Most of my riding in OK was on rural state roads and my memory for condition detail has receded. I have no bad memories of the surface conditions. OTOH, I distinctly recall going from A+ highways in SD to D highways in Minnesota. Sort of like your memory of KS to OK. Locally, there is a dramatic change from smooth asphalt to awful chip seal when entering TX from AR north of Texarkana. AR and LA rarely ever use the stuff TDOT loves, not that their highway systems are anything to brag about. Texas does have arguably the best network of highways in the US.

I've done some touring in Ok reed, from the mountains to the plains. On nice, smooth highways. Ok is a great place to tour. Lots of state parks. My first foray there was around Roman Nose not far from Perkins.

Jerry,

I toured through OK on the OK Freewheel this summer and although the roads were far from perfect they were a fair sight better than the fresh chip seal west of Hawkins on US 80 or many of the FM roads here in East Texas. Roman Nose and surrounding areas are beautiful. Southern Arkansas and Northern Louisiana roads don't seem to be much better.

What I love to find is a smooth oil dirt meander through the rural hardwoods. These back country roads often get little traffic and make for peaceful, smooth cruising.

I'm headed up into Southern Arkansas in two weeks and I'm pouring over maps trying to figure out how to avoid the brutal chip seal as I pass through your "neck of the woods". Is there a good route North from Atlanta State Park?

I can route you thru Texarkana via the 'scenic' route that will take you right by the LBS and dump you on Hwy 71 N within a couple of hundred feet of the AR line, allowing you to avoid the afore mentioned chip seal on 71, and lots of traffic. Will PM asap.

Where do you ride in Texas? Rowan and I just did a 40 km ride in Texas, and there was chipseal, but it wasn't too bad.

Course aggregate chipseal is all over Texas. If it's been down long enough for traffic to press the rocks into the asphalt, lane riding is not bad when traffic allows, mostly on more rural roads. Of course, shoulders never get smooth. TDOT proclaims course aggregate is safer than smooth, and has studies to back the claim. Here is link to another thread I started on BF. For a very good defense of TDOT's position, scroll down to michaelcycle's posts.

I recently rode from Texas chipseal onto Arkansas chipseal. Ark uses a finer aggregate that still has good grip characteristics, but is quiter and a bit smoother.

Well, we cycled on the shoulders of Hwy 171 today ... not bad at all. Not nearly as bad as what I've encountered in Manitoba.

On a recent ride from Texas into Arkansas, I documented the various highway surfaces. US 59 had 6 miles of smooth concrete, then 6 miles of a mix of concrete, course chipseal, asphalt, and medium chipseal, both on the shoulder and in the traffic lanes. The route into Atlanta, Tx was all smooth asphalt. The route out on a state highway was fresh, course, chipseal. At the Ark line, the Texas chipseal turned into a finer grade, smoother sealcoat which continued to my destination.

The quality of the roads in Texas vary widely. Many roads have a shoulder much, much rougher than the lane and is clearly not intended for traffic but merely a place to catch shredded tires and broken beer bottles. Wide tires do help a lot.

Over time the rough chip seal smooths out on the driving lanes but the shoulders stay rough forever. I take great pains to avoid many of the major roads and choose instead to take my chances with the farm dogs, pot holes, and chickens. However, that way is always hillier and slower.

Perhaps an increase in cycle traffic will raise awareness and conditions will improve. My town has announced that all future development will include improved cycling shoulders. Now if only we can get the County Law Enforcement to crack down on loose nuisance dogs......

Here are two examples to add to Cyclebum's list, the best I've seen, and the not so good:

Look how clean and smooth that shoulder is! Breathtaking!

Methinks the OP complaineth too much.

Honestly, I can't see much wrong in any of the pictures posted in the thread. I've been on much MUCH worse surfaces in the New England area where the ice has cause long, wide heaves in the asphalt (and we were riding in late summer).

And if you want hard-on-the-butt, even the concrete roads here in Lake Charles are tough because of broken corners and edges on the slabs, and the ever-present expansion joints.

Road and shoulder surfaces vary from very good to very bad in all parts of the world. Even bike paths in Holland can be iffy, whether it's rough surface from upraised pavers (or just pavers for miles and mile and miles) or tree root penetration.

It just means being picky with your routes, improving your bike set-up with wider tyres at lower inflation, and improving your riding skills.

Shoulder cleanliness, however, is another matter...

This is the chipseal near Hillsboro, Texas ... really, quite a lovely shoulder for riding. I wish we had more of these in Australia. The shoulders there sometimes disappear at inconvenient times, and can be really rough in places.

Apparently not Rowan. TDOT refuses to switch to fine aggregate, in spite of my polite, erudite, protest. Something about the course stuff being cheap, and whining about a lack of money for smooth, quite highways. Oh well, guess it's time to find another windmill to tilt at.

It's a matter of keeping at them. These things are evolutionary. I can't think of any good reason why the DOT would change its policy -- it's sort of got you by the short and curlies with the cost-saving side of things in the current economic climate.

From what I have seen, a lot of governments are just resealing the lanes and not over the shoulders, which leaves the shoulders to deteriorate.

You should go to Amarillo and see what they have done on the main road through the joint -- laid down two strips per lane that correspond to just wider than the tyre tracks of trucks. It's rough as guts to drive on (goes with the rest of the city, it seems), and if you are on a bike, you'd have to seek out a parallel road, or ride the sidewalk. That, I have to admit, is a bad situation (although probably not TDOT jurisdiction).

Please pardon me for laughing- hopefully you can`t hear me! It really is funny, though. Well, it`s funny for somebody who doesn`t ride on those roads

I really have to hand it to the highway dept in my state for an amazing nicety that they pulled off for cyclists. There`s an anual HPV (pedal powered streamliner shells) speed trial series that`s landed several world records on a short section of state highway. About four years back, I read that the state had repaved that section of roadway for the racers. This year, I went to watch and volunteer at that event for a few days and was surprised to see just how nice they had made it up- for about 6 miles they skipped the chipseal and the rumble strips that line both shoulders on the rest of that particular highway. Can ya believe it !?!

Yeah, I can, because someone organising the event was a great marketer who was able to demonstrate that for the cost of doing the paving work, the return on investment by the relevant authority was going to be much greater.

That return is exposure for the town and area. The event brings in people annually, and will likely continue to do so for years to come.

That puts money into the local economy. And the exposure, because of said records, is considerable in national and international media. Even you've participated in that with your post.

Because we are talking about tourism, one of the carrots that DOTs and the like will listen to is the increased revenue that will come to an area with additional tourist trade.

But if the department does take on board the marketing approach and changes its policy, the evidence will be gradual as roads that recently were repaved won't be for another five to seven years. Picking heavily used cycle-touring routes can be helpful in their decision-making, as can be maintaining contact with relevant managers -- building relationships with them can be very beneficial.

Good thought. Our TDOT district recently discovered that they were suppose to have a designated 'cycling' advisor. That in itself is amazing. Anyway, they appointed one of their employees, Molly B., to this prestigious position, 'cause Molly's husband owns the LBS in Texarkana, and organizes a yearly racing event that attracted 140 competitors this year and is growing fast. Molly is of course aware of
the need for smooth surfaces for this race, currently run largely on chip sealed, rural state roads. Maybe something will come from her advocacy, at least for the 20 miles of the route, which even I occasionally ride, slowly.

These CAT something cyclists and their companions, spend a significant amount of money in the area for the 3 days of the event.

At least this County, Seems most of the OR Coast route,US 101 is Macadam rolled over with the steel drum roller machines.
Roadway and Shoulders. not too Bad..

of course the cold patch spots are different .. sometimes compacted.

and the traffic lanes get roughened up by studded tires worn 'just in case'.. when allowed .

the studded tire season, almost like Going off daylight savings on the calendar.