Hi,
I'm from England and I'm arriving in Vancouver in May 2013. I'm planning on riding a bicycle along the west coast to LA or possibly Tijuana, Mexico. If all goes well I will take a hop over to Australia and continue the ride.
I have never done anything like this before so I expect the first week or two to be slow and tough going but hopefully I will get into the flow.
I will mainly be camping and cant wait to see everything along the way.
At the moment I'm doing the trip alone but I'm sure I will meet tons of people en route. Would like to find someone/some people likeminded who fancies tagging along.
I'm 31, male, reasonably fit but not ridden a bike seriously since I was about 10 but hey, why not.
Get in touch if this sounds like an adventure you would like to have too. I plan on making it a leisurely journey. It's not a race.
As I said, I'm completely new to the world of bikes and touring. My only concern is the doing it solo issue> For example what are you meant to do with all your gear when you pop into a shop or something? Do you just leave all your panniers on your Bike?

Ben

Yep. But with reasonable precautions and not in sketchy neighborhoods. If the store has a large atrium like WM, I roll it inside. If a small shop, I try to keep it in sight. If a fast food joint, I park it where I can see it. Less concern in small towns. Have never carried a lock, but most would.

If you haven't found www.crazyguyonabike.com, check it out. There is a Classified section for Partners Wanted.

I suggest getting familiar with the Cyclists Touring Club, there, England ..

Adventure cycling Association in Montana, here is a relative newcomer ,
founded in the 1970's [companions wanted column in their membership magazine]

Founding of CTC is Victorian era 19th century.. 1800's
so a very deep resource on bike touring world wide.

Yes, if you must shop in large cities, try to have a companion along to watch the bike. You should easily be able to find a group of cyclists to chum around with along the coast--though if I have a choice, I like to pitch camp first, clean up, then hit any nearby markets for food, or stop at the closest market before the camp (like if it's 400 meters down at the bottom of a canyon) Put everything out of sight inside the tent before you leave the camp to prevent tempting animals & people, or maybe take expensive, light electronic items such as tablets or cameras in the store with you.

I've found that if you explain the issue, a lot of stores will let you bring the bike in to a spot where the cashiers can see it, as long as it's not wet or dirty. Good luck finding a partner!

I'm near the end of a trip down a section of the Pacific Coast now. Most of the stores along this route are small ones, easy to watch your bike while you're inside. I've had no trouble whatsoever along this coast, and this is my third time down. If a bigger store where the bike will be out of sight for awhile, I take the handlebar bag with me (valuables in there) and lock the bike up. But nobody's ever messed with my bike. I've heard of people getting their bikes stolen in camp, but I think that's pretty rare.

As far as finding riding partners, just show up and start riding. You'll meet people. In the camp I was in last night there were 8 people riding together. Most of them met along the route while riding or in one of the numerous hiker/biker campsites. It's almost impossible not to meet other touring cyclists along this route. Personally, I think that's the best way to hook up with others.