wow we are back to talking about it already again. time flies!
since last years run, i picked up a pretty light geared road bike that i am really enjoying riding. if the weather is looking nice that weekend this might be the year to give gears a go in true credit card touring style and just throw some spare clothes on my back.
of course if there is any threat of rain i'll be back with the fullest fenders i can find. but maybe even the rain bike needs gears this year?
never done it with gears before...
whatever the eventual bike choice is, i look forward to the annual "spring tune up" again this year.
see you all at the bell bright and early hopefully
Ok. I'm in. Calvin's is out. Some of yinz, should you find CTC fun, otta consider the Pittsburgh Randonneurs 1000K on August 3rd. It makes a big loop in western PA and into the southern tier of NY. There are some other Pgh Rando rides leading up to it too so you get a taste of what brevets are like, but it should be a heckuva good time.
So, I may be out after all. My kids are in their high school spring play. It is my son's last hurrah. It is also very likely to be the final weekend in April.
Looks as if that section of the GAP trail holding that stick will have to wait to receive my retribution.
@Arielle - You should be able to box your bike and take it on Amtrak or Greyhound. Some people have used Megabus without problems, but the box is typically larger than what Megabus allows, so you are taking a chance with them.
Info on boxing a bike: http://www.wikihow.com/Ship-a-Bicycle-Cheaply
Been thinking about this one alot, and I'm ready to give it a go this year. Anybody have a ride share kind of thing going to get back into the Philly Area?
the problem there is your bike doesn't go on the same train as you so you have to go to 30th street a day or two later to pick it up (it travels to DC first then to philly). since i work a few blocks away form 30th street that is no problem for me.
amtrak is definitely the most laid back ride home. the bus may be cheaper, but it is often crowded and full of people i'd rather not sit next to for hours if you know what i am sayin. i did the bus last year and the train in years past. on the train he seats are huge and you have room to really stretch out (even me at 6'3") which is really nice when the involuntary cramping fires you up out of a nap. plus you got a friggin bar car on the train. after 400 miles drinking a couple heinekins and taking a good long nap on the way home is AWESOME!
so yeah if you can afford the train and don't mind your bike not arriving with you i highly recommmend it.
in years past i have also rented cars but between gas and tolls now unless you have a few people the train or bus is much cheaper.
Noah, I may be interested in a ride share back to nyc. If we can get a few people that would rule. I can't imagine trying to box my bike and then somehow catch a bus after I show up at god knows what time in Pittsburgh after 400 miles of rain.
To those trying to get to Philly by bus, Boltbus is the way to go if they offer service from where you're coming from. I've never had them turn me away with my bike, which does not need to be boxed. You just throw it under and off you go. Megabus makes you box it and when I took it to Pburgh last year for this they gave me a hard time. After a lot of shouting they let me on.
Max, What tire size have you been running? I was wondering if 38's would be overkill... I'm loving my 35's right now, but I was thinking about a little more cushion. My Fargo has plenty of room for big tires and fenders. J
slowly coming down in weight over the years from the bombproof conti toptouring tires i ran the first year.
the only bad experience i had was running panaracer tserv's (28's)one year. ironically a guy i rode with for a while was having a bad time on his too that year. so we both swore off serv's forever but i am thinking it was just combined bad luck. i know lots of people with good experiences with them.
good luck with 28c ribmo's the past two years in the back with something lighter in front.
if your from philly i'd offer this advice. use the lightest tire you can ride forbidden drive comfortably on at "race" speed. nothing on the course is any worse than the rough sections of forbidden (the gravel of the allegheny passage is much smoother and better maintained than forbidden).
i hope this isn't jinxing it, but this year i am going with some light skinny 25c kenda road tires. so far in my tasting they seem pretty tough.
more than anything if you have "undersized" tires, i'd say just make it a point to take it easy through the tunnels. it would be easy to pinch a tire through there (especially in the dark) but other than that you pretty much have normal roads and smooth gravel to contend with for the other 380 or so miles.
the trexler brothers (current godfathers of this thing) seemed to be riding roadbike setups with maybe 25's (but probably just there normal road bike tires).
so, to answer your question, for me 35's would be plenty...
you could always put a bigger tire up front for cushion and a smaller tire in back for efficiency???
really it comes down to having a bike you'll feel comfortable on and have fun pedalling all damn day.
have run the every year, never regretted having them.
there is a small chance, if the weather looks fantastic, that i may ride my fenderless roadbike but if there is even a chance of rain i'll be there on my fullfendered crosscheck singlespeed.
Thanks for the insight. I have been using forbidden drive and some other gravel trails as my test zone for comfort at speed. Good to know theres nothing rougher than that. I'll likely stick with what I have and go with the fenders, if weather dictates.
What time is train are you planning on taking home? I assume you need the bike boxed, are you planning on buying one at Amtrak or cruising to a bike shop in Pittsburgh?
i just checked and the latest train is leaving pittsburgh that day is at 7:20AM...
i don't really feel like subjecting anyone to trying to get me to the train that early that day so now i am not sure what to do...
might have to do the bus. sucks, i hate the bus.
if you do take amtrak they have boxes (not even sure you can bring your bike pre-boxed but check if you were planning to do it). it might cost like 15-25 bicks? it will go to DC then meet you in philly a day or so later.
amtrak boxes are pretty nice (HUGE). you just loosen the stem turn the bars and the bike rolls in.
but they want you to be there like 30 minutes prior if you want to do the bike thing. that would mean arriving there sunday before 7AM.
sh!t... why no afternoon train (or at least late morning) for slackers?
31 comments:
Aww yeah. Should I really tempt fate by doing CTC and Calvins Challenge two weekends in a row? Not sure if it's wise to try.
Friday start? Works for me.
Sweet. I was on the fence about CtC this year, but why the heck not?
Rule change for 2012?
Man, hard to believe its been 7 years already. 50/50 chance of giving it a go yet again. Officially on the fence for the time being.
Great! I'm in.
ooohie. not sure if im excited or not :)
also intrigued to said rule change.
wow we are back to talking about it already again. time flies!
since last years run, i picked up a pretty light geared road bike that i am really enjoying riding. if the weather is looking nice that weekend this might be the year to give gears a go in true credit card touring style and just throw some spare clothes on my back.
of course if there is any threat of rain i'll be back with the fullest fenders i can find. but maybe even the rain bike needs gears this year?
never done it with gears before...
whatever the eventual bike choice is, i look forward to the annual "spring tune up" again this year.
see you all at the bell bright and early hopefully
Who's got car-pool room for man and bike eastbound? I owe that ride another go after that fuckin' stick cocked my ride up last time.
Ok. I'm in. Calvin's is out. Some of yinz, should you find CTC fun, otta consider the Pittsburgh Randonneurs 1000K on August 3rd. It makes a big loop in western PA and into the southern tier of NY. There are some other Pgh Rando rides leading up to it too so you get a taste of what brevets are like, but it should be a heckuva good time.
Anyone interested in sharing a car/van/uhaul rental to get from NYC to Pitt?
Also, we're riding west this year? Crazy. Why the change?
So, previous solicitation is to ride-share from Pitt back to NYC.
Noah - It alternates direction each year. Might hit morning commute traffic in the Phoenixville area, but otherwise doesn't matter.
So, I may be out after all. My kids are in their high school spring play. It is my son's last hurrah. It is also very likely to be the final weekend in April.
Looks as if that section of the GAP trail holding that stick will have to wait to receive my retribution.
I'm in Pittsburgh... does anyone have suggestions of how to get to Philly with my bike for this thing?
@Arielle - You should be able to box your bike and take it on Amtrak or Greyhound. Some people have used Megabus without problems, but the box is typically larger than what Megabus allows, so you are taking a chance with them.
Info on boxing a bike: http://www.wikihow.com/Ship-a-Bicycle-Cheaply
Better instructions here:
http://citybikes.com/how-to/how-to-box-a-bike-pg120.htm
http://www.rideyourbike.com/boxbike.html
Been thinking about this one alot, and I'm ready to give it a go this year. Anybody have a ride share kind of thing going to get back into the Philly Area?
jdub,
i am taking amtrak back.
the problem there is your bike doesn't go on the same train as you so you have to go to 30th street a day or two later to pick it up (it travels to DC first then to philly). since i work a few blocks away form 30th street that is no problem for me.
amtrak is definitely the most laid back ride home. the bus may be cheaper, but it is often crowded and full of people i'd rather not sit next to for hours if you know what i am sayin. i did the bus last year and the train in years past. on the train he seats are huge and you have room to really stretch out (even me at 6'3") which is really nice when the involuntary cramping fires you up out of a nap. plus you got a friggin bar car on the train. after 400 miles drinking a couple heinekins and taking a good long nap on the way home is AWESOME!
so yeah if you can afford the train and don't mind your bike not arriving with you i highly recommmend it.
in years past i have also rented cars but between gas and tolls now unless you have a few people the train or bus is much cheaper.
Noah,
I may be interested in a ride share back to nyc. If we can get a few people that would rule. I can't imagine trying to box my bike and then somehow catch a bus after I show up at god knows what time in Pittsburgh after 400 miles of rain.
To those trying to get to Philly by bus,
Boltbus is the way to go if they offer service from where you're coming from. I've never had them turn me away with my bike, which does not need to be boxed. You just throw it under and off you go. Megabus makes you box it and when I took it to Pburgh last year for this they gave me a hard time. After a lot of shouting they let me on.
Thanks for the tips Max. I'm a big dude too at 6'4, so relaxing in a nice big seat, with access to a bar is a very tempting proposition.
JDub,
i'm 6'3" myself; plenty of room on amtrak for bug guys like us.
if we end up on the same train home, we should enjoy that bar cart together and trade war stories!
good luck. post up if you have anymore questions leading up to the big day
max
Max,
What tire size have you been running? I was wondering if 38's would be overkill... I'm loving my 35's right now, but I was thinking about a little more cushion. My Fargo has plenty of room for big tires and fenders.
J
JDub,
been running 28's in years past.
slowly coming down in weight over the years from the bombproof conti toptouring tires i ran the first year.
the only bad experience i had was running panaracer tserv's (28's)one year. ironically a guy i rode with for a while was having a bad time on his too that year. so we both swore off serv's forever but i am thinking it was just combined bad luck. i know lots of people with good experiences with them.
good luck with 28c ribmo's the past two years in the back with something lighter in front.
if your from philly i'd offer this advice. use the lightest tire you can ride forbidden drive comfortably on at "race" speed. nothing on the course is any worse than the rough sections of forbidden (the gravel of the allegheny passage is much smoother and better maintained than forbidden).
i hope this isn't jinxing it, but this year i am going with some light skinny 25c kenda road tires. so far in my tasting they seem pretty tough.
more than anything if you have "undersized" tires, i'd say just make it a point to take it easy through the tunnels. it would be easy to pinch a tire through there (especially in the dark) but other than that you pretty much have normal roads and smooth gravel to contend with for the other 380 or so miles.
the trexler brothers (current godfathers of this thing) seemed to be riding roadbike setups with maybe 25's (but probably just there normal road bike tires).
so, to answer your question, for me 35's would be plenty...
you could always put a bigger tire up front for cushion and a smaller tire in back for efficiency???
really it comes down to having a bike you'll feel comfortable on and have fun pedalling all damn day.
hope that maybe helps a little?
oh i forgot.
fenders:
have run the every year, never regretted having them.
there is a small chance, if the weather looks fantastic, that i may ride my fenderless roadbike but if there is even a chance of rain i'll be there on my fullfendered crosscheck singlespeed.
Thanks for the insight. I have been using forbidden drive and some other gravel trails as my test zone for comfort at speed. Good to know theres nothing rougher than that. I'll likely stick with what I have and go with the fenders, if weather dictates.
Max,
What time is train are you planning on taking home? I assume you need the bike boxed, are you planning on buying one at Amtrak or cruising to a bike shop in Pittsburgh?
eric,
hoping to come home sunday.
i just checked and the latest train is leaving pittsburgh that day is at 7:20AM...
i don't really feel like subjecting anyone to trying to get me to the train that early that day so now i am not sure what to do...
might have to do the bus. sucks, i hate the bus.
if you do take amtrak they have boxes (not even sure you can bring your bike pre-boxed but check if you were planning to do it). it might cost like 15-25 bicks? it will go to DC then meet you in philly a day or so later.
amtrak boxes are pretty nice (HUGE). you just loosen the stem turn the bars and the bike rolls in.
but they want you to be there like 30 minutes prior if you want to do the bike thing. that would mean arriving there sunday before 7AM.
sh!t... why no afternoon train (or at least late morning) for slackers?
Any one have any east to west travel plans firmed up yet.
J
duh.. I meant west to east.
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