Trevtassie

OK, so Qantas have a half price deal for frequent flyer points to the USA at the moment. Thinking about heading there next year (July/August), to San Fransisco. Ride from there up to Vancouver, maybe up Vancouver Island/ Inside passage on the ferry up to Skagway then back down the Cassiar Hwy through the rockies to Vancouver and then fly back down to SF to return home. Two months. Got today to decide before the deal ends...
I've done the Vancouver Island/ inside passage bit in a car so I know it's pretty nice...
Go for it?

eastbay71

Do It! The West Coast has some of the most beautiful bike touring roads in the world!

mobile_simon

I did the Skagway/Cassiar/Prince George route last summer. If you do it make sure to bring good rain gear. I had atleast 20 days of rain and clouds.

There were a few cool stops along the way, and some long desolate parts too. The Cassiar is narrow and every vehicle passing you is a gigantic RV.

Why not go to Haines, go up through Yukon to Alaska? Kluane National Park is beautiful. The Denali highway is spectacular.

Either way have fun.

CliffordK

It sounds like a fun trip and I wish you the best.

I haven't ridden the coastal highway myself, but I think during the summer the wind typically blows from the Northwest towards the Southeast.

In that case, some people have found it more comfortable to start in the north and ride towards the south, even though Oregon/Washington weather would be a little nicer later in the summer.

chrisx

Do not pedal from san Francisco up. To much wind in your face.
Fly into Vancouver, fly out of San Francisco, Or fly to White Horse.

BigAura

Definitely do it, you won't regret it.

Doug64

+1 This is good advice.

If you decide to start in Vancouver, BC and have time, head north from Vancouver to Powell River on BC's Sunshine Coast. At Powell River take the ferry to Vancouver Island, then head south. It is a really nice part of the Pacific Coast Route

Tourist in MSN

Concur. When I rode from Astoria Oregon to San Fransisco, every day we were talking about how great it was to have a tail wind every day.

I wrote my observations at this posting: https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/95...l#post16933424

I was there in May and June 2014, weather was cooler than you should expect for the months you plan to be there. Every day you should think about how much water you want to carry, and if not carrying enough for the entire day, have a plan for where to resupply.

spinnaker

The Oregon coast is beautiful. The redwoods in California are awesome.



But like others have said ride south not north. The wind is really something that needs to be experienced to understand the issue with riding north.

If you can get the extra time, you really should ride all the way to Santa Barbara. Montara and Big Sur are beautiful too. The aquarium in Monterrey is well worth seeing. But IMHO, if you need to choose then you are choosing the best section of the coast.

Trevtassie

Well, we're booked as far San Francisco... now to figure out what happens after that. Maybe a flight up to Vancouver, then a ferry over to Vancouver Island. Got 8 months to plan...

Tony Marley

Go for it! The west coast is a great ride.

fietsbob

Northbound you will be on the wrong side of the road (we drive on the right side, here *) from the sea shore vistas.

And the summer winds come out of the North-west so You will Ride Into a Head wind daily ..

start In the North and ride South Vancouver BC or Seattle WA.

NB, You can cross the SF bay And take Amtrak From Oakland-Emeryville to Vancouver BC, or Seattle .
[It does Not follow the coast , It's further Inland]


* Ireland, I Started from the south west, Co Kerry.

Tourist in MSN

That looked familiar.



I took a shuttle bus from Fishermans Wharf to the Amtrak station in Emeryville. That shuttle bus stopped at other locations too. It had a bike rack on front and also would put excess bikes down below.

chrisx

You could ride north on the Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route to get through California and Oregon.

CliffordK

And it often isn't just a little breeze at the coast... it is often a full WIND!!!

Trevtassie

So what's the story with bike bags on the planes in the US? I know people are always talking about length limits and stuff. Getting to SF is OK, on Qantas we have 112kg of luggage allowance between us, so provided I don't decide to bring the TV and microwave we have plenty weight capacity.
We use a couple of the Nashbar bike bags Nashbar Bike Transport Bag , well padded and with bikes inside I know you'd have to drive a car over to damage. We take off the the cranks, bars, rear racks, seat post, handlebars.... I assume we'd need to buy excess baggage allowance for a flight to Vancouver.
Alaska would be nice, but we try and keep ourselves below 60 miles a day maximum, we treat touring as an excuse to eat, drink beer and look at stuff without gaining weight. We've got 7 weeks, so could a theoretical maximum of 3000 miles. But if we did that I'd have a mutiny on my hands...
In case you're wondering why the flight to SF, we got two return tickets from Tasmania to there for US$1000 for the pair...
We'd also considered buying bikes over there, or maybe frames. All our running gear is pretty sorted, but our frames are ancient '90s mountain bike frames and mine especially weighs a ton. New bikes would be nice though...just bring our racks and panniers.

fietsbob

My last return From Aberdeen Via Amsterdam I had my Panniers packed in empty chicken feed grain bags
and My Bike in a taped together combining of 2 regular Bike Boxes

CliffordK

Seattle has a pretty big airport, but quite a few international flights are routed through SF or LA. Certainly most Oregon flights can bounce a person around a bit before going out from a major hub.

Airline prices are always a bit funky, and sometimes make no sense. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy multi-leg tickets all at once. Other times, there is a huge benefit to buy "local hops" separate. I think I had a trip to NYC and Rochester once, and had to buy the tickets separately otherwise it would have been much more expensive.

Tourist in MSN

Depends on which airline, but generically you need to be below 50 pounds per item to avoid a big extra cost. I know I am not really saying much here, but each airline is a bit different. Some airlines make most of their profit on baggage fees.

I like to carry a small electronic luggage scale I got on Ebay, shipped from China. (Takes a month to get it.) That way I can make sure that each item is about 48 pounds or less before I check my luggage. I have bought a couple of these, you need a really good arm to hold that much weight, but this one is small, light and it works. There are several other sellers in China that sell the same scales.

Pocket 40kg 20g Electronic Digital Precise Hanging Luggage Hook Scale Weight SC | eBay

spinnaker

I usually credit card tour. So what I do is pack my bike in the box, stuff it with anything big like helmet and shoes. Maybe a few clothes Also tools and spare parts, things that won't go through security. I then stuff a pannier inside a pannier and pack it. That is my carry on. My handlebar bag is my personal item,

If you are looking for civilization, the northern coast of California is not the place to do it. You will be fine to Arcata. Enough open space but plenty of beer and a comfortable bed at the end of each night You might consider splitting up the trip and flying to San Fran from Arcata or taking the bus. The ride from San Fran to Santa Barbara. The downside is that us a lot of transport not on the bike. The good news is that route has some of the best eats I have ever had on any tour and that includes Italy.

rawklobster

+2 Yes... good advice!

Awesome trip south... You won't regret it.

CliffordK

You could always just snag a couple of these on your way through Oregon.




And, they all pack in their own luggage too.

chrisx

Cliffordk
Was that you who typed about getting a s&s coupled bike with case last spring? Something about a french bottom bracket. How did that work out? I ended up with a used S&S case from A retired mail maŽam.

Alaska air charged me $25 for my bike in the case. They charge $25 for under 62 liner inches, and under 50 pounds. Alaska air charges $75 for over 62 liner inches, or over 50 pounds. This is per bag. There is an upper limit for pounds and inches.

If you ride the pacific coast route from north to south, You can take a couple of short cuts on county buses. Say from Ft Bragg to San Francisco, if you are running late or something.

Oregon has the nicest campgrounds.
California has a few state and national parks full of red wood trees.

Mind your bikes well. Bike theft is a real problem, and getting worse.

rawklobster

I'm not sure how many people have used this book to navigate and plan their PCH trip, but I found it invaluable. Just make sure you use the main campsites suggested or call the intermediate ones if you want to stop there. Otherwise, *this* might happen.

The book also recommends biking it North to South, not just for the winds, but the nicer shoulder for most of the trip. I didn't look too closely, but apparently the shoulder on the northbound side isn't as good for cyclists.

CliffordK

I still have it, but haven't done much with it, yet. The issue is that one side of the bottom bracket appeared to be stripped. I now have some French Cups to play around with. But, I won't build up a "touring" bike that I'm not 100% confident in the parts.

I have read about retapping to Italian which is worth considering, but still falls under the 100% caveat.

I have been meaning to try building some frames, and may try a BB swap which would be my preference. So much for the ugly black powdercoat. Or, swapping the S&S couplings.

I did buy a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket with suitcase, which is mostly functional, but those old Shimano 9s shifters seem to be quite a pain. No flights, but I went to the coast this weekend with Mom. Towing the suitcase to her house, then squishing the bike into the suitcase for the trip to the coast, riding a bit, the after returning, towing the suitcase back home all went well. It is a bit of a hassle to tear down to fold, but I assume not quite as much as a S&S. The bike handles nicely. I'll try some speed tests shortly.