My day started at 4:30 a.m.. I got up, got ready, had breakfast and then my parents dropped me off in Niagara Falls, outside of the duty free shop. My 11-day adventure was about to begin.
I left my touring bike, the Kona Sutra, at home and instead took the Brompton C Line on this trip. The Brompton is a folding bike, it’s not necessarily a touring bike, but as they say, you can tour on any bike. Because this is my very first Brompton tour, I set my daily distance limit to about 50 km, which split the Erie Canal route to an 11-day journey.
Because we left so early there was very little traffic towards Niagara Falls, but as we got to the border crossing itself, a lineup of cars was already there. Unfortunately the Rainbow Bridge crossing in Niagara Falls doesn’t allow bicycles in the pedestrian crossing. I had to line up with cars. There are signs inside the building stating that you are not allowed to enter with a bicycle.
All in all, the crossing took about 30 minutes and it was very smooth.
I rode from Niagara Falls and I joined the Erie Canal Trail in the town of Tonawanda, New York. The Eerie Canal Trail is pretty flat and on this day I rode on mostly paved sections. There was some meandering through residential streets but most of the time the trail was separated and hugged the Erie Canal, which allowed for beautiful views.
On the way to Lockport I passed through Pendleton, where I stumbled upon Uncle G’s ice cream shop. Unfortunately I was too early, the place opened at 12:00. However, I spoke to the staff who were already inside, and they opened the place up a little bit earlier and I had two scoops of delicious ice cream. Uncle G’s ice cream is a great stop if you’re riding the Erie Canal trail.
I arrived in Lockport at about 12:30 p.m. and that was way too early to check in to my motel. The motel I booked for today was Quality Inn motel, and based on my experience, this was money wasted. The room was very dated, there were stains on the couch, there were holes in the curtains, and the close to $300 that I paid for the night, because of a long weekend prime fee, was absolutely not worth it.
If you are staying in Lockport, and are riding self-supported, stay at the lock station. I spoke to the lock master as I toured the town of Lockport, and they mentioned that all you need to do to camp at a lock station is to roll up, speak to the lock master, identify that you wanted to camp at the lock station and they will set you up if they have space. The locks at Lockport have a historical side and an active side and it’s great to learn a little bit about the history of the town and the importance of the lock station.
Once at the motel I unpacked, charged everything up, and then went grocery shopping to get myself ready for the next day.
So far, I am incredibly impressed with how the Brompton handles being loaded and riding longer distances. Because the front bag is attached to the frame, the handling of the bike is unaffected. My rear bag is a dry bag, and while it’s not ideal how it’s attached, it is working very well and does not make the bike unstable in any way. In fact, as I ride the bike, I do not feel the weight at all. There is about 20kg of weight on the bike.
Time will tell if I feel the same way on the last day of the trip, but so far so good.
Wheels on a Bike 