I’m taking this tour in September:
I think I can still get an e-bike, but my preference is to do it with a regular bike. On that page, there is a table that shows the miles and elevation per day. If I’m doing regular 20-30 minute Peloton climb rides, at pretty high levels, will I be able to pull this off with a regular bike? I’ve done a lot of biking, but I don’t know how to gauge those elevation changes.
Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!
One day is 22 miles with 2200 Ft elevation gain which could have some steep sections.
But given the shortish mileage you can always rest.
Brian
I imagine the bikes they use have a pretty good granny gear, right? My concern on a really steep hill is, I won’t be able to actually get started if I end up stopping on a steep section. I don’t know if there are any really steep sections, though.
I think the bikes are on their site – I’ll see if I can track it down.
ETA: I’m pretty sure it’s the carbon framed road bike on this page:
Seems manageable for anyone who does even a moderate amount of riding.
On the linked page, if you click on View This Tour’s Route Mileage, you get a day-by day breakdown. For most days, two route options are offered. If you don’t feel up to the 27 mi / 2200 ft day, you can select the 15 mi / 1100 ft option.
Granny gears only go so far. There are a few hills in town where I have to dismount and walk the bike up, because if I geared down enough to be able to make it up, I’d be going too slow to be stable.
Ironically, one of those hills is right next to the bike co-op.
I just completed a short tour along the CA coast south of San Francisco. My daily miles varied from 25 to around 60, and none of the days exceeded 1,800 feet elevation gain, which I consider moderate. Tougher days will exceed 2,500 ft/day for me. I would say what VBT indicates you will need to be pretty fit and comfortable climbing hills, and hopefully their “acoustic” bikes are geared appropriately. I also assume they will indicate the level of activity is more challenging than it really is, as more people will be pleasantly surprised, more prepared that way.
If you stop on a hill to look at something/take a rest/take a photo, simply await a clearance in traffic (if there is any) and ride across the road to get your momentum again, then continue upward.
This is what I’m hoping for. I’m pretty fit and I’ll get out on a real bike to do some hills between now and then.
OK, cool. I’ll stick with the acoustic bike.
Thanks, everyone!
When you’re back, how about posting a report on your experience?
Just to save me time … ChatGPT’s comments on the lowest gear combination available on the road bike, the gravel bike, and an average current mountain bike (in that order):
My take? You’ll get a good workout but will likely be fine. I’d do some actual road riding and hill work in advance if I could.
Looks great. Have fun!
ETA: BTW, the numbers in the parenthesis represent ‘gear-inches.’ Gear inches is a way to measure a bicycle’s gearing, indicating the distance a bike travels forward with one full revolution of the pedals.
The longest ride is 28 miles, which is definitely doable in a day, assuming you’re in shape. I would advise you to get on a proper bike as often as possible. There is a world of difference between riding outside and peddling a Peloton. It will also help you to acclimate to the heat and sun.
Please let us know how it goes. Mrs Magill and I was contemplating such a vacation in two years, when the youngest goes off to collage, and we no longer have to do Band.
Strictly speaking, you should also take into account the length of the pedal arms, because that’s not constant between different bikes, either. But it’s probably a lot closer to constant than gear ratios or wheel sizes.
Thanks again, all! I’ll definitely get on a bike as soon as it’s not either raining or over 100 degrees in my area. I think my longest ride was around 45 miles, which I did a few times for the Five Boro Bike Tour around NYC – pretty flat, though, other than the Verrazzano Bridge at the end (and some smaller bridges along the way).
I will try to remember to post here when I’m back. We leave in mid-September.
“Gear inches” means that gear is equivalent to directly peddling a wheel of that diameter (as in a penny farthing). How far you go is called the rollout and is 2\pi times the diameter.
My bike’s granny gear is 25" and I can make it up 10% grades with significant effort (I made it a 18% grade ~600 ft climbing once)
Unfortunately their routes don’t have max grade listed: 1000’ of climbing is different if it is 3% vs 10% grade
But again given the distances involved I think it is doable – so what if you have to stop and/or walk up a hill? It’s not a race.
[off topic]
One trip that I think would be near is a Croatia coastal trip. You get off a boat, bike to the next port where the boat picks you up and where you sleep
[off topic]
Brian
Thanks for enlightening me.
There’s actually an excellent article that covers the subject quite well:
I just got more info in the tour. Grades go as high as 12.4% on one of the rides – 27 miles, 2 hours and 45 minutes, 2200 feet of elevation gain.
The next hardest is 11.6% grade, which they’re calling easy. All of the rides have grades of 7-12%. On another thread, I tried to track down the grade for a ride that I’ve been doing regularly, and I got some help here to come up with 10% grade, and I find that really steep – I’m going about 7mph in first gear for that one.
I’m starting to change my mind about getting an e-bike.
Low gear on a mountain bike is 1:1 or even less. You will just feel like you are going really slowly…
I switched to an e-bike :shame face emoji:
If we do it again and it seems like I could have handled it, I’ll go with a regular one next time.
The important thing is that you are getting out there and doing an awesome bike tour! I hope you have fun!
Thanks! I’ll report back when I return in late September.
I was just in the Algarve in May/June (and @SenorBeef visited recently as well, I believe) including Tavira. It’s very pleasant, though I saw basically zero bike infrastructure (e.g. bike paths, bike lanes, etc.). I suspect you’ll be sharing roads with cars all the time. It’s super sunny there, so make sure to bring some heavy duty sunscreen and apply liberally 
We found that the scenery in the eastern side is less impressive that on the western end, but the beaches are plentiful and well-equipped if you’re into that kind of lounging after a long day’s biking.