First time long distance tour (Knoxville tn- Cincinnati ohio)

[Rebelbike]

Hi im planning my first long haul

I have some questions

I am using the app Kommoot for navigation

It says the trip will take 33 hrs

im trying to plan the trip so that i will arrive in Cincinnati and rent a car to tour the city (dont wanna leave my bike in a big city unguarded) then I will fly home

My concern is getting the timing right.

How many days do you think it will take to arrive?

[John Nettles]

Welcome to the ACA Forums! 

Everyone's average miles per riding days varies but a reasonable estimate for someone in shape is 50-60 miles per day.  Of course, some days will be 40 and others may be 70 usually because that is where the services (lodging, food, etc.) are located. 

Be sure to plan a couple of rest/weather days so you are not having to ride in miserable weather or miss seeing something interesting because you are on a schedule. 

Hope you have a great ride!
Tailwinds, John

[John Nelson]

It’s 300 miles. Allow 6 days. But plan out your overnight stops to make sure that’s realistic.

[Pat Lamb]

True, it's 300 miles, but there are some hills between hither and yon.

If you have to ask, I'd recommending going with John's lower end estimate of 40 miles per day, for 8 days' riding.

If you can get a motel room in Cincy, you can probably leave the bike there while you're touring locally.  Or take the front wheel off the bike and put it in the car -- leave the car locked if you go inside.

How are you going to get the bike home?  Fly with it or ship it?

[ray b]

Hi im planning my first long haul....

My concern is getting the timing right.

How many days do you think it will take to arrive?

What a great route to ride.

As noted, the answer to your question depends on a lot of factors - and especially, fitness and weight of you and the bike. (Do you climb well?)

If you plan on camping some of the way in Daniel Boone NF, that's extra packed mass going up the hills.

Best way to estimate timing is to get out and do 30-50 miles in the hills on your fully loaded bike.  That will give you an estimate of average moving speed and you can go from there. Don't try to extrapolate from efforts on your unloaded bike - unless you're going to do the motel/credit card style of touring.

I find that I'm happiest if I put myself on a schedule in which I double the amount of time Google Maps or Komoots estimates. I might find myself with extra time, but it beats the heck out of the frustrations and irritation that goes with falling behind a schedule - especially if there is a non-refundable plane ticket at the end.  Remember - set this up to be fun. You'll find great things to see and do along any route in this region - if you have the time.

In that vein, I'm with Mr. Nettles - I always schedule at least one day off early in a trip; I'm never in as good a shape as I think I am, and the old racing mentality usually has me over-extended on day 1 and forced to recover.

Have fun.

[staehpj1]

Here is another possible option.   How about flying or driving a rental car to Cincinnati and then riding home?  That way you can have a flexible amount of time to finish the ride.

I usually ride toward home to get air travel out of the way up front.  I figure that I always know when i will start a tour, but don't like to have a locked down schedule.  I am typically doing this for longer trips so it may have less benefit for a 6-8 day trip than for a multi week or multi month one, but it just might be something to consider.

Btw, not too long ago we were shocked at rental car prices.  It seems that they didn't refresh the fleets during the pandemic and prices were through the roof.  My wife paid $600 for a rental that was $200 before the pandemic.  Also in some times/places folks couldn't get cars.  Things may or may not be back to pre-pandemic prices/availability, I have not checked lately, but I'd check before assuming all is normal.

[Rebelbike]

True, it's 300 miles, but there are some hills between hither and yon.

If you have to ask, I'd recommending going with John's lower end estimate of 40 miles per day, for 8 days' riding.

If you can get a motel room in Cincy, you can probably leave the bike there while you're touring locally.  Or take the front wheel off the bike and put it in the car -- leave the car locked if you go inside.

How are you going to get the bike home?  Fly with it or ship it?

Whichever is cheaper.


Im packing fairly light:

1 set of saddle bag paniers
 two tarps a 20 degree sleeping bag bungeed to the back.
 D lock and a cable lock.

1 poncho, 2 bottle holders plus the bottles.

Not sure what will take for food, i need something incase i break down  far from civilization.

I have a spare battery for my phone and a video camera, my phone and a flashlight a knife pepper spray


Should I take tubes? (the ones in the tires) i dont know if you can replace those without shop assistance. 

[HikeBikeCook]

You need a patch kit, pump, and at least one tube and the expertise to fix a flat. Practice before you go.

[Rebelbike]

Change of plans:

I think im going to bike to Berea KY, rent a uhaul to Cincinnati.

The reasons are:

Cities scare me

I feel like i should plan to be slower through the Daniel boon stretch.

Since im on a time limit and have no experience a shorter distance will be my safety net

[Westinghouse]

Six days for 300 miles is easy. It could be done in four days. Google tells how many hours and days it takes to do certain numbers of miles. How realistic their estimations are may be another matter. It looks like they figure an average speed of 10-12 mph divided into the miles. 100 miles takes 8 to 10 hours. What they cannot predict is lower speeds for mountains and hills, head winds, side winds, rain storms, traffic lights, city riding as opposed to cruising along on open roads, detours and that sort of thing. A cyclist can lose a day when the rain comes down in sheets. An answer is an unknown quantity. Five or six days would be sufficient. Some might do it in three.

[ray b]

I feel like i should plan to be slower through the Daniel boon stretch.

Since im on a time limit and have no experience a shorter distance will be my safety net

Recommend: Try a couple of weekend overnights - perhaps with an experienced bicycle camper - to see how it goes.

[staehpj1]

I feel like i should plan to be slower through the Daniel boon stretch.

Since im on a time limit and have no experience a shorter distance will be my safety net

Recommend: Try a couple of weekend overnights - perhaps with an experienced bicycle camper - to see how it goes.

His Knoxville to Berea stretch sounds like a nice short streatch for a first tour.  He will never be more than a couple hours drive from home if he need to call for someone to bail him out.  Also there are car rentals quite a few places along the route according to google.  Worst case I have hitched rides that far and an obviously broken bike is a great way to assure getting a ride.  So in the case of a mechanical, making it obvious that there is a mechanical issue generally means someone will be pretty quick to offer a ride.

[PeteJack]

Google seems to come up with the shortest not necessarily the easiest route: riding out of Osoyoos BC Google sent me up a road that cut across a switchback - it probably saved 1/4 mile but the the shortcut was so steep I ended up walking most of it!

[BikeliciousBabe]

U-Haul? Why? I once fit two LHTs (One large and one small) a B.O.B. trailer with loaded dry bag, four loaded panniers, tent and sleeping and two people in an old Toyota Camry.

[John Nettles]

U-Haul? Why?

Without knowing the details, my first and only guess is that there is not a car rental agency that does one-ways where he needs it.  Otherwise, to me, U-Hauls are a last resort due to high cost in mileage fees.