Author Topic: Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska  (Read 20266 times)

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Offline DaveB

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #15 on: October 11, 2008, 06:21:32 pm »
Quote
Do you think I could just change the bars on the Globe?


Short answer; no.  Changing bars from flat to drops reqquires changing the shifters/brake levers too as flat and drop bars aren't the same diameter.  Buy the right bike the firt time.


Offline RussellSeaton

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2008, 09:17:23 am »
"You might not be able to simply change out the bar.  I don't think the diameter of the clamping area of the drop bars is the same as that of flat bars.  Maybe someone else here can elaborate."

Drop handlebars come in 25.4 mm diameter.  25.4 is the diameter of the clamping area on mountain bike type bars.  High end bikes have 25.8, 26.0, or now 31.8 clamping areas for drop bars.  But 25.4 drop bars are easy to find.  Nitto makes many.  Your local bike shop can order many from QBP catalog.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/handlebars/index.html#handlebarsdrop

As for the brake levers and shifters having a different clamping diameter between the mountain stuff on the bike now and the new bars.  True.  But if going with a drop bar and putting regular brake levers on and bar end shifters, its pretty cheap.  $25 for some Tektro brake levers.  $70 for some bar end shifters.  With the bar included, you could change for less than $150.


Offline ultratastybagel

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2008, 10:18:32 pm »
So are you suggesting that drop bars can be put on this bicycle?


Offline windrath

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2008, 10:57:10 pm »
A group of us rode from Fairbanks to Vancouver in 2005.  Hate to tell all of you this - the "prevailing westerlies" concept does not apply to the route.  When the weather is nice, the weather is blowing in from the south along the eastern side of the coastal mountains.  We had 30 days of sun and 30 days of head winds reaching 30 mph.  When we had rain, we had a tail wind because the cool and rainy weather blows in from the north.

We rode from June 1 until July 5 - maybe later in the summer the weather pattern is different.

The bigger concern I would have with riding south to north is the significant amount of traffic you will encounter with everyone driving up for the summer.  The climbs are also steeper going north than going south.

Good Luck - it is a great ride.

Paul Windrath


Offline ultratastybagel

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2008, 02:33:55 am »
It's my understanding that winds may not be that big of an issue. Is that correct? I just want to be clear. How steep would you say the climbs are, and how long do you think they are? Assuming you made this trip during the summer, what equipment would you say is the most important( other then things that are obvious like say a bike)?


Offline staehpj1

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2008, 07:02:05 am »
"A group of us rode from Fairbanks to Vancouver in 2005.  Hate to tell all of you this - the "prevailing westerlies" concept does not apply to the route."

That is generally the case for pretty muc ALL routes in the US.  Surface winds do not follow that prevailing westerlies pattern at all.

He is another attempt to show a chart of the prevailing winds for July:

Note that this is for July, in January they are almost the opposite pattern.  Any other time they are in some transitional stage in between.

So looking at this graphic I would have to say that winds might be a pretty major positive factor given that your proposed direction of travel.  This is true since the winds when crossing the most open part of the country are with you. This would be likely to be true unless you veer farther west sooner.

I have no clue what the prevailing winds are for Canada though

OTOH for the more typical E-W or W-E trip on a route like the Trans America it is more of a mixed bag, with the edge going to E-W on the TA.


Offline staehpj1

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #21 on: October 15, 2008, 07:16:16 am »
"I'm assuming the trip from Arizona to Alaska would involve getting over to the coast quickly and then going up the coast."
Given that assumption you would be correct and winds would be a really big negative factor.

My assumption (perhaps a bad one?) was that the route would be between Utah and Colorado and then across Wyoming, and Montana.  In that case the winds would be a help.

So this raises the big question what route were you (the OP) considering?


Offline RussellSeaton

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #22 on: October 15, 2008, 11:43:17 am »
"So are you suggesting that drop bars can be put on this bicycle?"

I could easily put drop bars onto the Specialized Globe Sport.  Harris Cyclery, as well as QBP from your local dealer, sell 25.4 drop bars.  $34.65  for some Nitto Classic handlebars from Jensen USA.  Or $26 for some Dimension double groove bars from Jensen USA.  The bike has 8 speed gearing.  Jensen USA sells Ultegra 8 speed bar end shifters for $56.  The bike has V brakes so the Tektro RL520 brake levers from Jensen USA for $20 will pull the right amount of cable for V brakes.  Add in $5 for some bar tape.  $26+$56+$20+$5=$107 plus shipping and the bike is converted from upright bars and shifters to drop bars with fine wonderful bar end shifters.  The kind of shifters I use on my touring bike and have used to ride thousands of miles around Europe and the US.  For a few dollars more you could also buy 9 speed bar end shifters and a new 9 speed cassette and change the bike to 9 speed instead of the I think harder to find 8 speed stuff.


Offline windrath

Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska
« Reply #23 on: October 15, 2008, 09:24:48 pm »
Winds will be a factor on your ride - one way or the other.  Expect winds.  if you leave early each morning (i.e. 6 am), you will get in 3 hours of riding without much of a wind.  When the sun comes up, the wind will start shortly after that.

The grades you encounter in Canada will depend on your route.  If you go up the west coast through Windsor and up through the Cassiar Highway, you will encounter one climb that is 15% for 8 miles (no joke - the signs say so).  On any route you take, the road engineers did not spend extra money to smooth the roads.  You will be going up and down all day long on rough road - it was a challenge each day to climb 3-4000' feet that did not show up on a topo map.

If you stay on the Al Can highway, alot of the really steep climbs are eliminated - so is some of the gorgeous scenery along the Cassiar Highway.

Besides the usual touring equipment, I would bring insect netting to keep the black flies and gnats away.  Otherwise - nothing extra special.

Paul Windrath