Tandem Tom

As we plan our big cross country trip for next year we will be starting in or around Phili. But my wife thinks it would be a good idea to start at the ocean.
So I am in need of some ideas on how to make this work!
Advice?
Thanks.

lanahk

Start in Philly, ride to the airport, fly to Oregon, dip tire in ocean, head east? Take train to Atlantic City and head east?

Tandem Tom

I think I may need to clarify our route. We will be riding from Phili west to Oregon. We would like to start a bit further east and do the ocean & wheel dip.

jbphilly

By Phili I assume you mean Philly/Philadelphia. In that case, you're doing something similar to the trip I've been dreaming about for whenever I end up having time for it. I don't know of a great way by public transit to get your bike down the shore; the PATCO line out of Center City takes you a little under halfway. You might just rent a car for the day if you can drop it off in some beach town. Heading through the Pine Barrens (Wharton State Forest) will give you pretty quiet roads fairly amenable to cycling, though the scenery gets awful monotonous. Then once you're out of those, you've got a little chunk of riding through Camden. Camden is worse than Detroit, but I've done the ride and didn't fear for my life or anything, it just wasn't very nice riding. Going over the Ben Franklin Bridge into Philly is a pretty fun experience and from there, as you probably know, you can connect to the Schuylkill River Trail going NW out of town, which is also the ACA Atlantic Coast Route for a distance.

You could also put up a post looking for rides on Craigslist, offer somebody who's already driving down to the shore and has space for two bikes a little cash to bring you along. Of course, finding someone who's already going where you need to go and has space for two touring bikes and their riders, on the appropriate day, might be a tall order.

indyfabz

You can take your bikes on the Atlantic City train line (New Jersey Transit) from 30th St. Station to Atlantic City. Two bikes/car are allowed. They go in the wheelchair accessible car on the train, which means if someone in a chair happens to board (probably highly unlikely), you might have to get off and wait for the next train. You should be able to utilize the elevator at 30th St. to get down to the platform. Talk to the red cap. In Atlantic City, you can simply roll your bikes off the train and out of the station. bbe careful. The heart of AC is not a bike friendly place. The GF and I nearly got hit this summer. Some guy in a pick up kept squeezing us over. The second time he did it right in front of a cop who had come out of the police station and was about to get into his patrol car. I nearly hit the cop trying to avoid the truck. The cop jumped in his car and pulled the guy over along with a fellow officer who witnessed everything.

Heading west, there isn't really a good way to get out of Atlantic City directly. I can give you a couple of options to head a bit south and then turn west. If you want to truly ride all the way back you will have to take the Ben Franklin Bridge into Philly unless you take the Tacony Palmyra Bridge, which drops you off further north in town. To get to the BF, you will have to ride through Camden. Most likely safe from a crime perspective during the day, but the traffic can be aggressive in places. The only other option is to catch the PATCO train (bikes allowed on 24/7) in Woodcrest or Lindewold (they both have elevators to take your bikes up to the platform). Tomorrow I am going to take PATCO to the latter and ride to camp in Woodbine, NJ, which is a bit inland from Sea Isle City on the coast.

One problem is dipping your wheels. To get to the ocean proper you will have to walk though the sand for some distance. Fine sand will get in your shoes and in your drivetrains. And while Atlantic City and Wildwood beaches are free, the towns in between require you to purchase beach tags after Memorial Day.

indyfabz

That makes no sense as the next land mass east of AC in Europe.

jbphilly

That's news to me, but good to know...the only time I've taken bikes on NJ Transit trains, the conductor told me and my friend that bikes are normally not allowed at all but he let us bring ours anyway since it was for a short ride and the train wasn't that full. This was up near NYC though, I think from Newark into Penn Station.

indyfabz

Some things just hit. Tandems are not permited on NJT trains:

https://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servl...=BikeProgramTo

PATCO does not expressly prohibit tandems:

https://www.ridepatco.org/travel/bicycles.html

However, there is a requirement that the bike be placed between the windscreens of the doors. A tandem will not fit. (My Surly LHT with racks barely fits.) It will stick out and block the aisle. Also, the PATCO elevators are not large enough for a tandem. Same may be true for the elevator at 30th St.

Riding to the shore and then back to Philly would add two days. One day each way. It's pretty much flat.

But another wrinkle there: Getting your bike up the pedestrain path on the BF Bridge is a PITA on the Camden side. There are paths on the north and south sides. Only one is open at a time. On the Camden side, there are steep, long, metal grate stairways to both. There is a ramp along the stairs to help you wheel your bike, but it's so narrow you have to tilt the bike sideways to make it work. I cannot imagine it being of much use for a tandem with panniers, which would leave you no other option but to carry it up what amounts to at least two flights. People have been advocating for a ramp for a while, but as far as I know, it has not been built.

Finally, there is a chocke point on the nort path. Not sure a tandem with panniers would be an easy fit, but it may be possible. Haven't ridden the south path in a while so I don't remember if there is a similar choke point.

indyfabz

See my recent post (#8) in this thread with a link to NJT's bike policy. There are some restrictions on NJT trains in and out of NYC/N. Jersey. Not too long ago, NJT banned bikes unless you were getting on and off at stations with high level platforms. Offering a lame ass explanation, it tried to claim that that was its policy all along, which was simply false. The restriction eliminated popular Hoboken as an option and caused an uproar. NJT capitulated.

You can also take a bike on the PATH train between NYC, Jersey City, Hoboken and Newark during certain times of the day.

fietsbob

Hi The LBS Out here Often Boxes up Traveler's Bikes and ships them home ..

Tandem box to have 1 on hand, when you arrive will take more advanced notice,

.. though a few regular boxes can be taped together, to do, in a pinch.

The bikes have been shipped ahead, and the Riders fly in to PDX and take a posh Bus out here .

that works too .. mark the Box if you want a DIY assembly. , just a small Handling Fee, then ..

Bezalel

I'd stay away from Atlantic City. Take NJ Transit to Long Branch and take County Route 537 to get back to Philadelphia (Disclaimer: I've only ridden parts of CR537).

If you flew into Newark you'd be closer to your staring point.

DCwom

Why stop at Long Branch, stay on the train to Manasquan and take the route of the Capital to Coast trail, of course as previously mentioned NJ Transit doesn't allow tandems...

indyfabz

If you had single bikes, I might say "go for it." With the issues associated with the tandem, you might want to skip it. Public transit seems to be off the table. Getting the tandem over the BF or TP bridges has challenges. Send me a PM if you really want to start from the shore. I can get in touch with someone who is familiar with the TP Bridge. (I have never crossed it.) That might be easier than the BF Bridge but would require more urban/industrial riding on the PA side.

Just understand that the riding bewteen Philly and the S. Jersey shore isn't going to produce many Kodak moments.

fietsbob

Delaware river runs to the sea, Philly has shipping docks , so thats close enough.

there's that bay, Tide rises and falls there..

valygrl

I think it took me like one or two days to ride from Philadelphia to the ocean at Sea Bright NJ. What's the big deal?

side_FX

I have to disagree here. Theres some nice marshland just outside of Ocean City/Cape May area. Seek and ye shall find. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

indyfabz

It's not the distance but the logistics with getting across the river with a loaded tandem. Pubic transportation seems out, and the desirable bridge, assuming the choke point is negotiable by a loaded tandem, requires it be gotten up what amounts to probably three flights of steep metal grate stairs. If they can do that, I am more than happy to give them a couple of route options.

indyfabz

I have ridden to the S. Jersey shore just about every way imaginable. From Longport/Margate to Cape May. (I wouldn't lump Ocean City in with Cape May as they are relatively far apart.) Sure. There are a few moments closer to the coast and in a few select spots in other places (Aetna Drive between Corbin City and Head of the River Church being one that comes immediately to mind), but it's the stuff leading there that's mostly ho hum.

side_FX

It's easy for me to say it, but I can't help but think if you are trying to ride from Philly to the Pacific, why not find one more day on that trip and start off at AC or OC and do a true coast to coast?

Tandem Tom

Thanks for all the replies to my original post. After reading the replies and thinking it through I think we have come up with an alternate idea. Rent a car and drive to Dover,Delaware ride south to Rehobeth Beach area, dip our wheels and then head west. We would cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge via a shuttle and then work our way to DC.
If anyone has any route ideas from the Delaware coast to the bridge we sure would like to hear them. A bonus will be we have never been to Delaware!
Thanks!

Philly Tandem

Send me a PM with more details about when you'll be arriving and what your plans are. I live just north of Philadelphia and might be able to help you out with a ride or even an overnight. We have a tandem (and triplet) too, and have a tandem rack and/or room in our minivan for a big bike.

Do you have a coupled (or folding) tandem, or a regular one? A coupled one obviously makes it a lot easier to take on public transit.

Some thoughts on your options:

1. You can take a New Jersey Transit *bus* from center city Philadelphia to several points on the NJ coast. I'd suggest the bus to Ocean City, NJ., which is a nicer town (IMO) to start a bike ride from. I would assume NJT's big Greyhound-style buses would have room for a bike underneath, even a tandem. If flying into Philadelphia, take the SEPTA Airport Line train into Center City's "Market East" station. The bus terminal is right across the street. Bikes are allowed on SEPTA on off-peak hours. I've never tried to get our tandem in, though. Might be a challenge, especially on the airport train since people have lots of bags and space is tight (sadly, they don't run special luggage-friendly cars on the airport line). If you start via NJ, you could ride down the NJ coast to Cape May and then take the ferry to Lewes, DE, and then continue the ride from there.

2. Delaware option: Delaware has some really nice, rural riding. We ride down there a few times a year when visiting friends. They also have good bike maps with marked routes. For downloads see https://www.deldot.gov/information/co...are/maps.shtml. They also used to have printed ones available, but they are currently showing as out of stock: https://www.deldot.gov/public.ejs?com...blicMapRequest

3. RE: Chesapeake Bay Bridge: It's been years since I've tried to get a bike shuttle across the bay bridge, but in my instance it was a big PITA. We called and called and nobody ever answered. Ended up hitching a ride from a guy with a pickup truck. Maybe they have improved their service. I've seen threads on the Web about this, you might want to search BikeForums, Adventure Cycling's forums, etc.

indyfabz

He clarified in a separate thread that he and his wife are not riding their tandem but rather singles.

Philly Tandem

Well, that makes things easier all-around. My vote is to take SEPTA to Market East, walk across the street and take the direct bus to Ocean City, NJ, and start from there.

rhm

I have taken my tandem on the NJ Transit trains and no one complained. When in doubt find the head conductor (in the head car, i.e. at the front) and ask his / her permission before you get on. These guys are, in my experience, almost always very helpful. Worst case scenario, he says no; so you wait for the next train and try again.

I would not hesitate riding from Philadelphia to the shore and back in one day. It's not far, and pretty close to flat.

I love to ride through the pinelands. Unfortunately the roads are poorly mapped; most of the smaller roads are just sand and a bit hard to ride on. But there are some beautiful paved roads right through the pines, on which you may or may not see a car. I can sketch out a route for you if you like.

Tandem Tom

Thanks for the reply. We have changed our route and will now be starting in Delaware.