Touring - TransAmerica route 2010

Hello Everybody on bike forums. As far as road biking im new to it i currently own a 2009 Trek 2.1 triple. I have been mountainbiking for the last 10 years. Racing, Riding, crashing, ETC.... Now i have been road biking and have been riding about 250 miles a week, and want to do the trans-america route west to east in 2010. I was wondering if my trek 2.1 is able to do a tour like this??? Can i put a rear rack with panniers or to keep stress off the rear put an extra-wheel trailer with panniers / BOB Trailer??? Also can someone recomend a good saddle for the 2.1 now because my bottom is hurting???? Thanks Gumballer9

There's no reason the bike won't make it. I think the question is: can you make it on that bike? It's not an ideal touring ride, there are components that would make it a little easier on you, like fenders, more robust wheels/tires, racks, lights, handlebar bag, the list goes on and on. It's all what you want. The bike doesn't care, it will roll on down the road just fine as long as you push on the pedals.

Also can someone recomend a good saddle for the 2.1 now because my bottom is hurting????
The saddle is not for the bike, the saddle is for you. You have to find one that works for you, and admittedly, that is one of the biggest challenges of riding bikes. Some quick advice: Leather saddles are great for sit bone comfort, but can be hard on the perineum and are not for everybody. Specialized makes a large selection of Body Geometry saddles that are very popular. More padding does not neccessarily equate to more comfortable.

Another tip; you can pull a small two wheeled trailer with any bike. Burley makes a touring trailer called the Nomad that is very popular. Loaded racks and panniers put bicycle frames through a lot of stress. Even a Bob trailer puts stress on the rear wheel and frame triangle.

Gum,
Yes you can do the TransAm with your Trek. Your immediate challenge is to find a way limit the stuff that you want to carry with you. All of us have that problem. My recommendation is to settle for two panniers for a load and work from there. Yes, some pull trailers. It is your choice. Just take your time, look at the options and enjoy the ride.
I have to agree with doom on the saddle problem. It is your butt. My belief is that I train for a long tour mostly to get my butt in shape for the long days.

Gumballer, I'll be doing a West to East trip on the Trans Am in late 2010 but only from Central Illinois to Yorktown. I'm riding a Trek 3900 Mountain bike that I converted to a tourer. I've added street tires, fenders, racks and panniers, trekking handlebars plus I love my Brooks B17 Champion Special saddle. I've found that it takes a lot of research and savvy to get any bike set up for a long distance ride across country. You have plenty of time to experiment on what works for you. Good luck.

Thanks for the InfO guys im sure i will be posting and asking a million more questions before my trip.
thanks, Gumballer9