Ride Bike! SF-LA

After more than a year of planning, postponing, cancelling, rescheduling, and replanning, my buddy John Flores and I finally got around to getting on our bikes for a trip down the California coast from San Francisco to LA.

Two Geeks

This is certainly among the most popular bike tours in the country, and with good reason; even though I've spent the last 10 years in various areas in California, and though I've driven Highway 1 all the way up the coast, I was not prepared for the breathtaking beauty I would encounter on this trip. Unforunately, my camera wasn't really prepared for it either, so the shots in this trip report don't really capture the experience. If you want to see it, contact Bikecentennial (I don't care what they're calling themselves nowadays), get the maps and start cranking.

As a certified geek, I can't begin the trip report without cataloging our equipment:

Tom John
Bike Schwinn Passage Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
Components Frankenstein, more Ultegra than anything Shimano STX-RC/LX 24 speed drivetrain, GripShift 400SRT shifters, Spinacci aero bars
Gearing 53-39-30, 12-25 48-40-24, 12-28
Wheels 700c, 32 spoke (butted front and rear), laced 2 cross, front rim Mavic MA-2, rear Campy Omega 32 spoke Bontrager Maverick rims, Gary Fisher front hub, Shimano STX/RC rear
Tires Conti SuperSuport Ultra 700x23 Conti Grand Prix 26"x 3/4", 120psi.
Rack Blackburn Mountain Performance TransPort
Panniers Madden, frameless, 3000 cubic inches Blackburn, internal frame, 2400 cubic inches, Cyclepro trunk
Front bag Adventure Cycling, 600 cubic inches Trek 500 cubic inches
Computer Avocet 50 Cateye Enduro 2
Camera Nikon point-and-shoot Sony Digital Mavica FD-7, Olympus XA-2 35mm point-and-shoot
Film Seattle Filmworks 200/400 speed Floppies courtesy of AOL and AT+T, film was "whatever was in the fridge when I packed"
Wicking No Yes
To navigate through this report, use the links at the bottom of each page. You can go directly to any day, or you can just use the "next" and "previous" links to go through one day at a time.

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Last Updated 10/31/98

	Tom	John
Bike	Schwinn Passage	Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
Components	Frankenstein, more Ultegra than anything	Shimano STX-RC/LX 24 speed drivetrain, GripShift 400SRT shifters, Spinacci aero bars
Gearing	53-39-30, 12-25	48-40-24, 12-28
Wheels	700c, 32 spoke (butted front and rear), laced 2 cross, front rim Mavic MA-2, rear Campy Omega	32 spoke Bontrager Maverick rims, Gary Fisher front hub, Shimano STX/RC rear
Tires	Conti SuperSuport Ultra 700x23	Conti Grand Prix 26"x 3/4", 120psi.
Rack	Blackburn Mountain	Performance TransPort
Panniers	Madden, frameless, 3000 cubic inches	Blackburn, internal frame, 2400 cubic inches, Cyclepro trunk
Front bag	Adventure Cycling, 600 cubic inches	Trek 500 cubic inches
Computer	Avocet 50	Cateye Enduro 2
Camera	Nikon point-and-shoot	Sony Digital Mavica FD-7, Olympus XA-2 35mm point-and-shoot
Film	Seattle Filmworks 200/400 speed	Floppies courtesy of AOL and AT+T, film was "whatever was in the fridge when I packed"
Wicking	No	Yes
To navigate through this report, use the links at the bottom of each page. You can go directly to any day, or you can just use the "next" and "previous" links to go through one day at a time. Previous Next Introduction Day: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Last Updated 10/31/98