jsigone

I'm new to doing a muilti-day tour.

I have dates set aside to tackle this ride Monday Sept 18th. We plan on making a family trip out of this well the first half I guess. Drive up to the bay to visit other family. I'll be traveling with Wife and 2 kids up on a friday, play tourist with them for Saturday and Sunday. Monday morning I'd like to ride to the Golden Gate bridge, maybe ride on the dirt trails on the north end before starting the first leg down south. Wife and kids will leave san Fran and make a 2day drive back, her 2nd day isn't planned yet. I suspect she will stop at Knots Berry Farm or Universal Studios

I have bikes, will likely use my Fuji Altamira CX bike, disc brakes, force group, can run wide tires and has compact gearing 50/36 with 11--28 rear end. My road bike is more agressive fitting and has standard gearing but I recently added a 28t cassette because the local 20% grades are PITA

I don't have touring style bags yet and don't want to carry a backpack for 650miles I don't care how comfy my Gregory bag is.

I'm leaning on getting some apidura bags or Blackburn Outpost bags as those are at my LBS and feel pretty good materials and craftsmanship.

I need a sub 3# 1 person tent, $100-150 would be nice. I can use it for car camping or backpacking later.

I need a small volume bag, the coastline weather can shift quick so thiking 30-50* bag

Do I carry small stove, fuel, food I can cook or just eat out. Coffee in the morning would be nice but I might be able to find something local as well.

Small cable lock?

Solar panel charger or just a large battery pack and hope i can find power while eating to power it?

Camera gear will be a Sony RX100 and my Iphone, will need charg cables for those + lights

I have camping head lamps already

I have bike lights of all sorts of brightness already. How much will the handbar bag get in the way of bar mounted lights? Rear light is a Cygolight shot shot USB, will needed charged at least once during the week long trip.


Routing is tricky since I'm flying in the dark here. The Bur Sur is closed so I'll have to travel down the 101 or what ever side roads I can find. I'm trying to keep gear weight light so I can climb some of the hills along the way. I found Camel Valley Road just after Monterey. This goes past SugerLoaf to Sycamore Flats where I might be able to camp.


This is my Cross bike, setup with 28c panaracer Gravel kings, I may get 32c for this trip since I don't think they will really slow me down but the extra volume will be nice. Tire liners? HUMM

Brian25

Hi, I think that you should check out some packing lists in touring journals on the "crazy guy on a bike" website. I would hate to go on a tour without a combo lock (no chance of misplaced key) on my handlebars. For me its a really uneasy feeling, going into a quick stop store and having to worry if your bike/ all you stuff is still there when you walk back out.

Your talking about using a sport/ racing bike, not exactly ideal, shortage of rack mounting points. I do not know how you will carry your stuff. I do not know where you are on hygene, my kit soap etc.. weighs at least 2 lbs. takes up space and I did not see any mention of sleeping bag or pad, I assume you will not want to sleep on the hard ground. Rotating clean clothes will be key, if you do not want to cross the line between man and bum.

jsigone

The bags I'm looking at don't need mounts or tabs https://www.blackburndesign.com/bags...ollection.html

indyfabz

I would love to learn of a quality, sub-3# tent for $150 or less. My BA Fly Creek 2 is sub-3#, but cost a lot more than that. BA makes lighter, 1P model, but it's also pricy.


BTW...You planning to go without a mattress/pad?

indyfabz

Meh. Recently got back from 800 miles in MT and ID. Took one pair of off-bike convertible shorts, one synthetic tee and two pairs of undies. For riding, two bibs, two jerseys and two pairs of socks plus things like arm warmers and leg warmers, etc. You can improvise to keep things reasonably clean, like stopping at laundries or even rinsing things out at water taps. Leaving behind conventional practices of home is part of the fun for me.

alan s 

I think ACA has a Big Sur bypass route, but not sure. I rode through just before the big storms, collapsing bridges and mudslides in December. I really liked riding through Big Sur, but there is plenty else along the route. Enjoy.

Edit: you may find 650 miles in a week to be a bit much, but it can be done. Just not much time to enjoy things off the bike.

derath

That is true.

This has been a decent tent. It's not sub 3# but its only 3lbs 6oz. $108 on amazon. https://a.co/c3mo24O

I've always been a Kelty fan. have a larger one of their tents for scout camping with my son. Holds up well and when there are problems (had a tear in the rainfly a few weeks ago, fixed without question under warranty) they stand behind their products.

For a short trip, I would probably not bother with the stove, unless you will be far away from towns etc. It adds weight and cook time. I'd probably just get up, pack and get on the road, stopping at the nearest cafe for a quick breakfast and coffee.

fantom1 

Ya, that would be nice. Its not even remotely realistic, but it would be nice.

Anyhow, you're whole post sort of seems like that.

I would suggest reading through the threads, crazyguyonabike, etc., get an at least overall view of the difference between touring and the Saturday group A ride, then come back with questions that people can actually help you with.

jsigone

I may have to add a pound on the tent to stay in the price range, seems most are 3-4 pounds at the price point. Pole length will have to be considered if I don't get a frame bag, i can likely just strap them to the top tube. But the frame bag can house all the service items like tubes, pump, tools, poles, food. I hope to start buying some gear within the next couple weeks to see what works and how to pack it. Plus see how it rides at distance.

Yes I'll need a sleeping pad. The roll up foam therma rest I have now is great for car camping. I've seen a few youtube vids on how people pack up. Some roll the air mat plus tent in the same roll and that goes on the bar bag. which is 9 liters.

The saddle bag offers another 11 liters I think. The larger apidura bag is 17liters.

jsigone

Thats one I had saved into my amazon wishlist. I use a Kelty 3P trail ridge for car camping in the mts and desert.



Can't I do both? Just cramp a bunch of stuff on my bike and just ride? Plus not fast enough for A ride

- Less space, less stuff, less weight, ride further & faster more time to for food and

BTW I'm starting to read some of the stuff on that web site, pretty cool

fantom1 

More beer is always a good place to start haha.

Really though, I guess that's my point, you are talking about bringing a stove and basically all of the normal extended touring stuff, but without using panniers, and also while mentioning things like tire width slowing you down...First figure out what kind of tour you want to do (ultralight, credit card, totally unsupported, etc.). That will help you ask questions that are going to be more helpful to you.

-Once you get weight on your bike, you're not going to be going fast and that's that.
-Also, your gearing on that bike will be difficult, even along the coast
-Carbon and clamps don't work too well together, I wouldn't try it. Use bags that have velcro straps.

There was a video on GCN recently about a guy who's been around the world record around the world: While I don't agree with some of what he says, it seems like a setup that would work for you (except for the $ part).

jsigone

haha I watched that video last week or so. That dude is very minimal, very racer. I don't think I can go that minimal. I have to find a baseline some where, no where near his. I'd like a free standing tent and a real bag. I don't want to use bivy or emergency bivy to save weight/space.

I'm not going to spend twice the price of $150 tent to save half a pound. Its not on my back so adding weight here and there to stay in budget might be common theme. Flip side I'll spend more on a sleeping bag/mat to get the volume down since with three bags I'm at 25 liters of volume space. My bike is kinda heavy and I'm a heavy 200#s, I'll test gearing once i get stuff.

The stove thing comes down to how dense the population is here in Cali. I'm sure I'll find a few stores/bars with each day's worth of miles.
I won't need to store 2-3days of food/water on the bike. I could get a light weight stove/pot kit and stay withing budget and only take a couple liters of bag volume space. But part of the adventure might be eating out as well if possible to do so from the range of the camp ground.

Lots to learn, lots to try and see what fails. Or if I fail. Most I've ridden in a week was about 500 miles for Rapha Festive 500km during Xmas...burr

DanBell

Based on your route and bike, I would skip bringing any cooking gear. Maybe just a spork or something in case you need it. You'll have plenty of places to eat out. Of course, that depends on your budget for the trip.

spinnaker

I am with Alan. That is nearly a century a day for 7 days straight. Unless you are in phenomenal shape, that is going to be a tough haul.


Also to you notes above:

diphthong

jsigone, you will be fine. you blew past me on a bike forums ride after flatting a few years ago on mt. palomar.
once you successfully reroute around big sur, should be a relative, but challenging breeze. could save
a few lbs on the bike if you just grub and grog along the way vs committing to carrying a stove and
daily/nightly food unless it's a few power bars or the like. it would be more $$ of course so whichever
figures into the budget best. you'll be happiest with (at least) '28's cause i think they'll be a few gravel
roads along your trip. central coast is awesome but support is either a cruise on a flat tire for more than a
few miles or 25 miles till the next resto/convenience store. plan accordingly. the only area i would really stock up
beforehand-should you attempt it-would be riding through the carrizo plain national monument. plenty of food, water and tubes.
gorgeous and desolate tho. the coast will obviously have
more support but the coastal foothills/mtns have their charm and more solitude. slightly less than 100 miles a day
isn't that tough when you're starting early with plenty of daylight, even when stopping for meals and pics, and have
absolutely nothing else to do. happy riding!

this site may come in handy for the lesser known areas you'll encounter between big sur and santa barbara/ojai:

https://www.slobc.org

oh. and if you happen across one of the multiple figueroa mtn tasting rooms along your travels...

https://www.figmtnbrew.com/taprooms

niknak

I rode a section of the Pacific Coast in 2014 with a road bike and bikepacking gear and it worked well. It's easier to do bigger miles because you retain your aerodynamics and keep weight down. I didn't bring a cook kit. The Pacific Coast is logistically dead simple because you'll be passing through places to stock up on food at least daily and the state park hiker/biker system almost guarantees a cheap place to stay. Weather should be ideal in September.

Although I'd change some things, here's my packlist with post-ride notes.

jsigone

Good to hear from you

I plan to be on the coast from Morro Bay and south, use all the camp grounds open. North of Morro is up in the air right now and how I can chop it up. I can stick to the 101 or chop into the foot hills and take Camel Valley Road south to Garfield. I don't know what the service is like on this road and how often I will see stores. I'd assume I can bang this stretch out in one day if I stock up or chop it half and stay near Garfield. Monterry to Paso Robles, this will be 130ish miles leg & hotel it there, Marriot Courtyard shows $125 for the night there with cheaper options of course. Next leg will be getting back to the coastline to thru the 46 top 1

@niknak

Nice setup, I hope to have a similar setup with only 2 bottles. I wish my steel bike (schwinn circuit) had better gearing. Nice excel file too The tent will be 2# heavier then your tarp/pole/bivy setup. I'll have to make a file with what I think I'll purchase and compare.

fantom1 

Don't forget about alcohol stoves. They are super lightweight and small, especially if you just want to heat a cup of coffee or something (and can tolerate instant stuff).

Leebo

I have a 1 liter pot that fit a trangia stove with a click stand and a spork. I carry oatmeal, starbucks via instant coffee and some of those shelf stable 1/2 oz creamers = breakfast. . The coffee is quite good, this coming from a coffee geek who cold brews ice coffee every night. OP, really think about some way lower gearing. 36-28 plus a load and 100 miles? Hmmm, just not my cup of tea. Whatever you come up with for gear and gearing, go do a 1/2 day loaded ride to test load and balance.

diphthong

carmel valley road once past carmel valley to greenfield is gonna be your biggest stretch of desolation on
the trip. you could work the 101 corridor more but it's pretty dull. once outta paso robles, the 46 has that great
wide shoulder the whole way to the 1. it's not as direct as the 41 to the coast, but it's waay more scenic and safer.
just an incredible view of the central coast on the entire descent (getting to that descent seems interminable tho).
cayucos is a quaint little place to refuel/rest.

stevepusser

You might be able to get away without using a tent at all--your trip will after all be during the dry season, and long range weather forecasts are getting better all the time. But you could end up sleeping under dripping trees in a damp fog, (Morro Bay SP, for example), so some sort of tarp would be a good idea. Though maybe you could buy that along the way (big space blanket?) if the forecast really doesn't look like you'll get those.

Also, night time temperatures are going to be fairly mild, so you really don't much of a sleeping bag--maybe a quilt or blanket will suffice. If you're along the coast, lows aren't going to be any lower that the sea surface temperature, and that should be about as warm as it gets that time of year.

It's possible to use a hammock instead of a sleeping pad, but I don't know how hammock-friendly the various campgrounds along the way are. San Simeon SP doesn't look good in that respect, for example. Do you have any proposed itinerary? I see a lot of tourists on the Big Sur bypass route camp overnight at the regional park in King City.

jsigone

That would be a great option if I don't push the miles to Paso Robles. thanks for the info

skidder

I'm contemplating a credit card SFO to LA ride next spring, probably about March-early April, and using the Salinas Valley/Hwy 101 to avoid (what I call) the monotony if Hwy 1; I'd rather ride through and see the small towns made famous in Steinbeck novels rather than endure another jaunt down Hwy 1 with ocean on the right/green hillside on the left. IF you're planning to ride the Salinas Valley in September, be aware it gets HOT at the south end - temps in Atascadero/PAso Robles can exceed 100F in late summer/early fall

That being said, I'm finding you almost have to use the 101 at the south end of the Valley - not many side roads go through to PAso Robles. Once you get to San Luis Obispo its pretty straightforward down to LA and onward to San Diego. And if you 'burn out' by San Luis Obispo, that's where the Amtrak 'surfliner' commuter train starts so you can take it all the way south to San Diego area without checking you bike as baggage (Advanced ticket purchase almost always required).

Bags - Also look a Banjo Brothers bags and panniers. Good stuff, not as expensive at Ortlieb or Arkel, and should work if you're not planning any wet weather rides in the future.

Golden Gate Bridge - you can ride over and back on it, it just tends to be windy (crosswind) all the time. About 1.5 miles each way. Go for it, a great and easy 'bucket list' ride in itself!

spinnaker

"monotony", "Endure" ?? Really? Must have been horrible for you the first time.

J.Higgins 

Agreed. Nothing like a little streamside washup to brighten up your day, wot? Lets face it. People stink. Embrace the stink.