march west coast tour

[adventurecrow]

hey guys new to the cycling forums but not to the cycling world. going on a tour from oregon to san diego. on my fixed gear. any suggestions on routes? i was thinking either highway 395 or 101. 395 is at the top of the list at the moment due to weather conditions. any input is welcome thanks.

Adventurecrow

www.adventurecrow.net

 

[swampy1970]

I'm not familiar with all of 395 - but from Tahoe down to Bishop it's decidedly "lumpy" - ie from ~5000ft to 8000ft. There's no steep gradients on there but there are some significant uphill and downhill grades and in March those 8000ft grades could be damned chilly. Figure that Tahoe is about 1500ft less that that an it was snowed out in May last year for the Tour of California. However - it is a fantasic road.

Celebrate this road magnificence with a bottle or three of Mammoth Brewing Company's IPA 395. An awesome beer. Yeah, it's named after the road.

Descending from Sherwin (no not related to Paul Sherwin the presenter for the Tour de France ) Grade into Bishop - a scene that quite a few cyclists on the Everest Challenge might have seen in 2011.



However, the Pacific Coast Highway is fantasic. 101 is great as it is windy at that time of year.

In March I'd take the 101 and head down the coast. During July, it'd be close call.

 

[alienator]

I'm not familiar with all of 395 - but from Tahoe down to Bishop....

I had the best peach pie I've ever had in Bishop, in a tiny little place--a restaurant in a tiny house--on 395. The pie was 4-5" tall, with peaches fresh to perfection and the flakiest, tastiest crust. The mention of Bishop also reminds me of Galen Rowell, if not the best certainly one of the best adventure/climbing photographers to walk this Earth. He was just a great photographer in general. Sadly, he died in a plane crash. RIP, Sr. Rowell.

 

[vspa]

hey guys new to the cycling forums but not to the cycling world. going on a tour from oregon to san diego. on my fixed gear. any suggestions on routes? i was thinking either highway 395 or 101. 395 is at the top of the list at the moment due to weather conditions. any input is welcome thanks. Adventurecrow http://www.adventurecrow.net

you are going to do 1400 K on a fixed gear bike ??

 

[adventurecrow]

yes, yes i am. Im preparing a film for the adventure film festival. Im riding down to the start of the pacific crest trail. And then doing a full hike of the pacific crest trail to canada. This will be my second thru-hike of the PCT just wanted a great adventurous way to get down to San Diego.

Swampy- The only concern i have with 101 is the weather as i dont think it would be very pleasant if it was rainy the entire time. And I have had mammoths 395 IPA! thats the one with juniper and sage in it correct? I went to the brewery on my hike of the pct last year. Was a lot of fun. Hair of the bear was my favorite from them!

 

[vspa]

sorry but, what do you understand for a fixed gear ?

 

[adventurecrow]

Originally Posted by vspa .

sorry but, what do you understand for a fixed gear ?

what do i what? this isnt my first rodeo on a long distance fixed gear tour, if thats what your asking...

 

[vspa]

im afraid you have the wrong terminology, a fixed gear bike is a track bike, a singlespeed bike could be an urban commuter bike, for your purposes its either a touring bike or a road bike, maybe a MTB too,

 

[adventurecrow]

no no sir i do not have the wrong terminology. I am in fact doing my trip on a fixed gear. my gearing is 46:16

 

[vspa]

ok you are crazy then ! at least are you going to install caliper brakes on your bike i guess, 46:16 could be an ok ratio for cruise speeds,