Generic Touring Thread

I rode about 12 miles of the pennine way - is that the same as the bridleway? - on a bike with 25c slicks in the rain, 12 of the most depressing miles cycling I've ever done. Essentially involved dragging my loaded bike over a mountain, ended up pulling both my achilles.. not fun...

If you're planning to do it in the near, near future you may also want to check what the state of it is following all the floods recently.

Thanks a lot for the replies guys. Planning on doing it summer so hopefully the ground will be a bit firmer.
By the sounds of it I could just about get away with it on my London Road with cross tyres but may be a bit uncomfortable.

Sounds like I'd be better off if I could source a cheap but decent mtb. (Plus excuse to get another bike)

The Pennine Way and Pennine Bridleway are different. While they cover a similar route and run almost in parallel, the former is a footpath so no bikes/horses etc.

@JDT - there is a lot of South Downs Way talk over in this thread https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/248905

Ah that would explain why the route didn't really seem fit for bikes...

Right, talk to me about rear racks. What are some of the better brands available?

Had a blackburn, it broke 3 weeks in. Bought a Tubus it's stronger than the bike.

A friend has a sjs cycles own brand and it's really strong too

Tubus look great. Thanks. Just what I was after.

Ooh dear, which one? I've just bought a Blackburn EX-2 which seems sturdy enough. Only done about 6 miles with loaded panniers... Will it kill me?

It will kill both you and your bike. You are bound to be in great peril. The rack has doomed your existence. There is no way out.

... except seeing what happens.

I hanker after an SJS rack. 531.

It was a ex-1 top deck. It broke along one of the welds at the bottom, still held the weight but wobbled a lot.

Think I'll risk it. The EX-2 has a bit more material on it and I won't be taking my silky-smooth riding prowess off-road any time.

recommendations for disc brake touring rims? pref black and not ultra heavy

I have just ordred a wheelset built on DT-swiss Tk540 disc. I got it recommended diffrent places around the web!

Woohoo! Return flights to Vancouver booked for August/September. Pacific Coast bike trip discussion/photos to follow. That is all. :)

Lucky lucky - rode it in 2014, you'll have a blast. Are you going north first around the BC coastline - I would def. recommend doing so.

We might have to go back for that another time. With three weeks to play with, me and the gf are sort of combining a bike tour with a whistle-stop tour through Vancouver/Seattle/Portland by train, and a couple of days in SF at the other end, so the cycling starts in Portland. (Or Astoria, or Tillamook. Finer details tbc.)

I was chastised for not going to the cheese factory in tillamook!
I'm so jealous, every single day I think about my trip and how unbelievably good it was

Yeah, I've read about the cheese factory! Not sure if I'd feel guilty about getting on the cheese before the cycling even starts, so maybe the first day's route could be Portland to Tillamook.

The cheese factory aint all that - and the cheese is pretty dreadful!

If you're in those parts, try and go to astoria, it's a cool, weird little town. Kind of like a very very very very mini SF

Hmmm... American cheese, good point! ;) I'm considering Astoria as a starting point (bus out from Portland), which starts us on ACA map 2 and means we're doing the whole Oregon coast. It tips us over 70 miles per day on my 11 cycle days/2 rest days itinerary, but I guess that's doable?? Could wiggle in an extra day's cycling if necessary.

I wouldn't write off cycling from portland - it's beautiful country between there and astoria, but all depends on timing..

Where are you finishing?