Topics

1

Routes / Upstate NY to CT

« on: April 16, 2011, 11:48:51 pm »

Hi all, I'm hoping to do my first bike tour this summer. I want to bike from Ithaca, NY to Stamford, CT but I'm not really sure where to start in terms of finding a route. If anyone has ideas about resources, has done a route in this area before, or even has suggestions about good places to stop along the way, that would be great. any advice would be appreciated! I'm hoping to complete the trip in 4-5 days. Thanks!

2

Routes / TransAm + Western Express in Summer

« on: December 03, 2009, 04:20:14 pm »

Hi, I am planning a route to go from CT to San Francisco this summer. The time frame would be late May to Mid August. I was wondering if this route would be too hot in the middle of summer, especially since we would probably be biking through Nevada etc. in late july/early august. would you recommend taking a route farther north? Also, any suggestions on a shortish way to connect to the TransAmerica route from Connecticut? thanks!

3

Gear Talk / touring bike

« on: November 30, 2009, 12:08:53 am »

has anyone heard of the Wheeler Cross Line 3000? i found a listing on craigslist and i'm wondering if its a good bike...

4

Gear Talk / Ortlieb Civia Back-roller Panniers

« on: November 27, 2009, 08:31:41 pm »

I was looking into buying Ortlieb back-roller classic panniers and I found some being sold called Ortlieb Civia panniers. They appear to be the same as the classic Ortlieb ones except that they are sold separately rather than as a pair and the exterior design is different. I have 2 questions....

1) are they indeed the same as normal Ortlieb backroller classic panniers except for the design?

2) why are they sold separtly? If i bought two of them as individuals, would i be able to mount them the same way as i would a pair of the classic ones?

Thanks for the help!

5

General Discussion / another newbie question

« on: October 22, 2009, 04:57:40 pm »

Hello all! A friend and I have decided that we are determined to ride cross country this summer. Neither of us has any touring experience so I will likely be asking many questions here in the future. my first....

I have a mongoose iboc zero-g that I ride nearly daily. It is very reliable and of excellent quality. I think its around 15 years old but its a great bike. I was told that the wheelbase on it is longer than it would be on a current model of the same bike which is good for comfort while touring. Would it be realistic to convert this into a bike i can ride cross country by changing some things like tires, adding racks, etc?

I have been told that while you can adapt other bikes to act as touring bikes, it will never be quite the same. I would love to get a touring bike, but as a poor college student, I want to make sure it is necessary.

thanks for the help!