Western Mass - Upstate NY, Lake Placid area. Any Advice?

[rdroser]

Hi Everyone!

First timer here, so be nice!

I'm planning on going on a smaller trip from Northampton, MA, to Lake Placid(ish) sometime this August. Somewhere in the 300 mile range.  I figure it'll take me a week to get up there, and I want to do some hiking in the Adirondacks, it's been far too long since I've been there, so I figure a week or so camping, and then a week home.  I'm figuring 40-50 miles a day, and I'm going to semi base my route around people I can find on Couchsurfing (great travellers resource!), so the actual route is a bit flexible, but I'm going to check out the forums and maps on this site and plan out the best route.

I'm planning on converting an old kid trailer to hold everything I'll need for a month. Hiking boots, tent, food, sleeping bags, all that stuff.  I've got an old late 80s Univega road bike I'll be using for this trip, and will be investing in a set of those fancy Kevlar reinforced tires and all that (which I need anyway!), but I'm using a real, actual road bike at the moment.

Anyway, I'm just posting for any advice, bike related, travel related, packing related, or just about anything that anyone has found helpful on their first "big" road trip.

Thanks in Advance!

Rich

[FredHiltz]

Welcome, Rich! That ought to work OK. Your hiking gear and experience will serve you well. There is no shortage of camping places in this area. Make sure that the bike and trailer are in good mechanical shape before you start, for example brake pads not worn thin, new cables throughout (or be prepared to replace a cable on the road), and bearings well adjusted.

Others will no doubt chime in. The two items I think most important:

That Univega probably lacks low enough gears for a long loaded ride. Even if you are young and strong, you will appreciate a low gear near 25" after pulling that trailer up the 43rd hill of the day as supper time approaches. At my age, 18" to 20" is more like it. One good place to find wide-range freewheels and chain rings for old cranksets is Loose Screws at http://thethirdhand.com/. You will probably need a longer chain and a rear derailleur with a long cage to take up the increased slack.

A shakedown cruise is vital. Load up everything that you will take to Lake Placid and go for an overnight trip that involves a few good hills. This exercise will teach you more than a month of desk planning and will be much more fun.

This sounds like a wonderful trip. Have a ball!

Fred