alan s 

The main things you need to know are your capabilities and limits. The only way to find this out with any degree of certainty is by doing some shorter trips. Do a couple week long trips and see what it's all about. See what you need and don't need. Read here and the other places listed for lots of ideas and suggestions. There is no right answer or one size fits all, because everyone is different. Good luck.

Doug64

A good primer on bike touring is:Bike Touring by Raymond Bridge, a Sierra Club Publication.

https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Touring-S.../dp/1578051428

DeadGrandpa

1. Which route to take, which stops to make, and why. Is there really that much to see on your planned route?
2. Enough food to make it to your next resupply point. Ditto water. Will you always have access to clean water or be prepared to filter/treat wild water?
3. Clothing and shelter sufficient for unexpected abnormal weather, both day and night time.
4. Tools, spare parts (spokes, chain links, tubes, patches, screws, pump, spare tire, etc) and knowledge to use same for bike repairs.
5. Basic first aid and camping hygiene.
6. Your cost per mile for food and occasional lodging (want of a hot shower increases geometrically) may easily reach $1 per mile, depending on how often you eat at diners, cafes, etc. You can't carry enough fruit and vegetables, let alone canned meat, or you will get tired of that diet.
7. Weight is everything. The magic number for gear weight, including food and water, is 30 pounds (just my opinion; you may be a super strong guy). Above that number you will be miserable. Less weight than that is more fun.
8. If you insist on making a video, pare your equipment down to bare bones. The chargers and cables for your phone, camera and whatever else weigh a ton. Your batteries will die when you have no access to power and you will think the answer is flexible solar panels, which will add more weight, but you buy them anyway. Due to cloudy/rainy skies and/or underestimating how much power your devices use and overestimating how much charging the panel will deliver, you will still drain your batteries just before you get to a really fantastic scenic place. Ask yourself if a small, lightweight, point and shoot still photo camera to generate a slide show later won't capture the spirit of your journey. The gear you must have only to survive will weigh a substantial amount; adding your video gear will add to that weight and also present a substantial value target for thieves. Alone, you will be an easy mark.

KFC

Do you have a bicycle?.

Walter S

Let us know how that works out for you.

staehpj1

Assuming this isn't a joke... You seem to have very little notion of what a bike tour entails so I don't know where to start. Either I misunderstand your intentions or they are pretty bizarre.

I won't go into specifics because it doesn't sound like you have done even the most cursory research into what a bike tour involves. I'd suggest you read some journals on cgoab.com, some articles on the Adventure Cycling web page, and whatever else you can find.

The idea of taking no money and carrying all of your food seems pretty ludicrous. The tour you describe probably is at least 4000 miles. Assuming 50 miles per day that would be 80 days. If you packed energy dense lightweight food like a backpacker would you might get by on 2 pounds per day. So for food alone you are talking at least 160 pounds. I can't imagine anyone thinking that is a good idea.

A big part about what makes a bike trip pleasant is maintaining a fairly light load. Part of what makes that possible is that you can usually buy food almost daily on most tours.

As far as your proposed route... Everyone's tastes are different, but I think that sounds like about the least scenic route you could pick for crossing the US. I found the First 2/3 of the Southern Tier pretty monotonous other than a few short sections where it went over mountain passes. Again my opinion, but the East Coast isn't the most desirable place to tour either. Maybe consider starting in the Pacific North West. Personally I really liked the route the AC Trans America uses. You would see lots of great scenery and meet a very broad cross section of the folks in the rural US.

In my opinion, the people and the food were the southern tier route's saving grace. Taking your own food for the whole trip if even possible would rob you of the experience of Tex Mex, Cajun, barbecue, and good gulf seafood eliminating one of the two saving graces of the trip. It could go either way, but sticking a video camera in peoples faces might just put a strain on your ability to really interact with the people possibly eliminating the other saving grace of the route.

Bottom line... I'd suggest you do some homework, pack light, and buy food every couple days or daily when you can. Use lightweight backpacking type camping gear and know how to use it. I also suggest that, especially for someone as clueless about touring as you seem to be, it will be easier to use a route that is well established and has known and documented list of services along the way. The TA is about as good as it gets in that regard.

On the video... I think you would be better forgetting that unless the video is the primary reason for the trip and you have some experience in videography and good interviewing skills. Otherwise you will likely produce a bad video and spoil your trip in the process. I'd underscore my doubts about the video if you are any where near as clueless about that as you seem to be about bike touring.

Robert C

I keep trying to like that site because everyone recommends it. However, the format is extremely dated and is very hard to use.

Tourist in MSN

You really should describe your background better. How far have you ridden in a day and about how many miles a year do you average? Can you fix things on a bike that break? Have you camped in recent history? Can you cook?

staehpj1

Those questions are very reasonable and some sense of the answers would allow better suggestions from us.

On the other hand, my observation is that most of the details sort themselves, especially out when the rider has some outdoor experience and preferably some camping experience where they were self supported in some manner. Bonus for good levels of fitness and some mechanical aptitude.

Still the biggest indicator for success is how determined the rider is to finish the trip. I hosted one very clueless rider who had very little cycling experience, almost no camping experience, and apparently not much else going for them. He had what I am pretty sure was hundreds of pounds of stuff most of which seemed completely unsuitable all packed on a really crappy bike. The thing that made the difference for him was that he was very determined to do the trip. He was doing a similar route to what the OP proposes (in the opposite direction) and made it at least 1000 miles. I lost track of him at that point so I am not sure if he managed the other 3000 miles or not.

robow

Well stated

mulveyr 

The OP made a total of 4 posts, all in this thread, and hasn't been back for almost two months--I'd say it's pretty clear it was a troll.

Big Lew

Lot of good helpful advice here....as "melveyr" said, it sounds like you've not done long tours yet.
I strongly advise you do a couple of 1-2 week trips and you will understand what everyone is talking about.
I also suggest you re-consider not taking cash...there will be times that a credit card is not accepted.
You also run the risk of your card becoming compromised and cancelled until you can get somewhere
for a replacement.

Louis Le Tour

BWAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Any thought of crossing the US without funds is a form of insanity.

jbphilly

Not a troll, most likely just a kid who got an idea, realized it seemed pretty complicated, and then moved on to another interest. No biggie.

duckology

Well when I was 23 I did something similar. I rode to Maine from Oregon solo in 28 days. This was before the Internet and cell phones so I'm sure many things have changed but I'll give you my experience. Bicycle Trainers - Pre Trip Preperation There is a list of everything I took and my daily log.

I would encourage anyone considering doing this journey to absolutely do it. It seems like such a monumental task but in reality the most difficult part is getting ready and finding the time to do it. Rolling out the door one early summer morning knowing you have to cover 3000+ miles on a bicycle is pure adrenaline. If you take it one day at a time, it is possible, and dare I say easier than many people believe. I was fairly fit but quit smoking on the trip. Ran track in high school and did some running in college.

Some things that I wish I knew prior to embarking on my journey.

1) Train on some real mountains, I rode up a 2 mile 600 foot climb with an average gradient of 6% once per day for two weeks.
2) Bring cash and a credit card, cell phone with cellular charger would be very nice! I had no phone. Food will be expensive!! You have no idea how much you will be eating.
3) Be a minimalist. I brought one pair of socks and one pair of shoes spd mountain bike shoes. Wash the socks daily!
4) Take a comfortable bike with a triple chain ring. I took a 53-39 26-12 and paid dearly for it on every climb.
5) Bring chain lube. Sun tan lotion works in a pinch.
6) Bring a tent and super light/tiny sleeping bag.
7) Avoid Big cities.
8) Bring a current map. I used a 1967 encyclopedia US map that was two pages. 8 1/2 by 11 inch pages. Towns might not be there anymore!
9) Do not cross the international bridge into Canada using the Sault Ste. Marie bridge! Scary!
10) Have the ability to carry at least 100oz of fluid.
11) Use sunscreen! I had sweat blisters covering my arms all through Idaho..
12) Don't stop when the wind is at your back!
13) Don't go through South Dakota west to east in August! 30mph+ head winds all day every day!
14) Eat 3 meals a day! Always eat a huge breakfast and Dinner!
15) Bring a camera!
16) If you go through Yellowstone the east entrance has a giant climb Sylvan Pass! Plan for it!

I'm sure there is more but the main thing is do it!

staehpj1

My take as well.

duckology

I bet he comes back in the spring... This kind of idea tends to stick with you...

mtn.cyclist

Here's my approach to touring that certainly is not right for everyone. I decide where I want to ride and figure out a general route on a map. I pack the things I think I need for the next 2-3 days (then toss a couple of things out), except for food and water. I carry enough of those to make it to the next supply place, plus a little more. I plan my detailed route for the next couple of days and take off. I repeat as necessary rarely sticking exactly to the original plan. Have fun and stay safe.

fietsbob

Many years in the Boy Scouts camping And learning map reading skills , 4 years in the Military, another few years in Uni, then Learning Bike Mechanics ,

the getting money ahead . in an economy that wanted to charge more and pay less was the big Challenge.

jargo432

Everything starts with a single step. In this case getting the right bicycle would be step one.

Step two.... RIDE IT