Of Vancouver Hostels and the Kettle Valley Railway

[Luke]

Hello folks. I've a few questions involving a June tour of BC.
a) What Vancouver hostel is recommended as bicycle friendly. That is,
one that offers space for secure bicycle lock up and minor assembly
tasks?

b) The Kettle Valley Trail, from Princeton to Penticton is intriguing.
How agreeable is this segment for a credit card touring setup --
(cyclocross with 700 x 32 tires and Carradice saddle bag)? What's the
quality of its surface and how does the scenery of this section compare
with the rest of KVR? Additionally, since there will be no camping on
this outing, is it overly optimistic to anticipate cycling this segment
in a single day?

Comments and input appreciated.

Thank you
Luke

[Király]

Post by Luke
Hello folks. I've a few questions involving a June tour of BC.
a) What Vancouver hostel is recommended as bicycle friendly. That is,
one that offers space for secure bicycle lock up and minor assembly
tasks?

The Jericho IYH is probably your best bet. It's a ways out of downtown, but
on a beautiful location right by the beach and it is spacious. Book it now,
it fills up fast.

Post by Luke
b) The Kettle Valley Trail, from Princeton to Penticton is intriguing.
How agreeable is this segment for a credit card touring setup --
(cyclocross with 700 x 32 tires and Carradice saddle bag)? What's the
quality of its surface

I did it in 2002. It is a very nice ride, and IIRC it was spared the
devastation by forest fires that shut down much of the rest of the KVR.
There are plenty of cheaper hotels in Princeton from where you can start.

You'll find the going tough with 700x32 tires. I used Conti TT2000 700x37
tires and the going was rough in several places. In some spots, especially
close to Princeton, the ballast (extra-coarse gravel used on railbeds)
remains and is difficult to ride through. I nearly wiped out a few times
when losing control of the steering over the worst sections. Get the
beefiest tires you can and run them at the lowest pressure possible. Be
prepared to walk over some of it if you're using skinnier tires. If I were
going on this route again I'd prefer a mountain bike over the touring bike
that I used.

Post by Luke
and how does the scenery of this section compare with the rest of KVR?

I haven't been on the rest of the KVR, but for the most part, the scenery
was breathtaking. Especially on the switchbacks just east of Princeton, and
the high level ride along Okanagan Lake down to Summerland. The views of
the lake from up there are second to none. The trestle in Summerland is
hair-raising; it's one of the highest trestles in North America. The
trestle has not been planked over and you can see right down into the gorge
between the ties. It's one of the few sections where the rails remain.
It's easy to get a foot caught and trip, and there's no guard railing. Not
for the faint of heart. I walked over it, but if you're even the tiniest
bit squeamish of heights it's not for you. Get a local map of Summerland
and detour around it if you need to.

Post by Luke
Additionally, since there will be no camping on
this outing, is it overly optimistic to anticipate cycling this segment
in a single day?

Since you'll be travelling much lighter than I did it would be doable, but
still a long ride. There are a few conveniently-located B&Bs along the way
if you need to stop.

Make sure you're well equipped, and you'll have a blast!

K.

[Luke]

In article <eadee.68523$***@edtnps89>, Király
<***@m.trap.email.invalid> wrote:

<snip>

Post by Király
You'll find the going tough with 700x32 tires. I used Conti TT2000 700x37
tires and the going was rough in several places. In some spots, especially
close to Princeton, the ballast (extra-coarse gravel used on railbeds)
remains and is difficult to ride through. I nearly wiped out a few times
when losing control of the steering over the worst sections. Get the
beefiest tires you can and run them at the lowest pressure possible. Be
prepared to walk over some of it if you're using skinnier tires. If I were
going on this route again I'd prefer a mountain bike over the touring bike
that I used.

<snip>

Thanks for the info K. One more question: Does not, for the most part,
a highway run parallel with the Princeton to Penticton stretch of the
KVR? And, if so, does the road have many access points in common with
trail? Could this not serve as a contingency route for the sections of
KVR that prove too challenging?

Luke

[Király]

Post by Luke
One more question: Does not, for the most part,
a highway run parallel with the Princeton to Penticton stretch of the
KVR? And, if so, does the road have many access points in common with
trail? Could this not serve as a contingency route for the sections of
KVR that prove too challenging?

A road does run more or less parallel to it. But the road itself is pretty
rough too from what I've seen; I don't think much of it is paved. Several
sections of it are quite steep which can be a challenge if the surface is
bad. I can't really say much more than that because I haven't been on the
road except for a short section that detoured around a trestle that had been
washed out. Between Faulder and Summerland the railbed is still in use and
cannot be ridden on, but the road is paved so detouring around is easy.

Access points between the road and the railbed, from what I remember, are
few in the first half just east of Princeton, which was the most difficult
section. There are more the further east you go, but then the going on the
railbed gets easier too. I'm going from memory here so this might not be
quite accurate!

Good luck with whatever route you eventually pick. Just be prepared and
don't get discouraged if you have to walk over some of it. Approach it as
an adventure and you'll have a blast.

K.

[Luke]

Post by Király
Good luck with whatever route you eventually pick. Just be prepared and
don't get discouraged if you have to walk over some of it. Approach it as
an adventure and you'll have a blast.
K.

Depend on it! Thanks for the info. And Happy Trails - for both for us.

luke

[shamus]

the KVR between princeton and summerland is great! i have ridden it a
few times and shorter sections several times. i have not found any major
problems with the road bed... i have ridden at full speed in sections
above princeton. i am not sure which way you are going but the grade
sloops towards princeton.
cheers
shamus