Bicycling the Pacific Coast: A Complete Route Guide Canada to Mexico

Rating:
Summary: The Bible It's Not
Review: Perhaps people are so taken with the notion of a book written just for bicycling they're willing to overlook certain things. Unquestionably this is a good resource, but it also has lots of errors. Most of these would be forgivable in a first addition, but certainly not in a third; I'm speaking of outdates, mileage errors, incorrect assumptions, incomplete data, crazy routings, etc. It's clear that Kirkendall and Spring have lots of work to do if they want the next edition to be accurate.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible It's Not
Review: Perhaps people are so taken with the notion of a book written just for bicycling they're willing to overlook certain things. Unquestionably this is a good resource, but it also has lots of errors. Most of these would be forgivable in a first addition, but certainly not in a third; I'm speaking of outdates, mileage errors, incorrect assumptions, incomplete data, crazy routings, etc. It's clear that Kirkendall and Spring have lots of work to do if they want the next edition to be accurate.

Rating:
Summary: This (and a bike) is all you need to tour the coast
Review: The book is a tremendous resource. I toured California from North of SF to L.A. and found the routes in the book to be invaluable. There are places where you just wouldn't know what to do without the book's guidance. Almost everyone we met along the way had read or was using this book. That said, by 1995, a few streets had changed. The mileage was consistently 5-10% off of what I experienced, but eventually we adjusted. Tom and Vicky are camper-bikers, so their book is targeted at people who want to ride from campsite to campsite, but the book is still invaluable, even if you'll be staying in hotels or B&Bs.(Jim Kee

Rating:
Summary: A must-have guide.
Review: The guide pointed out some good points of interest and kept a pace for a moderate rider. It was written from the biker's point of view. Very insightful.

Rating:
Summary: Canada to Mexico without a hitch!
Review: This book proved to be our bible during a 6 week ride from Vancouver to San Diego (we just crossed the Mexican border and back again). A lot of other cyclists we met also had the book on them. We didn't camp - we stayed in motels so a motel guide would have been useful (but they were easy enough to find). The elevation diagrams were REALLY useful and allowed us to plan better. Occasionally the book would suggest that places had tourist facilities (i.e. places to stay) when, in fact, they didn't (e.g. Stewarts Point CA) but overall it was a massive help.

Rating:
Summary: Canada to Mexico without a hitch!
Review: This book proved to be our bible during a 6 week ride from Vancouver to San Diego (we just crossed the Mexican border and back again). A lot of other cyclists we met also had the book on them. We didn't camp - we stayed in motels so a motel guide would have been useful (but they were easy enough to find). The elevation diagrams were REALLY useful and allowed us to plan better. Occasionally the book would suggest that places had tourist facilities (i.e. places to stay) when, in fact, they didn't (e.g. Stewarts Point CA) but overall it was a massive help.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Guide
Review: This guide is a must have for anyone wanting to ride the Pacific Coast. I just used it to for a solo ride from San Francisco to the Mexican border. The guide provides turn by turn instructions to navigate through unfamiliar territory and can even provide some surprises in areas that you may know pretty well. It was very helpful in daily planning for stops for food, water, etc. and for some unplanned needs like bike shops for repairs. The elevation guide was also very helpful in gauging when to take a break or when a big climb is over. The guide provides recommended daily rides which I altered as necessary to stop and visit friends. Obtaining a good tourist guide from AAA would provide a nice supplement to the book for other sight seeing opportunities if you have the time. This leg of my journey was 600 miles and I am looking forward to using the guide next summer on a 1200 mile ride from Vancouver, BC to San Francisco.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Guide
Review: This guide is a must have for anyone wanting to ride the Pacific Coast. I just used it to for a solo ride from San Francisco to the Mexican border. The guide provides turn by turn instructions to navigate through unfamiliar territory and can even provide some surprises in areas that you may know pretty well. It was very helpful in daily planning for stops for food, water, etc. and for some unplanned needs like bike shops for repairs. The elevation guide was also very helpful in gauging when to take a break or when a big climb is over. The guide provides recommended daily rides which I altered as necessary to stop and visit friends. Obtaining a good tourist guide from AAA would provide a nice supplement to the book for other sight seeing opportunities if you have the time. This leg of my journey was 600 miles and I am looking forward to using the guide next summer on a 1200 mile ride from Vancouver, BC to San Francisco.

Rating:
Summary: Indespensible resource for biking the Pacific Coast
Review: This is the best biking book I've ever used. This summer I cycled from British Columbia to California using it, and was consistently pleased with the accuracy of the information that it provided. It includes daily elevation change graphs mile by mile, which are especially nice, and gives you many options for side trips if you are energetic. It is very much directed toward people who are staying in campgrounds and living self sufficient. Nearly every cyclist I met on my trip had this book, and I never heard any disparaging words about it.

Rating:
Summary: Indespensible resource for biking the Pacific Coast
Review: This is the best biking book I've ever used. This summer Icycled from British Columbia to California using it, and wasconsistently pleased with the accuracy of the information that it provided. It includes daily elevation change graphs mile by mile, which are especially nice, and gives you many options for side trips if you are energetic. It is very much directed toward people who are staying in campgrounds and living self sufficient. Nearly every cyclist I met on my trip had this book, and I never heard any disparaging words about it.