Bikes for Alaska trip?

AK is the only place I've considered riding a pedal bike since I wa s16! Lol
I'd take them. Makes quick work of hikes to lakes, fishing holes etc.
qualify that with only mtn bikes. If they are road bikes I wouldn't bother.

My bike rode 15,000 miles on the back of our 'B' to AK and back from NH in '08. Think it came off the rack 3 or 4 times. I use it as my "toad", when we are set up in a CG and I need to run to the store, etc. So I had it for a different reason. Would I take it again? Probably not. At least not for "enjoyment", maybe utilitarian reasons as stated. I used it 'cuz I had it - could have done fine without it, and it did get really grungy back there! Best cover I used was a BBQ grill cover - it held up better than anything else! ST

Leaving aside the issue of whether transporting your bikes is worth the hassle, keep in mind that for almost any type of cycling that one would enjoy, that type of cycling is available in Alaska, although probably in smaller doses than one's home location. I would offer that there's probably decent opportunities for a moderately competent cyclist (of whatever discipline) and not as many opportunities as one might want for the very casual rider.

Road biking? Got it. Won't be quite as nice as some road cycling in the L48 and there won't be too many dedicated/protected road races in AK, but there is road biking.

Mountain biking? Got it. Lots of places to go...but perhaps more favoring gravel roads than single tracks like one might find in the mountain West. There are places where one can just head "that direction" for as far as one cares to go, land ownership issues and the like mean that, for it's size, AK doesn't have much in the way of off-road trails. Some state parks have biking trails, others don't, and even where there are trails, they can be closed frequently for a variety of reasons

Piddle around town? Got it. Certainly in Los Anchorage and Fairbanks, including with bike trails. Moreso, and more enjoyable IMO in Palmer, Talkeetna, etc. This sort of biking is probably most worthwhile if one is at a small location for several days rather than just passing through.

Piddle around campgrounds? Got it, but see the note about mountain biking. Many of the "Campgrounds" will be dirt or gravel parking areas that are readily cycled with one's mountain bike. Some of the 3-wheel grocery getter bikes that are often seen at RV Campgrounds in the L48 wouldn't be very beneficial in AK.

I have read enough articles or Alaska State Trooper postings of injury or fatality bicycle accidents on Alaska highways enough that it would deter me from having to ride a bicycle on along the main highways - just too dangerous for my comfort with all the DUI's, cell phone-text users and speeders that drive on these roads.....I would stick to bicycling everywhere else and choose less traffic times within towns or highways if a must.

What's real nice during the annual summer wheelchair races from Fairbanks to Anchorage is they have escorted traffic control to keep the participants safe along the Parks and Glenn Highways.

We took a great "inn to inn" bike tour in Alaska 15 years ago -- from Denali to Glenallen to Valdez. Not really difficult riding -- amazing scenery. But we had a tour guide, and the luggage was carried to each inn every day, so this was not at all rugged or demanding.

So yes, there is great road riding in Alaska, but you would have to be a moderately serious rider. I no longer qualify for that label!

We have a bike cover. Works well. (I know... I should post a picture or give you the brand at least...)

sue.t wrote:
In Yukon, tourists on bikes are referred to as "meals on wheels".

Fortunately for the fellow in the following picture, we came up behind him before he lived up to that title. The bear had been chasing him up the hill, then maybe heard my husband honking the horn and it turned off. The cyclist waved his thanks as we passed him further along.

Just think of it as a motivational bear.

You could through the bikes in the trailer to keep from getting dirty.

We saw many people on bikes in AK an Yukon, like on the Dempters and Dalton highway, Denali parks, etc.. It was amazing to see these people camping when it was raining for days and when we saw bears just minutes from the bikers.

Going uphill followed by a bear must me quite an experience!

Sue, that was classic! It looks like the game was afoot...

Bikes on the back of the RV will get very dirty. By the time we reached Watson Lake, we could not even see out the rear window of our 5th wheel. We never had any difficulty finding a place to park when out site seeing and many places were very nice for walking. We elected to leave our bikes behind and did not miss them. By the way, we washed our 5th/ wheel and truck 5 times because it was so filthy. Think what all that dirt would do to a greasy bike chain.