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Dalton Highway
Hi,
I`m planning to ride from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay this June. Can anyone give me an idea of likely weather and road conditions? Cheers |
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Dalton Highway
Great ride a group of us from New Zealand rode up june 2008 worth putting good tyres so road and senery can really be enjoyed. We ran TKC-80s on Vstroms and had no problems. Enjoy eand ride safe.Wizza:funmeteryes:
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I expect it'll be lovely - I rode up there in Sep 06, did Fairbanks to Prudhoe no worries in a day - but it was dry. They told me Sep was too late, but it was beautiful. Might be difficult in wet tho (like when I did the Dempster to Inuvik)
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Tyres - Dalton Highway
Thanks for the feedback! Wizza mentioned TCK 80`s. Regardless of the conditions would these be the best bet for the trip?
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Without a shadow of a doubt, dry or wet! They are very tough (though nothing's indestructible - as I found out at the first HUMM in 2007 see "2007 report"!! But I got all the way from Prudhoe to Ruta 40 in S Argentina on them without a single puncture - but then I seemed to get a few!! And for some reason, my punctures have always been rear, I'm not sure if this is a coincidence.
On a tubeless tyre, you want to run LOW pressures on the dirt - I'd say no more than 20psi rear and 15psi front. You won't feel every little stone you ride over, the bike will grip a lot better, and you're far less likely to get puncture or damage your tyre. The problem with low pressures on a tubed tyre is pinching, but I think with tubeless, its almost the lower the better, providing you don't damage the rim, knock the tyre off the rim, or overheat the tyre (realisticallty that would be on road unless you're an incredible rider!). It may even be better to go lower than I've said, but I've not tried lower than above figures. Good luck - it is amazing! As is the Dempster also - but in the words of Bon Jovi, "Slippery When Wet"! |
Lots of variables being ignored here. You don't say what bike, so it's hard to know whether you'll be riding tubes or tubeless. If the former, you need rimlocks to run pressures that low. And many people find TKC to offer good all-round service but grievously short lifespans at elevated prices. This is worth considering, since it might require advance planning or you'll wind up without usable tread somewhere awkward. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Hope that helps. Mark |
Tyres - Dalton Highway
Thanks! I`m riding a BMW 650 Dakar and was planning on using Metzler Tourances, but now I`m not too sure!!??
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I wouldn't worry too much about it ,people ride Gold Wings and full dress Harleys up the Dalton .
You can buy tyres in Alaska if you think you need to change due to weather . |
if you want a cheap $35.00 a night dorm room in fairbanks during the summer school break check with University of Alaska in Fairbanks tell them you belong to Adv-rider and if there's room it includes free wi-fi, laundry, shower, clean room and beds. |
Tyres
Thanks Kestrel! Very helpful stuff!
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Don't know where you're starting from, but if Anchorage I would equip youself with TKC80's. You're prepared for the worst, and they're about as tough a dual-purpose tyre as you'll get.
Regarding life, the knobs do wear quickly inititally, but I've got as many as 6000 miles from a rear, twice that from the front! This pic was taken in Santiago, and I had the tyre fitted in Los Angeles - about 12000 miles!! http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/...e1ce6edeb2.jpg Admittedly the knobs weren't much use at this point, but it was lovely and smooth on the blacktop!:clap: And at UK prices I don't think they're bad on £ per mile - maybe 2/3 the price of road tyres and 2/3 the life? |
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Couple this with far north weather variability where it can be sunny and dry to wet and cold to snow in almost any month. Deadhorse is almost 70 degrees latitude. In general, if it is dry-ish, almost any 90-10 tire like a Tourance will be perfectly fine. If the conditions are mixed, you could toss a knobby front tire like a TKC on the front, which makes a big difference. If it is full on wet, then you would be happier with both a front and rear knobby. In past years there has been occasional shortages of knobby tires or high prices so people have been pre ordering or pre shipping or carrying them along. There is more than one place carrying tires these days. Me, I'd buy a TKC front tire online in the US and then just strap it on for the ride up and throw it on in Fairbanks and then leave it on as you can get ~10,000 km on a front as the previous poster mentioned. To put it in perspective though, the Dalton is probably one of the best maintained gravel roads in the world. There is a multi billion dollar oil field operation at the end of the road and this is the only road link so as you can imagine they are interested in keeping it pretty well looked after. But the northern climate still makes it a challenge. What you do depends a lot on your experience and how comfortable you feel riding on gravel roads. The ultimate factor is the weather conditions, when they are good you will wonder what all the fuss was about. When they are bad you will appreciate your preparation and practice. |
I was up last year, mid July on a '75 BMW R60. It was very good weather (only a little rain over Atigun) but met others who had an entirely miserable experience just a week earlier. You can check historical weather at Deadhorse and elsewhere at History : Weather Underground The only truly ugly parts were road construction and where they had just dumped carbonate slime to cut down on the dust. Also, the last 60 miles or so into Deadhorse were not too enjoyable as the road seems to have a much larger diameter gravel (more like cobbles in places) which made it a way more unstable for me. Probably just a matter of local source. Deadhorse was cold... 34F with a 35 MPH wind but other than that the rest of the way was quite comfortable. I lucked out with the mosquitoes (there virtually were none) but talking to a ranger at the Visitors Center, discovered that he had experienced the worst in his 26 years up there just two weeks earlier. If I remember, he said they ran a (brief) experiment and were counting up to 96 mosquito landings per square inch. Ugh.
I carried some cheap narrow knobbies (a King and a Cheng Shen) up with me and switched into them just south of the start of the Dalton. I was very glad I did. They worked great. Huge difference. I just donated them to a roadside charity flea market in Fairbanks but they showed almost no wear. Anyway... enjoy your trip. I'd go back in a heartbeat, but heading off in another direction this coming year. |
The Dalton highway is the truckers road to Deadhorse, they do the major heavy hauling in the winter when the road is frozen. During warmer wet weather there's fewer trucks which haul lighter loads on the softer surface. By the way the truck drivers believe tourist should stay off the road above the artic Circle so don't be surprised by a truck taking more of the road. I would not use a street tire on the Dalton the can be a tire shredder. My preparations are always for the worst and I plan to complete my journeys no matter what the weather conditions are. If your spending the time and money to get to the Dalton then do everything you can in advance to do it safely and make it a round trip. :ban::ban:street tires on the Dalton :smartass:
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Heidenau K60 Rear Sizes http://www.reifenwerk-heidenau.de/im...rear-101_k.jpg |
Hi Colebatch
What's the average wear like on those tyres ? Is it better/worse or same as TKC's ? |
Heidenau are available in Alaska .
http://www.advcycleworks.com/ I don't have experience with the tyres or the dealer . But this info might be useful to somebody . |
A female's view of the Dalton
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First trip - (always planned to turn around at Coldfoot) - end of June 2005. Riding with company.
Bike: R1200GS Tyres: Front - TKC80 (frequently get >30,000kms from them!) Rear: Tourance (usually >20,000kms) The weather was pretty good, warm, although a little windy in places. The worst areas were through the construction zones. Ended up with a hole torn in the rear tyre in one construction zone on the return journey. The pavement just south of the Circle was so potholed my topcase bounced off - both northbound and southbound! Do go over and visit the Arctic Interagency Centre on the western side of the highway at Coldfoot, if you're staying overnight. Very interesting, with presentations at night. Second trip - to Deadhorse - 11th July 2008. Riding alone. Bike: F650GS Tyres: Front: TKC80 (usually >30,000kms!) Rear: Tourance (usually >20,000kms) - it was almost bald when I left Fairbanks, as I couldn't source another in the timeframe! I left Fairbanks about 10.30am. The weather was relatively good (overcast and cool) to Coldfoot, but was looking dubious northwards. It rained constantly for 4½ hours going north from Coldfoot, up and over Atigun Pass etc. Not pleasant, with all the trucks roaring past splattering me with mud and calcium as I slowly pottered along. The well-known 20 mile section of deep stones about 30 miles south of Deadhorse was a bit unsettling, but I managed. Arrived about 10pm, I think. I stayed overnight at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel ($125 for all meals and bed. No wifi, but satellite internet Pay-PCs available for $$$$. The return journey was drier, although misty rain over Atigun. The first photo is just north of Atigun, before commencing the climb. One thing to be careful of :- Make sure your radiator doesn't get clogged with calcium!! Judicious use of drinking water and toothbrushes [with the assistance of 5 people on 3 bikes who stopped to help] cleaned it up OK. Overall, it wasn't "as bad" as I'd expected. There was far more pavement than in 2005, particularly in the northern half, as I'd been told there was none in 2005. Just potter along at your own comfort speed, be aware of everything around you, take care to get off the road or else stop when trucks are about to pass, ride carefully, gaze in awe and wonder at the stunning scenery, and make sure to dodge the animals, caribou and musk ox, in my case. It is NOT a race. Slow and sure is the better way to go, after all, it's virtually 24 hours of daylight up there! If you want to go to the oilfields/Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay itself, you need to book 24 hours in advance, for security clearance. I missed out, as I hadn't booked - so will just have to go up again, one of these years! It's a great adventure - just DO IT!! |
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TKCs lose 2/3 of their tread in the first 3000 miles and then start to wear pretty well after that. Sure you can use them till there is almost no tread at all and scrape 7 - 10,000 miles out of them but the whole point of using knobblies is because you want the grip in the first place. The K60s will offer you 50% or more of the tread for I reckon about 3 times as long as a TKC. |
This post couldn't of come at a better time.
I'm planning a trip up that way. I'll be leaving St Louis, MO on July 20th and plan to hit the Dalton Highway around the 1st or 2nd week in August. I'm timing all this so I can attend the HU meeting in Nakusp BC on August 19th-22th during my return trip. My question is: Where's there's camping along the Dalton, is firewood available and are ground fires allowed? thanx daryl |
apparently the Heidenau K60s are not being made at the moment and very little old stock left. this is due to some new law which made the rubber compound heidenau used illegal, so untill they can come up with a new rubber mix they have had to stop making them, lets just hope the new compound lasts as well and produces as much grip!
im doing the run to prudhoe in september, i was planning running metzeler tourances but may take a tkc. |
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Cheers TS |
Chris
Maybe I was lucky, but I hit Prudhoe early Sep 2006 and no probs, despite people here telling me it was too late! I was so determined I bought FULL Gerbings gear, (jacket, gloves, trousers and socks!), though never used the trousers and socks, eBayed 'em when I got home. Don't think it actually went below freezing. But a heated jacket is a lifesaver. From what I'd been told I thought I might only just make it to Fairbanks or even Coldfoot. Some pics here which are dated. It was beautiful! Good Luck mate - can't be much worse than Aberdeen surely? |
thanks Ian, your right it cant be much worse that aberdeen.. haha.
some great pics you have, gives me itchy feet seeing them! interesting what you say about your rear break pads wearing out because of the grit... think ill take spares now. cheers chris Mainly Due South |
Thanks for your comments! Just taken a look at yor website - you're doing a fairly similar route to me, but you're missing what was for me personally probably the highlight! Bolivia was amazing - Potosi, Salar de Uyuni, and the ride up to 16,200 ft altitude down to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Baja was nice, as was the ride from Dawson City up to Inuvik - which I only did because I enjoyed the Dalton so much!!
Having said that, I guess you're going to the Iguazu Falls which I didn't manage :-( - we can't do everything. I planned on same distance as you and 3-4 months but took 28,500 miles and 5 1/2 months - and that was still a bit hurried - but if you've only got a limited amount of time you've gotta go for it! There are links to some route maps etc. here if you're interested. |
thats funny, i just looked at your trip, its remarcably similar! Im not ruling out going to Bolivia, it all depends on how we are getting on time wise. i kind of get the feeling that we will be pushed on time for detours though. 3months is our limit. but i think half of the excitement is the time limit (for me anyhow)
i will take a good look through your maps, we have no sat nav so will be making alot of notes:thumbup1: thanks chris |
Chris
To be fair 2 weeks of mine was spent in a car excursion with my kids into Baja and back, from LA, but that's still 5 months (assuming no problems!). I reckon 5-6k miles per month is plenty, and I like to push myself pretty well. A lot of people told me I was gonna be rushing with my original 3-4 month schedule - and they were probably right! It's nice to have "all the time in the world", but a lot of us haven't - and I'd rather push myself and cover some miles/countries than potter about and explore somewhere meticulously. This site IS about travelling on bikes, after all!! Me - I'm hoping to ride down through Africa starting next month - first time I've been away since Trans-Americas (apart from the HUMM's) :D |
Concerning camping on the Dalton
There's a great travel book cost $25 called (the Mile Post) that covers the Dalton and all the highways of Alaska covering every mile in detail for camping, lodging, gas and etc.
No firewood available on the Dalton but you can have fires. The mosguitos will swarm your exposed flesh June, July and August. It can be miserable so I use Wal-Mart 98% Deet on any body parts that have to be exposed. Invest in mosguito nets and pray for 45mph winds in camp so the little b_____ds can't fly. The terrain on both sides of the Dalton is Tundra, there's no natural flat spots, no grassy areas, almost everything is wet or dusty. There's two campgrounds that I remember, 1 is 3-4 miles north of coldfoot and it has no water and another campground about 18 miles north of Atigun pass and it has a pit toilet and a stream for water but purify it. There's no legal camping in Deadhorse if your thinking about it. If your not in the 2 campgrounds and you find a flat rocky side road to camp on be prepared to break camp and get out of the way if a pipeline vehicle comes your way if it's a critical sideroad to the pipe they may run you off. North of Atigun on the slope there's virtually no place to get out of the wind, there's a couple of road crew living quarters along the road but they frown on campers but will always assist with emergencies. You looking for a campsite, running out of gas or breaking down won't be considered an emergency HaHa. Hope my camping info helps you decide. I've been there, camped it twice. I won't plan to camp next time but I'm always prepared to camp if I have too. |
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