

It was light and just the thing for my road bike until I got a flat. When I came to use said inflator and screwed in the CO2 cartridge it wouldn't pierce the membrane on top of the cartridge. I thought it may have been my wimpy grip so I went into a nearby machine shop and tried putting the head in a vise and using pliers to turn the cylinder - still membrane intacta.  I ended up having the missis rescue me.

Am I doing something wrong with this infernal device? or have I just got a bad 'un?  Should I switch to some other brand?

7

General Discussion / Amtrak Coast Starlight now easier to use

« on: November 01, 2016, 01:50:47 am »

I recently traveled from Oakland to Seattle on the Amtrak Coast Starlight train and was delighted to find you no longer have to box up your bike. Just pay $20 bike fee and take your bike to the baggage car when the train arrives. No boxes, no removing pedals, no turning bars, just "remove anything that might fall off" and you're done. you get a claim tag and have to show it when you pick up your ready to ride bike from the baggage car at your journey's end.

This does have the slight drawback that you can't check your boxed up bike the night before (unless I suppose you want to box it yourself) which may sometimes be convenient.

8

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Bicycle Route 66 #2, (Missouri) Map 22 Diversion onto Freeway not necessary

« on: June 08, 2016, 12:24:03 pm »

At Hazelgreen MO (Map 22) on the ACA route on Hwy AB there is a sign saying "Road closed 3 miles ahead" and signs diverting Route 66 travelers onto the adjacent freeway, there's also a map addendum to that effect put out by the ACA. If you can lift your bike over a couple of two foot barriers there's no need to go on the freeway and you'll be rewarded with a several miles of traffic free road. If you stay on route here's what you'll find.



This is the bridge over the Gasconade River. That barrier is all of two feet high and you can ride to a similar barrier on the other side. When I got there I noticed pedestrians on the bridge (there's a swimming hole nearby) and there are no notices telling peds/riders to stay off. If the state really wanted that they would have put chain link fence up etc., but it is very much closed to motor vehicles.

i checked this out because several times I've come across road closures where a pedestrian or cyclist could easily get through. At worst I would have had a six mile round trip to satisfy my curiosity.

Edit. I've only just noticed the skid marks going right up to the barrier. I suspect someone was diriving under the influence.

9

Gear Talk / Shimano Hollowtech experience anyone?

« on: March 08, 2016, 11:13:49 am »

My LBS talked me into replacing the original square taper (ST) bottom bracket in my 520 after 51000 miles with a Shimano 105 Hollowtech BB by saying that new ST cranks weren't available (it seems that it's only Shimano ST cranks that aren't available). Now, from the CTC forum it appears that Hollowtech BBs don't last very long, < 2000 miles some people are saying. This has got me worried, it seems that ST BBs last much much longer than Hollowtech. I've got a Route 66 tour coming up. Should I be looking for an ST BB or possibly replacing the Shimano with a Hope BB or am I looking at replacing a BB somewhere in New Mexico ( I was going to write NM but that's overdoing the initials  )

Right now I'm leaning towards doing a preemptive replace of the Shimano with a Hope because I like the feel of the Hollowtech setup and the changing is superb. Waddya think?

At the least I can take a spare Shimano BB with me, they are only $20 at REI and don't weigh much.

10

General Discussion / Careful where you buy stuff

« on: January 27, 2016, 01:56:11 pm »

When we got to Oakland CA for a ride down the coast I decided we needed a chain long enough to lock both our bikes up. I went into a bike shop on the waterfront and found a Kryptonite chain for $62. So I bought one and well it served. After I got back I went to my LBS, Burien Bikes, for a chain of the type that makes your bike go and what should they have but the same Kryptonite chain I had bought in Oakland for $32!

11

General Discussion / San Fransisco to San Diego in January. Is it doable?

« on: November 12, 2015, 09:33:05 pm »

Would we be completely nuts to consider doing the ACA route down the coast this coming January? I'd love to hear from anyone who's done it at that time of year.

12

Routes / USGS maps for touring anybody?

« on: March 29, 2015, 10:48:46 am »

Has anyone used USGS maps for touring? I've searched this site and find no reference to USGS. My only experience of USGS maps was many years ago when I used their paper maps for hiking. It seems to me the scal was way too big and you would need a trailer to carry them for a tour of any distance but maybe things have changed. Is there a USGS tool for selecting maps that is any use?

I'm trying to help someone in the UK who things ACA maps are expensive. I've searched this site and find no reference to USGS. Not very promising

13

General Discussion / Flushable wipes not good

« on: March 13, 2015, 11:22:43 am »

This is bad news for people like me who have used these things as emergency TP. Baby wipes, flushable included, are bad news for sewage and presumably septic systems.

So dispose of them like trash, no matter what they've been used for.

14

General Discussion / Waterproof printer paper

« on: January 24, 2015, 12:59:52 pm »

There's a product that seems to be only available in the UK, Toughprint, a waterproof paper you can use with a laser printer. Sounds ideal for those of us who don't want a GPS. Anybody know if there's a US supplier?

15

Gear Talk / Should I be worried about my frame?

« on: January 23, 2015, 02:58:59 pm »

I have a Trek520 that I love dearly with 46000+ miles on it. I was in an LBS the other day and mentioned this to the fella and he asked if I was getting cracks in the frame. I haven't found any cracks but then I haven't done a penetrant dye inspection on it or any such thing. About the only thing that hasn't been replaced is the bottom bracket which still seems smooth as silk. Should I be undertaking another big tour with this bike or should I be looking to replace it? If I do it will probably be with a Disc 520, my one beef with my current bike was the brakes it came with were very noisy and not very good.