Routing and Navigation
We planned the first third of our route ourselves, and the remaining two-thirds we used published routes from the Adventure Cycling Association. I'd have to say that the ACA routes were no better than the ones we planned ourselves. Without knowing what alternatives may be available, a lot of the ACA route was on roads with either bad surfaces or bad traffic or both. Their maps are somewhat handy, but could be improved. Here are three specifics: 1) Rather than have distances between markers, like an old-style highway map, they should have mileage markers. That way the distance between any two points can be computed with one subtraction rather than having to add up all the segments. 2) The relationship between the elevation profiles and points on the map is poor. This too could be fixed with mileage markers on the elevation profiles. 3) There is very little detail for off-route roads. So if you go off route at all (for example to a motel or cafe) the maps are not helpful. I will say that the ACA route from Folsom to San Francisco was super; I'm not sure we would have sussed out all those bike paths on our own.For our DIY route planning, we used RideWithGPS on a desktop to "suggest" an initial route. RWGPS uses Google Maps as its underlying mapping engine. It has several options that control which roads it uses. If you optimize for cycling, it tends to include gravel roads. So sometimes it's better to optimize for driving, but avoid highways. Then we used the satellite view and Street View from within RWGPS to see what the road looks like. Unfortunately it's easy to be fooled into thinking a gravel road is paved because of the gray line overlaid over it. Once the route was selected, we looked for towns along the way that would be likely to have motels. The motels show up in RWGPS if you zoom in far enough, but it's easier to just use Google Maps. After picking the motels, we would add them to the route as Points of Interest.
Unfortunately it's very hard or impossible to plan or update routes using just a phone. We ended up doing most of it on PCs either at motels that had them or at relatives' houses when we were there. Tom was able to plan our Panguich-to-Milford shortcut using his phone, but for much more than that you need a PC, which is too bad. It seems that the ultimate cycling route planning and navigating app still does not exist.
Once the routes were created, we downloaded them into our in-ride navigation devices. Mine consisted of the RideWithGPS app running on my phone, complemented by loading the same routes onto my Garmin 500. Tom had a new Wahoo ELMNT that featured mapping and automatic syncing. It was good to have the same routes different devices; at times each provided critical information that was obscure on the others. But I think next time I would use a dedicated mapping computer rather than the phone. First, the RideWithGPS app has a number of annoying bugs and quirks. Second, the phone would occasionally insist on acting like a phone rather than a navigation device: the screen would lock, or a notification would pop up, or the app would hide itself, or whatever. Third, the map case interferes with the touch screen, making it hard to pan or zoom or whatever. This was especially bad on wet or humid days. Fourth, on hot days the phone would occasionally overheat in the map case and shut itself down. These things tended to happen at exactly the worst possible moments. So I think the right solution is to have a dedicated mapping bike computer (Tom likes his ELEMNT) and supplement it with a phone with offline map and route data for backup and to provide more detail when needed.
Motels
I have a new checklist for evaluating hotel rooms: (1) comfortable bed (2) coffee maker (3) free breakfast (4) good Wi-Fi (5) fridge and microwave (6) shampoo (7) adequate plugs for chargers. Even our budget motels often checked most or all of the boxes. The one thing I'd pay more attention to next time is location, specifically proximity to food and grocery options. We did not have any motels (even the $35 Oak Park in Greenfield MO) that I would deem unacceptably bad.Gear
The setup of a bikepacking bag (the large sausage-shaped saddle bag) and the handlebar bag worked very well. I had debated using small lightweight rack-mounted panniers instead but am glad I didn't. The extra weight makes the bike a bit top-heavy, but it's really only noticeable when parking. I used the Apidura bikepacking bag and the Ortlieb handlebar bag and was very happy with both. I mounted my Orlieb bag on my carbon handlebars even though that's not recommended. I used an aftermarket mount from Klickfix rather than the Orlieb one because I liked the idea of a clamp rather than a cable digging into my bars.We were very lucky with the weather, but even so, we were slightly unprepared for the cold weather we did get. In particular hills combined with cold combined with wind makes for tricky management of moisture and layering, much more so than on flat terrain. The one change I would make is to add a proper thermal base layer. I bought such a base layer shirt in Ely, Nevada, and it made a world of difference. I also had a softshell jacket plus an ultralight raincoat; with the addition of the base layer that was plenty. The alternative, which Tom had, would be an insulating layer (fleece or wool) plus a multi-layer jacket (like Gore-Tex). I think either is OK depending on your preference.
We were able to do laundry every day, either using the motel sink and drip-drying in the sun, or using machines available at the motel or a next-door laundromat, so in our case at least one set of cycling clothes would have been sufficient. If I had to trade something out to add the base layer, it would be one set of cycling shorts.
My gearing was a compact crank (50/34) with an 11-28 cassette. It was low enough, but just barely. I think the steepest climb we encountered was South Pittsburgh Mountain in Tennessee. From then on I was worried about having low enough gears for the steep climbs in Utah but it turned out to be OK. So I think the 11-28 was good overall, and I'd go with that again.
I ran my carbon Enve SES 3.4 wheels. I was a bit concerned about the braking performance, but had no problem. We did not have much wet descending but what little we did have (primarily from Lizard Head Pass) was fine.
We had no serious bike problems of any kind. I attribute that to a combination of luck and preparation. I worked hard before trip to make sure my bike was up to snuff: bearings, cables, shifters, pedals, chain, and so on.
We tried to wipe our chains clean and re-lube them every couple days. I had intended to replace my chain in Telluride but did not get to it. I haven't yet measured my chain for wear but it was still running quietly and shifting fine at the end of the trip. I also had spare brake pads but ended up not using them. My bar tape unraveled a bit somewhere in Missouri but after I rewrapped it, it stayed in place. I had to tweak the cable tension on the rear derailleur once or twice, after which my shifting worked flawlessly. Tom's headset had a slight creak when he stood to climb; the bike shop in Salida was able to take care of that. We washed our bikes three times, using brushes we either borrowed, or bought and discarded.
Our Continental Gatorskin tires served us well. Something tore the sidewall of my rear tire in Tennessee; I used a dollar bill to reinforce it until we replaced the rear tires in Utah. The dollar bill worked well except that it eventually abraded the inner tube and caused a flat. After that I got some duct tape and used that on the inside of the tire instead.
Overall I think I had maybe 5 or 6 flats and Tom had 4. We patched our tubes, which worked well as long as we used the glue-on patches (none of our glue-on patches failed). We ran out of inner tube patches and as a result got precariously low on spare tubes at one point. So we ordered some extra tubes and had them sent ahead in Kansas. Then it turned out that two of them had defective valve stems. We found some additional glue-on patches at a pawn shop and we set for tubes after that.
Here is a complete list of my gear, plus a few items that I wish I'd brought.
Bike
Firefly custom titanium road bike
SRAM Red 10sp drivetrain 50/34 x 11-28
ENVE SES 3.4 wheels
Continental Gatorskin tires, 700x25c
Bags
Apidura bikepacking bag, 17L
Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Classic-M Handlebar bag, 7L
Apidura top-tube bag, small, for camera
Apidura top-tube bag mounted upside-down, medium, for tools
Cycling Clothes
jersey (2)
shorts (2)
socks (2)
gloves
warm gloves
arm warmers (sent these home; did not use)
tights
beanie
base layer shirt (purchased in Ely)
rain jacket
softshell cycling jacket
sunglasses
cycling cap (mainly for rain; did not really use)
Non-cycling Clothes
lightweight pants
silk boxers
sport shirt
flip flops
Cycling Gear
computer
HR monitor
headlight
taillight
water bottles (2x1L)
platypus (3L) (did not need; weather was cool)
pepper spray (did not need; a few friendly chasers but no mean ones)
Personal Items
reading glasses
toothbrush
toothpaste
advil
comb
phone
folding keyboard
earplugs
plastic cutlery
first aid kit
laundry soap (refilled twice)
sandwich bags
chamois cream
plastic bag to line bikepack
salt tablets
Electronics
camera
3-port USB charger
portable charger (sent home; did not need)
phone charger cord
OTG cable (phone to garmin)
Garmin charger cord
HRM charger cord
taillight charger cord
Tools and Gear
spare spokes
multi tool (hex wrenches, chain tool)
chain lube
tubes (2)
pump
microfiber rags
spoke wrench
spoke twist tool
spoke nipples
CR2032 battery for powertap
headlight battery
brake pads (did not need)
Stein mini cassette tool
powertap tool
SRAM powerlinks
mini leatherman tool (pliers, knife, scissors)
13mm cone wrench
tire patch kit
tire levers
co2 cartridge (sent this home; the pump worked well)
inflator (ditto)
spd cleat bolts
electrical tape
zip ties
Things I wish I'd had
bottle opener
small one-port USB charger so phone charging did not have to share with other devices
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteI suppose instead of the mini leatherman tool, you could go with a swiss army knife which would also have a bottle opener.
I'm still not convinced of using the front handlebar bag. It is surely a major aerodynamic drag, plus it would also make the front end a bit flakey in cross winds - what would have been the problem with putting it's contents in the rear saddle bag, did you not have enough room?
What was the problem with the phone sharing the 3 port usb charger?
I think the elemnt bolt is great for following a route, but you'd definitely have to make sure all routes are preloaded before the trip. Also, if you do have to diverge from the route, it can't do on the fly navigation, but of course google maps on the phone could work for those cases. Also, did you not consider using a handlebar mount for the phone rather than putting it in the front handlebar bag? That would avoid the problem with screen interface through a plastic cover.
for the 13mm cone wrench, was this for pedals, or something else? I have a multi-tool which has a pedal wrench inside, very practical if you want to travel with pedals only.
what pump did you bring, a small mini one, or something bigger?
What camera did you bring that your phone wouldn't have sufficed?'
Did you weigh your bikes with all the gear on them? I think you may have answered this already, but can't remember.
Thanks for all the detail on everything, it's really interesting to understand all of this in case I ever plan anything similar...
Rich, I will try to answer your questions as best I can.
ReplyDeleteThe key aspect of the leatherman was the pliers. I thought I could somehow employ it as an opener too but failed. Fortunately my college-age son has taught me several ways to open a beer bottle without tools.
The key feature of the front bag was easy access, especially for food and clothes (quickly adding/subtracting layers). Definitely not available with the seat bag. I was skeptical too, but honestly, I did not feel it was an encumbrance while riding. Also I think it's good to balance some weight onto the front of the bike. The only drawback I saw is that it made the bars want to flop over when trying to park the bike. If you were really opposed I think the best alternative would be a larger top-tube bag plus jersey pockets.
The 3-port charger meant all the devices had to stay together when charging. Often I'd want to take my phone somewhere else (to the bar, or across the room). Not a big deal.
A handlebar mount for the phone would definitely improve the situation but I think touch screens in general are troublesome. We looked into some of the devices that have on-the-fly routing but none seemed reliable enough to trust. The fact is Tom's setup worked well; mine was OK except for the screen problem. Google Maps is a good backup, especially with downloaded maps (which I had). The new Karoo looks interesting.
The cone wrench was due to my Apidura bikepacking bag contacting the rear brake cable housing, and causing the brake (SRAM Red) to un-center. You can sort of see it here. So I fabricated a tiny wrench out of aluminum to be able to adjust it once the bag was in place. (The adjustment from the centering screws is too fine.)
Tom had a Lezene HP Micro Floor Drive Mini Pump with a built-in gauge. It was awesome. Small, light, and worked well. I think the essential feature of a mini pump is some kind of hose, so you can brace the pump against something. In this case, the floor.
The key feature of the camera is one-handed operation. I could pull it out and snap a picture while riding. Plus I did drop it once; I don't think you'd want to risk that with a phone. Also a real camera zooms much better and handles tricky lighting better.
Yes, both bikes were about 32lbs (14.5kg) fully loaded, without food or water.