TIPS AND TRICKS

PAC 98 E-W 97 GEAR TIPS JOURNALS LINKS WHAT'S NEW ME ADVOCACY

TIPS AND TRICKS

If you are getting ready to go long distances by bike, you've stopped at the right page. Because you see something on this page does not mean I did them. But they are on here because I've learned through the school of hard knocks that I should have done many things differently.

TIPS FOR GOING CROSS COUNTRY or TIPS FOR GOING DOWN THE COAST

CROSS COUNTRY TIPS

1.) GET THE RIGHT GEARING!! TREK 520s like mine come with a granny half step gearing system which I found to be far from adequate for hills in the Appalachians and Ozarks. You should have something approaching mountain bike gearing. My front chain ring should have been 42-32-22 (or something close) and the rear ring should go from 12-32 (again, or something close.)

2.) TRAVEL WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER RIDER. Unless you really like doing things on your own, I found that traveling with a partner can be a.) safer; b.) more entertaining - - someone to talk to; c.) helpful - - someone to help fix your bike; d.) someone to share expenses; e.) a ready witness which often deters motorists from doing stupid things.

3.) TRAVEL EAST TO WEST. Many people believe they should go West to East because of the winds. Everyone I talked to going both ways said they experienced winds from all directions at all speeds. There was no evidence to show the winds blew from predominantly one direction. Also, with the exception of Ochoco Pass, I would not have wanted to climb the hills and mountains I descended! Some were downright ugly (the road from Vesuvius to the Blue Ridge, the climb to Hoosier, etc.) Lastly, who, in their right mind, wants to confront the Ozarks and Appalachians in the dead of summer and East coast humidity?!?!?!

4.) TAKE A BIKE MAINTENANCE CLASS. You may not remember everything taught in the class but you'll feel more comfortable doing the simpler tasks.

5.) GET IN SHAPE AND PRACTICE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON HILLS. Also be sure to get lots and lots of saddle time. Train for duration and not mileage.

6.) PRACTICE USING YOUR GEAR. Erect your tent a few times and practice using your stove! Nothing is more irritating than getting to camp realizing some parts don't work on your stove or you forgot to bring all the components to your tent or lost the instructions. Learn before you leave!

7.) LEARN A BIT ABOUT GRADES AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOU. For example, a 7% grade equates to climbing approximately 370 vertical feet for every horizontal mile traveled. It may not sound like much but trying doing it for mile after mile after mile with an 85 pound bike! With practice you should hope to achieve anywhere from 4-7 MPH on these kinds of grades. Speed depends on your fitness level and bike gearing. A 6% grade should get you between 6 and 9 MPH. A 5% Grade should give you the ability to cruise between 8 and 12 MPH.

8.) GET ONLINE. Using hotmail.com or rocketmail.com or yahoo.com you can have an easily transportable email system.

9.) INVEST IN GOOD RAIN GEAR.

10.) KEEP EVERYTHING IN PLASTIC BAGS.

11.) TAKE ALONG A SMALL RADIO FOR NEWS AND MUSIC.

12.) USE TUFFIE TIRE LINERS.

13.) ROTATE TIRES HALFWAY THROUGH TO WEAR THEM MORE EVENLY.

14.) LUBE CHAIN AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK OR AFTER ANY RAIN.

15.) CARRY 4 OR 5 PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS TO ACT AS BOOTIES.

16.) CALL HOME PERIODICALLY.

17.) GET SOME GLOVES.

18.) USE SEALED BEARINGS.

19.) INVEST IN A GOOD CYCLOMETER—NOT NECESSARILY EXPENSIVE, JUST DEPENDABLE.

20.) CARRY EXTRA BATTERIES FOR EVERYTHING (COMPUTER, FLASHLIGHT, CAMERA, WATCH).

PACIFIC COAST TIPS

Many of these are just a repetition of the above but I've no way to be sure you'd read the above so, in case you did read the above, the Pacific tips are listed first and the repeated ones come after. (Gee! Aren't I a nice guy!)

1.) TRAVEL NORTH TO SOUTH--- unless you really relish strong headwinds that kick up early in the day. Plus there are virtually no shoulders to ride on northbound. With all the traffic on the roads, you may very well regret going against conventional wisdom. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why the Departments of Transportation in Oregon and California incorporated shoulders ONLY on southbound.

2.) USE HIKER/BIKER SITES. They are considerably cheaper than a regular site ($3/4 vs. $17-$20). If you are in a group of 4 or more, then a regular campsite may be better as sometimes the location of the H/B sites leave much to be desired. Plus you have more peace of mind from possible vagrants.

3.) RIDE AGGRESSIVELY AND DEFEND YOUR TURF (EXCEPT AGAINST TRUCKERS!) I go into this at length in the journal. This does not mean being an asshole. It means use you mirror, watch traffic behind you, leave yourself an avenue of escape, make yourself as large as possible, use your outstretched arm to not only take more space but slow down traffic behind you. Use common sense!! The roads are perilous, oftentimes the worse climbs have no shoulders and have precipitous drops to the ocean below.

4.) KEEP YOUR BIKE LOCKED AT ALL TIMES ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

5.) GET THE RIGHT GEARING!! TREK 520s like mine come with a granny half step gearing system which I found to be far from adequate for hills in the Appalachians and Ozarks. You should have something approaching mountain bike gearing. My front chain ring should have been 42-32-22 (or something close) and the rear ring should go from 12-32 (again, or something close.)

6.) TRAVEL WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER RIDER. Unless you really like doing things on your own, I found that traveling with a partner can be a.) safer; b.) more entertaining - - someone to talk to; c.) helpful - - someone to help fix your bike; d.) someone to share expenses; e.) a ready witness which often deters motorists from doing stupid things.

7.) TAKE A BIKE MAINTENANCE CLASS. You may not remember everything taught in the class but you'll feel more comfortable doing the simpler tasks.

8.) GET IN SHAPE AND PRACTICE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON HILLS. Also be sure to get lots and lots of saddle time. Train for duration and not mileage.

9.) PRACTICE USING YOUR GEAR. Erect your tent a few times and practice using your stove! Nothing is more irritating than getting to camp realizing some parts don't work on your stove or you forgot to bring all the components to your tent or lost the instructions. Learn before you leave!

10.) LEARN A BIT ABOUT GRADES AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOU. For example, a 7% grade equates to climbing approximately 370 vertical feet for every horizontal mile traveled. It may not sound like much but trying doing it for mile after mile after mile with an 85 pound bike! With practice you should hope to achieve anywhere from 4-7 MPH on these kinds of grades. Speed depends on your fitness level and bike gearing. A 6% grade should get you between 6 and 9 MPH. A 5% Grade should give you the ability to cruise between 8 and 12 MPH.

11.) GET ONLINE. Using hotmail.com or rocketmail.com or yahoo.com you can have an easily transportable email system.

12.) INVEST IN GOOD RAIN GEAR.

13.) KEEP EVERYTHING IN PLASTIC BAGS.

14.) TAKE ALONG A SMALL RADIO FOR NEWS AND MUSIC.

15.) USE TUFFIE TIRE LINERS.

16.) LUBE CHAIN AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK OR AFTER ANY RAIN.

17.) CARRY 4 OR 5 PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS TO ACT AS BOOTIES.

18.) CALL HOME PERIODICALLY.

19.) USE SEALED BEARINGS.

20.) INVEST IN A GOOD CYCLOMETER—NOT NECESSARILY EXPENSIVE, JUST DEPENDABLE.

21.) CARRY EXTRA BATTERIES FOR EVERYTHING (COMPUTER, FLASHLIGHT, CAMERA, WATCH).

I'd appreciate your feedback on this site. Send me your thoughts!