I laughed out loud when you said "On days like this, 5% didnt feel that bad anymore." I've called this area home for 56 years. Props to you for riding what you did with a loaded bike. You're a boss.
Tim, I subscribed to your channel based on the fact you showed bravery driving through Syracuse at night fall. My birth place hasn't looked so good. Keep spinning! .
The first part is pronounced kinda half way between skinny and scanny, followed by atlas. Western New Yorker here, born in the 50s (and still riding about 100 miles per week!).
What a treat to find this. I live in the Rochester area and am familiar with the roads you took from Keuka up to Rochester. I'm just doing day rides on road or gravel. It was interesting to see it all from a bike packing perspective. Great footage and narration. And definitely props to doing those climbs fully loaded.
I commented in your Rochester to Syracuse video, that I’m from Canandaigua. It was so cool seeing Watkins Glen and Bristol Mountain on your video. My brother owes 65 acres on the other side of the mountain from Ontario County Park at Gannet Hill. I Love your content and your philosophy on cycling.
Dude! My family used to vacation at Skaneatlas Lake back in the late 80’s…we always rented a cabin on the other end of the lake from where the town is…we would drive up from Philly and bring a boat and water ski…it was so nice there..l brought my road bike up one year and road to town from our cabin which was the whole length of the lake…I forget how many miles it was but the amount of hills was staggering…it was a humid mid July day probably 100 degrees…I made it but it kicked my ass i was probably 16…my parent picked me up in town and we went and had a fish fry dinner at Doug’s Fish Fry…love Skaneatlas!! Miss it there..thanks for memory flashback..I’m 51 now and live in a ski town in Colorado and still ride bikes mtn bike and gravel some…Ineed to do a bike pack trip through upstate ny one of these days
I really like the fact that you all respect each other and are supportive of each of you altering the agreed-upon trip in a way that supports your own wants and needs. That's a really tough thing with group tours like this
I live just south of Rochester and the majority of my riding is on what I call the linear trails and single track. I get real excited when I see video on trails that I routinely ride. I have not been able to ride for over a month due to an injury, so I am going stir crazy watching vlogs of where I love to ride. There is a nice loop in the area formed by the Genesee Valley Greenway, Erie Canal, Auburn trail and the Lehigh Valley trail. About 43 miles in length.
Buttermilk Falls... You are tugging my heartstrings. My wife and I camped at Buttermilk Falls our first couple of nights in Ithaca when we moved there for grad school! I plan to bike through New York next year as the final section of a cross country ride. I am trying to decide if I want to ride the whole Erie Canal or drop down into the Finger Lakes. You are selling me on the latter.
Wild nostalgia watching this. I'm in Chicago now, but I washed dishes at the summer before college at the restaurant by the marina in Watkins Glen you stopped at about ~15 years ago ha! Thanks for sharing!
I really love the riding in the Finger Lakes area. There is a surprising amount of climbing even though there are no mountains. But when you think about the topography it starts to make sense. Long, narrow glacial lakes that drain to the North. So you're going to hit hills if you ride East/West and you're going to hit hills if you ride North/South. Oh, and if you get off the state highways and there is "hill" in the name of the road, they aren't kidding around. Great roads, gorgeous scenery. Absolutely love it there.
Awesome tour! When I saw finger lakes in the title I couldn’t click it fast enough. I’ve lived between Seneca and keuka my whole life and love it here. So cool to see familiar places in your video!
Love your videos Tim! My husband and I did a bike tour around the same areas a few years ago and were caught off guard by the steep climbs to the state parks around the Finger Lakes too (but it was so worth it!). We did build in rest days at Ithaca and also at Watkins Glen and enjoyed some hiking and biking around Cornell University as well. And for your question about repeating tours…I feel exactly the same. I would tweak any tour I’ve already done but I don’t know if I would repeat a tour. Just seems that there are so many other tours out there waiting to be discovered and I love exploring new places. Thanks for sharing your adventures! Always learn so much from you 😊
Tim, I was extremely interested in a comment you made on a recent video regarding how much you like your flat/ swept bar bike and how comfortable it was even over longer rides. Several months ago I purchased an All City Space Horse model that features a flat/ swept bar rather than drops. Of course from time to time I wonder how much speed I might be losing on longer rides and especially into the wind. However, this bike is comfortable, maneuverable, and so easy to handle in and around town, yet it's not a total slug on long rides for someone of my age and riding fitness and ability. I truly enjoy it and have nicknamed it my UAV, "Urban Assault Vehicle." My compliments on your continued excellent videos, Sir and pass along my best wishes to your friends.
I just did two back to back solo centuries sweeps and I was glad I was on that bike. There were maybe a few moments when the drops would have been nice but most the time I'll just take the comfort. Thanks and cheers!
Good thoughts, great video! I think as bike tourists we keep learning and developing new ideas for each trip in the future. Whether it is gear, the bike, the route, always a new adventure. ☮
That is an impressive ride. My Midwest legs could not handle all the climbing on a tour bike. I love all the terrain types you endured. And hell with the no swimming sign. You earned it.
I love these videos! I’m recovering from a broken collarbone so I’m off the outside bike till late August. Watching your adventures is motivating. If I could do this ride, I’d likely skip the muddy single track and maybe a few walls, too. 😂🤣
Agreed, spending a day in Watkins Glen is a great idea. That park is really the CROWN JEWEL of the fingerlakes, and there is a nice Italian place called Gerlandos there. Oh and the loop trail at Taughanok(tah-gan-ok) is one i use for exercise 2-3 times a week. Skaneatelaes is skinny-atlas to the locals.
Great work on this series! Love the longer videos. Also, the hills are so tough in the Finger Lakes. I usually stay in the West Side of Canandaigua Lake and it is straight up on every road heading West.
Thanks so much! I know Ithaca has some even tougher hills we didn't go up too. It is weird because I like shorter videos - but the comments and the "algorithm" (which just means audience) like the longer vids.
I feel your pain having to climb at the end of the day to get to your campground. Last year we devised a root to go from Buffalo to Pittsburgh and the first 60 mi were on the Seaway Trail along Lake Erie which was beautiful. The last 12 mi however, were straight uphill through Brockton to Mayville and then we had hang a right and do rolling hills of continuous elevation gain to finally get to our campground. We were toast.
I just subscribed and liked. Keep up the great videos. I live about 30 minutes south of here and ride all around the finger lakes and did tour de Keuka last year. Oh and its pronounced "Skinny-at-less" lol. Happy trails.
Awesome video. We live near Hammondsport, which is ar the base of Keuka Lake. It was great watching you so close to home. We love the Keuka Outlet trail and the Erie Canal trail. It is too bad that you missed hiking Watkins Glen. But thanks for posting this video. J&B
Thanks! I've been to Hammondsport on a past trip - it was actually the Fourth and all the boats and people were getting ready for the fireworks. We rode our bikes on the trail a bit. I've also been to Keuka Lake Brewing a little bit away - if they are still open. I'm lucky because I've done a bunch of the cool hikes and swimming around the Lakes - but I felt bad for my friends having to hear my stories without getting to see everything.
Trip looks super cool! I’d have to do some hill training before I attempted a trip like that but your videos are inspiring! And of course, amazing videography and photos!!
The Auburn Trail near Pittsford is a fun trail close to our house. Your trip looks like it was fun but I think I would have done a rest day in Watkins Glen and taken a hike up the Glen and a boat cruise on the lake. Nice that you guys got to choose the routes that you wanted to tackle each day making it fun for everyone. Keep up the great work.
I've done the hike and chilled around the lake(especially in the Hector area) a few times - I more felt bad for my friends not getting the chance to do the same. That must be a great place to live with all the trail options. We really like riding the Genesee River Trail too on the day before the "tour" started.
Great bike trip also love your Group riding,unfortunately for me this year had to start late cause of bad weather.Despite that I have ride close to 2100 K in 45 days in the next few months I hope for better weater. Wish you more fun & easy rides :)
For the past 5 years, my friends and I have organized an annual 4-day bikepacking trip in the Saint Croix River Valley, just north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. While the general area is the same, each trip is different. We change up the routes, destinations, and distances travelled. Sometimes we hammer for 110 miles, other times we only ride 30 miles. We will also take a day off to paddle the river. All that variety keeps it interesting. While the urge to visit new places is totally understandable, revisiting the same place with a fresh perspective can be just as rewarding. Something about that mystical valley keeps calling us back. Thanks for reading.
Heck yeah. Definitely how I felt about doing Ohio to Erie three times in a row but modifying certain sections and even switching directions. Thanks for sharing - cheers!
@@TimFitzwater Yep. Depends on the kids, for sure. We tried bikepacking with them when they were small and it didn't go well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But they have many other lovely and amazing characteristics :)
Another great video, yes I would absolutely do a ride like this... especially with the climbing for the extra challenge. A little suffering makes that post ride beer taste that much better!
@@TimFitzwater I was actually impressed (and made note for future trips of my own) how everyone seemed to be able to adjust and do what they felt up for... we usually do stuff that requires everyone to be all-in and stick together and that leads to frustration and drama (nobody needs that on vacation).
These videos are amazing and inspiring. So much of this scenery is familiar as I live in Rochester and am an avid hiker in the Finger Lakes area, and I have been biking around all 11 Finger Lakes this summer. So far I have done 8 - still need to do Hemlock, Canadice, and the big one Cayuga. Your videos have got me thinking about doing tours like this. Most of my riding trips are one day loop excursions and not carrying significant gear. One small thing I noticed at about 27:10 - you mention the view of Seneca Lake, but I think perhaps that would be Keuka Lake?? I am thinking that since you are coming up from Penn Yan and riding west toward Italy NY - unless you have doubled back at that point - no big whoop. Just curious. Thanks for sharing these videos!!
Absolutely fantastic video!! I am very curious about the gear/bikes y’all are using. I have a Surly Preamble that I am looking to build into a bike packing bike. Thank you for this wonderful video!👍🚴🚴🚴
You gotta be Richy Carapas to get to the campground after a 75 mile day. Polka-dots for all of you! Nice ride. I need to get outta state and explore more. Thanks for motivation.
Love the Finger Lakes. It's best to think of the area between the lakes as a plains, not mountains. The lake areas are deep, glacial valleys. Basic rule is if your route is taking you towards a finger lake, you will have a great downhill. If your route is taking you away from a lake you are in for a hellacious climb. Too bad you missed Keuka Lake and Hammondsport. My personal favorites.
Finger Lakes are notoriously hilly on the south end, somewhat less on the north end, thus not surprised by your experience. As well, add in gravel and single track on loaded bikes, makes for a challenge. A buddy has ridden Bon Ton Roulet twice, wants more hill gears before he goes back,
Great series! First my birth town of Rochacha, then my home for 5 years in grad school Ithaca! I had nothing but bike transport for 2 years in Ithaca (yes including winter..) so I had pretty good legs when I left NY. Buy the way, it’s “Taw-GAN-nock” falls (can tell you’re not a local😂)
I'm so mad I mispronounced that because I tried to internalize it when the ranger said it. Ah - I have heard Rochcha since my brother lived there! Ithaca is fantastic - there was a bar I loved on top of a brutal hill that I heard burned down. The best thing though is they always had popcorn and I was told corn grows in the now vacant lot every year. Cheers!
-Wonderful video, as always. With all that riding & climbing, you probably deserved a vacation after your vacation!! -REALLY impressed with how you and the other riders changed course so many times. Do you check out route options via phone/bike computer when you adjust your routes?? If yes, do you then merge/enter your new directions onto your bike computer?? If you primarily use your phone, how do you manage if no cell service?? Still rusty navigating myself -Loved your video taking Edmond (sp.??) for ride.
I think some of the others definitely needed the second vacation! Everyone in this group uses Wahoo's. We plan and load the routes ahead of time. If we decide to change it on the fly we will use the Wahoo app "take me to" feature which will route you to an address. When Erin made her new route she used Strava then loaded it on the computer. Strava and other apps link to the Wahoo app. This trip had service almost always as the campgrounds were close to the cities. When in Michigan last year we made sure to have everything downloaded as we knew we would be way off the beaten path. When we re-routed there we did so when we got to a small town.
Thanks! He was very nice and gave us a lot of good info in his defense - definitely wasn't being a cop(he also helped Brad and Ames who were lost in the campground).
thanks for this inspiring video. To your question...do you refine a route? In my experience in bikepacking in Alberta Canada , riding a loop route in reverse can completely change what I see and how I see it. Depending on the personnel on the ride, sometimes it is frustrating to come to a consensus on basic needs like stopping for lunch. But riding a bike washes all that frustration away.
Supernice! The food bag incident has me wondering though. Would the state park rangers allow hammock camping? With the tree friendly hang straps of course. Would like to know as i will probably be touring a bit up there this spring
Thanks! He handed us a full set of rules and regulations- I’m guessing the website has them on it. All the parks we stayed at on this trip would definitely work with a hammock if it is allowed.
Such a cool video! And I really like your music selections, editing and voice over descriptions. The best! I am curious about Erin’s bike. Looks like a combination of old and new design ideas. Curved steel fork and wide tires with disc brakes. What is it?
Somehow, I can keep going back to the GAP &C&O, over and over, and never get tired of it. The Katy, the Erie Canal and others just seem pale in comparison.. But that's just my humble opinion.
Interesting. We did Ohio to Erie once as it was designed but then we rerouted to add more interesting or different things the next two years. I could definitely do the GAP & C&O again then maybe wait a while and make different stops and do it one more time....but I think that would be it. I am definitely saying this as a big vacation/traveling plan - around home I ride the same trail all the time. This is one of the reasons I love doing this though - to hear what other people think! Cheers!
so a guy up hear in Canada toured with his gravel bike on a trail like the one you had trouble with and he thinks if his bike had 3in wide tires that would have done the trick for him
We have the exact same debate all the time, do we redo a route and try to do it differently or make it better? Or do we try something completely new? When you're planning vacations with limited time off of work, it can be hard to make the decision to redo something. After our gruelling trip from Buffalo to Pittsburgh last year, which we did not complete, we decided to set a 40 to 50 mile a day limit so we could have a relaxed pace and enjoy the scenes and take side trips. And then totally ignored that new guideline when we did Cleveland to Cincinnati this year. LOL
re whether to redo a trip but refine it, or go and explore something totally new, I reckon its ok to redo a good trip if there are leasons learnt, and hopefully you'll re-appreciate it, but only at some time in the distant future so by then it will be like a new explore. But in the short term, try something new. Its a bit like a good book or film - you dont want to re-read or watch it straight afterwards, but maybe do so a year or so down the track. Life's too short to keep doing essentially the same thing. cheers
Why don't you wait for each other? Or go with Ben to the bike shop? I keep thinking of the potential of having a mechanical and falling further behind.
Erin wanted to get out there with the long climby day. She didn't want to wait around. Ben said go on and he caught up. Ames and Brad left later and wanted to stop more. So we just did our own thing on that day. We all have phones if something goes wrong.
Those are not “broad road shoulders”, the are “snow lanes” - the snow plows pack them solid in the winter. No way to describe it, you just have to go back in February to get the picture.
I rode from Pueblo CO to Yellowstone a few weeks ago, following the ACA Trans-America trail east to west. Lots of climbing, all roads. I prefer to climb earlier in the day when the temperature is cooler, the traffic is lighter, and my legs are fresh. Of course it's a luxury to get to choose when the climbs happen.
As I watched you being pushed on those hills and realized how much it alters and affects your trip plans and decision making on what to do They've done a lot with bicycle gearing and materials to mitigate it, but let's face it. Unless your into the physical endurance and challenge hills aren't much fun. I couldn't help but think how much all of the groups decisions would have been different had you all been on e-bikes and they wouldn't have been a factor. It could open up new places and types of trips for everyone. Not just weaker riders. Not that I want to get the whole e-bike argument going again but it's something interesting to think about.
On Friday a photographer who used to work at the studio dropped by to chat about bikes and cameras. She had just got back from a tour where one guy was on an ebike. It had to be a credit card tour so they could make sure he could charge and also so they would be carrying less gear. So that is kind of cool. I don't think the tech is there yet though for the riding and places we want to go. Yesterday we were chatting a bit about next summer's plans and talked about doing something flatter and closer to home like we used to.
@@TimFitzwater Your right. They have come a long ways with the technology but it's not to the point where it would be more of a benefit than a hindrance in most circumstances. I don't ride near as hard as you guys do though. I can't credit card tour but might be able to swing campgrounds with electric. LOL
I laughed out loud when you said "On days like this, 5% didnt feel that bad anymore." I've called this area home for 56 years. Props to you for riding what you did with a loaded bike. You're a boss.
Thanks!
We did a three day credit card tour of CT that felt the same. 5% becomes very rideable!
Tim, I subscribed to your
channel based on the fact you showed bravery driving through Syracuse
at night fall. My birth place hasn't looked so good.
Keep spinning!
.
It was my second time cruising the city after dark. Have honestly never felt nervous there.
Cheers!
I love this series, Tim. Thanks for sharing my "neighborhood" with all your viewers.
You really just made my day!
We call Skaneatelaes ‘SkinnyAtlas’
The only reason I know how to to pronounce it, is when I was a little kid in the '70s I had a wooden train set from Skaneatelaes.
Wow - we were nowhere close on that one!
The first part is pronounced kinda half way between skinny and scanny, followed by atlas. Western New Yorker here, born in the 50s (and still riding about 100 miles per week!).
@@TimFitzwater😂
I have to thank everyone for being nice about this - people can be real jerks about my mispronunciations! 😂
Well Tim, for what its worth, I love Edmund and seeing him in your videos! And thanks for sharing your adventures!
Cheers! 🐈⬛
Ditto.
What a treat to find this. I live in the Rochester area and am familiar with the roads you took from Keuka up to Rochester. I'm just doing day rides on road or gravel. It was interesting to see it all from a bike packing perspective. Great footage and narration. And definitely props to doing those climbs fully loaded.
Thanks!
Really great looking trip and another fine bikumentory.
I commented in your Rochester to Syracuse video, that I’m from Canandaigua. It was so cool seeing Watkins Glen and Bristol Mountain on your video. My brother owes 65 acres on the other side of the mountain from Ontario County Park at Gannet Hill. I Love your content and your philosophy on cycling.
Very cool!
Thanks!
Way cool, TY for letting us ride along.
Dude! My family used to vacation at Skaneatlas Lake back in the late 80’s…we always rented a cabin on the other end of the lake from where the town is…we would drive up from Philly and bring a boat and water ski…it was so nice there..l brought my road bike up one year and road to town from our cabin which was the whole length of the lake…I forget how many miles it was but the amount of hills was staggering…it was a humid mid July day probably 100 degrees…I made it but it kicked my ass i was probably 16…my parent picked me up in town and we went and had a fish fry dinner at Doug’s Fish Fry…love Skaneatlas!! Miss it there..thanks for memory flashback..I’m 51 now and live in a ski town in Colorado and still ride bikes mtn bike and gravel some…Ineed to do a bike pack trip through upstate ny one of these days
I really like the fact that you all respect each other and are supportive of each of you altering the agreed-upon trip in a way that supports your own wants and needs. That's a really tough thing with group tours like this
Definitely takes a certain dynamic and doesn't work with every group.
I live just south of Rochester and the majority of my riding is on what I call the linear trails and single track. I get real excited when I see video on trails that I routinely ride. I have not been able to ride for over a month due to an injury, so I am going stir crazy watching vlogs of where I love to ride. There is a nice loop in the area formed by the Genesee Valley Greenway, Erie Canal, Auburn trail and the Lehigh Valley trail. About 43 miles in length.
Buttermilk Falls... You are tugging my heartstrings. My wife and I camped at Buttermilk Falls our first couple of nights in Ithaca when we moved there for grad school! I plan to bike through New York next year as the final section of a cross country ride. I am trying to decide if I want to ride the whole Erie Canal or drop down into the Finger Lakes. You are selling me on the latter.
The Finger Lakes are beautiful but the Erie Canal is flat - will just depend on what you are more in the mood for!
Cheers!
Epic ride, thanks for the take along Tim! =]
Spectacular, if I was 10 yrs younger I would like to do that route. Thank you for your all your excellent videos.
Cheers
Man that was awesome. You're becoming the Rick Steves of the bike packing world. Keep'm coming. 👏👏
Love this . Such a beautiful neck of the woods .
Wild nostalgia watching this. I'm in Chicago now, but I washed dishes at the summer before college at the restaurant by the marina in Watkins Glen you stopped at about ~15 years ago ha!
Thanks for sharing!
The Village Marina? All the locals miss that place around here. It was an institution.
I really love the riding in the Finger Lakes area. There is a surprising amount of climbing even though there are no mountains. But when you think about the topography it starts to make sense. Long, narrow glacial lakes that drain to the North. So you're going to hit hills if you ride East/West and you're going to hit hills if you ride North/South. Oh, and if you get off the state highways and there is "hill" in the name of the road, they aren't kidding around. Great roads, gorgeous scenery. Absolutely love it there.
skipping Gannet Hill at the end of the day was smart, I've seen seasoned racers gas out on that hill many times.
Awesome tour! When I saw finger lakes in the title I couldn’t click it fast enough. I’ve lived between Seneca and keuka my whole life and love it here. So cool to see familiar places in your video!
Thanks! Sorry about the pronunciations!
Enjoyed this video, now back to the beginning of the trip.
Looks like a fun and challenging trip! I would love to do a tour like this someday.
I overall loved it. For the whole group the rest day would have been a great idea.
Love your videos Tim! My husband and I did a bike tour around the same areas a few years ago and were caught off guard by the steep climbs to the state parks around the Finger Lakes too (but it was so worth it!). We did build in rest days at Ithaca and also at Watkins Glen and enjoyed some hiking and biking around Cornell University as well. And for your question about repeating tours…I feel exactly the same. I would tweak any tour I’ve already done but I don’t know if I would repeat a tour. Just seems that there are so many other tours out there waiting to be discovered and I love exploring new places. Thanks for sharing your adventures! Always learn so much from you 😊
Cheers!
Great tour,you all squeeze every drop out of the days out! Beautiful!😎👌🤘
Thanks! It was a neat experience - I really liked it though it was a bit to tough for the group as a whole.
Tim, I was extremely interested in a comment you made on a recent video regarding how much you like your flat/ swept bar bike and how comfortable it was even over longer rides.
Several months ago I purchased an All City Space Horse model that features a flat/ swept bar rather than drops. Of course from time to time I wonder how much speed I might be losing on longer rides and especially into the wind. However, this bike is comfortable, maneuverable, and so easy to handle in and around town, yet it's not a total slug on long rides for someone of my age and riding fitness and ability. I truly enjoy it and have nicknamed it my UAV, "Urban Assault Vehicle."
My compliments on your continued excellent videos, Sir and pass along my best wishes to your friends.
I just did two back to back solo centuries sweeps and I was glad I was on that bike.
There were maybe a few moments when the drops would have been nice but most the time I'll just take the comfort.
Thanks and cheers!
@@TimFitzwater that’s incredible Sir. My compliments and great to hear. I need to gather a 100 under my belt.
Good thoughts, great video! I think as bike tourists we keep learning and developing new ideas for each trip in the future. Whether it is gear, the bike, the route, always a new adventure. ☮
Thanks! Agree!
Love this! I've encircled Seneca Lake and Keuka lake full y route. Plenty of climbing.
Whew, that tour had so much! Looked like a ton of fun!
It was really cool - I loved it.
That is an impressive ride. My Midwest legs could not handle all the climbing on a tour bike. I love all the terrain types you endured. And hell with the no swimming sign. You earned it.
Cheers!
Fantastic Tim..
Thanks!
Watched 50% Of this . Will return. Love the descents , wow . NY!!!! People need to see what an awesome STATE! . It's not NYC riot BS.
It’s amazing and this is just a small bit. I love New York City too though.
Ha! I watched Edmond’s cat packing video when you first posted it! Clever to have a specific bike for the cat trailer.
That was fun to watch
I love these videos! I’m recovering from a broken collarbone so I’m off the outside bike till late August. Watching your adventures is motivating. If I could do this ride, I’d likely skip the muddy single track and maybe a few walls, too. 😂🤣
Agreed, spending a day in Watkins Glen is a great idea. That park is really the CROWN JEWEL of the fingerlakes, and there is a nice Italian place called Gerlandos there. Oh and the loop trail at Taughanok(tah-gan-ok) is one i use for exercise 2-3 times a week. Skaneatelaes is skinny-atlas to the locals.
The Finger Lakes are awesome. I’ve ridden the Bon Ton Roulet with over 500 riders - 7 days of Finger Lakes awesomeness.
Heaven!
Great work on this series! Love the longer videos. Also, the hills are so tough in the Finger Lakes. I usually stay in the West Side of Canandaigua Lake and it is straight up on every road heading West.
Thanks so much!
I know Ithaca has some even tougher hills we didn't go up too.
It is weird because I like shorter videos - but the comments and the "algorithm" (which just means audience) like the longer vids.
I feel your pain having to climb at the end of the day to get to your campground. Last year we devised a root to go from Buffalo to Pittsburgh and the first 60 mi were on the Seaway Trail along Lake Erie which was beautiful. The last 12 mi however, were straight uphill through Brockton to Mayville and then we had hang a right and do rolling hills of continuous elevation gain to finally get to our campground. We were toast.
makes for a rough end to the day for sure!
Looks like a great trip! Probably to much climbing for me though.
I just subscribed and liked. Keep up the great videos. I live about 30 minutes south of here and ride all around the finger lakes and did tour de Keuka last year. Oh and its pronounced "Skinny-at-less" lol. Happy trails.
Thanks!
We were not even close on that pronunciation.
Cheers!
looks fun
Just ran the half marathon on the Black Diamond Trail in Ithaca a few weeks ago. Ithaca is Gorges! 😊 Thanks for the vids. Nice trip.
Nice!
Sounds like a tough half! (Halfs are the farthest I’ve ever run - they are all tough).
Cheers!
Awesome video. We live near Hammondsport, which is ar the base of Keuka Lake. It was great watching you so close to home. We love the Keuka Outlet trail and the Erie Canal trail. It is too bad that you missed hiking Watkins Glen. But thanks for posting this video. J&B
Thanks!
I've been to Hammondsport on a past trip - it was actually the Fourth and all the boats and people were getting ready for the fireworks. We rode our bikes on the trail a bit. I've also been to Keuka Lake Brewing a little bit away - if they are still open.
I'm lucky because I've done a bunch of the cool hikes and swimming around the Lakes - but I felt bad for my friends having to hear my stories without getting to see everything.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!! 😊
Trip looks super cool! I’d have to do some hill training before I attempted a trip like that but your videos are inspiring! And of course, amazing videography and photos!!
Thanks so much!
We don't have climbs as long or as steep around here but there is enough to keep is in decent shape.
The Auburn Trail near Pittsford is a fun trail close to our house. Your trip looks like it was fun but I think I would have done a rest day in Watkins Glen and taken a hike up the Glen and a boat cruise on the lake. Nice that you guys got to choose the routes that you wanted to tackle each day making it fun for everyone. Keep up the great work.
I've done the hike and chilled around the lake(especially in the Hector area) a few times - I more felt bad for my friends not getting the chance to do the same.
That must be a great place to live with all the trail options. We really like riding the Genesee River Trail too on the day before the "tour" started.
Great bike trip also love your Group riding,unfortunately for me this year had to start late cause of bad weather.Despite that I have ride close to 2100 K in 45 days in the next few months I hope for better weater. Wish you more fun & easy rides :)
Beautiful video Tim🎉🎉🎉
Thanks!
For the past 5 years, my friends and I have organized an annual 4-day bikepacking trip in the Saint Croix River Valley, just north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
While the general area is the same, each trip is different. We change up the routes, destinations, and distances travelled. Sometimes we hammer for 110 miles, other times we only ride 30 miles. We will also take a day off to paddle the river. All that variety keeps it interesting.
While the urge to visit new places is totally understandable, revisiting the same place with a fresh perspective can be just as rewarding. Something about that mystical valley keeps calling us back.
Thanks for reading.
Heck yeah. Definitely how I felt about doing Ohio to Erie three times in a row but modifying certain sections and even switching directions.
Thanks for sharing - cheers!
Great series! If I didn't have kids, I'd def do this kind of trip.
Thanks! My life would definitely be different with little ones. Though I have seen some people take them on rail trail camping trips.
@@TimFitzwater Yep. Depends on the kids, for sure. We tried bikepacking with them when they were small and it didn't go well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But they have many other lovely and amazing characteristics :)
Wow i was also biking in Rochester on the 4th of July, was on the genesee riverway trail and auburn trail that day as well!
Probably passed each other!!!
Frozen Ocean MX the place with the moto on top of the entrance gate. I have raced motos here in the past!
Another great video, yes I would absolutely do a ride like this... especially with the climbing for the extra challenge. A little suffering makes that post ride beer taste that much better!
For sure! As it was a group vacation I think we made it a bit too tough - but I have to say I loved it.
@@TimFitzwater I was actually impressed (and made note for future trips of my own) how everyone seemed to be able to adjust and do what they felt up for... we usually do stuff that requires everyone to be all-in and stick together and that leads to frustration and drama (nobody needs that on vacation).
@hershcreative9367 100%
Standing around waiting on one side or feeling rushed on the other just makes everyone unhappy.
No words.👍✌
Diggin the Stealie for Watkins Glen! Great as always, NFA (~):-}
At 76, I would have to use my electric trek bike but I sure appreciated all your work and scenery
Hey - nothing wrong with that!
Thanks!
great trip I wish I did with you guys
These videos are amazing and inspiring. So much of this scenery is familiar as I live in Rochester and am an avid hiker in the Finger Lakes area, and I have been biking around all 11 Finger Lakes this summer. So far I have done 8 - still need to do Hemlock, Canadice, and the big one Cayuga. Your videos have got me thinking about doing tours like this. Most of my riding trips are one day loop excursions and not carrying significant gear.
One small thing I noticed at about 27:10 - you mention the view of Seneca Lake, but I think perhaps that would be Keuka Lake?? I am thinking that since you are coming up from Penn Yan and riding west toward Italy NY - unless you have doubled back at that point - no big whoop. Just curious.
Thanks for sharing these videos!!
Awesome. It is such an amazing region.
You are probably right about the Lakes - sometimes I just misspeak and don't catch it.
Thanks! Cheers!
"My legs don't know pretty." - Erin, about the climbs. Yeah, been there.
Ha!
I sure would miss a handsome cat like that!
🐈⬛
Absolutely fantastic video!!
I am very curious about the gear/bikes y’all are using.
I have a Surly Preamble that I am looking to build into a bike packing bike.
Thank you for this wonderful video!👍🚴🚴🚴
Thanks! I have a breakdown of my bike on the channel - hope to do more on theirs in the future.
You gotta be Richy Carapas to get to the campground after a 75 mile day. Polka-dots for all of you! Nice ride. I need to get outta state and explore more. Thanks for motivation.
I love to hear that!
We definitely over-planned the miles/climbs as a group trip - but if I'm being honest I loved it.
Love the Finger Lakes. It's best to think of the area between the lakes as a plains, not mountains. The lake areas are deep, glacial valleys. Basic rule is if your route is taking you towards a finger lake, you will have a great downhill. If your route is taking you away from a lake you are in for a hellacious climb. Too bad you missed Keuka Lake and Hammondsport. My personal favorites.
I've been to both places before. Obviously can't hit everything by bike with limited time.
And "shade is the only thing that matters" 😅 That's exactly the Tucsonistan vibe. Still laughing
Cheers!
Why can't we give more than one thumb's up??? Great vid. Great trip.
Thanks so much!
Finger Lakes are notoriously hilly on the south end, somewhat less on the north end, thus not surprised by your experience. As well, add in gravel and single track on loaded bikes, makes for a challenge. A buddy has ridden Bon Ton Roulet twice, wants more hill gears before he goes back,
Oh yeah. I didn’t go in blind either as I have hiked and driven around here a number of times.
Next time at Watkins Glen. Stop at the Seneca Lodge for food and drinks. Historic bar. Best Italian at Gerlando's. Great canole
Shop during the day
That is where Ames got our food from!
I love hearing about the history of the areas you ride through. Very nice
Great series! First my birth town of Rochacha, then my home for 5 years in grad school Ithaca! I had nothing but bike transport for 2 years in Ithaca (yes including winter..) so I had pretty good legs when I left NY. Buy the way, it’s “Taw-GAN-nock” falls (can tell you’re not a local😂)
I'm so mad I mispronounced that because I tried to internalize it when the ranger said it.
Ah - I have heard Rochcha since my brother lived there!
Ithaca is fantastic - there was a bar I loved on top of a brutal hill that I heard burned down. The best thing though is they always had popcorn and I was told corn grows in the now vacant lot every year.
Cheers!
Locke represent!!! 😂
I’m planning a trip around Seneca Lake. From my house around the lake and return is about 110 miles.
Try camping at Treman State Park next time near Ithaca.
Tough choices but too many places to see and not enough time!
-Wonderful video, as always. With all that riding & climbing, you probably deserved a vacation after your vacation!!
-REALLY impressed with how you and the other riders changed course so many times. Do you check out route options via phone/bike computer when you adjust your routes?? If yes, do you then merge/enter your new directions onto your bike computer?? If you primarily use your phone, how do you manage if no cell service?? Still rusty navigating myself
-Loved your video taking Edmond (sp.??) for ride.
I think some of the others definitely needed the second vacation!
Everyone in this group uses Wahoo's. We plan and load the routes ahead of time. If we decide to change it on the fly we will use the Wahoo app "take me to" feature which will route you to an address. When Erin made her new route she used Strava then loaded it on the computer. Strava and other apps link to the Wahoo app.
This trip had service almost always as the campgrounds were close to the cities.
When in Michigan last year we made sure to have everything downloaded as we knew we would be way off the beaten path. When we re-routed there we did so when we got to a small town.
Awesome video. Don’t think I could handle the climbing or the conversation with the Park Ranger about hanging your food on a dead tree limb.
Thanks!
He was very nice and gave us a lot of good info in his defense - definitely wasn't being a cop(he also helped Brad and Ames who were lost in the campground).
Espolòn!!
🌵
thanks for this inspiring video. To your question...do you refine a route? In my experience in bikepacking in Alberta Canada , riding a loop route in reverse can completely change what I see and how I see it. Depending on the personnel on the ride, sometimes it is frustrating to come to a consensus on basic needs like stopping for lunch. But riding a bike washes all that frustration away.
We have done that too - reversing the Ohio to Erie Route.
Cheers!
Supernice! The food bag incident has me wondering though. Would the state park rangers allow hammock camping? With the tree friendly hang straps of course. Would like to know as i will probably be touring a bit up there this spring
Thanks!
He handed us a full set of rules and regulations- I’m guessing the website has them on it.
All the parks we stayed at on this trip would definitely work with a hammock if it is allowed.
Bike checks! Bike checks! Bike checks! 😊😂❤
Those hills at the end of the day ruined that plan. I hauled my wireless mic and DJI kinda for nothing. I will make this happen someday though....
@@TimFitzwater Yeah, I know that feeling. Took the "wrong" bike once and pushed up hills for hours.
Still, it's not the destination...☯️ 😄
Hello Tim, yes, yes, and , yes is the answer to the three questions you asked at the end of the video.
Looks brutal, are you sure it was a vacation and not an endurance test?
You passed with flying colors either way.
I think it was still vacation for Ben and I - everyone else? We should have paid more attention to the end of the days.
Such a cool video! And I really like your music selections, editing and voice over descriptions. The best! I am curious about Erin’s bike. Looks like a combination of old and new design ideas. Curved steel fork and wide tires with disc brakes. What is it?
I went back into your videos and found out it is a Crust. Very cool!
@randallsmith7885 yes - Bombora a classic style but modern geometry
Somehow, I can keep going back to the GAP &C&O, over and over, and never get tired of it. The Katy, the Erie Canal and others just seem pale in comparison.. But that's just my humble opinion.
Interesting. We did Ohio to Erie once as it was designed but then we rerouted to add more interesting or different things the next two years. I could definitely do the GAP & C&O again then maybe wait a while and make different stops and do it one more time....but I think that would be it.
I am definitely saying this as a big vacation/traveling plan - around home I ride the same trail all the time.
This is one of the reasons I love doing this though - to hear what other people think!
Cheers!
so a guy up hear in Canada toured with his gravel bike on a trail like the one you had trouble with and he thinks if his bike had 3in wide tires that would have done the trick for him
Tim- how do you find these awesome routes that you ride, part city, part neighborhood and then all the way to single track sometimes?? ...amazing!
Ben is the route master. I will send a rough outline I make on Google maps - he will dive in and refine it.
@@TimFitzwater What tool does he use to refine it?
He uses Ride w/GPS. Erin helps too but uses Strava.
What size tires are you, Ben and Aaron riding. What tire pressure?
Mine are 55s with around 35 psi and Erin’s are 48s with maybe 30 psi.
We have the exact same debate all the time, do we redo a route and try to do it differently or make it better? Or do we try something completely new? When you're planning vacations with limited time off of work, it can be hard to make the decision to redo something.
After our gruelling trip from Buffalo to Pittsburgh last year, which we did not complete, we decided to set a 40 to 50 mile a day limit so we could have a relaxed pace and enjoy the scenes and take side trips. And then totally ignored that new guideline when we did Cleveland to Cincinnati this year. LOL
Ha!
re whether to redo a trip but refine it, or go and explore something totally new, I reckon its ok to redo a good trip if there are leasons learnt, and hopefully you'll re-appreciate it, but only at some time in the distant future so by then it will be like a new explore. But in the short term, try something new. Its a bit like a good book or film - you dont want to re-read or watch it straight afterwards, but maybe do so a year or so down the track. Life's too short to keep doing essentially the same thing. cheers
ithaca is gorges
A problem I have with one of my bikes!
Why don't you wait for each other? Or go with Ben to the bike shop? I keep thinking of the potential of having a mechanical and falling further behind.
Erin wanted to get out there with the long climby day. She didn't want to wait around. Ben said go on and he caught up. Ames and Brad left later and wanted to stop more. So we just did our own thing on that day. We all have phones if something goes wrong.
What bikes are you two riding?
Erin is riding a Crust Bombora and I am riding a Gunnar Rocktour. Videos about both if you search the channel.
Those are not “broad road shoulders”, the are “snow lanes” - the snow plows pack them solid in the winter. No way to describe it, you just have to go back in February to get the picture.
No thanks! 😎
Hello … good trip 😀… Could you please give me the informations of the bike set up of your wife? The bags… Thank you 🤩
She’s running a Crust Bombora with a Swift Industries Zeitgeist and framebag with a Roadrunner bag in a Wald Basket on front.
@@TimFitzwater 👍😀
Is that the statue of Philip Seymour Hoffman at 38:35?
Yup!
Skinny at tulus. This is the source of tap water for a large portion of Western Syracuse area.
Interesting!
Skinny Atlas is what another guy said - definitely similar - and we were way off!
I rode from Pueblo CO to Yellowstone a few weeks ago, following the ACA Trans-America trail east to west. Lots of climbing, all roads. I prefer to climb earlier in the day when the temperature is cooler, the traffic is lighter, and my legs are fresh. Of course it's a luxury to get to choose when the climbs happen.
As I watched you being pushed on those hills and realized how much it alters and affects your trip plans and decision making on what to do They've done a lot with bicycle gearing and materials to mitigate it, but let's face it. Unless your into the physical endurance and challenge hills aren't much fun. I couldn't help but think how much all of the groups decisions would have been different had you all been on e-bikes and they wouldn't have been a factor. It could open up new places and types of trips for everyone. Not just weaker riders. Not that I want to get the whole e-bike argument going again but it's something interesting to think about.
On Friday a photographer who used to work at the studio dropped by to chat about bikes and cameras. She had just got back from a tour where one guy was on an ebike. It had to be a credit card tour so they could make sure he could charge and also so they would be carrying less gear. So that is kind of cool.
I don't think the tech is there yet though for the riding and places we want to go.
Yesterday we were chatting a bit about next summer's plans and talked about doing something flatter and closer to home like we used to.
@@TimFitzwater Your right. They have come a long ways with the technology but it's not to the point where it would be more of a benefit than a hindrance in most circumstances. I don't ride near as hard as you guys do though. I can't credit card tour but might be able to swing campgrounds with electric. LOL