Gettin' the UFCK outta LA
Thread started by
Nygmatic at 07.21.09 - 10:51 pm
So after about a year or so of biking consistently in the streets of LA, I finally got the cojones to get out of LA and go on a bike tour. As of right now, Its either some light touring in addition to the US Rail pass across country, or cruise up the Cali coast. I've scoured the net for tips on how to start and plan for it, but i figured that I should ask and utilize LA's great bike community. So my question is, have any of you gone on tours, whether they be long or short? How did you plan? How far in advance did you train? Any comments and or advice would greatly be appreciated. Thnx
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cheers ! i'm building my tourer up right now as well..
HANDBONE07.21.09 - 11:46 pm
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It is hot as hell in much of the country right now and for the next month. You won't escape fairly severe heat for at least 500 miles in any direction except due north. Plus, it is gorgeous that way and there's a train that runs the length of the coast. Skip the central coast and start riding north from Big Sur or Santa Cruz. You can enjoy the riding, then a day or two in SF, then head up the Marin, Sonoma, and mendocino coasts. There's absolutely gorgeous riding all over the place up there.
Take it easy and you can ride into shape. If you try to bite off more than you can chew in the first few days, you'll injure yourself or just wind up so sore that you won't be able to enjoy the ride. When you are getting up and riding every day, you need to stop and get off the bike before your ass really starts to hurt or else the next day will be very uncomfortable. By the time you've done 4 or 5 days, your body will be used to the bike and you'll be able to go for much longer every day. That was my experience with both bicycle and motorcycle touring, anyway.
The only other advice I'd give is to avoid setting yourself a tight schedule. Once you get it in your head that you are "behind schedule" you can drain the fun out of a day very quickly. Stop when you want to stop and ride when you want to ride. You'll get there when you get there. Just keep enough cash to purchase a bus or train ticket to your final destination if you run out of time so that you don't wind up stressing about "getting there."
ideasculptor07.22.09 - 2:10 am
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Don't go to Florida. There are no (and I mean NO) hills for your bike riding. But, if you want to come out to see a completely different group of flora and fauna, you might check it out. Overall, I'd advise against it. Florida has the most cyclists killed on the streets (per capita) from impacts with automobiles. No bike infrastructure here.
tern07.27.09 - 6:49 pm
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do everything Sam said except go in the opposite direction. there's seriously pesky headwinds for Northbound tourists.
onethirtynine07.27.09 - 7:07 pm
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Here's the text of an article that a fellow LA rider sent to me last week. The upshot: Florida cars are tough on bikes. Here you go:
TAMPA BAY, FL (BRAIN)—A Tampa Bay coalition of retail bicycle stores called SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers) is requesting governments at all levels in Florida launch a campaign to fight the bicyclist fatality rate that is number one in the country again.
Florida had 119 bicyclists killed in 2007—the most in the country, according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Second was California with 109 bicyclist fatalities in 2007, even though California has twice the population of Florida.
The total number of bicyclists killed in the country was 698 in 2007. Florida had 28 percent of all the bicyclist fatalities in the U.S. in '07.
Florida also had 6.52 bicyclists killed per million population—about three times the national average of 2.31 in 2007.
Second and third behind Florida in bicyclist fatality rates were Louisiana at 5.12 and South Carolina at 4.54 per million.
Texas, another warm weather state with more residents than Florida, had 48 bicyclist deaths in 2007—or a bicyclist fatality rate of 2.01, less than a third of Florida, according to the federal data.
"We need governments at all levels to encourage bicycling and also to design streets and roads that are safe for both bicyclists and cars to share," said Alan Snel, director of SWFBUD, a coalition of eight retail bicycle stores and one lawyer in the Tampa Bay region committed to growing bicycling in the area.
"It's unacceptable that Florida continues to lead the nation year after year in not only the number of bicyclists killed but also the bicyclist fatality rate. Our bicyclist fatality rate is three times the national average and our governments need to do a better job at providing roads that safely accommodate bicyclists as much as they do cars."
Bicyclists accounted for 13 percent of all non-occupant traffic fatalities in 2007 and the 698 bicyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of the 41,049 traffic fatalities nationwide during 2007.
"The fact is thousands and thousands of Floridians ride their bicycles every day and we need to do everything we can as a state to make sure their rides are not perilous," Snel said.
This is me again: So, I guess it isn't just per capita. Florida kills the most cyclists than any other state.
tern07.27.09 - 7:11 pm
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training isn't really that important but i would suggest doing a few shorter tours so that you get your methodology down. that way you'll figure out what you really need to bring on your bike. sucks to be lugging around something that you never use but it's worse to find that you need something which you forgot to bring.
try going on a couple weekend trips. do an overnight ride to Pt. Mugu, Leo Carillo, Canyon Country or Angeles Forest. or take the train to Santa Barbara or SLO and ride down in a weekend. or ride down to San Diego with a stop at San Clemente/San Onofre State Park.
training for the biking part of the trip is the least of your worries. i find it's more important to figure out how much to bring and how to use it all.
onethirtynine07.27.09 - 7:18 pm
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stay out of arizona - it was like 115 in phoenix today!!!
i miss los angeles :( i wanna go home :(
d-styles07.27.09 - 7:44 pm
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im touring cross country right now.
ive learned that there are so many approaches to touring its really up to you.
some of the cats on my ride have heavy internally geared steal cross checks, some have all carbon set ups with sti shifters.
try for 100 rpms a minute.
eat every 30 minutes to an hour, not when you hungry.
im late, ive gotta go hit some rockies right now. peace.
mikeywally07.28.09 - 6:28 am
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For those of you who have toured, did you train at all, or did you just hop on your bike and go?
Nygmatic09.4.09 - 1:22 pm
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If you ride on a daily basis, training is not really necessary. Touring is slow and you determine your own pace so take it easy and let time slow down...eat a lot and stop a lot. Have you done some 24-48hr trips to places like San Diego or Santa Barbara? It's good practice and helps you evaluate your equipment.
You could start by joining an organized ride. I've done RAGBRAI the last three years, self-contained (don't buy the wristband cause you don't need it) with Team SKA. They are all ridazz, but from Iowa. It's super fun. Lots of beer and bike camping and exploring a completely different part of the USA.
A friend of mine rode from Canada to SanFran this summer....he planned to come all the way home to LA, but it was taking way longer than he planned so he had to catch the train back for school. Backup plans like public transportation are really nice.
richbell09.4.09 - 4:04 pm
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