First time Los Angeles to Vancouver

[Gna]

Hi all we are arriving  from Australia  into Los Angeles  May 2013  to cycle to Vancouver . We need accommodation  for a couple of days  to get over the trip and assemble our bikes again .  Any thoughts on places to stay  that will  takes us with our bikes ??  Also we need to forward our bike boxes and luggage containers to Vancouver . Would FEDEX  be the best way to do this  .  Thank-you in anticipation

[staehpj1]

Conventional wisdom says that going the other way is more pleasant for a variety of reasons including:

• The wind is generally out of the Northwest and can be strong.
• The shoulder is often wider on that side of the road.
• The view is often better on the ocean side of the road.

So if you plans allow you might consider unpacking in LA, leaving your boxes and stuff there, taking a train or other public transit to Vancouver, and riding back to LA.

[adventurepdx]

What staehpj1 says. If you dig through enough threads here and on other forums like Bikeforums, you'll find a lot of confirmation of said conventional wisdom.

That being said, May is a pretty transitional time on the Pacific Coast in regards to weather, at least north of San Francisco. You can get some nice days and some rainy days. Stormy weather can also mean the prevailing NW wind can turn and come out of the south, meaning headwind.

Can you fly into Vancouver instead?

[dennityrrell]

I would agree with the advice given above. Start North and peddle South if you have the option.
I rode my bike from Vancouver to San Diego in May 2012.

I put my bike together by the pay phones in the Vancouver Airport and then took public transportation into downtown Vancouver.
I stayed at the Samesun Hostel on Granville St and they has an indoor bike storage location in the basement.
Vancouver is a GREAT city to buy bike parts (Mountain Equipment Co-op let me install my rain fenders in there store and the prices were half as expensive then American bike stores ... so load up on everything you need here).

Make sure you visit the San Juan Islands (picture below)

[John Nelson]

• The wind is generally out of the Northwest and can be strong.
• The shoulder is often wider on that side of the road.
• The view is often better on the ocean side of the road.

4. You're more likely to be seen if you're between the drivers and the scenery they are looking at.

FedEx is a reasonable choice for shipping your bike boxes and luggage containers, but use their web site to calculate the cost (check UPS too). Shipping an empty bike box is almost as expensive as shipping a full one. You may decide to just use disposable boxes and luggage, and then get new ones at your destination. I've used cardboard boxes as luggage with good results.

[johnsondasw]

I agree with the above about north to south.  I would never consider doing that route south to north, but I'm a total wind wimp, having lived for 37 years in a part of central Washington that is consistently windy enough to have wind farms all over the place.  For me, going against steady moderate to strong winds is the definition of hell.  I did the ride at a time of year when the howling north winds had not developed yet, but the generally prevailing winds were out of the NW.