San Francisco to Los Angeles 1998

SF to LA bike tour, October 1998

Two cyclists holding their with panniers, one dressed in black, one in yellow.

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.

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. Unfortunately, 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:

 TomJohn
BikeSchwinn PassageGary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
ComponentsFrankenstein, more Ultegra than anythingShimano STX-RC/LX 24 speed drivetrain, GripShift 400SRT shifters, Spinacci aero bars
Gearing53-39-30, 12-2548-40-24, 12-28
Wheels700c, 32 spoke (butted front and rear), laced 2 cross, front rim Mavic MA-2, rear Campy Omega32 spoke Bontrager Maverick rims, Gary Fisher front hub, Shimano STX/RC rear
TiresConti SuperSuport Ultra 700×23Conti Grand Prix 26″x 3/4″, 120psi.
RackBlackburn MountainPerformance TransPort
PanniersMadden, frameless, 3000 cubic inchesBlackburn, internal frame, 2400 cubic inches, Cyclepro trunk
Front bagAdventure Cycling, 600 cubic inchesTrek 500 cubic inches
ComputerAvocet 50Cateye Enduro 2
CameraNikon point-and-shootSony Digital Mavica FD-7, Olympus XA-2 35mm point-and-shoot
FilmSeattle Filmworks 200/400 speedFloppies courtesy of AOL and AT+T, film was “whatever was in the fridge when I packed”
WickingNoYes
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