has anyone done this? especially fixed? what were your experiences? tips? reccomendations?

i'm thinking in a couple of weeks that i may start going down there.

who is this sharky beast???

world champ catlike for the all time win.

i saw that 3rensho and trispoke at PIR maybe two weeks ago on a tuesday... with a kids add-a-bike.

one of the cooler sights of my summer so far.

There is a pretty small pool of people who ride fixed long distances.
Honestly I would try the fixed and touring forums on BF to get advice as well.

when are you doing the ride? I was planning on riding to SF next month, but probs gonna build a touring bike first.

what BCD chainring do you run? if it's 130 or 110 i might have something for you, plus a mini chainbreaker that fits in the end of your handlebars. tools good. whisper.

Here is some advice if you want it. Have a brake, because some of these hills are more than 5 miles up and down. You might want to rethink having a second option for gears. Bring a front 46 it is easier to change out with out having to bring all the extra tools. Make sure that you don't have to fuck with your chain. A very good sleeping bag, a fucking good front lite because there are no street lamps, and you can't see a fucking thing in the woods. There will be a time you have to ride at night I promise. Cortizone cream and Icey Hot are good things. I don't know what your budget is, but food is a big thing. You will be eating at least twice as much as if not more. Bring some peanut butter, or anything with a lot of calories for emergences. Get a camel back, and stick it in your bag. I ran out of water in the middle of no were and it sucked rather bad. Good luck hitch hiking with a bike, and if you take HWY 1 after 101 you will have 22 miles of switch backs and hills, but the view will be amazing when you come out of the trees. Good luck. OH ya a MAP.

wow i didnt even think of that but swappin cogs aint gonna be fun.chain issues must be sorted. I have this mini chain breaker tool that goes inside your handlebar end which you can have. also tell me your bcd and if i have an extra 46 etc..it's yours for a postcard or two:)

edit wrote cigs when i meant cogs

i saw him the other day. that was like a week ago though

he prolly just marinatin out NE status

47X18 seems kinda big for 60-100 mile days. Maybe 42x18 would be better. Spin to win. Put a 15 or 14 on the other side and use that for long descents.

I guess I should rephrase my gearing recommendation, 42x15 or 16 for the flats/rolling hills and descents. 42x18 or 19 for the long 22 mile up climbs. It takes less than a minute to flip a wheel over. Not every hill will need the easy gear but at the end of a long day or on those really long climbs it's good to have.

Personally I like to spin when I climb, 80-90 rpm, it helps the legs recover during over multiple climbs per day. I don't know exactly what the route looks like between PDX and SF but I'm willing to bet there are some long climbs. 80 rpm in 42x18 is 14.6 mph, which doesn't seem like that tall an order until you have to do it for mile after mile of climbing with gear.

If someone was doing this ride on a road bike they'd probably have at least a 25 in the back and a 39 small ring in the front if not a triple with a 30t granny gear. They won't be in it for the whole time but it's nice to have the easy gear so they don't blow up there legs chugging along at 50 rpm.

honestly i dont see how you could do the desents on the coast route without a freewheel and a brake. maybe just unclip to desend and when you wanna slow down stick your foot betwixt the seatstay and tire ...aka the "ted shred" so to speak. Ian if you havent left come over and you can use my tools and spare partz.

it's like 750 miles if you take the coastal route to SF. my mom lives in humboldt and i do the trip every october/november

sharky why did you use a mess bag and not a rack? other then to exhibit your primordial beastly nature.

oh, yeah, i haven't left for sf yet, i was just in tacoma (yay....not) all weekend.

doug, yeah, i'll head over sometime and make sure everything is top notch before leaving. one of these afternoons. i wish i had a 130 bcd crank, but i have 144bcd. i understand how that stiffens the crank, but it makes switching chainrings a pain in the ass.

the gear is my main worry. i know there are some big climbs and descents...i have a brake and i'm not too worried about descents, but the climbs are worrying me. i can climb all the shit in town...during the mash2mash i climbed about 70 yards up to washington park on foot because i'd only been back from the midwest for a week or so at that point and had no hill climbing muscles, but i'm better now. still, i don't know what that means compared to hills between here and sf. so yeah, the gear...i may stick around longer and have someone in ohio ship me out my 43t chainring and just use 43x16 all the way. it sucks, too, after ohio winters and salt on the roads, it's going to take an afternoon with a hozan, chainwhip, and lots of pb blaster to get my cog off to switch it. sharky probably understands from philly...

ian, i only has a 46 in 130 bcd, but citybikes has a 144 bcd 46 tooth 1/8ths mighty comp for reasonable, also many cheaper options if you go 3/32nds. lotsa 144 3/32 stuff. I also has good tools and techniques for unsticking the stuck-est of stuck cogs/lockringz. your welcome anytime, just whisper first so can be sure to be here.

yeah, i'll have to look around for a cheapo 44-46t ring, maybe i should post in the wanted thread. i'll check with you, doug, sometime about coming over.

yeah, sharky, i thnk i'll have a good time. i know some stuff is a little crazy, but i don't think i'd have as much fun if i were completely sane all the time. there's a nice balance i seek.