Cycle America Advice and Tips Please?
 

Hi Everyone,



Next year my girlfriend and I are planning on cycling America coast to coast for charity, one tiny problem, I'm not really a cycling buff and have a few questions;



1. What bike would anyone recommend? (looking to spend between £800-£900)

2. West-East or East-West? (Leaving end of may)

3. What Route?

4. Should I Camp?

5. What equipment/clothing should I take?

6. Things to see along the way?

7. Where should I avoid?

8. How much money should i take (£/$)



Sorry for all the questions, Any other advice would be very helpful



Many Thanks

Phil

Check out the web site for Adventure Cycling Association. Everything from route maps to tips on preparing for a tour.

Also check out http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ for gear lists and routes.

And, www.warmshowers.org for overnighting with peer hosts.

Hi Phil, also read through the forum and see what other questions have been asked and answered. Most of your questions don't have a single answer and is more of personal preference. Good luck with your planning!

Start riding a bike and camping on weekends. Do a week long trip in July or August. If you still are not sure by September 2011, reconsider your plans.

My question to you is: Are you going to siphon off the charitable donations to finance your trip, or will you pay your own way and have 100% of the charitable donations go to the charity? How do you feel about each option?

Thank you all for your help.

First and foremost, I'd be finding out if I had it in me to become "a cycling buff" before I sunk much time or money into it.

And if so, I would use prevailing winds as a guide for a tour that long.

I'm touring now and the second most asked question I get from people is "What charity are you riding for?".... so make sure you have plenty of business cards printed before you leave. I started my tour with 100 cards and I gave them all out in 3 months. Alot of cycle-tourists carry cards and it's fun to exchange them with other bicyclists as well as the "regular" people you meet

The link below contains many, many ride across America journals. Check them out.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/c...octype=journal

Below is a link to Greig and Katie's journal across the USA. They're both from Britain. He is an accomplished athlete, but she is not. Their journal is well worth reading/studying. Katie was a rank amateur at bicycling...she completed the trip. Within their journal there may also be a means to contact them. They could give you valuable information.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?..._id=4992&v=1C3

We're leaving on or about 4 May 2012 from Yorktown and headed west to Florence, Oregon. If we meet around that time, we can help you get started...then we'd probably be seeing you on and off for the whole trip.

Good luck!

A big list can be found in this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...dated-30-July*

Starting that early the western mountain passes may still be closed, or at least very cold. So east to west is better for that.

The effect of prevailing winds on trans-America rides is often discussed and sometimes hotly debated. A crazyguy named John Meiners brought a anemometer along on his trip and took measurements each day. His results and conclusions can be found at:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p...id=132132&v=DU

As noted by others using one of the Adventure Cycling routes will simplify your planning.

Camping will make things cheaper for you and add some flexibility. Big question is, do you like to camp? If camping is something you hate, don't camp.

There is a recent thread on budgets. Some people manage to do things really cheaply. Others spend a lot. It depends on what you are doing about food and lodging.

Speedo