Taco Takes Off

Post by **Sean** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:24 pm

Yesterday Taco started his multi-month bicycling adventure from here to infinity and beyond. I had the privilege of driving him to the end of CA-39, where he continued on the closed portion up to the Crest Highway and down to the desert. He'll be touring the West Coast states and parks, ultimately landing in the great state of Washington, where they have plenty of rainwater and other stuff to keep him alive and hydrated.

Happy trails, Ryan!

(Luis is joining Ryan for the first few days.)

(Renard will keep Ryan company on those long, lonely back country roads.)

(Ryan is ready.)

(Ryan is going -- slowly.)

Post by **dima** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:51 pm

I'm mildly jealous. Enjoy the ride!

Post by **tekewin** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 5:50 am

Have a great trip, Taco.

Gene · Post by **Gene** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:03 am

God speed!

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 11:50 am

The San Gabes have got your back Ryan...shoot us a note now and then.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 9:31 pm

Have a most excellent adventure Taco man. 8)

atomicoyote · Post by **atomicoyote** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:44 pm

Good luck with the trip! Not the best time of year to do this. Most folks do the western USA ride north-2-south to take advantage of the prevailing winds that blow out of the north. And as winter is almost here it'll be raining more the farther north he goes; hopefully some storms will drop down this way! Probably wont be able to visit some parks like Lassen unless there's some XC ski gear hidden in that load. And a lot of roads in NorCal that are off the beaten path get snowed in pretty regularly and only plowed occasionally.

Bicycle looks appropriate (a Surly Long Haul Trucker), but that looks like quite a big load even for a multi-month tour. I did a L.A/OC. to Las Vegas ride back in 2000 and the only problem I had was all the trash along I-15 from Barstow to (just before) Las Vegas; tons of crap out there just waiting to flatten your tires. I've heard that's normal on most interstate highways.

Post by **Taco** » Wed Nov 30, 2016 1:55 pm

Thanks guys.

I ditched the trailer and climbing gear and changed to the coast. Came back with a bum knee and have ditched even more stuff, replaced tires, new headlight, new handlebar bag, other minor improvements, heading back out soon.

Yeah, I'm going the wrong way at the wrong time, but I that's my style. The wrong way.

Post by **dima** » Wed Nov 30, 2016 1:58 pm

South to North is the way I did it (a section of what you're doing, anyway). The naysayers just like to say nay. You feel more accomplished if you're riding to your destination instead of to home. Hmmm, maybe a Mexico-bound tour is the thing to do.

Tom Kenney · Post by **Tom Kenney** » Wed Nov 30, 2016 3:41 pm

Taco wrote: ↑ Yeah, I'm going the wrong way at the wrong time, but I that's my style. The wrong way.

"...the more interesting direction at a more challenging time..."

RE: knee problems - What kind of pedals are you using? Clipless? (Not obvious in the photo.) In the past I used Speedplay pedals (Magnum, Frog) because they had 'infinite' float left-to-right, allowing your knees to flex more naturally. Shimano and other SPD pedals have only a few degrees of float and caused me some knee problems.

atomicoyote · Post by **atomicoyote** » Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:04 am

I'm definitely NOT a fan of the 'click-in' pedals that are so highly popular these days; I like the infinite float of my foot being loose on a pedal. I use the platform pedals with short pins in them and some type of flat-bottom shoes (tennis court shoes work great; think of the old Adidas 'Stan Smith' shoes). Indoor volleyball court shoes also work well. Here's a few examples of pedals I like to use:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Gusset-Slim-Jim-SC-Pedals

These have plastic bodies, but I'm using them on a workout bicycle and I've been surprised at how well they've held up.

http://www.jensonusa.com/Platform-Pedal ... s?cs=White

and you can also use a combo pedal:

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 1___204999

Post by **Taco** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:24 am

Just using flat regular cheap pedals now, had strap ones when commuting to and from work for a few months. I was not stretching enough and was doing some high mileage days with a heavy bike. Have since changed it up a bit.

I'm excited to return via the 395, which I've driven along almost its entire length. Gonna need to have my approach shoes on the way down the Sierra for them peaks!