Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: The Katy Trail- What tires?

« on: June 02, 2020, 05:18:24 pm »

The KATY is a neat trail but does get wet and can stay wet in some places. I had a good experience on both my trips running 35 CX tires on a moderately loaded touring bike (rider 180 plus gear at roughly 25-30). I was glad to have the versatility, stability and traction of a bit wider semi-knobby tire, especially since after months of planning and being pretty much locked into a travel schedule I ended up riding it not long after some flooding. Hope to get back there soon and will plan on using the same size/type tire, just in case.     

2

Routes / Re: Need tips for southern tier in January!!!

« on: October 16, 2019, 08:28:05 pm »

Be careful crossing the Hwy 90 bridge over the Pecos River. There is no shoulder, and there can be a significant southerly wind intensifying as it comes up through the narrowing gorge. A morning crossing is the best bet to avoid the worst of the wind, as well as the 18 wheeler traffic which produces a lot of back draft and they don't have room to pull over to give you space if there is oncoming traffic. The bridge is also a pretty good incline rising from west to east, making a slow eastbound crossing especially scary if there are trucks and high winds.     

3

General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: September 27, 2019, 04:10:32 pm »

hikerjer - is it true that NPS and BLM are going to start requiring e-MTB's to carry fire extinguishers? Probably a good idea to help prevent forest fires caused by exploding e-MTB batteries. 

4

Great Lakes / Soo Strong Trail - Sault Ste. Marie

« on: August 20, 2019, 05:35:17 pm »

Tried the Soo Strong Rail Trail west out of Sault Ste. Marie on my gravel bike with 700x40 tires and spent a lot of time bike hiking due to frequent, pernicious deep sand.  It may be good in the winter snow with a fat tire rig, but it wasn't much fun in the summer. Diverted to back roads and Hwy 28 which turned out to have nice wide shoulders most of the way to Marquette.     

5

Gear Talk / Re: Burley: Coho XC or Nomad ?

« on: June 19, 2019, 08:43:42 pm »

Thanks, Aggie. Appreciate that you can draw from experience with the Bob and Nomad.

6

Gear Talk / Burley: Coho XC or Nomad ?

« on: June 18, 2019, 10:43:46 pm »

I'm planning a 5 day bikepacking trip which will include 2 days of rough 4x4 road and the rest mostly pavement with some gravel.  Instead of buying yet another bike, as a first attempt at bikepacking I'm thinking of getting a trailer to pull behind my trusty 2010 Trek Hoo Koo E Koo. The Coho's appeal is it has only 1 wheel centered behind the bike, so it will follow in the MTB's tire tracks, plus it has a shock to dampen the jostling. Downside is it weighs 21.5 lbs empty and is rated for 70 lbs carrying capacity.  The Nomad is designed specifically for touring, has 2 wheels, weighs 14.5 lbs and is rated for 100 lb carrying capacity.  I won't max out the carrying capacity of either on this trip, but it could be a factor for future trips. I pulled my kids around for thousands of miles in a kid type Burley many years ago, so am very familiar with that setup, but it was always on pavement with a touring bike.  This will be a solo trip into wilderness country with limited resupply points, and yes I'll probably over pack. So - anybody got any recommendations on Coho versus Nomad?   

7

Routes / Re: Texas Hill Country - A few questions

« on: April 11, 2019, 09:23:48 am »

One of my favorite rides is starting from either Fredericksburg or LBJ State Park on Hwy 290 to Cave Creek and surrounding areas. (more bucolic and less traffic than Enchanted Rock). The Willow City Loop is also nice.  A great LBS in Fredericksburg is Hill Country Bicycle Works. Owner Lisa Nye-Salladin is probably the most knowledgeable person on earth on cycling that area.  http://www.hillcountrybicycle.com/Welcome.html

` ` `spins, grins, and tailwinds!
   

8

General Discussion / Re: Motorists view cyclists as sub human.

« on: March 28, 2019, 06:55:05 pm »

BS from some college profs trying to justify their existence.

9

Southwest / Re: Pedernales Falls SP to McKinney Falls SP

« on: March 23, 2019, 04:34:16 pm »

GOT IT. Received Southern Tier Bicycle Route, Section 4 in the mail today and the answer is on Maps 60 and 61. Thanks, ACA!
Will give it a try. 

10

General Discussion / Re: Lake Michigan Bicycle Tour Video

« on: March 22, 2019, 05:00:06 pm »

Way to go, sir. Yes, I'm impressed and inspired. Thanks for sharing your trip.

11

Southwest / Pedernales Falls SP to McKinney Falls SP

« on: March 08, 2019, 08:41:14 am »

Looking for the safest way to get from Pedernales Falls SP to McKinney Falls SP. I used to be familiar with Austin, but it's grown and changed so much since the last time I did this in the late 60's, I'd really appreciate anybody with up to date info giving me a hand with route planning. Thanks!

``spins, grins, and tailwinds

12

General Discussion / Re: Credit Carding The Southern Tier

« on: February 24, 2019, 08:46:22 pm »

aggie - good assessment of the stretch between Sanderson and Del Rio. Would add that the Hwy 90 bridge over the Pecos River is downright scary, especially eastbound with its uphill grind. There is no shoulder with little room for the frequent big rig trucks to pass, and sometimes a hellacious southerly crosswind across the river canyon. Seminole Canyon State Park on Hwy 90 just west of Comstock normally has campsites available, and their small museum is well worth a visit.       

13

General Discussion / Re: Women’s Specific Bicycles

« on: February 04, 2019, 08:19:57 am »

You can't go wrong with a custom frame from a reputable builder. They fit the frame to the rider and the entire bike to the purpose intended. Co-Motion makes custom bikes, and is an ACA supporter/sponsor/advertiser. I have one of their touring models, a Cascadia, and swear by it for fit, form, function and quality.

https://co-motion.com

~~ spins, grins, and tailwinds   

14

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Houston to Southern Tier Westbound

« on: January 22, 2019, 06:34:14 pm »

Haven't ridden near the airport in many years, so can't help you with the immediate area, but if you can get to I-45 and Hwy 242 near The Woodlands its a nice ride west on 242 to FM1488, which curves west then southwest and pick up US 290 in Hempstead.  Good luck - I'm jealous!

~ spins, grins, and tailwinds!

15

Gear Talk / Re: When to replace shoes?

« on: January 06, 2019, 09:48:04 pm »

I always thought a touring or MTB shoe should flex outward or in a convex direction to allow walking, but not flex inward or concave.
When cranking hard, if the pedal or cleat creates an uncomfortable pressure point against your foot, its time for a new pair.  As long as the shoe distributes the force of the pedal or cleat evenly against the foot and otherwise functions well, I keep using them.