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Finished cycling from New York to San Francisco. Thanks for all the tips!

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Finished cycling from New York to San Francisco. Thanks for all the tips!

Old 08-20-19, 09:40 AM
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rdrumm729
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Finished cycling from New York to San Francisco. Thanks for all the tips!

Hey fellas. I'm a little late on posting this but I just finished my first cross country bike trek from Brooklyn, New York to San Fransisco. Started on Mother's Day, ended a day after Fathers Day.
I want to thank everyone on this forum for all their helpful tips! It made my journey much easier.

3,317 miles
90 miles per day (avg.)
36.5 days
0 rest days.
8 flats
2chains
4 tires.

Hope you enjoy the photos!
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Old 08-20-19, 09:48 AM
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Awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing your photos! Looks like a great time!
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Old 08-20-19, 12:19 PM
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TiHabanero
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Straight through the heartland of America. America's breadbasket. Truly a dream ride. Did you map your own route?
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Old 08-20-19, 01:28 PM
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Looks fantastic and that's a heck of a pace to keep up. I can't do 90 miles in a single day, let alone 30+ days in a row!
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Old 08-20-19, 02:02 PM
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Very nice! I'm not sure I could ride 90 miles a day for over a month. But I'd sure like to try!
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Old 08-20-19, 04:41 PM
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Well done, fabulous. And you even made it look easy, which is the sign of a true master. I guess you ate up the miles so fast your beard didn't have time to grow much.

The song "Mendocino" by the late Kate McGarrigle comes to mind....

"Talk to me of Mendocino....
...Come with me"
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Old 08-20-19, 09:27 PM
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Congratulations! Loved the photos. Thanks for the inspiration. Ultralight touring makes more and more sense to me.

I would love to hear more about your gear, set-up, the trip itself . . . anything you feel comfortable sharing.
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Old 08-21-19, 05:03 AM
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Well done. Traveling and especially bike touring is one of the best things a person can do. You may do many other tours but this one will stay with you for a lifetime.
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Old 08-21-19, 05:38 AM
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so I guess it was all downhill ;-)

now seriously...congratulations on a great feat!
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Old 08-21-19, 05:52 AM
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thanks for coming back and giving a "thankyou"
Yup, that was one hell of a fast and furious trip, but hey, we all gotta ride our own rides, and its all good.

Don't worry, you'll slow down over the years and maybe even lose the tribars ;-)
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Old 08-25-19, 06:17 PM
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Great job and great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
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Old 08-25-19, 06:33 PM
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I know it's been said, but Wow. 90mi/day for 36 days??? You're a Beast. Glad you enjoyed the trip!

Last edited by 3speed; 08-25-19 at 06:40 PM.
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Old 08-28-19, 11:08 PM
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"Next services 83 miles", wow. Pretty cool to ride cross-USA in 5 weeks esp east to west.
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Old 08-29-19, 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by JDandy
Congratulations! Loved the photos. Thanks for the inspiration. Ultralight touring makes more and more sense to me.

I would love to hear more about your gear, set-up, the trip itself . . . anything you feel comfortable sharing.
Thanks!
I agree ultralight touring is the way to go.
Packed without a lot of luxuries but ultimately it made for a more fun bike ride.
For clothing I had packed 1 bike jersey 1 pair of biking shorts, 2 pair of socks, rain pants rain jacket, long johns, down Jacket, 1 pair shoes.
Also had a battery charger, 3 lights, phone, go pro, bike lock, multi tool, extra chain, 2 extra tubes at any given time, bike pump,
For bags I used all apidura saddle bag tube bag handler bar bag and top tube bag. All of which worked well!
Even in the long stretches of Nevada where I had to bring lots of extra food/water.
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Old 08-29-19, 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by rdrumm729
Thanks!
I agree ultralight touring is the way to go.
Packed without a lot of luxuries but ultimately it made for a more fun bike ride.
For clothing I had packed 1 bike jersey 1 pair of biking shorts, 2 pair of socks, rain pants rain jacket, long johns, down Jacket, 1 pair shoes.
Also had a battery charger, 3 lights, phone, go pro, bike lock, multi tool, extra chain, 2 extra tubes at any given time, bike pump,
For bags I used all apidura saddle bag tube bag handler bar bag and top tube bag. All of which worked well!
Even in the long stretches of Nevada where I had to bring lots of extra food/water.
It looks like you did some camping as well, correct?
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Old 08-29-19, 02:32 PM
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rdrumm729
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Originally Posted by JDandy
It looks like you did some camping as well, correct?
Oh yes how could I forget.
In my handle bar bags I had all that. One man tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping quilt.
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Old 08-29-19, 03:15 PM
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Thanks for the info. Awesome trip.
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Old 08-30-19, 01:50 PM
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Looks amazing, nice!
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Old 08-30-19, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by rdrumm729
Thanks!
I agree ultralight touring is the way to go.
Packed without a lot of luxuries but ultimately it made for a more fun bike ride.
For clothing I had packed 1 bike jersey 1 pair of biking shorts, 2 pair of socks, rain pants rain jacket, long johns, down Jacket, 1 pair shoes.
Also had a battery charger, 3 lights, phone, go pro, bike lock, multi tool, extra chain, 2 extra tubes at any given time, bike pump,
For bags I used all apidura saddle bag tube bag handler bar bag and top tube bag. All of which worked well!
Even in the long stretches of Nevada where I had to bring lots of extra food/water.
Clothing wise, is that what you packed on top of what you were wearing? or total?
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Old 08-30-19, 02:05 PM
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All hail Ashtabula!

Incredible ride, 90 miles/day!? Thanks for the post

What was faster, New York to Iowa, or Iowa to San Francisco?
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Old 08-30-19, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by th0
Clothing wise, is that what you packed on top of what you were wearing? or total?
Thats all I had. I started off with a change of biking pants and warmer biking shirt, but lost both of those along the way somewhere ¯
Never got around to getting the replaced so I was smelling pretty bad... I really shoulda got my change of clothes replaced...
I also had gloves which were not too warm. The first week was raining and 40 degrees every day. I was underdressed for that. Next time Ill bring warmer gloves and some of those bike shoe warming covers
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Old 08-30-19, 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by GrainBrain
All hail Ashtabula!

Incredible ride, 90 miles/day!? Thanks for the post

What was faster, New York to Iowa, or Iowa to San Francisco?
Iowa to San Francisco. I was in much better shape by that point and the weather got dramatically better. Averaged around 100 miles a day from that point on.
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Old 08-30-19, 10:39 PM
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Originally Posted by rdrumm729
Thats all I had. I started off with a change of biking pants and warmer biking shirt, but lost both of those along the way somewhere ¯
Never got around to getting the replaced so I was smelling pretty bad... I really shoulda got my change of clothes replaced...
I also had gloves which were not too warm. The first week was raining and 40 degrees every day. I was underdressed for that. Next time Ill bring warmer gloves and some of those bike shoe warming covers
Bike clothing makers say not to use bleach but maybe on an UL tour it might help. Some backpackers add a few drops to drinking water, after all. Anyway, the trip sounds fun...challenging yes but not punishing for a fit younger UL rider. What saddle?
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Old 09-01-19, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by DropBarFan
Bike clothing makers say not to use bleach but maybe on an UL tour it might help. Some backpackers add a few drops to drinking water, after all. Anyway, the trip sounds fun...challenging yes but not punishing for a fit younger UL rider. What saddle?
Stock saddle that came with the bike. Ritchey is the brand. The bike I used was a Jamis Renegade and it was an excellent choice.
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Old 09-01-19, 11:59 AM
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Also, here is a short video I compiled of my journey:

Last edited by rdrumm729; 09-03-19 at 06:26 AM.
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