turnernhoochin said:
In the summer im planning on riding from Richmond VA to Portland OR. Ive already bought a bike (surly long haul tucker) a bob, and a rear rack. im an experienced cyclist, but i have never taken on a cross country ride. I plan on taking the trans-american trail. I just have a few questions
how much training should i do? (i ride about 60 miles a week at the moment)
what would be a good estimate of how much the trip will cost not including gear?
is camping in city parks acceptable?
what kind of tires would be good for the trip?
should i get a gps?
any advice helps. thanks!
I'm pretty sure there is at least one site which caters to long distance tourists ... so, try a web search.
I don't know how much training you need to do ... I think it depends on how many miles you plan to cover each day.
You probably want to work out an itinerary where you figure out your average mileage per day ... then see if you can realistically ride that distance for a few successive days without being encumbered with your extra gear.
3000 miles at an average of 60 (?) miles per day would be 50 days ...
Of course, you probably need to become familiar with riding with weight in your panniers + towing the BOB trailer with weight AFTER you figure how many miles you can comfortably ride on successive days.
You
cannot camp in any city park that I know of ... besides, it probably wouldn't be safe.
National Parks & some State Parks have "over night" campgrounds ... KOA & other RV campgrounds are another possibility. Sometimes, you'll need to use a motel.
I think you have to budget for the worst case scenario -- allow $50 per day (because of the need for motels) as an average. It will hopefully cost you much less. Carry a credit card & minimum (less than $100) cash ... you can get more cash from WalMart as part of any credit card purchase.
I'm enough of a wuss that I would recommend NuTek
urethane tires which are available from places like airfreetires.com -- sizing may be tricky OR you may need a new set of rims (e.g., Sun Rhynolite) which are wider. Its one less thing to worry about. If you get urethane tires for the bike, remember to get one for the trailer!
Since I haven't used a GPS, I would consider getting AAA Triptiks (you have to belong to AAA) ... ask them to plot out a route for you. AFTER you look at what they provide, then decide if you think you would benefit from having a GPS.
Remember, you want fenders on your bike even if you don't plan to ride in the rain because you'll want to ride as soon as the rain stops and the roads will still probably be wet.
LED lights (front & back) might be a good idea.
I recommend a full length backpacker's poncho for when you are off the bike + goggles (cheap "shop" goggles) for when it is windy.
