dracoautoco

How's it going Bike Community,

Ever since my first Spider-man bike with training wheels when I was 6 years old, I have been a huge fan of bikes. My second bike was a GT-hybrid which resembled a BMX bike but had 6 gears. I rode this bike for a while, but eventually ended up converting it to a coaster brake true bmx style bike and then using it to jump/trash, and it was aptly named "Jungle theme" for its hot green paint. In 5th grade, my elementary school teacher took most of my class (along with many parents) on an adventure that I still consider my peak moment; a 250 mile bike ride across California from the Co. River at the Arizona border, all the way to the pacific ocean. We did multiple training rides to prepare for it, but nothing could prepare for the Banner Grade--Over 6 miles at ~8% grade. Well, those were unforgettable memories for me. I started using my trek 820 mountain bike in middle school as a BMX bike to clear table-tops, doubles, triples and berms we built in the canyon. Obviously it was not ideal for jumping, but I still managed to have a good time with it. In high school my parents bought me a 2000 Gary Fisher Tassajara, which I still have, but will be selling soon for about $150 to a good friend. I have trouble believing that it is already 8 years old, but it is still in pretty great condition. I'm going to sell it to my friend so that I can help afford a new bike. I will be graduating with a degree in Business Administration in December, and then I'm going to hit the road. I want to ride across the USA and back, west coast to east coast and back to west coast. This is going to be a huge under-taking, but with enough training and practice I think I can accomplish it all the while camping, or lodging if need-be, in a couple of months. I don't know how much money I should save up in the mean-time, but I suspect I should have at least a couple thousand dollars handy JUST IN CASE.

It seems like there are a lot of very nice people on here so I look forward to getting some responses!
By the way, I'm keeping an eye on the Trek SU 2.0 and 1.0, but I understand they are kind of on the heavy side, so I am still looking for other options. I would like to keep my budget somewhere in the range of $600.00 max and I would prefer to have a solid fork and front/rear disc-brakes. I also want a nice soft seat so i don't mess up my junk as me and the future-wife would like to have kids some day!

Thanks in advance!

DanK

East Hill

Hi Dan, first off, that's a mighty impressive achievement for someone in 5th grade! I can't believe your teacher actually got permission, either . Truly remarkable!

Have you thought about getting a vintage steel touring bike? Check out the Classic & Vintage forum for ideas...

As to the nice soft seat--the plush gel ones are actually harder on you than the hard ones. I like saddles with cut outs (and I'm female), but either get a Brooks, or something with a way to relieve the pressure on the perineum.

When you find a saddle that works, you will probably know it almost as soon as you start riding with it...

Oh, where are you located?

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

dracoautoco

Thanks for the informative response, East Hill. Would you consider a vintage steel bike a solid choice for crossing the country?

East Hill

The Miyata 1000 is recognised as one of the best touring bikes around (so much so, that you are unlikely to find one in your price range, even if it is around 30 years old!).

You can get modern steel touring bikes, but they are expensive! Ask in the Touring forum, and also in the Classic & Vintage forum .

East Hill