Hey all,

Name is Matt - just recently signed up on the forums.

I guess my main inspiration for signing up here is the trip I have planned for September. I'm from New Paltz, NY (2 hours north of NYC) and I'm planning on making the trip out to Cali in Sept.

My brother, best friend and I are planning on flying into San Francisco and biking down to Santa Barbara.
I was flipping through Men's Health recently and they listed it as a great vacation outside the norm. We want to ride down the PCH (preferable the inside shoulder - no guard rails!?!?), see the redwoods and get some good exercise. They listed it at about 340 miles total.

We are giving ourselves 1 week as opposed to the recommended 4 days per Men's Health. We are not cyclist's in anyway, shape, or form. We are however in decent shape with plans on training most of the summer here in NY to prepare.

So my main concerns/questions are:

1.) What's the deal with shipping bikes? Does anyone know if the airline will allow you to pack them on as luggage? We are trying to keep the costs as low as possible.

2.) What's the terrain like - should I be expecting mostly hills, flat land, or a fair mix of both? I assume a mix - but is it more hills than flat?

3.) What gear is advisable to bring - panniers, bike rack, camelbak, extra tubes, tools, etc.?

4.) Would camping be out of the question? We all love to camp - just concerned about carrying tooooo much gear on the bikes whilst riding 340 miles. (I know this questions may be pushing it, I ask anyway)




I'm a first-timer at this sort of thing - so go easy on me. I want the trip to go as smoothly as possible, obviously. We aren't racing anywhere - but we aren't planning on slow poking it either.

I guess I'm looking for someone's first hand experience on this sort of thing. I've read a few blogs on Big Sur trips..but I'm still looking for more information.


Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance everybody!

- Matt

theres a great book called "bicycling the pacific coast", check that out. and adventure cycling(.com) has some pretty good maps as well. you could camp easily, tons of options there. as far as extra gear to bring, i suppose it depends on how much camping youll actually do. the course yer talking about is rather remote, after monterey heading south its pretty wild(but totally awesome!!!). Hwy 1 is pretty hilly along the coast there as well, watch the tour of california stage from seaside to SLO and youll get a pretty good idea!!!

Thanks - I was looking for a good starting point for research. I'll swing by the bookstore today - and I'm sure Ill have plenty of other questions..once I realize what I'm getting myself into..haha..


Thanks again!

What kind of bikes are you all plan on using?

That's part of my next research project - I prefer road biking - not sure if thats really the most suitable bike for this trip. I have a lot to research before September. Thankfully, I have a lot of time.

I have a cheapo bike. Winsdor Leeds from Bikesdirect.com. Purchsed it on eBay in 2006. I've actually seen the bike discussed here before. I've ridden it a couple dozen times and feel pretty comfortable with it. Its my first road bike so I wasn't looking to spend a ton - and didn't have a ton to spend.

It suits my needs for now. When I get more serious about biking I will upgrade for sure.

I bought a cycle-ops fluid trainer in December - and had been using it a few times a week. Recently 'fell off the wagon' due to getting into a new relationship and haven't been spending much time on the trainer. That MUST change!

I had plenty of other questions - just seem to be drawing a blank right now.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:q3Lq00uGT0pEbM:http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/leeds_900.jpg (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/leeds_900.jpg) Here she is...hope the copy/paste works..

Make sure to stop in Big Sur for the evening. I suggest you either camp at pfeiffer state park, or stay in the pfeiffer state park lodge.

+1

Make sure to stop in Big Sur for the evening. I suggest you either camp at pfeiffer state park, or stay in the pfeiffer state park lodge.

Definitely staying in Big Sur. That's pretty much the whole allure of the trip. Would love to see the redwood's too!


For a first timer on a big trip - do you think camping is advisable? I have a light weight tent, blah blah blah. Just more concerned with food, water, etc. if I camp out for a few nights. I don't want to weigh myself down too much on such a long haul.



I think my main concerns are logistical. You know -- Camping vs. motels/hotels, food & water, shipping the bikes. That sorta thing. Any advise is appreciated.


anyone have experience shipping bikes? Any advise on getting them on the airplane if thats allowable?

- Matt

TALK TO YER LOCAL BIKE SHOP ABOUT THAT....oops, caps lock...anyhow, never personally flown with a bike but something tells me that unless you have some ultracool folding bike its gonna cost you. then again, never done it personally.

TALK TO YER LOCAL BIKE SHOP ABOUT THAT....oops, caps lock...anyhow, never personally flown with a bike but something tells me that unless you have some ultracool folding bike its gonna cost you. then again, never done it personally.

I was waiting for that! :D


I suppose I could call the airline too...ahh so much planning to do!

You might also check the Touring sub-forum of BF. They can answer many of these questions.

Sheldon

i wanna do this ride myself on the tandem with the wife. check the touring forum, there's alot of info on the riding down the coast.
from what i've read you want to go north to south for a number of reasons
1. wind, you'll have more of a tailwind going south
2. view the will be to your right at the edge of the road. you won't be able to see it going north from the other side of the road as it will be below the edge of the road
3. there is more of a shoulder going south and little to none gong north since 90 to 99% or bike tourers go north to south

shipping- you could ship your bikes ahead of time, ups or fedex. might be a little cheaper/easier especially with panniers and stuff, just a guess but something to check

i wanna do this ride myself on the tandem with the wife. check the touring forum, there's alot of info on the riding down the coast.
from what i've read you want to go north to south for a number of reasons
1. wind, you'll have more of a tailwind going south
2. view the will be to your right at the edge of the road. you won't be able to see it going north from the other side of the road as it will be below the edge of the road
3. there is more of a shoulder going south and little to none gong north since 90 to 99% or bike tourers go north to south

shipping- you could ship your bikes ahead of time, ups or fedex. might be a little cheaper/easier especially with panniers and stuff, just a guess but something to check
********

Thanks for everyone's help _ you've all given me something to work with. I ordered that book Scootcore recommended. Should be here in a few days.

I'll definitely check out the touring section for more info on a Big Sur trip. I even found some helpful information about packing bikes properly and shipping them via FEDEX. Great info on this site!!! I'm referring a couple friends here. Hopefully they join up!

Now I just have to get my brother and friend to get off their lazy asses and help me research.


Again, MUCH appreciated..

The most famous cycle touring site can be found here. (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/)

The most famous cycle touring site can be found here. (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/)

Love that site, it's one of the reasons I got into cycling in the first place.

Love the guy with the jack russell terriers.

I've shipped my bike and taken it on planes - my advice it to ship it. Airlines will charge you - the majors (United, American, Delta, etc) all charge $85-90 each way. The smaller airlines like Frontier and Southwest only charge $50 each way. It's been over a year since I flew with it so you might want to make sure the prices didn't go up. I've also shipped it both UPS and FedEx - when I went to ship my bike to ragbrai last year I discovered UPS changed the way they calculate their rates, which resulted in my bike case being over $100 to ship ground. But FedEx was still only about $60 to ship, so I used them.

Make sure to stop in Big Sur for the evening. I suggest you either camp at pfeiffer state park, or stay in the pfeiffer state park lodge.

Never been to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park but from the photos I would love to go and see it for myself.

http://img131.imagevenue.com/loc1127/th_33382_Julia_Pfeiffer_Burns_State_Park_029_122_1127lo.jpg (http://img131.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33382_Julia_Pfeiffer_Burns_State_Park_029_122_1127lo.jpg)

TALK TO YER LOCAL BIKE SHOP ABOUT THAT....oops, caps lock...anyhow, never personally flown with a bike but something tells me that unless you have some ultracool folding bike its gonna cost you. then again, never done it personally.

Many of these questions should be cleared up in person at your LBS. Talking in person will be much more valuable than here on BF. That said, I'm sure we'll still all give you advice. We SoCaler BFs like to do that :D

(BTW, I think shouting this on HappyTime's part was an excellent idea...this is, perhaps, the most important advice so far.)

As far as camping, the coast has tremendous camping and is a really nice way to go. I only camp with running water and warm showers and they are plentiful. The last time I camped in Big Sur, I think it was $3. It is $5 in the state campgrounds on the coast.

Bringing a tent+sleeping bag+pad is not all that difficult with the right rack/panniers. I packed enough for two on one trip.

Definitely heading south has the advantages Will stated.

That's part of my next research project - I prefer road biking - not sure if thats really the most suitable bike for this trip.

I have a cheapo bike. Winsdor Leeds from Bikesdirect.com. Purchsed it on eBay in 2006.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:q3Lq00uGT0pEbM:http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/leeds_900.jpg (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/leeds_900.jpg) Here she is...hope the copy/paste works..

Road bike definitely, unless you plan on going off-road!!

You'll probably want something with a place/solution for panniers (bags that go on a bicycle). It doesn't look like this Windsor has eyelets for panniers...your LBS may have a clamp solution.

Also, looking at the component specs from the bikesdirect 2007 model: I don't think I would want to be out on PCH with them--some of it is very remote (although you will always see somebody in a car). Too much low-end stuff. What do you do if something breaks?

In any event, you will definitely want to start riding now, get your bike dialed in soon, set it up just like you will have for this trip and take it out several times before you attempt this. You need to know what riding with a loaded rig is like before you actually do it. Do this at home in case something isn't right.

If you put your bike in a normal cardboard bike box you can fly with it at no extra charge. I do it all the time. You pretty much have to remove everything and wrap it but it can be done for free..

when camping I'd suggest bringing the gear (tent, sleeping bag, etc) in panniers with a little space left over for food and water. Pick up the food and water every day at local shops before you stop for the day. You will have fresh meat/veggies every day and the morning food will keep overnight without too much trouble. This might cost a little more, but you are saving at least $100 per day by camping...

Ship the bikes to a bike shop near where you are going to land and make arrangements to have them set everything up before you arrive.

as for bike gear, pack a couple tubes per person, a patch kit, pump, lube, and a mini tool... if you start running through the tubes or something else breaks, then find a bike shop along the way (do research to find out where they are) to have it fixed. I have had my road bike for 3 years and they are very low maintenance devices, but make sure that you have good tires, chain, and brakes before you fly out.

Remember that this is only a one week trip, and while large sections of the coast are sparsely populated it is still populated and traveling without all the spare gear will allow you to enjoy the ride instead of dreading the next hill.

I'd also recommend making a few weekend bike trips with camping this summer in your own area, just to practice and see what you need/what you forgot when you're closer to home.

I also have a packing list (http://www.bitingduck.com/oldsite/Christmas_Trip.html) on the web that I use for a weeklong semi-supported trip every year. It's for a trip where you can get everything from snow and ice to desert heat in the same week, and it all fits in one reasonable sized duffel (except the sleeping bag). It's overkill for a summer/fall trip like yours but is a reasonable starting point.