Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Fears for the Future of Adventure Cycling

« on: July 26, 2025, 11:31:43 am »

John, Thanks for starting this thread and for your generous support of touring cyclists through this forum over the years. Last year I rode cross-country on my variant of the TA.  During that ride and then more recently I came across people who were doing the Great American Rail Trail (or trying to) because of fears about road traffic.  I have qualms about the GART, as I imagine many people here do, but even if it is to a large degree aspirational, it is attractive to some.

Two years ago while I was doing the Katy Trail in Missouri, I spoke to a TA rider coming East.  He talked about being harassed by drivers and purposedly almost run off the road in Western states.  I didn’t experience anything negative myself, but given the current state of polarization of our nation, one wonders if that plays a role. But at the same time, it makes it more imperative that people experience the people and the landscape of the entire country. And that was one of the great joys of the trip for me. 

I don’t have any idea of numbers, but from a Facebook page, it seems like a good many people do the GAP/C&O.  (Although when I have ridden these trails, I haven't seen tons of riders.). Obviously a different, almost ready-made experience, but maybe that can serve as a gateway into longer and more independent routes.

Would it be possible to put a QR code at the signs marking the beginning and end of the TransAmerica trail (and maybe the GAP/C&O)?  This could be a way to track numbers but also perhaps the QR code could be linked to a survey, asking for more details about why people ride.
 
I understand the self-inflicted problems of Adventure Cycling, but at some level Adventure Cycling is a media organization and is having problems not dissimilar to what other media organizations have experienced since content has become decentralized and free.  So to be fair, Adventure Cycling is suffering the double whammy of a decrease in their target population (bike tourists), while much of the content they offer is now available for free elsewhere. Maybe they need to put the money from the sale of the building into hiring consultants from McKinsey!   (Just kidding.).

I am a history professor at North Carolina State University and I developed an STS (Science, Technology and Society) course “Cycling Cities”, looking at why urban Americans don’t cycle to the extent that Europeans do.  I had 60 students in the course.  And many of them were afraid to cycle on roads in Raleigh.  I believe if we can increase the number of people cycling on a regular basis where they live and make cycling a vital part of people’s lives, we can increase the number of bike tourers. 

2

Gear Talk / Windy--App Recommendation

« on: July 13, 2024, 03:23:41 pm »

I just finished a TransAmerica tour on Monday and I wanted to recommend an app that I found very valuable.  The windy app (different from windy.com) provides almost hourly wind predictions across a wide variety of locations.  Last week I was biking down the Columbia River Gorge and with the extreme heat (sometimes afternoon temps getting up around 100), I am not sure I would have been able to continue if I hadn't had pretty good confidence that the winds would be mild.  Obviously there is not much one can do about the winds, but the windy app can give you a sense of how much you can gain by time-shifting your riding.  (Usually earlier in the day.). I learned about this app during a stop at Adventure Cycling in Missoula.  Thanks Jeff.  Best, Ross Bassett

3

General Discussion / Re: Avoiding Grizzly Encounters While on the Road

« on: June 18, 2024, 03:46:03 pm »

Thanks everyone for these suggestions!  Ross

4

General Discussion / Re: Avoiding Grizzly Encounters While on the Road

« on: June 17, 2024, 04:17:42 pm »

Thanks John, Not at all rude.  My natural habitat is the Eastern city, and I can use some guidance from folks with more experience in this matter. 
Hoping to avoid fame,
Ross

5

General Discussion / Avoiding Grizzly Encounters While on the Road

« on: June 17, 2024, 02:56:43 pm »

I suppose this is an ever relevant topic, especially with the TransAm going through the Tetons and Yellowstone.  Understandably most of the posts in previous threads I have read have been related to camping, but I wonder if people can give any guidance on avoiding bear encounters when on the road.  I am doing the TransAm solo and am coming to Colter Bay from DuBois this Saturday.  Specifically:
--Is there a time that is too early to ride?  I like to start early, even before sunrise (sometimes 4:30am)  to get miles in and enjoy the quiet.  Maybe that could be problematic in grizzly country on several levels.  Maybe there would be increased bear activity at this hour of the day.  Also I would imagine a decent level of car traffic would lead bears to stay clear of roads, but if there aren’t cars around….  (Maybe in this case, cars are your friend.).   I see from a 2013 AADT that there is a good level of traffic on 287 into Moran Junction.  (but in the early morning?)
--Maybe the risk is super small, but with all the talk about storing food-bearing panniers, it seems to me like whatever food-aroma comes from panniers on a moving bike, could be the equivalent of the music coming from one of those old-timey ice cream trucks.   Also if bears are more and more used to humans does the old advice about making noise (attaching bells, etc.)  still apply? 
--It seems like there are different opinions on bear spray.   My gut feel is that the risk of a bear encounter is  small and I would be unlikely to use spray effectively, but I would be interested in hearing any thoughts. 
Thanks a lot.
Ross Bassett in Saratoga, WY

6

Routes / Re: English rider thinking of Transamerica

« on: February 13, 2023, 02:40:27 pm »

I second HikeBikeCook's suggestion.  I would particularly refer you to this journal on general issues on doing the TransAm:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=23065&v=x
Best,
Ross

7

Routes / Re: KATY Trail in June - Flooding and temperature

« on: February 13, 2023, 11:38:28 am »

Jamawani, Environmental history with Donald Worster!  Wow--it doesn't get any better than that.  Though of course environmental history and bicycle touring is another great combination!
Ross

8

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Looking for advice from Pittsburgh, west to TA.

« on: February 12, 2023, 03:59:04 pm »

Hi Everyone, I wanted to add a different perspective here and say a word for taking the GAP all the way into Pittsburgh.  One of the things I love about bike touring is that there are a million ways to do it and everyone can find what works for them.  For me the human built landscape is every bit as interesting as the natural landscape.  (It may because I am a history professor and my field is the history of technology!)  For human built landscape of interest you really can’t beat the GAP going into Pittsburgh.  Going northwest from Connellsville, you go through towns where there used to be coal mines, beehive ovens where workers made coke for Pittsburgh steel mills.  Going into Pittsburgh you go by some really important sites in the history of technology.  The Edgar Thomson steel works in Braddock, across the river, is where Andrew Carnegie started making steel in large quantities. (They are still making steel there.).  You pass some of his original libraries.  You go right by the site of the Homestead Steel works, where one of the most important strikes in US history took place in 1892. (Still some remnants left, but most of the area is a shopping center.  Avoid the temptation to stop at the Costco!) In the late 1800s and early 1900s people would come from all over the world to see the steel mills in Pittsburgh.  Most of this area is economically depressed now.  HikeBikeCook, I see where you are coming from—it is not the idyllic stretch of the GAP from Confluence to Ohiopyle—but is pretty great bike infrastructure through a major US city.  This picture isn’t beautiful, but I treasure it because I got to see where our world was built. There were a few other bikers, but they didn’t impede my enjoyment of the route.  Personally what I love about bike touring is that there are no flyover areas—you see it all.  I did the GAP and then basically the Adventure Cycling version of the Eastern Express out to Dayton.  From a practical point of view the GAP takes you into Pittsburgh and then you have 9 miles of on-road riding to get to the Panhandle Trail.  I didn’t find that to be a problem, but I did it on a Sunday morning. (Planning on doing it all again starting late April as part of a TransAm.).
Happy and Safe Riding,  Ross 

9

Gear Talk / Re: Flat Bar Touring Bike--Upgrade or New?

« on: January 19, 2023, 04:43:55 am »

Thanks John and Pat.  Very helpful!  I have been riding a 1x for a while and like its simplicity.  Ross

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Gear Talk / Flat Bar Touring Bike--Upgrade or New?

« on: January 18, 2023, 11:14:33 am »

I am planning on doing the TransAm leaving at the end of April.  I have a 29er Cannondale Trail (I forget the number—somewhere in the middle) that I have had for three years and really like.  I put around 5000-6000 miles on it a year, often carrying heavy loads (I do my grocery shopping with it) and have done several Eastern tours of 600-700 miles with it.  My thought was to take it in to my LBS where I bought it,  get a new 1x drive train with lower gearing (my lowest gear is around 29” now), replace the suspension fork with a carbon fork that had mounting points for a front rack (which I may or may not need), and get new and stronger wheels.  When I went to my LBS, which I have been going to for 20 years, they said, “You need a new bike,” and they then proceeded to suggest a Cannondale Topstone 2 gravel bike.  (around $2000). I have ridden flat bar bikes for the last 15 years.  After telling them that, they gave me the lines about drop bars being more aerodynamic and providing more hand positions, which they said would be needed for the TransAm.  When I said I didn’t think it wise to change my biking style at this point, they offered to switch it over to flat bars.  The Topstone I was looking at had a lowest gear of around 25” and when I expressed concern about that, they offered to change the drivetrain.  They offered to make any mods necessary to make it work for me.  After leaving the LBS I wondered if there might be a new bike that might be better suited to what I want to do and came across the Surly Bridge Club.  It is an all steel bike and may not have the most “modern” features, but it seemed to be well suited for my ride.  There was a review of it in Adventure Cycling that had a paragraph that resonated with me.  “You can devote a lot of mental real estate to thinking about this bike or that bike, these parts or those parts, but sometimes what you really want is a bike you don’t think about at all.”  That’s what I want. It doesn’t have to be the lightest bike or the most high tech bike, but a bike that just lets me ride without requiring a lot of mental effort spent on the bike. One of the things I love about bike touring (I always ride solo) is being able to ride my ride.  Is it unreasonable to upgrade my existing bike?  I am someone who is conservative by temperament and I don’t like to change things just for the sake of change. (I am looking at you software upgrades!).  Does anyone have experience with the Surly Bridge Club?—it seems like it would require little modification for what I want.  I don’t doubt the good faith of the folks at my LBS, but maybe our temperaments are different.   Thanks a lot for any thoughts people might have!!

11

Routes / Re: Official Eastern Express route in ACA!!!!

« on: January 14, 2023, 08:22:40 pm »

Thanks for your thoughtful response and the route John.  That's the one great thing about bike touring is that there are so many options.  And some really attractive things you will have to pass up! (Which may be covered bridges for me.)  One other thing that makes big cities less attractive to me as a bike tourer is that if I am not staying in the city, I am not completely comfortable with the options for leaving my bike to explore a museum, etc.  (Although I have thought about contacting a LBS and seeing if they would be willing to bikesit.). Best,
Ross

12

Routes / Re: Official Eastern Express route in ACA!!!!

« on: January 14, 2023, 02:36:04 pm »

One of the differences I note between the ACA "Eastern Express" and Frank Moritz's original Eastern Express is that the ACA Eastern Express goes right through Indianapolis, while Frank Moritz's takes a much southerly route through Indiana. While cities like Columbus and Dayton have infrastructure that allows bikers pretty easy access to the center of the city,  I could imagine it could be very frustrating running into traffic lights every few blocks if you don't have any inherent reason to stop in Indianapolis.  Does anyone have any experience riding this route through Indianapolis? It looks like there is decent bicycle infrastructure to the southwest of Indianapolis, but am not sure about the eastern side.  Thanks a lot!  Ross

13

Routes / Re: Western Variants for an East to West Trans Am

« on: January 09, 2023, 09:25:35 pm »

John and jamawani, Thanks for turning me on to the Palouse!  What a beautiful picture!  It makes a lot of sense.  One of the things I love about this tour is the chance to go someplace I never would have gone before.  Thanks for the offer of the route, John.  Let me do some more research before I take you up on that.   Thanks!  Ross

14

Routes / Western Variants for an East to West Trans Am

« on: January 09, 2023, 09:21:24 am »

I have been lurking on these forums for some time and really appreciate the spirit of camaraderie and the wisdom people are willing to share.

I am a 63 year old man planning to solo across the country east to west starting at the end of April.  A couple of my key desires/constraints are that I would like to stay in roofed lodging as much as possible and I would like to do rail trails to the extent they are reasonable options.  I figure that staying in roofed lodging makes me happier, gains me a couple of hours every day and gives me wife peace of mind that I am out of harm’s way for some hours of the day.  I have done a lot of solo touring in the East, but I understand Eastern solitude is nothing like Western solitude.  I plan on doing the Eastern Express, then doing the Flint Hills Nature Trail to Council Grove and then joining the TransAm in Great Bend, taking it basically up to Missoula.  I had a couple of questions:
--Given the traffic and sparse lodging facilities in the Tetons/Yellowstone, does it make sense to do the ACA bypass west, staying in Ashton?  I am imaging that lodging in Yellowstone is sold out well in advance and won’t work well with a schedule that may have some wiggle in it. (I have been to Yellowstone a number of times before.)
--I had been intrigued by the possibility of going west from St. Regis, Montana largely on rail trails, but discussions in previous forums (thanks jamawani) convinced me that the Cascades to Palouse trail was a bridge out too far—especially for someone going solo.   But I would still like to do the Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes, so I was thinking about taking it to Plummer and then taking 95 down to Lewiston/Clarkston and then doing the Lewis and Clark to Oceanside.  The Idaho bike maps seem to show that 95 has good shoulders.  Does that make sense? 
--In the east I feel comfortable knowing I’ll be able to find roofed lodging, but out west, having a tent/sleeping bag backup seems essential.  I am thinking of sending my camping gear out to myself in Great Bend, Kansas or thereabouts. 

Thanks for any advice people can share!
Ross