Road Bike
- + I have a sturdy road bike. Is there anyway to ride the entire trail on a road bike or do I need a hybrid?
Discussion started 04/09/2013 05:58 PM by Ed - 5 replies (last reply by Merrill at 04/23/2013 02:18 PM)Ed from Greenville, SC on 04/09/2013 05:58 PM
I have a sturdy road bike. Is there anyway to ride the entire trail on a road bike or do I need a hybrid?
Paul Toigo from Kansas City on 04/09/2013 07:13 PM
No need to buy a hybrid to ride the KATY trail unless you want to ride a hybrid on the KATY trail.
Trek on 04/09/2013 07:44 PM
We have a Santana tandem road bike that is a good fair weather ride on the Katy. I had Bontrager Hardcase 700 28's on it and got along fine with no flats. I switched to Ultra Gatorskins last year and have found those to be good Katy tires too.
Ride in the track out of the loose stuff and the road bike will be fine.
El Toro on 04/09/2013 09:37 PM
In my experience you will be fine, unless it has been pouring rain on the trail for a week prior to your ride. I would use tires with really foot flat protection and would go as wide as the bike would allow. I personally prefer 28mm tires. Enjoy!
ArkyKenny on 04/10/2013 08:25 AM
If you're looking for an excuse to buy a hybrid bike, this is it.
In the absence of a hybrid, for several years I chose to ride a rigid mtn bike with semi-slick tires over my road bike. The speed I would be riding, ruts on the trail, loose top layer on the surface, riding over road crossings, smoother overall ride, and carrying capacity all made it a better choice for me. It worked fine.
Now I have a drop bar hybrid with 29er wheels. All that really did was scratch my itch for a new bike, and give me extra hand positions........No harm in that through. The best bike is the one that you like to ride.
Merrill from Albuquerque, NM on 04/23/2013 02:18 PM
Tires make the difference. 700 x 28c is about the minimum. 700 x 32c is better, if you have room to fit them. You will have to pay careful attention to not washing out your front wheel on the looser sections if you go with narrower tires, but most of the trail rides almost like pavement. Thorns (goatheads) are a hazard. I used Flat Attack sealer to eliminate this problem and had zero flats. I used Panaracer RiBMo tires: very heavy duty, take 90 psi, and are almost a slick (they have small sipes). They roll well on crushed limestone trail AND on pavement.
How flat-prone is the Katy Trail?
- + Riding here in MI, I generally get about one flat a year, but last year during a trip on the Great Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal Towpath our group averaged about two flats per bike! Different places h...
Discussion started 04/07/2013 12:17 PM by Doug G - 7 replies (last reply by Merrill at 04/23/2013 02:09 PM)Doug G from Rochester Hills, MI on 04/07/2013 12:17 PM
Riding here in MI, I generally get about one flat a year, but last year during a trip on the Great Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal Towpath our group averaged about two flats per bike! Different places have different hazards (particular thorns, stones, etc.). So how is the KT in this regard? I'll be on it for about 5 days in mid-May.
Hank from New Haven on 04/07/2013 12:25 PM
I rode about 1,000 miles on the Katy last year and got one flat. My wife rode about 400-500 miles and got three or four flats I think. In the fall there is a hazard here and there from thorns. Right now the main hazard is tree litter and the occasional rough section with possible sharp rocks. I am a pretty careful rider and dont run over anything that looks bad. Still, it happens.
Flat-prone? I would not say the KT is flat-prone, other than certain sections during fall thorn season. But you need to go prepared, expecting at least one flat. I ride with a spare tube plus a repair kit just in case. This I feel is the minimum you should have.
ArkyKenny on 04/07/2013 12:38 PM
I think the tires make all the difference. They need to be new/ not brittle. Thick rubber with limited opportunities for the little limestone "arrowheads" to work their way through, so self cleaning is a plus. Notice that I didn't say expensive,because I don't think that is necessarily true. But kevlar, or puncture protection of some kind is definitely a good thing, and those tires can be expensive. If you want cheap, think kevlar strips. If you want expensive, Schwalbe and Continental both have good puncture resistant tires. I don't care for the Slime filled tubes. Specialized makes a semi slick 26" tire called the Nimbus that I had good luck with too, and it flat protection, and was $20.
Jim from St Louis MO on 04/07/2013 05:50 PM
My wife and I have ridden about 2400 miles on the Katy on Kevlar reinforced tires and we have not experienced a problem since going to that type of tire. Well worth the expense.
Doug G from Rochester Hills, MI on 04/09/2013 09:21 AM
Yeah, the worst tires I've found are those whose tread has small "sipes" in them that are good for traction on wet pavement, but on unpaved trails small stones can stick in the grooves and gradually work through the casing. My distance road bike now has Continental Gatorskins. For this trip I'll be using a new hybrid with 700x38 tires with a very small knobbed tread design. We'll see how it goes, but I'll be taking a couple of tubes and extra CO2 cartridges just in case.
El Toro on 04/09/2013 09:40 PM
In my experience, you've got to use flat protection tires or you will be changing lots of tubes.
Michigan Riders from South Haven, MI on 04/10/2013 10:12 AM
We just rode 2 sections (on 4/4&4/6). The only flat we experienced was while sitting at the winery Bistro. My husbands front tube exploded like a gun shot! Found nothing in the tire so maybe too much air in the tube with a weak spot. Total of 75 miles riding and that was the only flat.
Merrill from Albuquerque, NM on 04/23/2013 02:09 PM
I rode 500 miles on the KATY last Sept. without a flat. I used Panaracer RiBMo tires 700 x 35c, with thorn resistant tubes and Flat Attack sealer. I was on a loaded camping bike, so the extra weight did not make a difference. These tires are ideal for the crushed limestone KATY, and are really tough. They'll take 90 psi (!) so they roll really well even on pavement. KATY has thorns. I met many people with flats and even ruptured tire casings. I never even needed to air my tires up, they worked so well.
Best places to Camp?
- + Hi All,
I am thinking about doing a 2 day (1 night) ride during May and am trying to decide a good place to camp? West of Columbia somewhere and ideally it would be a remote location. Please ...
Discussion started 04/15/2010 01:36 PM by Bud Reynolds - 11 replies (last reply by Merrill at 04/23/2013 01:24 PM)Bud Reynolds from Kansas City on 04/15/2010 01:36 PM
Hi All,
I am thinking about doing a 2 day (1 night) ride during May and am trying to decide a good place to camp? West of Columbia somewhere and ideally it would be a remote location. Please let me know if any particular location stands out.
Thank you!
Bud
kim from independence, mo on 04/16/2010 05:52 AM
Katfish Katy's at Huntsdale or the Roundhouse at New Franklin are nice. Katfish Katy's tent sites are right on the river. You can camp free at Davisdale or Diana Bend Conservation areas near Rocheport right off the trail, but no plumbing (primitive). See the camping sites near Rocheport on this site for more info on those.
Bud Reynolds from Kansas City on 04/16/2010 12:20 PM
Thanks for the feedback!
michael rodemeyer from Hartsburg on 04/16/2010 05:32 PM
You can camp in Hartsburg either at the Lions ballpark or at our Volunteer Park with bathrooms close by. With only 108 people it will seem remote to most folks.
Gene on 04/17/2010 11:54 PM
If you're going West, try the Katy Roundhouse with three campsites. It is south of New
Franklin but you can go to Boonville or New Franklin for food and supplies.
Jeff from Denver on 07/30/2012 02:06 PM
RE: Katfish Katy's on the river... I'm moving from Denver to Indiana, and will be towing a small uHaul trailer behind my SUV. Would this location be accessible for me? I'll have a tent and my dogs.
Thanks,
MidSouth from Rogersville, Mo on 07/30/2012 07:51 PM
Katy's has great access not far from I-70. Plenty of room for the tent and Uhaul. I would call about the dogs, but shouldn't be a problem.
Anonymous on 01/16/2013 02:41 PM
about 200 feet from the bridge on 40Ty highway 3 or so mile west of Rocheport there a very secluded
Darryl from New Franklin, Mo on 04/18/2013 04:06 PM
If you decide to camp at the Katy roundhouse there is a great little diner just 3/4 of a mile from there called The Coffee Cup. My wife and I opened it in December of last year and we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. My wife cooks the best breakfast you will ever taste! Our burgers are "top shelf", as well as the dinners we serve you will be completely satisfied. The hours are, Sunday:7a-3p, Monday:closed, Tuesday through Saturday:7a-9p. Hope to see you there!
Gene from Indiana on 04/19/2013 07:46 PM
Katy Roundhouse has more than three sites. Most of the sites are around the corner south of the 3 campsites plus the showers/restroom. There's room for a trailer at the other sites. I think I paid $6 two years ago for a tent site. Good camping.
Trek on 04/19/2013 09:16 PM
I stayed at the Katy Roundhouse a few years back for $12 for a tent and a campsite. When I arrived the tent was set up on the site. They left it there for me on my return trip a few days later. It may cost a few bucks more to do that now, but it was quite a deal to camp and not have to haul a tent.
Merrill from Albuquerque, NM on 04/23/2013 01:24 PM
I camped at KATY roundhouse. It's an OK campground, but the distance from Columbia is a bit short for an out and back overnight ride from there. Also it may have lots of people there with noise, depending on the day. The ground is composed of old cinders left over from the RR days, so if it rains, the cinders dirty up your tent floor, and without a pad they aren't too comfy to sleep on (my Thermarest sprung a leak the night I was there!). If you want to do more easy distance, and press on through Boonville (good lunch stop) and up to Pilot Grove, that small town has a really nice city park near the trail, with a grassy lawn, sheltered picnic tables, and bathrooms (no showers). It was very quiet the night I camped there. Anyone in town can direct you there (south of the trail). It isn't really advertised as a camping spot, but they are fine with you camping there.
Check Pictures of Hotel Room
- + The southern head of the Katy Trail that crosses Missouri starts here in Clinton. It's a beautiful scene for both riders and joggers. Check out hotel Website for Room pictures at http://www.Mstarhote...
Discussion started 04/13/2013 03:38 PM by Milan Chaudhari - 5 replies (last reply by KT West Start Rider at 04/23/2013 12:48 PM)Milan Chaudhari from Clinton MO on 04/13/2013 03:38 PM
The southern head of the Katy Trail that crosses Missouri starts here in Clinton. It's a beautiful scene for both riders and joggers. Check out hotel Website for Room pictures at http://www.Mstarhotelclinton.com
DSD on 04/14/2013 03:44 AM
Milan, myself and wife have stayed at your hotel twice in the last three years when starting on the Katy Trail. You even accommodated our small dog without prior notice. Your hotel and breakfast and hospitality are very good for the reasonable price. We will be back this summer.
MAH on 04/14/2013 01:17 PM
Is it easily reached by bicycle? Is there an adequate shoulder or side street possibilities to reach from the trailhead?
KT West Start Rider on 04/21/2013 04:27 AM
Depending if you would like to ride to the trail because this hotel is a bit further on the south east part of town from the KT (maybe 2 miles?). When I ride to the trail I stay at the USA Inn less than a mile away on back streets. From USA Inn go left south on 2nd st. then turn left on E. Sedalia and you will run into its beginning even before the trailhead by the park on the left.
Don from Ellisville, MO on 04/22/2013 03:50 PM
I had to chuckle at the irony of what KT West wrote. You're going to ride a 237-mile trail, and you're concerned about staying a mile closer to the trail at the start?!
KT West Start Rider on 04/23/2013 12:48 PM
Don, I appreciate your humor but my point was more about the road safety and traffic on that side of town. Don' t want to start your 237 mile trail ride with an accident. It's all fun on the KT.
- + Mokane Bar and grill is the place to stop if your on the Katy Trail. Owners are pleasant and the food is wonderful. Also the market is just up the street if you need supplies. The bar will also fill y...
Discussion started 04/22/2013 08:07 PM by carol - 0 repliescarol on 04/22/2013 08:07 PM
Mokane Bar and grill is the place to stop if your on the Katy Trail. Owners are pleasant and the food is wonderful. Also the market is just up the street if you need supplies. The bar will also fill your water bottles for free but the market will not
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shuttle along Katy Trail
- + Can anyone give me ideas on shuttle service between hermann/mckittrick and booneville mo? We are going to start in Booneville and finish in McKittrick. Any information would be appreciated. 3 people w...
Discussion started 04/20/2013 09:11 AM by Jason - 1 reply (last reply by DSD at 04/21/2013 04:36 AM)Jason from kansas city on 04/20/2013 09:11 AM
Can anyone give me ideas on shuttle service between hermann/mckittrick and booneville mo? We are going to start in Booneville and finish in McKittrick. Any information would be appreciated. 3 people with bikes and gear
DSD on 04/21/2013 04:36 AM
Jason, On this home page there is a shuttle ride "click" that can give you a list of all the shuttle services. This may get you started.
Camping in Jefferson City?
- + I don't see the camping symbol but it does not hurt to ask. Things do change. Any chance camping is now allowed anywhere in Jefferson City?I was planning on staying at the hostel in Tebbets but I se...
Discussion started 05/19/2012 11:07 PM by Bruce - 10 replies (last reply by tikaani at 04/20/2013 06:18 PM)Bruce from Pittsburgh, PA on 05/19/2012 11:07 PM
I don't see the camping symbol but it does not hurt to ask. Things do change. Any chance camping is now allowed anywhere in Jefferson City?
I was planning on staying at the hostel in Tebbets but I see there is no restaurant and I hate to cook! :)
Darrell from Jefferson City, Mo. on 05/20/2012 12:25 AM
Still no legal camping at Jefferson City.
If you are coming from the west, pop into Arris's Pizza, in front of the capital building in JC, get a house special for take out and carry it the 13 or so miles to Tebbets. Just a thought.
Annual DNR Rider on 05/20/2012 06:23 AM
For the DNR annual Katy ride they camp in Memorial Park close to the baseball diamonds on the north side of the river about a half mile from the trail. You can see it on this site if you click on the satellite view of the trailhead. Go to their DNR website to inquire if you can camp too for your ride.
Michael Rodemeyer from Hartsburg on 05/20/2012 07:05 PM
Camping is allowed at the Jefferson City Camp Ground at Binder Park which is a ways from downtown. The city council has recently voted to install a few spaces under the Jefferson City, Missouri River bridge, Noren Access. I don't know the status of that spot. Of course you can always camp in Hartsburg.
Darrell from Jefferson City, Mo. on 05/22/2012 09:44 PM
Camping spaces near the Jefferson City bridge and close to the trail is good news. I would ride on to Hartsburg or Tebbets before riding as far out as Binder Park, but it is good to know. Thanks!
Jim from St. Thomas on 05/23/2012 10:26 AM
The folks at the Jeff City Parks and Rec office said the camp sites at the Noren access - on the Katy spur into Jeff City -aren't ready yet. They hope to have them ready by July 1st.
Bruce from Pittsburgh, PA on 05/27/2012 09:45 PM
I'm coming from the East. Any ideas on what to do for dinner in Tebbets? Pizza delivery maybe?
Doug from Bluffton on 05/27/2012 10:19 PM
Pizza delivery in Tebbetts?! I don't care WHO you are, THAT'S funny! Coming from the east you could stop at the bar or store in Mokane and get something though.
Ruthi from Tebbetts, MO on 05/29/2012 10:50 AM
Jim's Bar & Grill (right across the road from shelter) is open on Wed & Sun and I wouldn't be shocked if Jim delivered you a pizza!
Anonymous from Mokane on 06/01/2012 07:16 PM
The owner of the bar in Tebbets has his phone numer posted at the Hostel, and sometimes if you call you cane get a hot meal. Also Mokane has a bar and grill that is open again (was closed for a few months)Tebbets, Mokane, Steedeman, etc are all at least 15 miles from the nearest 'real' town with access to a bike shop, food, and hotels. You can camp at the boat launch outside of mokane(.25 miles w off 94) near the river (conservation land with fire ring), and usually no one will say anything if you want to camp at the lions club fair grounds in Mokane. Be aware they have opened this section of the trail to horses, so expect a rougher ride, as horses really mess up trails they use.
tikaani from jeff city on 04/20/2013 06:18 PM
Just to update this thread there are primitive camping sited at the north jeff city site. When you walk to the river you should see a sign for a trail. The city put in 4 or 5 primitive sites along the river. There should be a honour box at the parking lot. $5 per night
A Great Place to Stop
- + My husband and I road an out and back from Treloar to McKittrick (16.4 ea way) and ate lunch at Farmer's Mercantile-the owner's are very friendly and the food was very tasty. I recommend the pizza-all...
Discussion started 04/20/2013 07:28 AM by MB - 0 repliesMB from Florissant on 04/20/2013 07:28 AM
My husband and I road an out and back from Treloar to McKittrick (16.4 ea way) and ate lunch at Farmer's Mercantile-the owner's are very friendly and the food was very tasty. I recommend the pizza-all fresh ingredients and mostly local.
Field trip
- + I am taking my class on a field trip tomorrow from Hartsburg to N. Jefferson City? Is it flooded? Should we postpone?
Discussion started 04/18/2013 08:03 AM by kempker - 1 reply (last reply by Gary at 04/18/2013 11:21 AM)kempker from MO on 04/18/2013 08:03 AM
I am taking my class on a field trip tomorrow from Hartsburg to N. Jefferson City? Is it flooded? Should we postpone?
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 04/18/2013 11:21 AM
That section shouldn't flood, but you are looking and high tempature for the day of maybe 50 with winds of 20mph from the west. Not my idea of a pleasant experience for the kids or you.