staehpj1

Blogspot is a nice place to host a journal especially if you don't see your audience as being primarily the touring community. Family and friends may find blogspot a good choice.

Crazy Guy is good if you want to write to the touring community as your primary audience. More bicycle tourists will find it there than anywhere else that I know of.

The other difference is whether you like a blog format (most recent first) or a journal format (earliest first most recent last). They both have advantages and disadvantages.

neilfein

True, you don't need to spend big bucks to get decent panniers. I toured with a pair of Banjo Brothers grocery panniers for a year, and they worked well... until they wore out.

Ortlieb rollers are very waterproof - you could probably immerse them and they'd be fine. If you don't cycle in the rain much and don't plan on heavy use (such as repeated touring, commuting, etc)... it'd be money wasted.

Get what you're comfortable with, it'll be fine. You can always get rain covers for less-than-waterproof luggage.

neilfein

Adventure Cycling's Transamerica Trail into the The Western Express route ends in San Francisco, and you could veer southwest to Santa Cruz near the end. You have pretty much two choices to get started from NY: Hop on the Atlantic Coast route and pick up the TA trail in VA. You could ride the East Coast Greenway across NJ to Philadelphia, then cross PA towards Cumberland. You can then get on the Great Allegheny Passage, then take it to Pittsburgh. From Pittsburgh you can pick up the Underground Railroad route to the TA trail.

staehpj1

I forgot to say:
Have a great tour. A coast to coast tour can be a wonderful experience. I know that it was for me and hope it is for you as well.

Allen

Cleaned the thread up some for you.
Don't leave, it's an inspiring tour.

Holyroller..

thanks neil, those are some route details i needed. and thanks allen for riding herd

Holyroller..

As posted on my blog:
The route I'll take has finally become a bit clearer in my mind today. In preparing the map on my blog I went through Google for info on the East Coast Greenway, per others suggestions. It is ideal.

I'll ride first into Newark (still haven't nailed down the precise roads in that leg yet), then on to Trenton, N.J. and Philadelphia before dropping down into Wilmington, Del.

From Delaware, something I'm looking forward to awaits: the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I'll start in Elkton, where I once worked as a daily newspaper reporter for the Cecil Whig newspaper, and down through Chesapeake City, Galena and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

A few years ago I lived in Chesapeake City, and so I know the Eastern Shore well. I find that it's beautiful. An seldom-talked-about gem, of bucolic horse and crop farms, marinas, quaint small towns, and rolling countryside. It is a mix of woodland and maritime environments. I look forward to that leg.

Once across the Chesapeake Bay its through Washington D.C. and south toward Fredericksburg, until I intersect with the Adventure Cycling Association's TransAmerica route -- headed west. I'll need to secure an ACA map to navigate my blog map from there.
With the front and back racks finally installed, tonight on my ride I tested the handling parameters of the Trek 520 in a few situations: braking downhill; manuvering through tight turns; and banking around bends.

Due to the extra weight I experienced the imfamous "shimmy" while performing the tests, and I tested its parameters. It could be dangerous going down a hill fully loaded, but now that I rode through it a few a times, inducing it, then recovering from it, I'm ready to move into testing it with the weight of the full cargo. The shimmy is to be expected on a bike with such repsonsiveness as this. It's agile for an old timer! I like the steel bike.

Before I bought the 520, I researched touring bikes for months online, then when into the shops in the city and looked at a few. In the end, I found this 520 on Craigslist, for sale by a guy in the Poconos, and so I drove the two hours to the Delaware Water Gap, up a knarled mountainside, and took it off his hands for...hmm, I can't remember what I paid. Maybe $100 or $150. I knew I needed a real tourer, but wasn't so sure I needed to pay $1200 to get it. So I'll resurrect this old bike on a transcontinental ride.

Ok the tour blog/website is basically complete, up and running. www.lifestooshorttour.net
There is a map there tracing my route, as yet unfinished. On the satellite image I can actually see the terrain I'll be tackling.

neilfein

Sound like a good route. You'll be riding right past my house!

Bikes aren't allowed on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. They offer a driver's assistance program for peopel with a fear of heights, to prevent accidents. It might be worth a call to see if they'd take you with your bike across.

The only option I know of to get from NYC into NJ on a bike is really the George Washington Bridge. You could take a ferry to the Hoboken area, or take the train to Newark, of course.

The 520 is a tried and true touring bike; you shouldn't be getting shimmy. Sounds like you may be balanced or top-heavy; are you keeping your heavy stuff in the bottom of the panniers? Can we see a picture of yoru rig?

staehpj1

Isn't he planning to use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (as opposed to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel) ?

neilfein

Looking at the map... yes, he is.

Holyroller..

I better check into the Chesapeake Bay Bridge rules, if no bikes are allowed I may have to try something different, or plan for a ride across somehow.
I'm not talking about Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, which is different, but Chesapeake Bay Bridge (Route 50). The Greenway route shows the Eastern Shore as what appears to be an alternate route, have to check into that.
Actually, now that I'm researching this, I'm not seeing any bridge across the bay, or the Susquehanna River to the north, which allows bikes. People online are talking about calling ahead for a cop to take them across te bay, etc. Have to figure this one out.

Here is picture of my bike, but its not loaded since I don't have panniers yet.
That shimmy I'm talking about was self induced, its there if you look for it. Nothing to worry about.

Today I'm looking into tires. I was looking at kevlar tires, which sound like a good idea, but the Gator Skins my shop recommended are absolutely slick, no tread at all. I don't get that. I'm leary of putting slick tires on!
You folks ever use these?

Neil_B

The State of Maryland refers cyclists to a shuttle service to get over the Bay Bridge. Check the website for the bridge. Or hitchhike; I understand from reading journals that other cyclists have successfully used that method.

rhm

I've never tried it, but will do so one day, so I'd like to know about the following anyway.

One way or another, I'm sure you can get across that bridge. The state of MD hands out a fairly good bike route map, on which it says MTA maintenance staff, if available, will drive bicyclists across for the cost of the toll (one way); you have to call ahead and you have to be prepared for some delay. Needless to say, they've left themselves plenty of wiggle room, and the service may be defunct. You might try calling the Maryland Transportation Authority at 410-537-1017 or 866-713-1596, or email mdta@mdtransportationauthority.com.

staehpj1

I think you used to be able to call ahead and they shuttled you across, but they discontinued that service. I think there is a private pay service, but I am not sure. Also hanging around with a sign offering to pay toll at a stop close to there might yield a ride.

You might dig around at:
https://www.thirdwave-websites.com/bi...e-bay-tour.cfm
and
https://www.baybridge.com/

rhm

Loose hub cones, loose headset, and less-than-perfectly true wheels can also cause this shimmy.

You might want to edit that link, it's missing an "s", like so: www.lifestooshorttour.net

Holyroller..

If I can't get a shuttle. I'll hitchhike. If I can't hitchhike, something will...just happen.
In fact that is the real plan for this entire trek anyway, that things will...just happen.

And they already are...
Today Banjo Brothers, a major pannier manufacturer, has agreed to sponsor the Life's Too Short Tour with a set of waterproof panniers and a handlebar bag! I'm blown away by the out pouring of generousity. Trek 520 will get a big fat Banjo Brothers sticker on it somewhere, you can bet on that.
Others have genorously offered a place to stay the night, thanks for those offers, I'll be taking some of you up on them.

Next is to order the TransAmerica map from ACA. To get a tent, pad, bag and cooking solution. Also need a cell phone recharge solution and some of the solar chargers look good.
Tires are the next big upgrade for Trek 520. I will go with 32s, still weighing options about kevlar, etc.
One other important thing is to learn how to change a spoke. I'll have to ask one of the mechanics at a local shop for a lesson.

rhm, thanks for alerting me to that typo.

Jim from Boston

My condolences too. In the spirit of enjoying life to the fullest, I once posted this:

My wife and I fortunately had the opportunity to do a cross-country tour on our honeymoon in 1977, so we can consider that dream fulfilled and put up with the relatively hum-drum life since. You have gotten a lot of good advice from knowledgeable cyclists and such posts really bring back the memories. If I may add this quote, which for me really captures the extended bike touring experience:

I'll look forward to reading your blog.

nun

I'd check out those 27" wheels to make sure the hubs and good, the spokes well adjusted and the rims are crack free. If they look good I'd buy some new 27" tyres and take some tyre boots in case of mishap. I don't know of a folding 27" tyre to take as a spare and it will be difficult to buy 27" tyres on the road, but a tyre boot should see you to somewhere you can order one.

Also a personal blog is a great idea, but a CGOAB blog is even better as it has some nice tools and you'll get a lot of traffic. The personal blog is more expressive and I can understand the desire to create something that looks a bit nicer than CGOAB, but the format of CGOAB is well thought out, far better than the standard blog that presents the latest stuff first.

nun

Those gatorskins are about 28mm wide on the bike and good for road touring, but I'd use a tyre with a bit of tread on it just in case you have to ride on some tracks so get the Schwalbe Marathons in 27 x 1 1/4


https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/630.html

staehpj1

Yes I prefer slicks on asphalt and like the Gatorskins pretty well. They don't hydroplane on wet pavement if that is your concern. See the following for an explaination why:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#hydroplaning
and
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#tread

Off road tread helps, but slicks are decent many dry off road surfaces and some wet ones.

cny-bikeman

I toured through both PA and WVA and did not find 10-20% grades to be that common - in fact I doubt that I hit over 10% at all. You can go on somewhat busier highways if needed to get through the hilly sections, as state highways will generally have a more limited grade. You can use a site such as bikeroutetoaster.com, veloroutes.org, etc. to check your preliminary route so you can see any grade issues.

Enthusiast

Tire tread works a bit differently on bike tires than on car tires. Slick bike tires will have better grip on roads than tread tires, in rain or otherwise. Tread can come in handy if you'll be doing a lot of riding on deformable surfaces (like grass or dirt trails). A quick story: Growing up I only had a mountain bike so I rode it on both trails and roads. I got sick of my knobby tires because they wore down quickly, made a lot of road noise, and really slowed me down. I bought a pair of slicks and loved them. Durable, quiet, fast, with lots of traction on the road. I still loved riding trails so I kept riding those rocky, rooty, dirty trails with the slick tires. They slipped up when I slipped up: mashing my pedal strokes or taking a bad line in a corner. It took some practice but I became a much smoother rider and could go just as fast on the dirt with slicks as I could with treads! It also taught me how to keep control even when I would lose traction, a valuable lesson regardless of surface.

Holyroller..

Thanks for the great responses.
I went with the Cont. Gator Skins 32s, they rode great tonight on my ride. I was worried about the slicks, goes to show how much I know. I'm glad to have puncture resistant tires, what could be better than that.

I spent the whole day adjusting my racks. The mechanics just slopped them on, too high, too far back, not level, all that. I had to do some self-fabrication with aluminum to get them installed correctly, but they are on now very well and ready for panniers.

Thanks for all the suggestions, and the great advice about taking my time (I'm already there), this tour is slowly taking shape.

I'm wiped out from a training run just now. Time to crash. Until tomorrow...

Holyroller..

Good morning...first time I slept 8 hours in years.

I've been riding hard on my training runs so that I will not be sore and fatigued (as much) out there on the road. I was a soldier, an athlete, in my life, but being in my mid-40s means I can't push like I once could (welcome to the club, I hear you say). My body isn't spry like it once was, but my mind still remembers how to push, endure, keep going. One thing I know I can do out there on that road is endure. But I will go slow, and don't be surprised if you see me walking my bike up an Appalachian grade, no qualms.

I don't go slow on my training runs though. I push it hard, and I'm getting better and better at handling the Trek 520. What a bike. I have never ridden such a smooth and precise machine. I bet the new touring bikes are great too, but I can't see how they can be better than my 1984 Trek 520. I was not able to shell out $1200 for a new one, but I feel connected to this old bike in a way some sparkling new one could not duplicate.

I almost feel like there are two of us taking this tour, me and the Trek 520.

Besides, this old bike fits this tour perfectly. It is an old bike that is being resurrected for a transcontinental tour, a tour this bike never thought it would see -- just like me.

staehpj1

I hope they work out well for you, but did you mean 28s? I didn't think they made a 32. Or are your's maybe the 27 x 1 1/4 inch which are about 32mm?