New Hampshire Help!

roadster99 said:

What's up peoples?

Long time lurker here--main reason is that personally, I can't add the great information a lot of you guys are able to; just not knowledgeable enough. Reading answers most, if not all of the concerns or questions that I may have. Which is the one single reason why I really enjoy this forum. I am pretty new to the sport as it is. But on to my question:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes. I'll be in Centersandwich, Hew Hampshire in the beginning of October for a solid week. I live in Hawaii so I get to experience summer all year round and absolutely no winter, fall or spring whatsoever. Since I have never been to the North Eastern part of the United States ever in my entire life, I don't know what to expect. My main dilemma is whether or not I should pack the bike. I wouldn't want to spend the extra $25-$50 worth of baggage fees (one way) if I'm not gonna ride due to things like weather at that time of year, or just the area that I'm in. But I would kick my self silly if I left the bike at home & found out that it's a real nice area to ride. So, if any of you have an experience or are from that area, drop a reply. It would be greatly appreciated.

And of course, last but not least, keep up the great work. I love coming to this place & having all my questions answered. It's like taking a test with all the answers. A lot of you don't know how much you have helped me, not only with answers, but asking questions I don't have the fortitude to ask that sometimes I think may be dumb or uneducated. A lot of people have put a lot of hard work into something that is free. Thanks again.

hello,

Early October could be Indian Summer weather. Could be crispy in the mornings and afternoon. Could be awful - I've seen snow in May on the kanc. Arm and leg warmers. Check yahoo weather.

Check google maps. Scroll north from Centersandwich. You have a great ride on the Kancamangus. If you ride west to east on the kanc its 17 miles of rolling followed by 4 miles of climbing (4% grade?) to the high point. have only driven the other side and it also looks like a good place to ride (though might need to go early to avoid traffic). In between Kanc and Crawford Notch rd more good climbing.

Northeast of Centersandwich find Fryeburg, Maine. Great ride north along Stowe Rd and up Evans Notch (nice climb). Quiet road. If you go over the notch and reach rt 2 turnaround. Don;t ride rt 2 here as its v dangerous IMHO. off Greenhill rd (near Stowe rd) is Hurricane rd. 15% grade (poss higher).

Go to portlandvelo.comroutes.htmOpen ↗
They posted some rides in the White Mountain area (which is the area around Conway.

South of Centersandwich is Lake W. believe they have a IM triathlon each year and the bike ride is around the lake. if you search online you'll prob find a map of the course.

When you arrive in NH pick up a copy of Delorme's New Hampshire map this will help you scout the areas.

Take the bike. Have a great time.

PW

i've been to NH, sunapee, winnipesaukee, and north conway area. I'd say you should bring your bike, it looks like a nice area of NH to ride though the only time i've been near that area was boating across lake winni to get breakfast. unless ur bike is nice maybe you could rent? i'd check the weather forcast prior to the trip, but its not common for long periods of rain

To haul the bike is going to cost you about $50 each way, total of $100. When I go cross country, I find a LBS in the city/town, then email about a rental or loaner bike for the week. I take my pedals, and replace them on the rental.

This way, if the forecast is for rain, don't rent the bike. I have traveled to New England many times in October, and as the others have already stated, the weather can be fantastic or it can be awful.

Be sure to take a walk through the woods, there are lots of crumbled stone walls that are over 200 years old. No matter the weather, you will like New England, and Fall is an excellent time to visit!

pwebster said:

hello,

Early October could be Indian Summer weather. Could be crispy in the mornings and afternoon. Could be awful - I've seen snow in May on the kanc. Arm and leg warmers. Check yahoo weather.

Check google maps. Scroll north from Centersandwich. You have a great ride on the Kancamangus. If you ride west to east on the kanc its 17 miles of rolling followed by 4 miles of climbing (4% grade?) to the high point. have only driven the other side and it also looks like a good place to ride (though might need to go early to avoid traffic). In between Kanc and Crawford Notch rd more good climbing.

Northeast of Centersandwich find Fryeburg, Maine. Great ride north along Stowe Rd and up Evans Notch (nice climb). Quiet road. If you go over the notch and reach rt 2 turnaround. Don;t ride rt 2 here as its v dangerous IMHO. off Greenhill rd (near Stowe rd) is Hurricane rd. 15% grade (poss higher).

Go to portlandvelo.comroutes.htmOpen ↗
They posted some rides in the White Mountain area (which is the area around Conway.

South of Centersandwich is Lake W. believe they have a IM triathlon each year and the bike ride is around the lake. if you search online you'll prob find a map of the course.

When you arrive in NH pick up a copy of Delorme's New Hampshire map this will help you scout the areas.

Take the bike. Have a great time.

PW

correction - I've ridden east to west on the kanc ... etc etc

Thanks for all the help! I might make a few phone calls & see if there is a shop that rents. That seems like a good idea. That way, I may not have to pay the extra baggage fees. Plus, if the weather downright sucks, I won't feel like I wasted money. Thank you for the feedback. It was greatly appreciated!!

Hi, I'm in Boston, about 2 hours south of there. You have picked pretty much the peak foliage period ot go there. It should be quite pleasant there. This si the time that the photographers go around snapping all the quintessential New England mountain photos. If you haven't arranged accommodations yet, you had better pretty soon because it gets busy up there around then.

It is possible that it might be chilly, especially for someone from Hawaii, I wouldn't overdramatize it though. It could (in a rare case) be close to peak summer conditions (70+ F and humid) or it could be in the 50F range and rainy, but most likely the average for the days will be in the 60F range. The mornings and evenings will be significantly cooler than than the warmest part of the day. I would bring a rain jacket, some shoe covers, something for your legs (at least knee warmers, leg warmers or tights might be more useful for a Hawaiian) and some half-finger and full-finger gloves, just to be safe.

The link that Pwebster gave, look under "Maine and New England Regional Cycling Maps", options 2-5 are good. I would also check MapMyRide.com or similar sites as someone for sure has already put down some good rides up there. The Kanacamangus Highway (what everyone up there just calls "The Kanc" is usually the center of all cycling activity. If you check MapMyRide, do a search under that as a start. All the notches aren't too bad. They can be steep but you live on a volcanic island so you are probably used to that. Bear Notch Road can be either a long climb or descent, depending upon which way you choose to go. It's very popular.

As for renting/flying with the bike. I think that the first question you need to ask is "how much riding you are going to do?" If it's several days, I would bring your bike, despite the extra hassle that the US airlines give. There's nothing worse than an ill-fitting, foreign bike that will bug you the whole time and could cause you injury. Not only that, but I find that a of shops don't put the same level of care into rental bikes as you would on your own and you may end up with a piece of junk, with crappy tires, poor shifting, etc. If it's only a couple of times, then renting is an option though. Not sure what is available up there but I bet there are some good bike shops in Lincoln and Plymouth.