We suck at bikepacking - Biking to Key West EP1
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- Опубліковано 28 січ 2017
- Uncensored Version: / key-west-trip-7928849
Next episode: • We STILL suck at bikep...
Alex's Day 1: • MOST DANGEROUS BIKE RI...
Alex's Pre Ride Video: • Hanging with Seth and ...
My Bikepacking Gear
Rack: amzn.to/2kJMYFt
Bag: amzn.to/2kJOJ5R
Sleeping bag (Warm weather): amzn.to/2kJNyDq
This, is mile marker 0 off route US-1. It symbolizes the Southernmost point in the continental US, but clearly the house behind it is further South. To me, the real reason to visit mile marker 0 is to drive through the Florida Keys. From downtown Miami, it’s an epic 3 hour drive, starting with skyscrapers and ending in 7 mile long bridges through the Caribbean-or the Gulf of Mexico depending on which car window you’re looking out of.
The final stop is Key West, and it’s worth the trip. If you like coconut trees, flip flops, and stiff drinks, you may find no better place. Of course, relaxation was the last thing on my mind when I agreed to pedal to Key West from my house in Fort Lauderdale. I’m pretty sure it was Alex’s crazy idea, and who could blame him? The poor guy has been off his mountain bike since November, when he dislocated his shoulder. A road bike adventure through the flattest state in the nation would be a piece of cake.
So we threw caution to the wind, did absolutely no research, and retrofitted our road bikes with racks and luggage. Alex had a lot of camping experience, and I went through a road biking phase a few years back. I was no stranger to high mileage. 200 miles in 3 days would be easy. So the goal for day one would be a campsite 90 miles away in Key Largo. As we set out from my house in high spirits, we had no idea how humbling of an experience this ride would be. Alex and I fell short of Key Largo by over 40 miles on day one. Allow me to summarize why that was the case.
Reason 1: Roady miles and bike packing miles are not the same. When you ride for training of for the sake of riding you choose your favorite route. We were forced to ride through Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Hallandale, all of Miami, and Homestead, encountering ridiculous amounts of stop lights, traffic, glass, and general treachery. City miles are slow and frustrating. We were moving at a snails pace, which leads into…
Reason number 2: The worst route ever. I used Google maps to plan a route and tapped the little bicycle icon. This is great for finding the closest bikeway, but terrible for finding directions. Rather than have you ride for a mile on a less than ideal road, Google would rather you get on a ferry. Sometimes it would want us to take a bikeway for a few miles, make a u turn, and backtrack a mile to get on another bikeway-this instead of just hopping over one median. For the record I now know the best route, but I can’t go back in time to Wednesday afternoon, which brings us to…
Reason number 3: A late start. We did some preparation in the morning and moseyed on down to the coffee shop. We didn’t start pedaling until around 11, since we wanted to wait until rush hour was over. I don’t know why it didn’t click that we’d be in South Miami during the second rush hour. Since my calculations were based on roady miles, I figured we’d be in the keys by then, but I didn’t account for all the stops, craploads of extra weight, and….
Reason number 4: Mechanical problems. For the record I did one thing right, and that was buy two really good brand new tires, and a reasonably sturdy rack with panniers. Alexander’s bike was f*cked. His tires were really old, and his rack consisted of 9 bungie cords and some backpacks. The only thing on his bike that worked consistently was the horn. Alex kept getting flats on his rear tire, and it took forever to take on and off the bike due to the rear rack. Between stops to fix the rack, multiple flats, and a detour to restock our supplies, we burnt through 2 hours of daylight, which brings me to…
Reason number 5: Bad luck, which I admit is sort of a cop out for bad planning. Google Maps led us to a really jagged and rough fire road, which was out of the question considering Alex’s tire issues. So we tried to find a way around it and found ourselves trapped. I was going to do it, but Alex was actually the voice of reason. He might have saved both of our lives. During the day, maybe. At night, it was sketchy.
So, 40 miles from Key Largo we decided to throw in the towel. Luckily, motels in Homestead are about the same price as tent sites in the keys. We were pretty bummed out, and admittedly doubtful that we would get to Key West on time. Both of us were on a time constraint, and the next day was looking grimmer and grimmer by the minute. After 50 miles of arduous urban pedaling, we needed something to boost our spirits.
Full transcript in closed captions - Спорт
Man, rewatching these again makes me laugh. My friend and I just bike packed from Jacksonville to Key West a few weeks ago and had the time of our lives, but it was videos like these that made me over-plan for what turned out to be a stress free adventure. I miss these kinds of Berm Peak videos Seth! Go do more dumb stuff!
I’m always revisiting these old videos. Lol.
Do you mind sharing the route you used? I’d love to fly in to Florida with a bike then bike pack toward the keys then fly home.
@@jojo_is_a_go5893 Pretty much took the East Coast Greenway other than a few days of detouring onto the Everglades levees.
Wow... US roads seem crazy for roadies.
Here in the UK, I can no longer complain!
oh my gosh you just reminded me I was in florida camping and I made the mistake of sleeping outside in the porch of our cabin and I got covered in little red bug bites from head to toe.
I love goin back to watch the old Seth videos every so often…
this was awesome man, i could watch 1 hour episodes of these!
absolutely
"He hasnt been on a bike since he dislocated his shoulder"
Proceeds to vigorously handshake him
Savage.
Carrett Barrett he dislocated his left shoulder. That was his right
Hey lomachenko went and fought somebody 3 months off a dislocated shoulder
other shoulder?
He was about to ride to key west, I think is shoulders better now!!
Hahaha, all-time classic: 6:14 "We've been eating Clif Bars and f'n birdseed all day"
BKXC yeah that got me chuckling too. Nice vid guys, really enjoyed it. After watching Alex's prep video I was doubtful his setup was up to the task lol.
BKXC lol
energy gels or electrolytes? bleh...
BKXC i
I laughed tp
you have more faith in florida drivers than I do. Im barely ever on the road. Strictly trail.. Bicycle vs car never ends on a positive note.
Lol
Strap a propane tank to your bike.
dude me and my wife are planning on bike packing this year, thanx for showing me how much can go wrong if routes proper planning aren't worked out.
Good luck! The 4th video in this series will be a list of things we would do differently, and how to prepare better. We learned VOLUMES during this trip.
Seth's Bike Hacks ya man were really new to biking and we seen this and were like damn we better think this out were in our 40s and you are one of the first channels that got me into single track & free ride MTB thanx keep up the great work.
Seth's Bike Hacks ya man were really new to biking and we seen this and were like damn we better think this out were in our 40s and you are one of the first channels that got me into single track & free ride MTB thanx keep up the great work.
Seth's Bike Hacks when is the next one coming out
Yeah I mentioned how you all should have prepared. But you ignored my comment, I guess hobbits have feelings too!
I watch this series over and over again. Please make more videos like this soon
Nice to see a realistic account of what happens on bike tours without enough planning. It brought back many memories of my own first tour in 1995. We looked at a standard road map for the route, had no idea about hills or anything else. I had two backpacks bungeed to my rear rack and a heavy tent and sleeping bag on top of that. It turned out to be 10% grade after 10% grade after 10% grade. After 225 miles I had blown both knees out (patellar tendonitis). We had to ship the bikes home and rent a car. It took 6 months before I could ride again. Yet, it had been the best vacation of my life. I've done many more tours since then with much better planning and better gear, but I've always carried quite a bit of weight. On my next tour I'm using my road bike with bikepacking gear and am hoping to cut the weight by about 60%.
Friend grievously injured on a bike...
Immediately takes him on a bike ride on a highway.
@The Prophet Sped its a joke
Holy crap, and here I was thinking I MIGHT be first..... *posted 1 minute ago*
No fucking way buddy boy.
BKXC lol I love y'all no homo (yes I'm from Texas)
Ohhhhh frick
Posted 2 years ago
Back again all these years later. I miss this content so much.
Excellent video production quality as all of us have come to expect seth! Great video, psyched for part 2.
Came back to this video 3 years later, stayed on my mind and thought of it today. Would love to travel to the keys some day from Belgium!
Epic start to an epic journey, thanks for bringing us along seth
This is one kickass video! I enjoyed it very much! Can't wait for day 2!
Seth, your video making skills are second to none- seriously. And thank you Alex for saving both of your lives.... My goodness. Living / biking on the edge out there.
Thanks for sharing your story.
It looked really scary at times. Glad you all made it.
What an adventure that was. Looking forward to the next chapter...
Seth's Bike Hacks it's a bummer to hear it didn't go as planned so far, always a learning experience though. I'm sure you'll still manage to have tons of fun and make great memories. If you want a more scenic car-free experience, I would recommend the GAP and C&O Bikeway. It goes from DC to Pittsburgh on mostly dedicated bike paths with some awesome trail towns. I've not done it yet, but it's been on my bucket list for a while.
Man, that you are even allowed to travel on these kind of roads (2:40)
You're right. It looks terrifying. I think I would have stopped there, and gotten off my bike. Then, I would look to my right. If the cars looked far enough away, I would walk my bike across.
Check out Alex's day 1! ua-cam.com/video/gtDj63K6dXU/v-deo.html
From what I've heard CX bikes are good at this just for the fire roads.
Dat Person Doe. CX bikes, Gravel bikes, Touring bikes, etc.
true dat.
Seth's Bike Hacks Seth your so inspirational I'm going to do this I love your vids and keep up with these episodes mate 😀😄👍🏻👍🏻
I have had similar "failures" backpacking. It is all a learning experience, love this video.
I am going to love this series!!! Keep it coming!!
Hey Seth I've been watching your videos since the start of last year and I'm really impressed with your videos they've taught me heaps about bikes and I ride a Avanti Montari 1 Cheers
I left a like and I subscribed ages ago and I bet 99% of you will not like or reply to this message the 1% that do have a f**king great day mate
Hayden McDonald, I ride an Avanti Montari 2, and damn they are good bikes
Wow this is a really interesting insight into what can go wrong on a trip like this. Good luck Seth!!
Seeing you guys cross those merge ramps made me so worried! Where I live it is illegal to bike on highways and I have to say I'm grateful for that lol 😅
This series was top notch. I’ve rewatched it three times.
Seths Bike hacks you have the best channel ever!!!!!!!!! i love your channel
I did that ride last week! Key West to Miami, took me 36 hours to do.
Good one, Seth! You can't expect to have a successful bikepacking trip with crappy equipment and minimal planning. You're looking to have problems along the way if you do. And note that crappy doesn't mean cheap. Often times a lot of the cheaper equipment is as good or better than the expensive stuff. Bikepacking can take a bit of practice, tweaks, and trial and error to get it right. Everybody's setup can be a little different.
Love the video, I've been waiting for a road bike center video for a while! As far as backpacking the best advise would be to remember "anything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong" you'll almost never accomplish the distance in the time you expected
I went on a 45 mile bike packing trip on a full suspension carbon downhill bike, you can expect how that went
Was it all downhill?
Mostly flat some downhill and uphill
@@jasonjayalap 45 miles of down hill
nice adventure, can't wait for part two!
this is really fresh. nice work seth, great video idea!
You all need to do this again! Awesome series
could see the street of my grandmas house in one of your cut scenes, such a tiny tiny place
Many problems you faced during the trip. Hope you have a safe journey!
Awesome adventure! great story! the best adventures never go to plan. I bet you survive and overcome. I can admit to learning about how hard bike treking can be the hard way as well. A true touring bike with expensive bullet proof racks panniers really turns it into a breeze. But sometimes you just have to jump into stuff and do the best you can with what you got. I admire you for that! looking forward to episode 2.
Dude... As much as I love mountain biking, this video was enough to make me want to go an a trip like that sometime. Seth, you got me hooked!
This is gonna be a pretty cool new series. Liking the idea!
I really enjoyed this as it's real and true of what happens ....because even with great planning you will experience one of these issues along with weather changes which can bring you to your knees ...you have to be mentally strong to do this and resorcful and above all POSITIVE nothing worse than wineing winny in your ear 24/7 so I really rate this video it's one of the best I've seen thank you for making this video !!!
I've always wanted to go bike packing, glad I can watch how you do it and learn some. Also the google earth animated route at the end was fancy!! Love the quality of your vids.
Great series! dying to see more bikepacking adventures!
i always end up coming back to these videos. brings me right back to 2017 good times good times
This actually looks hella fun if you ride with a friend, even through all the hardships
It's 100% better with a bud. He's extra power to carry weight, support in case shit goes wrong, an extra set of eyes and ears, and a bonding pal to chat with when the road gets repetitive and hypnotic.
Good luck, and have fun with the rest of the trip! This got me thinking: I've got to find me some puncture resistant 28's - 35's tires.
Awesome change of pace from your normal programming cheers 🍻
Seth... I love your channel and watch all of your videos... This is still my favorite series though... this is my third time watching it through. As much as I enjoy your house builds and think that they are so sick, I find these videos more relatable to the average guy and this makes it fun to watch. Keep up the good work man!
I rode a skateboard from Miami to Jacksonville and I can tell you, it gets super rough through the titusville and mims areas during the day and skirting the coast throught ft Lauderdale. Even with sea level air and towns every 30 miles, it gets insane with the drivers and trying not to get hit
seth is the goat when it comes to bikes, I have never seen a guy into bikes like him before, from mechanic to technical, adventure to pro the guy is a real biker, all my respect to this guy, every biker would like to have a friend like Seth 👍
My friends and I did a trip from Tampa to Key West a few years back and loved it! My only complaint would be in regards to the keys. EXPENSIVE camping! Hard to stealth camp. Great video brotha.
Bikepacking is absolutely great fun when you get it right! Make sure you can find a route you know you can definitely pedal all day on and is out of the way of cars and youll find it will improve no end!
What a pleasant suprise. Good adventure!
Wow, great adventure...ready for day 2!
Regardless of the bad planning and luck, this will be an adventure remembered by you two for the rest of your lives. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Cool video, standing by for the next episode.
I love that you guys so massively over estimated how much ground you'd cover. But still looked fun. I want to try something similar
wow, great adventure. Looking forward for next part
Love you guys you’re so honest
Lol You guys are BRAVE! I use to live in Homestead and know where you guys where at near the end (112th Ave & 245th St). That place is nuts to try and bike in day, and much less at night. Shortly after you make the right on 212, you're in the hood! Lol Glad you guys made it out without getting jacked for your bikes and gear.
It reassures me greatly to know that there is at least one form of biking where I am probably better than Seth.
Great job, it's nice to know what can go wrong but that you both kept a positive attitude! I think lack of planning might be worse than lack of gear. I bet more planning way outweighs better gear, so way to try it out without worrying about all the bikepacking gadgets. I might try bikepacking now without buying more gear.
dude fantastic idea you guys had love it!
Google maps needs a big bike upgrade but always better to play safe than sorry. Another awesome video guys, keep em comin!
love this so much haha... cycling in traffic like that is nerve-wracking af! Really appreciate the fact that you guys just went for it though. That's what lifes all about. Some may call it bad planning, I call it life experiences :)
Having a blinky taillight helps so much, IME. Even more than a headlight.
Man, this is one of the first videos I saw back in the day. You guys should do a 2.0
This is awesome your doing a cycling trip!! I have cycled while camping from top of oregon to san franscisco approximatley 730miles, and alot of hiles.. I can say it was alot of hard work, however I highly recommend going on a trip like this as it is so much fun and you are able to meet many other cyclist doing the same thing if you are on a popular route like the west coast of the US..
0:04....this man got the world-greatest weapon on his right hand and I SPOTTED it!!
honestly even with issues looks like a ton of fun
im doing my first ever over night ride this year. Just going a short distance though..around 40-50 miles one way...find something to do there...stay the night..and come home 40-50 miles in the morning..Just to get my taste of doing something like that..cant wait!!
Awesome adventure! 😃
This was fun to watch Seth!
Thats awesome to just go out, ride your bike with a pal and go ADVENTURIN!!!!
liked before watching, because i know this will be good.
haha this is already looking like it was an epic trip. memories for a lifetime. I want to do the Pittsburgh to DC trip some day. although it's pretty easy to plan as it's about 95%on dedicated rail trail
Ha! I had a Fookin' good time at the Deluxe Inn Motel once upon a time!!! Great Vid!!
I'm back watching this series for the 7th time
cool can't wait till the next one
Seth should have watched a video on how to tour! I love your channel Seth! Hope you had a great trip!
#standwithscotty
this is quite good info. I have had the idea to do the same trip but from my place in cocoa.
Something I would totally do, go on a crazy adventure with out doing any research because it sounds fun so you just do it. Awesome story.
would love to watch you two plus brian do another one of these trips.
Lol very nice bud. Welcome to my side of the world. That's an awesome trip you've done. Cheers from a fellow biker.
You should do more of these road trip videos!
You make awesome videos , don't stop doin what your doin
Haha classic, if you ever want to do another ride like this come out west and hit me up. Bring some bigger tires though, bike packing is way better on dirt.
very nice video man,
and nice editing, keep going , +1 suscriber
I've never been to Key West and thought about riding from Miami, i will be following this journey.
The School of Hard Knocks. Love it.
I'm watching this again after going on my own bikepacking trip, honestly it would have probably have been a good idea to refresh myself with this video before going lol. But honestly the sucky parts of the trip are actually great stories to talk about afterward.
Mind sharing the highlights?
@Dinner-fork tongue🇷🇺
No. 1: Bring snacks you can eat while riding your bike. I seriously underestimated how many calories I would burn while riding and would get ravenous at the end of the day. Lacking energy while facing a km or more of uphill riding can be morale-destroying.
No.2: Practice setting up your new tent before a trip. Reaching the camping place late - Since you miscalculated how long it would take - and having to figure out how to set it while the sun is going down wasn't the smartest thing we did.
No.3: Getting lost while looking for a camping spot, in the woods cause your mate found a spot with a beautiful sunset on Google maps.
No.4: Eating spicy ramen on an empty stomach and getting the runs the day after.
This sounds bad, but there were upsides for every negative thing: lacking snacks made us look for towns with delicacies we could try.
Our tent and camping spot issues led to a lot of laughs and drinks and had us exploring the unbeaten paths. The spicy ramen... actually sucked but we had a laugh. And all these things made us aware of how little the adversity really mattered and that we would be able to solve them when they happen.
Sorry I wrote that on my phone, so the structure, grammar etc probably sucks. Hopefully it is understandable.
awesome video man my MTB practice got canceled today but I still when out in rode
that pretty much sums up my fist and last bike packing trip too. 110 miles of wishing I was mountain biking...
You guys are awesome!!
nice trip, pretty scary roads. I wouldn't mind if the next video is longer. 😀
this looks like so much fun well you know except for all the issues