I guess so, but I did the west coast and had lots of broken spokes. There were times I was three days' ride from the next bike shop. Luckily, I had some emergency spokes with me. I'd put those on, true the wheel as best I could, then loosen the quick release on the caliper brakes. I could then ride the bike to the next bike shop. A guy I met broke a spoke on his mountain bike. He had no emergency spokes. He had to hitchhike with the wheel to the next town, get it fixed, then hitchhike back to the campground where his bike was waiting.

Also, there were times when the guys in the shops weren't able to help me right away, so the whole process of getting the spokes replaced took several hours. I get very irritated with delays like that when I'm on tour.

On the other hand, you are travelling much lighter than I was. (I was carrying a ton of weight!)

Since that tour I've been very paranoid. Before my next long tour I went to a good mechanic and had him build a wheel that wouldn't break spokes. So far I haven't broken any.

Just to be sure, I carry kevlar emergency spokes. I also now carry a Stein Hypercracker. It allows you to get the lockring off and replace spokes on the cassette side of your rear wheel, which is where they always break. It's very small and light. I'd recommend it to every tourer.

This is true, but it's a bit of a hassle and expense. You can have stuff sent to general delivery at a post office. You have to plan ahead for where you'll be on a certain day. I've read plenty of stories of people who came into town, found the post office, and discovered that the stuff wasn't there and they had to wait an extra day or two. There are also Sundays to consider when the post office will be closed. Like I said, I hate delays like this when I'm touring.

On a practice ride for this summer's tour I left my pump sitting on my back bumper when I loaded my bike on the rack. Of course, when I returned to my campsite, the pump was gone. I had to order a new pump and have it delivered next-day air. It was expensive, and didn't actually arrive the next day.

Shipping things to yourself is certainly possible. Bike tourers are usually very ingenious at solving problems (they have to be.) I'm just saying that things like this are a hassle, and I'd much rather have my packing list perfect when I leave. (It never is, but each time it gets a little closer.)

Of course, sending stuff home is much easier, and I've done that a few times.

When I did this route I saw a few people heading north. It can be done. I've seen people riding routes that I certainly didn't consider preferable - more power to them! You say you're young. Good! That's probably your best asset. When I was young I did plenty of things I wouldn't consider now. I had fun too!

Any stuff you wished you had taken or would have leave home if doing it again?

hmmm... depends on what I was going for. If I wanted to go uberlight I would like to try the whole less than 30 pounds with bike deal so that would mean leaving almost everything and using an emergency bivy. If I wanted to go more comfortably I would bring some sort of chair and and a pipe w/ tobacco.

Looks like a fantastic trip! Did a little coast cycling myself a couple of weeks back (I smiled when I saw your "big rock in the water" pic - Morro Bay was pretty cool - so is Santa Cruz) and decided afterwards to try some real touring. Nothing like you did, but I'm like 3x your age, so anything I do feels like an accomplishment.

I broke a spoke on the very last day of my last tour. It broke at the hub on the cassette side. I'm not sure if that is the usual location, but what I did was loosen the nipple until the threads were showing, then I bent a hook at the end of the spoke, and then ran a small piece of cord through the hub to the hook and cinched it back as tight as I could. I tied it off with a series of half hitches and melted the end onto itself with a lighter. Then I tightened the nipple back and compensated by loosening the neighbouring spokes on the opposite side, and tightening the two other spokes after those until the wheel was within a mm or two of true according to the brake pads. It held up fine for the last 60 miles of the trip, and I would have trusted it to go another 100 or more after that.

Besides the headwind issue when riding from south to north (which can be a hit-or-miss problem), another issue is the road you actually ride on. My observation has been that ODOT has widened the shoulders excessively on the southbound route while leaving just the narrowest shoulders for many portions of the northbound. This isn't true all of the way in Oregon but I have tended to notice this in those areas where is counts the most (some of the really twisty turny parts of the coast).

I remember the last time I rode the coast (heading south) I met a young German kid riding north. The wind was howling that day and I was loving it (there were long stretches when it seemed like I hardly had to pedal. He asked me when the wind stopped. "When you turn around," I replied.

The other issue going up is that the ocean and viewpoints are on the other side of the road. You will be less likely to stop and enjoy if you have to cross traffic (there is alot of traffic). Regardless, when in Oregon be sure to take the section of old hiway 101 north of Newport and the Otter Crest loop.

Why are people still posting to this thread? The original post was 6-10.

The OP is probably relaxing back at home by now.

I realize this is an ancient post, but hopefully geemac is still lurking.
Whats up with the sheetmetal panniers??? I noticed the last picture was with fabric panniers.
Scott