Cross country biking

[Shakou]

We attempted this last summer. We were trying to bike from NH out to Oregon. We barely made it into Vermont before I ended up getting really sick and we were forced to turn back, haha. We may try biking the west coast this summer though.

 

[Thoreau]

That's too much weight on you're back wheel - just in case you didn't know.

I'm currently on a brief parenthesis of my trip. Just come back round after doing the North of Spain and the whole of Portugal - three and a half months more or less.

Spent nearly two months with no tools, only a spoke key and a crayon as they all got nicked in Faro. From that experience ... a spoke key, a crayon and a knife will get you through most basic repairs ... anything else you just have to go to a bike shop ... most will sort you out even without money.

K.m

3 and a half months ? :/
This summer i was thinking about goin from Oporto (kinda where i live) to at least Sevilha, in less than 1 month, also would be great to get to barcelona in 1 and a half month.
I think I have a litle above avarage resistence, for an 18yr
You think i can do it?

 

[Kabukimono]

3 and a half months ? :/
This summer i was thinking about goin from Oporto (kinda where i live) to at least Sevilha, in less than 1 month, also would be great to get to barcelona in 1 and a half month.
I think I have a litle above avarage resistence, for an 18yr
You think i can do it?

I think that's plenty of time!! what you thinking - Down the coast right to El Algarve and across into Spain or cutting down directly from Porto?
So you can calculate more or less. I managed 1'400km in 20 days, with no previous cycling experience on more or less okay grounds.
17 days to do 600km in the North of Spain in serious mountain ranges and I took two weeks to come up from Faro, up the N2 detouring twice, one through el Geoparque Naturalejo and the other through the Serra de Estrela.

Personally, you mark you're rhythm, you choose you're speed and whether you want too or not you're body will gain stamina and consistency to continue pushing yourself daily.

Oh yes. 3 1/2 months and I get back out there in a couple weeks.

K.m

 

[Thoreau]

I think that's plenty of time!! what you thinking - Down the coast right to El Algarve and across into Spain or cutting down directly from Porto?
So you can calculate more or less. I managed 1'400km in 20 days, with no previous cycling experience on more or less okay grounds.
17 days to do 600km in the North of Spain in serious mountain ranges and I took two weeks to come up from Faro, up the N2 detouring twice, one through el Geoparque Naturalejo and the other through the Serra de Estrela.

Personally, you mark you're rhythm, you choose you're speed and whether you want too or not you're body will gain stamina and consistency to continue pushing yourself daily.

Oh yes. 3 1/2 months and I get back out there in a couple weeks.

K.m

I was thinking down the coast, like really close to the beach becouse climbs are not pretty when your cycle xd
For your experience it sounded like everything went okay. Probably at the return trip I will go directly from Sevilha to Porto, probably wont go to Barcelona. Also the map shows some turns but thats for cars so ignore those
So I guess about 1000km, kinda

http://g.co/maps/yh7t6

It will be with very hot weather, that can be a drag, but I guess thats why you have the sea.
Can you show me a picture of your bike? Im pretty sure the old one I have now wont do the job.

 

[Kabukimono]

I was thinking down the coast, like really close to the beach becouse climbs are not pretty when your cycle xd
For your experience it sounded like everything went okay. Probably at the return trip I will go directly from Sevilha to Porto, probably wont go to Barcelona. Also the map shows some turns but thats for cars so ignore those
So I guess about 1000km, kinda

http://g.co/maps/yh7t6

It will be with very hot weather, that can be a drag, but I guess thats why you have the sea.
Can you show me a picture of your bike? Im pretty sure the old one I have now wont do the job.

In all honesty, there's very little of Portugal's coast where you actually get to cycle directly by the sea. Most of the time, you'll be cycling on roads 5km inland.

Yeah, went well for me. I'll touch wood so it keeps going well xD

Just so you know for you're return trip. At Covilhâ where you have the Serra La Estrela - there's a serious 2000m mountain climb, just in case you want to avoid it.

There's probably more than 1000km - 1600km would be my guess. But whats a few more kilometers once you in

That's what's gotten me around - now it's had a little work on and I also have a front rack

There's an alternative route you can take once you pass Portimâo if you want.
Instead of heading on the N120 towards Faro (which IMO is a really dangerous and boring road, not to mention the abusive prices of the tourist parts of El Algarve) you can head inland to Silves and from there, there is a back road that takes you all the way to Tavir. There is some climbs (nothing too outrageous) but the scenery, the towns and the people are wonderful, there's also some really sweet stealth camping spots. Oh and you skip out on all the mass tourists that you have in Albufeira, Faro, etc.

Out of curiosity, are you planning on heading up to Mértola to not pay the boat across or because you wanted to go that way? because the motorway is only a little 3km stretch. I know ... you're ''not allowed'' to cycle on them. But it can be done xD


K.m

 

[disconstruct]

I'm riding cross country starting June 9th from Virginia Beach to the Bay Area.

 

[Matt Derrick]

I'm riding cross country starting June 9th from Virginia Beach to the Bay Area.

awesome! are you doing it alone?

 

[Thoreau]

In all honesty, there's very little of Portugal's coast where you actually get to cycle directly by the sea. Most of the time, you'll be cycling on roads 5km inland.

Yeah, went well for me. I'll touch wood so it keeps going well xD

Just so you know for you're return trip. At Covilhâ where you have the Serra La Estrela - there's a serious 2000m mountain climb, just in case you want to avoid it.

There's probably more than 1000km - 1600km would be my guess. But whats a few more kilometers once you in

That's what's gotten me around - now it's had a little work on and I also have a front rack

There's an alternative route you can take once you pass Portimâo if you want.
Instead of heading on the N120 towards Faro (which IMO is a really dangerous and boring road, not to mention the abusive prices of the tourist parts of El Algarve) you can head inland to Silves and from there, there is a back road that takes you all the way to Tavir. There is some climbs (nothing too outrageous) but the scenery, the towns and the people are wonderful, there's also some really sweet stealth camping spots. Oh and you skip out on all the mass tourists that you have in Albufeira, Faro, etc.

Out of curiosity, are you planning on heading up to Mértola to not pay the boat across or because you wanted to go that way? because the motorway is only a little 3km stretch. I know ... you're ''not allowed'' to cycle on them. But it can be done xD


K.m

In the north where I live you have more inner routes that go much closer by the sea, some are just shortcuts in the woods, but doesnt matter, as long as its steady terrain so you can keep goin nicely.

For the return trip, yup I know the huge 2km height mountain, been there, only by car though. Its steep but than again all that whole area is, no idea what will be my return path but it will not be as easy.

I dont know any N120 in the Algarve, google maps only tells N125 wich is the very long one that everyone takes when visiting the Algarve, even me, been there, and yea it might be dangerours for bikes with all the traffic, increased traffic now that you have to pay on the highway.

The Mertola part is just google map planing that wasnt fixed xD, since i clicked the thingy to avoid freeways it went all that way and it bugged when i tried to fix, but maybe il go on the freeway, crossing the bridge, it has places for bikes i guess, been there and took a picture:

btw nice bike

 

[Kabukimono]

In the north where I live you have more inner routes that go much closer by the sea, some are just shortcuts in the woods, but doesnt matter, as long as its steady terrain so you can keep goin nicely.

For the return trip, yup I know the huge 2km height mountain, been there, only by car though. Its steep but than again all that whole area is, no idea what will be my return path but it will not be as easy.

I dont know any N120 in the Algarve, google maps only tells N125 wich is the very long one that everyone takes when visiting the Algarve, even me, been there, and yea it might be dangerours for bikes with all the traffic, increased traffic now that you have to pay on the highway.

The Mertola part is just google map planing that wasnt fixed xD, since i clicked the thingy to avoid freeways it went all that way and it bugged when i tried to fix, but maybe il go on the freeway, crossing the bridge, it has places for bikes i guess, been there and took a picture:

btw nice bike

Oh in that case, if you know back roads - sweet!!

hehe, you have a point, it's all nice and hilly. I highly recommend the mountain ... took me forever to peak it, but the view is just truly superb! and you have 25km downhill once you peak

Yes, my bad, the N125 - my map's all drawn on and full of lines, thought it said N120. Yeah tell me about it. That is one thing I really didn't like of Portugal - all the lorries on the secondary roads so they don't pay the motorway, they have absolutely no care for us fragile cyclists.

I was told that there wasn't but if there is cool. Didn't get up to there. But I did a 110km stretch on the motorway in Spain - It was that .. or taking a 200km detour ... fuck that

Cheers man.

K.m

 

[disconstruct]

awesome! are you doing it alone?

Nope! I'm going with my best bud, I'm super stoked. We should be out west by August, we plan on doing a lot of stopping though.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

awesome thread. just got a nice mountain/touring bike 30 bucks at the flea market and i got a schwinn rack and used one of my dogs first saddle bags as the back pannier and use it regularly cant really tramp around on it for days or weeks because my dog but he runs alongside

 

[anotherbadidea]

I met a few people who put their dog in a kiddie trailer and it seemed to work well. It would slow you down a bit but that's not much of an issue in bike touring. Anyone who's thinking of traveling by bike should just go for it. The cycling community is quick to tell you that you need all this crap to do it but its all bullshit. I have met people on 50 dollar mountain bikes with a big dog going across country and they were fine. I realized that most cyclist were full of shit with all the things I was told I "needed". Its 90 percent mental and the rest is just sitting there spinning your legs all day.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

Yeah exactly right. My bike cost 30 bucks, I buy used gear and I dumpstered a new sprocket rear rim. But really people do it with a kiddie trailer how big? my dudes 65 pounds, but then i would still have maybe 20 in the trailer for odds and ends. I had always thought this but wasn't sure how that'd be

 

[anotherbadidea]

The guy I met was going down the west coast and he had a lab mix that was probably around that same weight. Try and get as much weight on the front of your bike and it will make it easier. I made a trailer and ended up going out for two days with my dog and he is 60 pounds, but it was in Florida, and there was no hills. I spent around 40 dollars to make it and I saw one at wal mart for 50. If i was going to do it again I would just buy one because its hard to get the homemade trailer to track straight and not wobble at high speeds.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

Yeah i made a cart to pull behind me while walking before and my dog walked with. Hauled that fuckin cart like four or five miles to my friends it is hard to get the tracking and lack of wobble right. So you used a trailer and hauled your dog in it? i could do that and then just have him walk along when the road and timing is right because my dog doesn't need a lease