Jack Taylor Super Tour
 

A tentative plan has been hatched. It starts with ColonelJLoyds ColonelJLoyd's Jack Taylor Super Touring Tandem . I'm going to buy it from him. The problem, you see, if that he lives in Kentucky and I live in California. So what better way to get it here?

We're going to ride it.

Neither of us have time to ride the entire 2,400 miles from Louisville to San Jose so we have another idea in mind. The idea is to ship the bike in parts to LA, each of us will fly there, we assemble it, and ride it up the coast to San Jose. The tentative plan is that this will happen in June.

Some things needs to happen before then, such as a saddle for the Colonel as I'd imagine this configuration wouldnt work out for him, at least not for too long

http://gallery.me.com/justinhughes/1...13254553250001

In fact Justin hasnt done anything to the bike since he purchased it.

So, there are definitely some things to work out before now and then. Such as, where to ship the bike to, what exact route we'll take, exactly what dates we will fly, etc.

We do have one very kind offer from Lostarchitect to use his relatives house 45 minutes southeast of LA to ship the bike to and use as a starting point, however it's probably not in an ideal location.

I don't suppose there is someone between say, downtown LA and Santa Barbara that would be willing to allow us to ship the bike to and use your abode as a starting point, is there?

We will probably ride up the PCH and camp along the way, however if there is someone along that route willing to host us, that might be cool :).

here's an initial map of the route we might take

So, as you can see this isn't all sorted out yet, but we're working on it.

More updates to come as we sort this out.

Oh and yeah, we realize the vision of two dudes riding a tandem up the coast.

We have no shame.

Oh, by the way, we may also ditch the entire LA idea and come south instead, fly into Medford, OR or Portland.

Broke Back Taylor.

oh right, I knew there was another title I was supposed to use.

:roflmao: fender you hit that one on the head! :thumb:

so who's the *cough* "stoker"?

<raises hand> I'm the stoker! I'm a married man with a baby on the way and, as holiday said, I have no shame.

This sounds interesting. It ought to be as good as one of Ralph Cramden's get rich quick schemes.

Beautiful bike. I really need to get a first floor flat so I can find an old tandem.

Don't worry about it.
They're pretty tough down there in ol' Kentucky. Ain't that right, Colonel?

Where did Deliverance take place again?

The Peach State, I think.

Some are, but this guy couldn't stand for 5 miles let alone 500! I don't go anywhere without a Brooks.

My prediction? Donner Party 2.0

Portland. Portland. Portland.

I will be there with bourbon. Seriously. Lets make this happen.

+1. It's gonna be party time! :beer:

Congrats Holiday! Glad that tandem is going to a great home. Also glad you guys can handle the sophomoric humor (I was chuckling too.) Neat idea - hope it pans out, and is a lot of fun.

How are you guys shipping the bike? I imagine shipping a tandem is going to be expensive. Have you considered using Amtrak freight? I've done a cross-country move using that method and it worked well. They have much more of a 'we can' attitude than USPS or any airline that I know of (as far as dealing with bikes).

Updated pic of the bike.

http://cnj.craigslist.org/bik/2981792830.html

Happy to see it go to a good home. Even happier it will be the catalyist of a great adventure.

This sounds awesome! I love those Jack Taylor tandems.

I think for touring the Pacific Coast, it's generally recommended to go North to South to take advantage of the prevailing winds (unless it's santa ana time).

I'm moving back out to San Diego in May or June, so just to throw another option out there: you could ship the bike and assemble it there, pedal around san diego a bit, then hop the Pacific Surfliner amtrak train (allows you to roll bikes on) and ride that up to San Luis Obispo to get beyond the LA traffic congestion.

this sounds great! i like this idea!

now, i've never ridden a tandem before, but I've heard that there are a lot of compatability issues (both physical and personal) that get magnified. have you both ridden a tandem before? just curious.

I also vote for north to south. I would imagine there are less idiots and it'd be a little cooler

Portland will be beautiful in June, and no one will bat an eye at two guys riding a tandem. (Two of my friends - identical twins, no less, do it all the time!)

If you decide to start here I'd be happy to hold the bike at my house and help you get started. I have a sturdy stand and all the tools you could need.

That'd be my advice, from experience. Unless you like headwinds...

I think this has the makings of a new reality show. Perhaps I need to contact Jack Donaghy at 30ROCK!

Beautiful bike! You should keep a blog or online journal regarding this adventure!