CyclingInvestor
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I decided to try Amtrak's roll-on/off bicycle program this week, where you can just roll your bike onto certain trains with no box, hang it on a bike hook, then roll it back off at your destination. Not only do you not have to coordinate getting a bike box, but you can debark at smaller stations that have no baggage handling.
I rode the train from LAX to Grover Beach Monday, got off at dusk and rode a mile to the Pismo Beach Motel 6. It was as easy as it was supposed to be. I was anticipating a nice 3 day ride home.
Next morning I rode to Buellton on H1 / H135 / H101 in perfect weather, checked into the Motel 6, showered, then went wine tasting utilizing the local bus to Los Olivos. Tasting rooms are very uncrowded on mid-week afternoons.
Wednesday I rode H101 down to the ocean, then east towards Santa Barbara. After 25 miles, I had a blowout. I changed out the tube, "dollar-bill" patched the tire, and tried to pump it up. My pump was blown - I could get maybe 25 lbs of pressure, nowhere near enough to ride on.
So, I start walking along H101. After 5 miles and almost 2 hours, I got the idea that the problem might be my new tube, not my pump. I swap in my other tube and manage to pump it up to about 30 lbs by pumping as fast as I could - not really enough to ride on, but enough to try. I manage to ride 5 miles before the tube and tire blow, destroying both, but at least I was off the freeway. I walked the last 4 miles to the Goleta Amtrak station, and successfully tested the bike roll-on program again.
So, 1.3 days of riding instead of 3, but it is nice to know I can still walk 9 miles if I have to.
I rode the train from LAX to Grover Beach Monday, got off at dusk and rode a mile to the Pismo Beach Motel 6. It was as easy as it was supposed to be. I was anticipating a nice 3 day ride home.
Next morning I rode to Buellton on H1 / H135 / H101 in perfect weather, checked into the Motel 6, showered, then went wine tasting utilizing the local bus to Los Olivos. Tasting rooms are very uncrowded on mid-week afternoons.
Wednesday I rode H101 down to the ocean, then east towards Santa Barbara. After 25 miles, I had a blowout. I changed out the tube, "dollar-bill" patched the tire, and tried to pump it up. My pump was blown - I could get maybe 25 lbs of pressure, nowhere near enough to ride on.
So, I start walking along H101. After 5 miles and almost 2 hours, I got the idea that the problem might be my new tube, not my pump. I swap in my other tube and manage to pump it up to about 30 lbs by pumping as fast as I could - not really enough to ride on, but enough to try. I manage to ride 5 miles before the tube and tire blow, destroying both, but at least I was off the freeway. I walked the last 4 miles to the Goleta Amtrak station, and successfully tested the bike roll-on program again.
So, 1.3 days of riding instead of 3, but it is nice to know I can still walk 9 miles if I have to.