Southern Trier - questions

[bardism]

Hello bikers,

In 2004/2005 ive been cycling through SE Asia (thailand, Laos, China, Vietnam). This intens experience enhanced my life in many ways. Now, after two years of office life the idea of doing another big trip is growing by the day.

I'm considering visiting the US (first time!)and cycle the Southern Trier route (San Diego-Florida)in feb-april 2008. Therefore I would appreciate it if I could get some tips about gear and accommodation and some general info about this route. Concrete questions:
- does anyone know a good bikeshop in San Diego?
- How are the (wheather) conditions in feb-april?
- Do I need a tent, or are there sufficient  
  (US 20-50) places to sleep along the route?
- How does motorized traffic behave to cylists?
- How much water should I carry in most isolated  
  stretches?
- Can I expect to meet other cyclists along?

Well, many questions...Your reply to this would be very helpful. Do not hesitate to ask any information about cycling in Europe and SE Asia!

cheers and thanks in advance,

Bart
Netherlands, Amsterdam

[cyclesafe]

Well Bart, I'll bite.

The best time to start the Southern Tier is in very late March when there is less of a chance of snow in New Mexico and you won't run into the worst of the humidity of the Southeast.  I'm afraid that starting in February will mean riding in winter weather.

There are plenty of good bike shops in San Diego.  The trick will be to find one that will want to help you with your tour.  You'll need to find an independent store such as Black Mountain or High Tech.

http://blackmountainbicycles.com/index.cfm
http://hi-techbikes.com/index.cfm

I think a better idea is to arrange in advance to send your bike to a hotel for you to pick up and build yourself.

You'll need to camp and be able to carry lots of water because there are stretches in the West as long as 100 miles with virtually no services.  1/100 vehicles will be discourteous, just as anywhere, but the locals are used to cyclists (albeit not so early).

What you propose is doable, but be sure to kit yourself appropriately.  

[bardism]

thanks for this!

cheers,
Bart

[pedlpwr]

 I would be very careful to bring plenty of water along the route in S.E. CA. There are some very long isolated stretches along that part of the route, and of course it's all desert. I couldn't tell you how much to bring, but better to overload than to not bring enough. As soon as you reach east Texas, you don't need to bring as much water with you, because the towns are much closer together. Be careful about the car drivers as you travel Alabama and other nearbye states. I used to live down there, and I found the drivers to be ignorant concerning drivers manners towards cyclists. In other words, they are liable to pass much too close to you, even when they have plenty of room to pass you. Good luck and God be with you!