My First Tour (Need tips)

[Athleteboy11]

which route do you plan on taking? i've ridden 180+ mile days on the atlantic coast where the roads can be flat and straight. but wouldn't relish attempting it on the pch, where the roads are often hilly and winding. if you go inland, it looks like you may have some very big climbs to get to LA which will slow you down and eat into precious daylight hours.

i don't mean to sound quite so negative and i'm sure it can be done if you have the stamina and a good  attitude, but i don't think even at my fittest i could do that in 2-3 days!

good luck

Well since we plan to do this in the summer when we wont have school or anything, we really arent to pressed for time, but at the same time would like to get there as fast as we can to enjoy San Diego.

As for the route http://imgur.com/QMcr57E something along this route, id like to stay near the coast mainly just to see some sites, but if the terrain is significantly easier to ride more inland i would change the route

[RandomGuyOnABike]

My personal tips about this:

- Plan for a 2 week tour. Gives you plenty of riding time and time to enjoy stuff.
- Take the "path less travelled", even if it means adding some miles. Never know what you might find!
- Take some bivouac gear just in case you do need to camp out.
- Have fun!

[andre]

I agree with the others above. If you are aiming for more than 100 miles a day you are really looking at marathon paces. Early start, few breaks, pedal hard, barely make it in by sunset. And having the stamina for 100+ miles a day takes training.

I agree with the 50-80 miles per day estimate. I rarely go over 100 miles in a day, and try not to do more than 60. The road is so much more enjoyable when you can just wander, take breaks, stop for lunch, swim in a lake, and still have time to get to tonight's lodging. That's all the fun parts right there.

An aggressive pace also makes mechanical problems more serious. If you have never changed a flat before it can take an hour. If you're experienced, 5-20 minutes. But if you're aiming for 150 miles a day you don't have time to waste. You'll get stressed out sitting on the roadside trying to fix something.

The key to a fun bike trip is low stress. You're on summer break, take a few weeks and go slow. If it turns out you bang out 100 miles at a time, that's just a bonus.

Also: learn basic bike maintenance and repairs if you don't already know the basics. It will really save you frustration later.

You'll have a blast.