Messages

61

General Discussion / Pacific Coast - August & Sept, is this a really bad idea?

« on: July 25, 2020, 06:44:29 pm »

I have the time to take a tour of the Pacific Coast, rather than do it all I was considering Portland to SF. I talked to my doctor who is a recreational cyclist just to ask for his 2 cents opinion if I should do a pacific coast bike tour.  He said it is a great idea.  Probably the safest things to do during covid.  I can do all or just the Oregon coast or?  --- but if campgrounds and restaurants are going to be closed or if our culture is simply disapproving of such things then maybe not???  I read here y'day that the Oregon hiker/biker sites are not open/


I remember reading some discussion here back in March and it seemed the general consensus was to skip it this year but now that the opportunity is here  I am finding it tempting.    What do you guys think. (please be nice  )

62

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: GPS query

« on: July 10, 2020, 01:22:35 am »

The pros:  Garmin is the de facto GPS so a lot of gps data is geared toward their file format.

I think Garmin is the standard still but I just read a post on my Facebook Cycling Group about 30 mins ago and the question is do you use a Garmin or a Wahoo and about 2/3 of the respondents wrote they use the Wahoo and most commonly was the Wahoo Bolt.   I think it is quickly (over the past 5 years) becoming a new favorite. I used mine traveling cross country and tried to charge it every day there was power but could go two days in a pinch.  The Wahoo software is noted to be much less buggy and it just works.  Also, mine is b&w screen and uses less battery than the color screen Garmins do. 

Last if you enjoy research check out https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews
The link you provided is for the new Garmin wrist watch versions which we haven't really commented on.  Most (not all)of the discussions have been on the bike specific computers.

63

Classifieds / Re: Novara Randonee and Bob trailer

« on: June 08, 2020, 05:39:37 pm »

How old is the Randonee and how much is it used?

64

Routes / Re: seeking best route from west coast to east coast this summer

« on: May 20, 2020, 02:39:10 am »

These are the guys I generally ignore.
First post - nothing in the profile.
No info offered in the post, either.
Kinda like a "drive-by" posting.

When I read this I realized I had never looked at my profile.  So, I updated mine with age and location.  I don't have a web site or anything else to add.  I did try about 10 times to add a profile picture.  All were fail, but no instructions. Chose a stock pic but its not mine.  Sorry I guess I'm just adding to the off topic but it made me realize why so few of us have a pic, it was not possible to figure out how to add a profile pic correctly.

65

General Discussion / Re: Interesting article on bicycling and the pandemic

« on: April 11, 2020, 11:28:12 pm »

https://www.citylab.com/perspective/2020/03/coronavirus-bike-lane-emergency-transportation-covid-19/608725/


That should do it.  Didn't read it yet - heading back to read it now

66

General Discussion / Re: XC Cycling and the Coronavirus .... is anyone riding XC ?

« on: March 31, 2020, 09:20:50 pm »

I am planning Pacific Coast Trip end of August and September. So maybe the timing will work. But even though I am very carefully trying to avoid the virus, I’m sure I’ll be more comfortable touring if I have had and recovered from the virus and thus have immunity during my tour. I wouldn’t like to be out in the the unknown and in my tent while sick.


I realize we never want to be sick or injured on a tour, but thinking this is a bit different.

67

Gear Talk / Re: Gear in two panniers?

« on: February 18, 2020, 08:28:09 pm »

I'm having a very similar setup to you so can't help with your question but thought I'd add, I'm also interested in the results of this survey. :-)

68

General Discussion / Re: First timer questions

« on: February 14, 2020, 02:03:03 am »

ChefJ,
Looks like I'm the first to reply so a few opening comments are in order. 
Yes, keep reading all you can. For me it took weeks of reading before I started to feel like I had a good idea of what I was getting into.  In addition to reading interesting threads to past forums discussions here you can read journals of people who have ridden the routes you might be taking.  Try https://www.crazyguyonabike.com


Regarding routes the https://www.easternexpressroute.com will give you a researched route to travel west from Ohio and connect with the Trans America Route which continues to the west coast.  I think you will find it is much easier for first timers to follow established routes, and also much easier to to travel alone if you are not in good condition. 
There are many discussions about raccoons and bears, and safe camping, and bicycle gearing and equipment for bicycle travel, weather conditions for safe months of travel for each route, riding yourself into shape, how many miles to expect to travel each day and on and on... so again - yes, keep reading the forums.


The red flag comment for me when reading your first post question was when you said crossing up and down on your way to the west coast.  You only have so much time to get across the mountains, and I think you will find early and late snow storms much more likely to cause concern than lions, tigers and bears and that choosing a route direction and sticking to it for the most part will be important.


Congratulations on your new adventure.


No, not too crazy, only a bit 

69

General Discussion / Re: Ohio to Erie Trail, Cincinnati to Cleveland. Another short tour

« on: January 17, 2020, 01:16:14 am »

Enjoyed it, most fun part of the video was your walk through the flooded towpath 😎

70

General Discussion / Re: It Ain't The Prettiest, But . . .

« on: January 06, 2020, 05:54:40 pm »

My 2 cents - or my favorite 500 mile section looking back and remembering my ride on only one route the TA might be riding across Oregon.  I know the coast section has more traffic but from Florence, OR on the coast to Baker City was pretty much spectacular following the ACA maps.  Once you get to Idaho, I'd think it would be easy enough to detour over to Boise to get an airport home.


(I'm adding this clarification that I'm not thinking about the spectacular scenery alone, I'm keeping in mind your request for a safe place to ride.  I can think of other safe places, I've ridden but balancing safety and beautiful location and 500 miles I'm recommending Oregon.)

71

Routes / Re: Best 5 day solo newbie ride?

« on: December 05, 2019, 09:56:52 am »

Just a few minutes before reading this post I saw a nice short article  linked on the adventure cycling bike bits  email. Here is a quote of these guys in the story taking a practice ride. “The duo took a couple of shorter bike rides to prepare for the trip. They spent five days biking about 300 miles around Lake Champlain.”
https://www.reformer.com/stories/good-friends-good-ride,588128#top-carousel


I did my first practice ride doing an 2 night ride around Lake Tahoe & Donner Lake in Northern CA and NV - about 110 miles. My second practice ride was a credit card ride  across the state to the coast where I met up my wife for a nice weekend at the ocean. I did exactly what John suggested and start riding from my house and picked a motel to stop at every 40-50 miles across the state.

72

Routes / Re: Western Express + TransAm in early May?

« on: November 07, 2019, 02:30:16 pm »

I will add my personal stories on the subject of crossing the Sierra Mountains in May since I live and ride in them regularly.  I agree completely that you may get snow in May.  Five or six years back, I took my wife up to Squaw Valley for a Memorial Day weekend (end of May). The second day it was chilly but we put on our jackets to ride from Squaw Valley over to Alpine Meadows.  We stopped at a cafe and when we came out after lunch the temperature was dropping and we jumped on the bikes to head back.  It started sleeting on the way back to our lodge.  My wife was not happy.  She wasn't mad at the weather - she was mad at the person who took her riding in the weather. It snowed the rest of the weekend. 

On another occasion this past fall I went up to Tahoe for the day, it was supposed to be clear according to the weather apps with tempetures in the 60's very similiar to today's weather up in the higher elevation - it was a lovely day for a ride but by the time I finished and I was to drive home a weather front moved in and it started snowing and they required chains on the cars to get back on interstate 80. 

But... I have gone up to the same areas on (m)any more occasions when the weather was beautiful in May and have had wonderful days of riding.  I'm sure you can ride over highway 88 with good weather and without walls of snow if you have the liberty of time to wait out a late season storm -- if it comes. The picture above of the snow on the side of highway 88 only happens on occasional winters when there is heavy snowfall, but it does happen from time to time and as Captain Obvious said there is no way to know what next May will be like.

Cheers

73

California / Re: Arriving in Sacramento CA for touring as a newb... where do I go?

« on: October 23, 2019, 08:35:35 pm »

There is a nice memorial for Johnny Cash towards end of bike trail. Good for a picture. Also unusually warm couple week in NorCal right now so you will enjoy that. Just don’t do any fires for cooking.  Big fire danger right now.

74

California / Re: Arriving in Sacramento CA for touring as a newb... where do I go?

« on: October 23, 2019, 07:11:30 pm »

I don’t know about camping opportunities in the area, but for a nice bike ride make your way over to discovery Park in downtown Sacramento and you can head north east to Folsom and end at folsom prison on paved bike trails 30 or 40 miles along the river. It’s very pretty. if you head south west from discovery Park you can make your way on Traiil to Davis which is on the way to San Francisco. unfortunately I can’t help you with camping as it’s something as I’ve used going down to Sacramento for a day of riding and not with bicycle touring.

75

General Discussion / Re: Ocean to Ocean? Or Just Kinda Close??

« on: September 21, 2019, 01:37:30 pm »

I started in Florence Oregon with a wheel dip picture - but then put the bike back on the bike rack and went back into town to eat a send off lunch with my wife.  So I didn’t ride the first four miles even tho I have a picture starting at the pacific. 

Also I finished in D.C. and took my end picture at the 0 mile marker for the C&O, then I dipped in the Potomac.  If I rode all the way to the Atlantic I would have had to turn around and ride back to DC to fly home and that seemed like too much trouble for a picture especially when no one else would care.