Preparation: The Bike and the Riders

One week to go!

The header photo shows us with our Bike Friday tandem and trailer rig set up as we will be riding.

Bike Friday is an Oregon-based company making what are probably the best folding and take-apart bikes you can buy. We bought our tandem used several years ago to use while cruising on our boat; when the seats and handlebars are removed it fits nicely up forward. The surprise was that it is an excellent performing bike, so although we have only put it on the boat a few times, we have logged thousands of miles of enjoyable riding on it. The wheels are small, but it is set up so the points where our feet, hands, and seat contact it are the same dimensions as any tandem bike with larger wheels, and the bike handles very well. The wild card is that the bike disassembles and packs into two regular sized suitcases for travelling. The airlines charge an arm and a leg to carry a bike, but for us it's a matter of don't ask, don't tell. When the bike is reassembled, the suitcases bolt onto an aluminum frame with wheels, and become a trailer in which we will carry our clothes, spares, camping gear, and tools. Most people who tour by bike carry pannier bags on the front and back, and we have ridden that way before, but my experience is that the bike handles much better towing a bike than carrying bags.

Before setting out on this tour, we replaced all the cables, chainrings and chains, and had ABC Bicycles in St. Petersburg do a complete overhaul on the bike, checking and servicing all the bearings and adjustments. We're carrying spares and tools to fix any likely problem. In short, the bike is as ready as we can get it.

I wish I could say the same for our bodies. On the plus side, Sandy and I have ridden pretty much every day since 1986. We started extending our daily mileage to 30-35 miles early this year. That is much less than we plan to ride each day on our tour, but even that training went out the window over the last six weeks because of two trips which kept us off the bike, and because we both caught colds which left us, especially Sandy, with lingering coughs. The colds and coughs cost us more days of riding. So we are starting this trip in less than top shape. We tell each other we'll take it easy to start, and ride into condition over the first few weeks.

We're off tomorrow to Colorado for our second son's wedding. On June 4 we travel on to Astoria, Oregon. The next day will be a shakedown ride including a ceremonial dip of the wheel into the Pacific, and then we head East Ever Eastward.