New tourer - 1x vs 3x
#76
Palmer
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#77
Junior Member
Winding through these all day, mostly dirt, hit grades of 16%, for the average it was 10%. Californias' hills are no joke.
#78
Senior Member
I thought I responded to this, must have been a different thread. I went through three chains. Cassette needs to be changed out now, that was a 10-42 SRAM XG-1150 and the chainring was a 38t Wolftooth that definitely needs changing.
I love the arguments and all the data people throw out with 1x, 2x, 3x, belt drive, and Rohloff hubs. There's so many variables...age, fitness, mechanical ability, etc. I did three mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of trails, sand, dirt, rock, tarmac, and hundreds of miles of desert, the whole gamut. The PCH is tougher than a lot of mountains out there, but what a treat! I did grades of up to 14-16% for over ten miles. And I'm 58. Ride what makes you happy, don't let anyone tell you x is better than y. Touring is about the experience, whether good or bad, and a learning experience. This was the first tour I ever did, and for the next, I wouldn't change a thing, I love my 1x setup.
I love the arguments and all the data people throw out with 1x, 2x, 3x, belt drive, and Rohloff hubs. There's so many variables...age, fitness, mechanical ability, etc. I did three mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of trails, sand, dirt, rock, tarmac, and hundreds of miles of desert, the whole gamut. The PCH is tougher than a lot of mountains out there, but what a treat! I did grades of up to 14-16% for over ten miles. And I'm 58. Ride what makes you happy, don't let anyone tell you x is better than y. Touring is about the experience, whether good or bad, and a learning experience. This was the first tour I ever did, and for the next, I wouldn't change a thing, I love my 1x setup.
re the PCH, I did this back in '94 and yup, it was way harder in my memory than the summer before when I rode a lot of the Pyrenees mountains, between France and Spain. The kicker with the PCH was the steep downs/steep ups all the time. And then the occasional long long climbs that I wasnt expecting...but cool place, yup.
re 1x , your setup worked great, I hadn't realized the cassette is a 10-42, that really helps with having a reasonable top gear. Up here in Canada, these cassettes are pretty darn pricey though, $225 + tax, about $260 total, so at least its important for folks to be aware of the increased costs of the more special cassettes. Probably not a big factor in the big picture, but could be a factor for some folks and perhaps moreso if traveling in places where it would be harder to get parts, but thats a whole other topic too with lots and lots of variables also.
#79
Senior Member
There's roads in California off the PCH that just wind through the mountains for miles and miles. Going through the Santa Ynez to get back to the coast was no joke. Some grades through the Cascades were a good 10% for over 10 miles.
Winding through these all day, mostly dirt, hit grades of 16%, for the average it was 10%. Californias' hills are no joke.
Winding through these all day, mostly dirt, hit grades of 16%, for the average it was 10%. Californias' hills are no joke.
No clue where it was, just remember going inland a lot and up and up, and then down and down.
I used to race motorcycles a bit and am comfortable at speed on two wheels, but I certainly wasn't expecting to hit a high speed like that on a "coastal ride", just as I wasnt expecting the arse kicking from all the climbing.
#80
Junior Member
I have a super clear memory from 30 years ago somewhere on one of those inland sections going down the PCH, on a big honker downhill with a slight tailwind and hitting 80kph or 50mph and it was totally calm and not concerning at all, good pavement, no traffic, no sidewinds, good line of sight.
No clue where it was, just remember going inland a lot and up and up, and then down and down.
I used to race motorcycles a bit and am comfortable at speed on two wheels, but I certainly wasn't expecting to hit a high speed like that on a "coastal ride", just as I wasnt expecting the arse kicking from all the climbing.
No clue where it was, just remember going inland a lot and up and up, and then down and down.
I used to race motorcycles a bit and am comfortable at speed on two wheels, but I certainly wasn't expecting to hit a high speed like that on a "coastal ride", just as I wasnt expecting the arse kicking from all the climbing.
#81
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Hmmm, I have been wondering where to go this coming year. I did Astoria, OR to San Francisco, CA in 2014. Maybe I should do a repeat?
#82
Junior Member
I mean come on, this is from a 5 dollar hiker/biker campsite. 5 bucks for a multi-million dollar view.
#83
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There's roads in California off the PCH that just wind through the mountains for miles and miles. Going through the Santa Ynez to get back to the coast was no joke. Some grades through the Cascades were a good 10% for over 10 miles.
Winding through these all day, mostly dirt, hit grades of 16%, for the average it was 10%. Californias' hills are no joke.
Winding through these all day, mostly dirt, hit grades of 16%, for the average it was 10%. Californias' hills are no joke.