trans am for novice advice needed

[welsh trekker]

I am planning cycling across the USA in 2017. East to West. Thinking of New England and Northern route, but open to suggestions.

I am a novice.

1st Question - what are the best months ?

I am thinking 3 months ? Is a February start too early ? or March or a bit later ?

any answers welcome.

[Vorpal]

February is too early to start a northern tier route. You are still likely to encounter snow well into March. April is the earliest I would start a northern tier transam. Even then, be prepared for some snow and ice, and either have the equipment to handle it, or hole up somewhere. Although it's not common, I've seen snow in Wisconsin as late as the middle of May, though it never lasts more than a day or two.

How long are you planning to take?

East to West is probably good. I think it gives you a bit longer to finish. Also, in the mountains in the west (fron Montana onwards), you can experience winter weather even at the height of summer. The best time to cycle through there is usually August, as the likelihood of snow is lowest then. Night time temperatures are still very cold, and sometimes below freezing in the mountains. You need to go prepared for near freezing at night and warming up to soemthing in the 20s C during the day. If you are camping, it requires more preparation.

If you think you would finish before summer, February might be a good time to start a southern tier route.

Personally, I'd rather do the northern tier, and plan to hit Montana in early August. I think, with a few exceptions, that the scenery is better on the northern tier. Good luck, whatever you decide. There are several members on here who have done the transam, or know some of the areas. I've never done transam, but I used to live in the USA, I've cycled in many states, there, and done several long distance tours there.

There are also other threads on here about the USA, and the transam routes.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=69918&p=606273
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=92689
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=71963&p=625005
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=71087&p=616553

[welsh trekker]

thanks Vorpal, some good advice.

perhaps a much later start, or ...how about the central route ?....what is the earliest to start there ?

I assume the southern route is ok early on, but I assume it gets very hot in summer. too hot ?

[Psamathe]

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/interactive-network-map/
If you click on a route on the map (more to get the pointing finger cursor rather than the ful hand cursor) it will show a pop-up which contains a "Route Information" link which gives a page (with a number of tabs) giving loads of info about conditions, start times finish times, weather conditions (predominate winds, etc.), etc., etc.

Almost certainly not everything you need to know, but probably helps a lot when selecting a route (or routes) to follow.

Ian

[tim_f]

lots of journals about the transam on https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/

[Vorpal]

thanks Vorpal, some good advice.

perhaps a much later start, or ...how about the central route ?....what is the earliest to start there ?

I assume the southern route is ok early on, but I assume it gets very hot in summer. too hot ?

It can be interesting to follow an old highway like Route 66 or the Lincoln Highway, and in some ways these old highways capture American culture better than many other routes. In terms of weather, you aren't much better off than on the northern route, and you might get bored with the central plains. It's interesting for a day or two, and it's nice and flat, but it can get to be a bit much.

If you want to do a central route, I'd recommend trying to pick up the Katy Trail through Missouri. it's 250ish miles on a converted rail line. I have to admit I don't know the current condition (I'm sure you can find out), but it was suitable for touring bikes when I was on it.

There is also the Trans America Trail from ACA, and if you are taking an off-road capable bike, you can use some of the 'National Trails' that are designed as hiking and equestrian routes, but are mostly useable on a bicycle, and long distance mountain bike trails. That will probably take a little more work to create a route, but some of the long distance mountain biking trails have 'hut systems' (read camping cabins) on them, and they tend to go through scenic areas, National parks, and state forests, so if that interests you, I would think it would be worth the extra work route planning.

As for the southern tier, yes it gets hot in summer. Hot and humid in the east. I would avoid the southern tier between the beginning of June and the middle of September, personally. But I'm not a hot weather kind of person.

[boblo]

I did the Bicentennial route, 'mid' in your parlance? Started mid May, East to West, 67 cycling days mainly camping. This approach means the high passes in Colorado should be clear by the time you get there. Get the Adventure Cycling Association maps. They're more guides plus maps than mere maps. Also get the GPX files from the ACA if you have a Garmin, makes nav completely painless.

The support along the route is exceptional. If you're a touring novice, this will be a great introduction to touring without some of the usual angst. People are fantastic, you'll be welcomed into churches, firestations, homes, city parks etc without anything expected of you. You'll be fed, watered, entertained and looked after by complete strangers, often without being kidnapped or murdered ( ). I understand, there's more cycle traffic on the Bicentennial route than the Northern and Southern tiers and the locals are used to 'bicyclists'. If you crave solitude and really don't want to interact, of course you can but it makes a nice change to be welcomed.

The route is a great mix; towns, cities, open country, massive mountains, national forest, prairie, high plains etc. It's a real adventure. I've since toured extensively elsewhere in the US and the Trans Am is a dream treat for the first timer. Any questions, ask here or PM to avoid boring the masses

[welsh trekker]

big thanks to the three of you - Vorpal, bilbo & psamathe.

Some excellent suggestions. ...leaning towards the trans am / bicentennial, possibly 66......

I shall follow up your suggestions .

[irc]

I've done the Southern Tier and a couple of routes further north using large sections of the Adventure Cycling routes. For the Southern Tier a Feb/March start from the west coast would work. Not my favourite route though. More sections with high traffic. More freeway shoulder sections. Less variety in the scenery.

As Boblo says you can't go far wrong with the Transam and a May/June start. An option for Missouri is the Katy Trail. Avoiding the rolling hills and shoulderless roads through much of Missouri. From Pueblo there is the option of taking the Western Express to San Francisco. A tougher rote logistically with more climbing, more long sections without services. Tremendous red rock scenery through Utah though and quiet desert riding through Nevada.

Utah

[welsh trekker]

thanks irc

[PJ520]

I've done a bit of touring in the US, I do live there after all, and I can assure you that whatever you decide to do you will have a good time. If you're camping be prepared for cold stuff, in Arizona I've gone from 90F (32C) to snow in one day's ride. If you decide to do the ST resist the temptation to go into Mexico, anywhere north of the border should be OK. On the whole officialdom outside big cities is friendly, so town halls, libraries and police stations are good places to ask about camping. In one Missouri town they let us camp on the lawn in front of CIty Hall and use the toilets inside which meant going past the cells to get to them. The best people of all to ask for help is the Volunteer Fire Department. Before today they let us sleep in a VFD among the fire engines. They were even called out and I slept right through it, lights, sirens and everything.

[Galloper]

I would recommend that, in addition to the Adventure Cycling maps for the route, you get some sections for the Pacific and/or the Atlantic coastal routes. That way when you finish you have the option of extending your ride a little if time allows. The other thing I found useful was my Garmin with the USA road maps sd card installed. That way, if you need to go off rout you have navigation to hand. I also found it useful in finding banks, motels etc.

If you meet other cyclists, do stop and chat, it's a very pleasant way to get information about the route ahead and any good places to stop.

[PJ520]

There is nothing in the US even close to OS maps. As you go into each state there is often a tourist info place where you can get a free road map of that state, not as good as the AC maps but they do give you the overall picture. I'm a big advocate of AC maps myself but they do tend to give a tunnel view of things. I remember being on the TransAm 15 miles from Wichita Kansas, a big city, and not knowing it until I looked at a road map. Beware of local descriptions of routes: their idea of 'close' could be 40 miles away and in the flatlands they have no concept of hills, you could ride over what they describe as a 'big hill' and not even notice it (well, more or less). Talking to people about the TransAm it's generally acknowledged that the hardest riding is Missouri - no big climbs like Virginia or Kentucky but endless big rollers. Some people don't like the plains of Kansas and, yes, eastern Colorado but they are definitely worth the experience. If you get a tailwind it can be blissful, if you get a headwind it's not blissful. And there doesn't seem to be any predicting of winds, when I did the NT E-W people in Ohio were telling me I was going the wrong direction for the prevailing winds, in the end I got blown across North Dakota and Montana, The bit in between wasn''t too bad either for winds although there were some magnificent thunderstorms in Indiana.

[Psamathe]

... If you get a tailwind it can be blissful, if you get a headwind it's not blissful. And there doesn't seem to be any predicting of winds, when I did the NT E-W people in Ohio were telling me I was going the wrong direction for the prevailing winds, in the end I got blown across North Dakota and Montana, The bit in between wasn''t too bad either for winds although there were some magnificent thunderstorms in Indiana.

I have no idea if the winds can be planned but http://windhistory.com/map.html#4.00/42.71/-101.23 gives wind roses for pretty well all of the US. If you zoom in, the station blobs change into wind roses. Don't forget the month filter in the upper right corner to set the period you are interested in. Explanation/instructions http://windhistory.com/about.html.

Ian

[PJ520]

... If you get a tailwind it can be blissful, if you get a headwind it's not blissful. And there doesn't seem to be any predicting of winds, when I did the NT E-W people in Ohio were telling me I was going the wrong direction for the prevailing winds, in the end I got blown across North Dakota and Montana, The bit in between wasn''t too bad either for winds although there were some magnificent thunderstorms in Indiana.

I have no idea if the winds can be planned but http://windhistory.com/map.html#4.00/42.71/-101.23 gives wind roses for pretty well all of the US. If you zoom in, the station blobs change into wind roses. Don't forget the month filter in the upper right corner to set the period you are interested in. Explanation/instructions http://windhistory.com/about.html.

Ian

I'd lost that link, sorry. But it's a toss up any way with the wind. One things for sure you will get winds in some direction.