VirgilCA

Hi everyone, I hope I don't offend any of the seasoned veterans by the audacity of what we're proposing to do. I actually hope it's not all that audacious but I thought I'd come here to get some opinions. We're primarily looking at following the Pacific Coast Adventure Cycling route.

How bad of an idea is this for a group of inexperienced people to attempt? Primarily I want to know if we are going to be at any kind of serious risk of injury or death. Are there going to be huge stretches without any water or food in sight? Is there some part of the trip that will physically cripple us and be impassable to all but seasoned athletes?

We are three guys in our mid twenties, all reasonably fit. Two of us have never done anything like this before. Myself, I rode from Rome to Florence with a friend a few years back, after which our bikes got stolen. That trip took us about three days of biking for 8-12 hours a day, and it seemed like it was just nonstop mountain after mountain after mountain. It definitely kicked our ass but we never felt like we had to give up, and by the third day we seemed to be getting into a really good rhythm. We trained for less than a month, and not very seriously leading up to it.

We plan to give ourselves a little over three weeks to complete the trip, probably leaving June 5th, figuring that if we run out of time we'll just take a bus or train the rest of the way. We have been doing light training for the past week or two, thinking that we are only going to be doing a trip from San Francisco to San Diego, but we decided to expand the trip just recently. We plan to do a mixture of camping and hotels, and ideally pack as lightly as possible (a few changes of clothes with laundry done every three days or so, tools, spare tubes, water bottles, nutritional bars between stops, sleeping bags, a tent for all of us to share). I remember having four fully packed panniers for Italy but ideally I'd like to make do with just two.

We are not going to be having particularly expensive setups, either. I'll be doing this with a 2013 Trek 7.2 with added bar ends and a more comfortable seat. The other two are going to be riding used touring bikes found off craigslist in the ~$300-400 range.

So, what do you guys think? Is this bound to end in tears?

djb

serious risk of injury or death? If you arent careful and ride in front of a logging truck you will get squashed. If you ride off the edge of the road off a cliff you could be seriously injured. If you use common sense and look at the route beforehand to see where towns and or campgrounds are, you will be able to plan the days more or less, and you will have fun.
If the craigslist bikes are crap, stuff might break, if they arent stuff might not break. Break or not, you probably will have fun, you're in your 20s, have fun.

not sure what you are looking for for answers. Ride off on a trip totally unprepared on a complete craphole bike and you might not have a great time if the inconvienence or cost of breakdowns comes into play. Get the bikes checked over at least beforehand.
Or dont.
Figure out where campgrounds are. Or not.
Its up to you what prep you do, but if the bikes are at all in reasonable shape, you'll have fun.

dont spend time on the interwebz, get yer bikes bought and checked out, make sure the tent has poles before you leave and figure out if the amount of crap you will take is too much. Then enjoy the trip.

LeeG

It's a good idea.
Any part can cripple you but the odds are low. Ride in a straight line. Wear a bright vest.
Stick with two panniers. If the rear wheel is dodgy put the panniers on front low riders.

Jseis 

If your reasonably competent at riding a bike, making simple repairs, and camping...could be a great trip. I'd say keep first two weeks mileage at <50 miles a day. Take a day off at least once a week That should get you to the CA border in ~2 weeks. Add more miles after that. The cyclists I see heading south on 101 here in Pacific County are moving at 10-12 mph and most are on the first leg of a west coast trip. I've talked to cyclists from Vancouver BC, Seattle, Oly, and some ride the Olympic Peninsula loop, some don't. Several didn't have maps of all crazy things. And from my own bias. The best and easiest first view of the Pacific Ocean (unless your visiting Olympic NP Beaches are SR 105 Willapa Bay or absolutely SR Loop 100 North Head Lighthouse.

B. Carfree

You should have a blast. There's nothing audacious about your plans. That's not to say this won't be an extremely memorable, epic experience, just that you can probably manage it without anything terrible happening. Bad stuff happens, but not very often compared to how often people hurt themselves in the shower.

Speaking of showers, the only advice I will offer is to always know how far to the next shower you are. It's a really good idea to keep clean, especially your hindquarters. Infected saddle sores can really ruin a trip, even for seasoned veterans. The best way to avoid those is to stay scrupulously clean and to also get yourself up out of the saddle as often as you can. Get off the saddle before it hurts; after your bum is sore is too late.

Oregon has a nice map on the ODOT website that lists the state campgrounds (cheap) that have showers and their locations. California has similar information available and also puts distance markers to the next campground, store and restaurant on roadside mile post markings, so look for those (not all of the campgrounds on the mp markings have showers). Sonoma County campgrounds have showers; bring quarters.

imi

Uh, on your right you have the world's biggest bathtub!

djb

Cold and salty, leaving you sticky afterwards....
;-)

rica rica

Does your group know how to make repairs? I'm not saying this to sound snarky, I just have seen a lot of people purchase tools but not be experienced in actually using them. Same with first aid kits. In addition to the other advice I'd be sure to practice minor repairs until you are confident in your ability to handle them, if you are not already so.

valygrl

Here are the things to know about touring the coast:
keep the ocean on your right
bring a cable lock and lock your bikes together in camp
know how to change a flat tire
be visible
learn what poison oak looks like and leave it alone
raccoons want to eat your food, don't keep it in your tent, put it in the containers at the camp grounds
the pastry at Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes is actually worth how much it costs.

This trip is bound to end in *smiles* have a great time.

VirgilCA

Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement! As far as knowing "basic repairs". I have a multitool, a tire bar, some glue patches, tubes, and I've changed out a tube on a bike before. Are there any other kinds of tools or basic repairs we should get or familiarize ourselves with?

spinnaker

I agree with one or two of the above post and I say slow it down. An 8-12 hour day is too much IHMO. You have to take time to smell the roses or in this case ocean,

You have not done a long tour in a while so I suggest you do a weekend tour. Preferably all together. It is a difficult thing to get along with others when you spend 24/7 with them. Better to work that out over a short tour rather than commit time and money to a long one. Plus the trip will help you shake out any bugs that you might have forgotten.

Forget about patching. Just take tubes. I usually have 3 on tour. You should also learn to do things like boot a tire, change cables, fix a chain, fix spokes (I recommend a fiber fix spoke).

djb

I never knew how to true a wheel and I did lots of trips (get the bikes checked over wheel wise beforehand by a good mechanic) and never had to replace a cable either, so if the bikes are in reasonable shape, just figure that rack bolts and stuff tend to get loose, so just make sure you have the multitool to check the basic nuts and bolts once in a while.
Put new tires on, tubes, and new brake pads (if they are near to replacing or just really old ) and then that's less things to have probs with.
Keep an eye on tire pressures, keep them at or near max, always better when loaded.

Rest of stuff really depends on condition of bike.

bikemig 

I did my first trip sort of like you are planning to do it. I did it with a friend and we decided to go out of the blue. I had no idea what I was doing and had a great time. Front panniers are a really good thing rather than just two big ones in the rear; the bike handles a heck of a lot better (esp. on descents) with weight spread over both wheels (plus it will help out your rear wheel). You should be able to find decent bikes for $400 (or even less) even in a hot market like Seattle. You might want to consider vintage mtbs with rigid forks. They tend to be relatively inexpensive and the gearing is right for touring. All you have to do is to add some slicks. The adventure cycling maps are good quality and they'll give you a good idea of what to expect. Spend some time in a local bike co-op fixing up your bikes as that will give you whatever practical skills you need.

I think you are going to have a great time; even the bad times (and there will be some) will be great in retrospect. Post some pics of your trip on this website so we can enjoy your trip as well!

bikemig 

Also are you set on a Seattle to S.D. trip? Just asking cuz hwy 20 in WA is, I probably the best road I've ever ridden on. You could do a circle trip through WA, ID, MT, and back through OR. Lots of mtns so your mileage would have to be lower. Just a thought; I like the mtns in the NW a lot.

TheReal Houdini

I agree with bikemig: get classic rigid 26" mtbs, figure out how to check them over. Pay a pro to re-tension the rear wheels. Try to find a touring or commuting-centric bike shop and explain what you are planning to do. Any decent mechanic can do it, but you'll have to convince them to take their time and do it properly during high season.

Have fun! Wish I could go with you!

sstorkel

I have to laugh every time a question like this comes up... The people here are so gung-ho about touring that they'll recommend that the most inexperienced newbie tackle even the most insane trips. Never been on a bike and want to ride from Hollywood to Honolulu in 6 days? Go for it! You'll have a blast!

The reality is that riding your bike around the block as a kid doesn't really prepare you for a tour of this magnitude. Sure, it'll be fun for the first couple of days... But then you'll discover that your saddle feels like sitting on a dull hatchet, that your bike doesn't fit as well as you thought so your back/neck/shoulders/arms/knees/quads are killing you, that you're pushing your bike up every hill because you got the gearing wrong, or that the constant threat of being punted into the Pacific Ocean by incompetent RV drivers isn't as fun as you've been lead to believe.

In my experience, being prepared goes a long way toward making a trip enjoyable. You need to know that you're bringing the right gear, that your bike is going to be comfortable when ridden day after day, and that you're physically fit enough that you won't feel completely destroyed when you step off the bike at the end of the day. One way to ensure that all of these things are in order is to plan a short (2-4 day) "shakedown" trip before you leave on your epic journey: pack everything you plan to take on your trip and pick a route with terrain (and lodging) similar to what you expect to encounter. That will give you a chance to test everything out and make adjustments before you're hundreds (or thousands) of miles from home...

valygrl

I see your point, sstorkel, and I typically am not in the mode of saying "yes" to all trip ideas - but this is 3 20-something guys riding one of the most popular and easy to manage bike routes, at the right time of year, with money for hotels, and one of them has done something similar before.

Compare my positive response here, to the 60-something guy who wants to ride from phoenix to vegas in the middle of summer with no experience.

I think this is a trip that has a good chance of success and low down-side if things go poorly, since it's so easy to end a trip anywhere on the pacific coast.

fietsbob

If they were not looked over by a semi competent bike mechanic, then their As Is, condition, upon purchase, is unclear.

bring funds .. that will replace things that break..

djb

exactly, plus my comments were heavy on the "be responsible with being prepared,both in bike condition and planning your days"--emphasis on taking personal responsibility for the planning-bikes, equipment, route etc.

cycle_maven

Isn't three weeks for that trip about 100 miles/day? Pretty hard mileage, but do-able. Especially for some young dudes. By the end you'll be pounding out century-and-a-half days.

My advice: Take plenty of water and a credit card. Ignore the look of fear on the faces of the cashiers at all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants- they just never have seen anyone that skinny consume 6000 calories in a sitting.

bikemig 

Heck, they might just pay the three of you to leave . . .

sstorkel

The OP is proposing to ride from Seattle to San Diego in "a little over three weeks". He admits to doing one previous trip which took "about three days of biking 8-12 hours/day". He also says that, "Two of us have never done anything like this before" and that they've been doing "light training for the past week or two".

My copy of Bicycling the Pacific Coast suggests that their version of the coast route from the Canadian border to the Mexican border is 1745 miles. If the OP and his newbie buddies want to accomplish this trip in 21 days, they'll need to average 83 miles/day and they won't have a single rest day. Is that really a realistic goal, in your mind? Keep in mind that BtPC suggests a 37-day itinerary for the same trip...

I think there's no way that three newbies average 83+ miles/day for three weeks straight...

B. Carfree

Three reasonably fit twenty-somethings should be able to do it. Besides, as has been noted, it is easy to bail out along the coast. I have met many folks along that route over the years who were packing it in after too many days of unseasonable, or even seasonable, rain.

JoeMan

Go for it dude! The details will work themselves out on the road. Anymore there is a scad of riders on your route to keep you company. Enjoy Oregon's grand state parks!

djb

Storkel is absolutely right on the intended distance per day, and these young adults are either going to either figure it out on their own, beforehand from the plethora of online and printed info on this route, or in the first week of their trip.

or not.