SF to LA bike tour, October 1998
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:
| 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 700×23 | 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 |