View Full Version : Bike and Truck self-shuttle idea
flyfisher
06-04-2005, 15:04
I ran into a hiker a couple years ago who had done about half the trail over several years by parking and then taking a bike to a starting point and then walking back to the truck, then going back and getting his bike.
I am considering doing this for an extended section hike from near Roanoke up towards Rockfish gap.
My plan will be to park my pickup for 2-3 days, ride the bike to a road crossing 30-45 miles down the trail, and then hiking back to the truck. Then I would get back in the truck and leap frog up the trail another 2-3 days of hiking.
Each bike leg should take less than half a day.
The bike would be set-up to carry my pack on a carrier and I would lock the bike up each time I left it.
Advantages: Access to extended off trail side trips every few days. Better selection of resupply, restaurants, etc.
Comments? Suggestions? Anyone here try this before?
Rick
Tramper Al
06-04-2005, 15:52
I am a New England AT section hiker, and I do this all the time. Sometimes for long dayhikes, some times for 1-2 night trips. It works quite well. One thing that I don't always remember is that the bike ride can be a workout too. Also, choose your bike spots carefully if you want to minimize the amount of climbing by bicyle that you do. Some of our trail/road crossings are very much uphill from both the towns and the the roads that you'll use to get to your truck.
It's a great way to go. More exercise, and yes, it will be nice to have your tuck every few days or so for resupply or other side trips.
I haven't tried this, but last summer I met a hiker in Quebec who did this very successfully in the Matane Reserve (extraordinarly wild stretch of the IAT.) He drove his van to his finish point, biked like mad down logging roads back to his start point, and then hiked five days through the mountains to reach his van. It doesn't work for all trails of course, but when the access roads are good, it's a damned good plan.
Good Luck,
PKH
I dayhiked most of the AT between Rockfish Gap and NH this way. I used to drive to DC a lot on business, and would throw my bike in my truck (or car trunk depending). I'd leave NH early (about 2 am) drive to the spot I was going to hike, park the truck, pedal the bike to a spot 6-10 or whatever trail miles away. Then I'd hike back to my car, pick up my bike, and drive on the DC. On the way home, I'd do the same thing.
Two key points. One is do the bike leg first. You bike is more likely to get stolen than your car, and you don't want to have to hike BACK to your car. Having said this, I never had a problem. Generally I walk the bike a few yards into the woods, lay it down out of sight and lock it to a tree. Have a cooler with a cold beverage in the vehicle awaiting you. Heaven.
The other is to concur with Tramper Al. Pay attention to relative elevations, and the elevations of the bike part. I walked most the the trail uphill because it is easy to coast your bike down hill. For instance, when I did Greylock, I parked my car at the top, coasted down hill to No Adams, walked back up. Next time I parked at the top, coasted south, and walked back up. It is a lot easier walking uphill than pedaling uphill.
The only problem I ever had was getttng lost. For the PA944 to Boiling SPrings leg, I got lost and ended up WAY out of the way. ended up with a 50+ mile bike ride. Got a late start hiking and found the a relo made the trail longer than my maps indicated. After that I used up to date ATC maps for hiking but stopped using them to move my bike because they didn't cover enough of the area away from the trail.
I may do the RI North-South and Mass Mid-State trails this way if I elect not to stealth camp.
It's ok but manage your expectations. I tried it for the first time last summer between East B Hill Rd in Maine and Rt 2 in NH. I rode a mtn bike with slicks. Overall, it was better than the alternatives if you're doing a solo (i.e., costly shuttles, tense waits for a hitch back to your car or extra time spent on out & back hikes) but not that much. And there's the bonus of doing a totally self-supported hike. It worked well enough that I plan to try it again this summer. I left my car at the end and biked back to the start, where I had already left my food bag. I carried the rest of my gear back to the start in panniers. Next time, I will cache my entire pack at the start. I hid the bike, helmet and bike shoes a distance from the trail and locked it. This year my plan is to make shroud out of camo cloth. That will make hiding easier but I am not sure it will do anything to stop the critters from finding it and gnawing on the tires for minerals if they're so disposed. Second thing is to first check the route to find out in which way is the easier direction to bike. I use a topo map program that allows me to trace the road connections and then create an elevation profile of the bike route. Third thing, don't get overly ambitious. My ride was 50 miles. I did it in about 4.5 hours including a nice breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, but then hiking up to Trident Col made for a long day. A ride of 30-40 miles is about all I care to do when you have to hike 5-8 miles the same day. Another option, not legal in all states, is to add a small motor to your bike. I haven't tried this but I have explored several web sites that offer full kits for $500-$600.
Bigfoot
Cookerhiker
06-04-2005, 19:45
I've done it several times but only on day hikes. My experience is similar to the previous posts, i.e. realize that the biking portion is likely more strenuous than the hiking, try to plan biking downhill, and stash the bike away in the brush. some of the bike-hikes I've done: CT- Rt. 44 to the Undermountain Trailhead parking lot (Undermountian Trail gives access to Bear Mountain and Sages Ravine); NY - Hoyt Rd. to Rt. 22; VA: the so-called "roller coaster" (the hike was easy, the biking killed me!), and PA - Rt. 225 to Rt. 325.
This one last reminds me of another consideration: weather. IMO, hiking in rain is uncomfortable whereas biking (especially downhill) in rain is dangerous. And cold weather is also more difficult for biking expecially when biking downhill with the morning sun in your eyes on a 25 degree day like when I biked from PA Rt. 225 to 325 one mid-November morning. My hands (even with gloves) and face were frozen from the steep downhill bike ride.
The easist and most logical bike-hike: Boiling Springs to Rt 944 in PA. Just follow the maps carefully. And for all the hiking I've done in Shenandoah NP, I've never tried a bike-hike even though Skyline Drive makes in conducive to do so. But Skyline Drive features a lot of up-and-down so don't overestimate your capabilities.
Happy hiking and happy biking!
Alligator
06-04-2005, 20:49
I do this a bit. Weather is an important consideration as mentioned. Perhaps not a good thing to do in colder months. I always do the ride first. Bring a bike light. Purchase the Gazetteer for the state in order to have the topos and to decide whether the roads are rideable, meaning expected traffic wise. A great place to do this is the Blue Ridge Parkway sections.
I've done this to section hike the Long Trail in Vermont, which I completed in 1994. It works well, but, as has been mentioned above, you need to be careful about where you stash your bike, for reasons of security and biking difficulty. It's best to place the bike at the higher elevation, drive to your starting pt (lower elevation), then hike back to your bike cache. That way, your bike back to the car is net downhill.
You might want to stash some extra water and food with the bike.
I ran into a hiker a couple years ago who had done about half the trail over several years by parking and then taking a bike to a starting point and then walking back to the truck, then going back and getting his bike.
I am considering doing this for an extended section hike from near Roanoke up towards Rockfish gap.
My plan will be to park my pickup for 2-3 days, ride the bike to a road crossing 30-45 miles down the trail, and then hiking back to the truck. Then I would get back in the truck and leap frog up the trail another 2-3 days of hiking. Each bike leg should take less than half a day.
The bike would be set-up to carry my pack on a carrier and I would lock the bike up each time I left it.
Advantages: Access to extended off trail side trips every few days. Better selection of resupply, restaurants, etc.
Comments? Suggestions? Anyone here try this before? Rick
Well thought-out idea there, ff...
i choose to keep my hikin' & cyclin' seperate.
like has been posted, have you ever been in a rain storm on a bicycle?...
going down a steep hill on a bicycle?...in the rain or rain-dampened streets?
Even, Lance Armstrong crashed on "wet-soaked" streets in last years
Tour de France...remember?
i rest my case...
by the way...the correct term is: "Cycling" for bicycle riders.
"Biking" is the correct term for motorcycle riders
Just FYI ...
David S.
06-05-2005, 08:54
Or you could do like this guy is doing. My friend and I ran into this guy named "Cycle Guy" on our way over the Grayson Highlands. He is carrying an 18 pound road bike on his pack all the way to Katahdin. Odd thing is; he vows not to ride it until he reaches the end of the trail. Then he will ride it home.
<img src="http://www.davidography.com/cycleguy.jpg">
BlackCloud
06-05-2005, 13:26
There was once a day when I did as you all do: and hated it. Cycling uphill, even for a short stretch, w/ a pack, & after 10ish miles, is too much.
That's where I was rescued by the miracle of ebay (and my own good sense).
On ebay, I purchased a used honda scooter for $450, less then many bikes. It gets 80 mpg & can go 45 mph downhill (25 uphill). In MD & VA (home of 1/4 the AT), no lisence or registration is required. Everyone else from GA to PA requires more, like insurance, safety inspection, etc.
I simply chain it to a tree in the woods & throw a camo cover over it & walla. i use it for day & overnight section hikes. It's the BEST!
flyfisher
08-16-2005, 15:50
I started this thread and have learned a lot from y'all.
I hiked about 100 miles along the Blue Ridge using the mountain bike as my shuttle. Catawba to US60. It worked well, though some of the days were long and some of the sections I walked north while other sections I hiked south. This all depended on whether the road was mainly downhill in the north or south direction.
However, somewhere near the James River, I had a couple trucks go by at 55 mph on the twolane highway. I was going about 3 mph up a hill and they blew by inches from my handlebars.
I decided to buy a motorcycle at that moment. At least I began to think about it.
Two weeks later, I had a motorcycle permit and bought a (very) used Suzuki GS450 from back in 1982. The price was right and I found that I could get it up on the back of my pickup with a couple home-made ramps without any help.
In the first week of August, I did a 75 mile section of Shenandoah NP with the Suzuki and my truck. This self shuttling worked great. For this section, where the road is so available, I shuttled 18-20 miles each day. It generally took about 3 hours if I stopped at one of the restaurants to have a meal.
This was AT hiking in a posh style. I only needed to carry a day's food and could resupply from the truck.
I can't wait to get back and continue the trek.
I like Black Cloud's idea, get a scooter!
cakeman21k
08-16-2005, 16:14
I bought an electric powered mountain bike from www.currietech.com (http://www.currietech.com) and have done about 600 miles of the AT this way. It allows me to pedal when I want to and to use the electric motor to take the hump out of the uphills when I need to. As for the truckers going by too close I get a side benefit by planning the bike portion of my trip out to only use remote side roads. This allows me to stay away from heavily traveled roads and gives me the chance to bike through some very nice small towns & neghborhoods, past farm pastures with their livestock, fields of corn wheat & hay etc. It requires no insurance or lic. anywhere along the trail, and I can easily mount it on a bike carrier on my car. Its made my day hikes and 3 - 4 day trips a lot more enjoyable.
Considering the rising cost of car shuttles, the fact that motorized bicylces are not recognized as legal motor vehicles in many states and assuming the bike is light enough and small enough to be transported by your primary vehicle, then an inexpensive motor cycle or moped makes sense. Before you buy anything though, check with your state motor vehicle department to verify that it is street legal and thus eligible to be licensed. Save your time and energy for the hike, not the bike.
flyfisher
08-19-2005, 18:08
All good suggestions.
Here is a picture of the Suzuki GS450 on my truck in Shenandoah NP the first week in August.
http://www.imrisk.com/bikeintruck.jpg
papa john
08-19-2005, 18:27
You got room in there for my Sportster? :D
Two weeks later, I had a motorcycle permit and bought a (very) used Suzuki GS450 from back in 1982. The price was right and I found that I could get it up on the back of my pickup with a couple home-made ramps without any help.
What did ya pay for it? This sounds like a really great idea for us soloists, but I'd hate to put too much money into something like this in case the bike gets stolen or trashed by some idiot.
Maybe an old dirtbike upgraded to street-legal? Of course, a smaller-engine motorcycle (lower insurance rates) can also be taken out all by itself for hiking trips, saving lots on gas money.
I suppose you could leave a bike at someplace friendly to hikers--like a hostel or ranger station--where available.
Doug Frost
ATSeamstress
08-20-2005, 01:53
I've done the self-shuttle with bicycle thing here in Indiana just on dayhikes. It works great! If I were going to do it for longer trips on the AT, I think I'd go with a small motorcycle.
By the way, there is going to be a presentation on long distance cycling at the Gathering. This is something I'm definitely interested in doing, after my thru-hike of course.
Ragamuffin
What did ya pay for it? This sounds like a really great idea for us soloists, but I'd hate to put too much money into something like this in case the bike gets stolen or trashed by some idiot.
Maybe an old dirtbike upgraded to street-legal? Of course, a smaller-engine motorcycle (lower insurance rates) can also be taken out all by itself for hiking trips, saving lots on gas money.
I suppose you could leave a bike at someplace friendly to hikers--like a hostel or ranger station--where available.
Doug FrostJust walk it into the woods not on a trail out of sight. The odds of anyone even seeing it are misicule, and the odds of that person being a thief/vandal aren't worth worrying about. Chain it to a tree to keep honest people honest.
And remember the cardinal rule: Hike from the bike to the car, not the other way around.
flyfisher
08-20-2005, 14:42
[QUOTE=DLFrost]What did ya pay for it? This sounds like a really great idea for us soloists, but I'd hate to put too much money into something like this in case the bike gets stolen or trashed by some idiot.
Doug Frost[/
I searched cycletrader for bikes less than $1000 and within a hundred miles of my zip code.
I was able to find this 450cc bike for an asking price of $800 and got the owner down to $600 with a helmet thrown in. It needed a couple hours work and $80 worth of parts to make it work nicely.
Actually, the best bike for this sort of thing would probably be in the 250cc size range. A Honda Rebel or Night Hawk would be perfect. The 2005 Rebel is available for just under $3000 several places, but I did not have that big a kitchen pass.
Agree with Frosty and I would add two more points. For extra insurance, make a simple camo shroud to cover the motor cycle but also place a some indiscrete marker (I use three small rocks on top of each other) at spot on the road side where you hid the bike. You may need this hint in case you should have happened to do too good a job in hiding it!