Katy Trail Forum

I'm thinking of riding Boonville to Hartsburg Friday 5/26, camping at the park Friday night and returning to Boonville on Saturday. Will probably be riding somewhere around McKittrick on Sunday afternoon as well.

I have been thinking about it, but haven't made any plans yet. If you want to talk off list,

send a note to webmaster and ask him to give you my e-mail. Sharon

Yes, planning to ride the Katy on Memorial Weekend, but was wondering how busy the trail might be those days and if being on a bike will be frustrating? Any input is welcome.

I have never found the Trail to be so busy that being on a bike is frustrating. I don't expect

any issues there. And, if you are concerned about it, bike on some of the less travelled

parts...for example, stay away from Rocheport, but I wouldn't worry about it. Most folks in

mid-Missouri think Memorial Day is for going to the Lake of the Ozarks (at least in my

experience). And, a lot will depend on what the weather forecast is for those days. See you

on the Trail!



Sharon

We have biked the trail for several Memorial weekends, and except for the odd mile or two just outside of Rocheport, and around Augusta, we have never seen a lot of people.

That's good news on the crowd levels for Memorial Weekend. Not that I am anti-social. I do love people. But distance is my goal this time, and I also don't want to bother others going at a more leisurely pace. From a couple of posts I just saw, now I am wondering if trail conditions are going to be the big hurdle for my road bike outfitted with 700 x28c tires. Oh well...more's the adventure.

I've done that section twice on a road tandem outfitted with 700 x 28 tires. The worst is the parking lot on the New Franklin side of the MO river from Boonville. This lot is filled with rocks the size of a small woman's fist. I'd recommend walking across this parking lot. Otherwise, you should have no trouble maintaining 17+MPH.

Wife and I will be riding on Saturday from Pilot Grove to Sedalia and back. Happy trails and a safe Memorial Day Weekend to everybody.

I should be out on the Trail on Friday and maybe Saturday too...be in Hartsburg Friday night.

I ride a blue Trek with skinny tires!



Sharon

Saturday about noon, will start in Clinton and try to make St. Charles by Wednesday. The 90 degree forecasts are not too appealing but will mostly be biking mornings except for Saturday. Not too worried about speed and distance, but mostly looking for the best pubs (bars) and wineries at which to meander for awhile. Never going more than 60 miles a day. Any special recommendations for good watering holes or stopping places? I'm all about second breakfasts and high teas.

droconner@yahoo.com

Hope to see some of you fine folks out there this weekend. My 8-year old son and I are starting in Clinton on 5/26 AM and ending up in St. Charles on 5/31. We could do without the heat, but who knows? With unpredictable Missouri weather, it could be back in the 70's by the end of our trip!

We're doing St. Charles to Mokane this year, starting Saturday morning. On Saturday and Sunday it will be my husband and 9 and 11 year old kids, and then on Monday we are being joined in Rhineland by friends with 4 kids from 2 to 13! We, too, are a little worried about the heat, but at least there's no rain in the forecast!

I'm a new biker and will be doing just 20 miles on Sunday but am worried about the heat (93F Saturday with a 68F dew point). I'm also a diabetic. Hopefully 2 bottles of water and and some glucose pills will be enough.

Take some Gatorade along...you will need the electrolytes that Gatorade will give you.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to eat that are close to the Columbia/Katy Trail spur?

Once you're on the Katy:



Lucy's Bar and Grill in McBaine isn't that far if you're heading east.



Trailside Cafe in Rocheport if you're heading west isn't too far from the Columbia/Katy Trail intersection.



Both have great food and love bikers!

In Columbia? The only time I have ridden the spur, I found it just dumps you out onto a busy

street with no guidance of where you are or where to go. So, we went across the street and

rode around for awhile until we found a block with some bars on it and just picked one out

and had bar food. I have been told that the trailhead is actually at the brewpub in Columbia,

but I have no idea how to get there. Maybe it is better marked now or someone on this

forum can give directions.

If you're going to ride all the way into downtown Columbia on the MKT, you'll basically end up at the corner of Providence and Stewart Roads. There is a little more trail on the other side of Providence that will end up in a little park I believe. Some of it is on sidewalk and street.



In my opinion, there are 3 good choices of food near there. You can't beat Shakespeare's Pizza that is at the corner of 9th and Elm. This is 4 or 5 blocks east of where you will be at the end of the MKT. Also on 9th street are Booches and Columbia Billiards, which both have awesome cheeseburgers.



I hope this helps.



Ken

Actually, Columbia is working on the northern end of the MKT spur. It will soon go under the streets and end up at FlatBranch Park, right across from the old Katy Station, which has been a restaurant for many years. I am not sure of the timetable, but they have moved a lot of dirt and debris to for the tunnels, and I imagine it will be done in the next few weeks/month or so. I agree that before this work was started, it was not marked well and hard to follow once you hit Providence Road. The new underpasses will be a great improvement.



Columbia has pretty much all kinds of food, from vegetarian, to Thai, Italian, Albanian, Arab, Greasy Spoon, bar food, chains, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, steaks, coffee shops, candy stores and on and on all located up the hill from the trail head. It has something that fewer and fewer towns seem to have these days. A vibrant downtown area. I guess having a major university and two small colleges bordering it helps a lot.



At Stewart and Providence, just keep heading north on Providence for like two blocks, turn right, and you are on the southern edge of downtown and the northern edge of the MU campus, head into town, and you will find all sorts of food and bars/music venues to suit your tastes.



LOL, I sound like the chamber of commerce, and I promise you, I am not! lol

I agree with the above--downtown has many excellent places, and you can basically just follow the construction to figure out where the trail will go. I don't think the work is going to be finished until mid- to late- June. If you want something before downtown, you could get off the spur at Forum (there's a parking lot and an underpass there), and follow Forum up the hill to the north or left (if you're riding toward Columbia) to Jazz, which is a pretty good cajun place. There are also restaurants up the hill to the right, but they are a mile or more away, and I would recommend going into downtown over that option.

I recommend Flat Branch Brewery as it's always my final destination after my Friday trail

rides. As stated above, the trail dumps you out at Providence and Stewart. Go east on

Stewart (up the big hill in front of you) and left on Fifth. Flat Branch is on the left 3 or 4

blocks down Fifth. They have a great outdoor seating area and tasty brews and food.

I know this thread is focusing on getting to downtown Colubmia, but here is a map showing the MU and county connector trails to the MKT spur.

http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/ParksandRec/Documents/mkt_mu_conect.pdf

You may find that the MU connector trail dumps you to calmer streets. That is, until the tunnel is completed.

After a wonderful week on the Katy Trail, we wanted to say how much we appreciated the service we got from Donald Humphries at TC Shuttles and Tours in Bridgeton. We felt every dime was worth the ride to Boonville--right to the door of our motel and the discount his name got us--the safe place he found for our car ( with all our camping gear--why we didn't want to use trailhead parking) and the concern shown by the company when we were a little late showing up. We also were encouraged to call from wherever we were along the trail if we needed to bail. While pricey, the peace of mind was worth it.

I just stayed at the Rendleman Home B&B the other night. Doug was great. We had a breakfast of french toast with cherries and honey. The cherries were fresh and really hit the spot. Doug saved me during the last leg of a round-trip Katy Trail trip. The Rendleman Home was the last stop of a trip that started in St. Charles, went to Clinton and then back to St. Charles. Doug realized that I had a broken spoke on the rear wheel of my bike. He managed to located a spoke and he fixed my wheel. I got back to St. Charles with no more problems. Thanks, Doug!

I just stayed at the Rendleman Home B&B the other night. Doug was great. We had a breakfast of french toast with cherries and honey. The cherries were fresh and really hit the spot. Doug saved me during the last leg of a round-trip Katy Trail trip. The Rendleman Home was the last stop of a trip that started in St. Charles, went to Clinton and then back to St. Charles. Doug realized that I had a broken spoke on the rear wheel of my bike. He managed to located a spoke and he fixed my wheel. I got back to St. Charles with no more problems. Thanks, Doug!

We stayed at the Doll House B&B on the first night of our Katy Trail trip. Wow! Everything was great! Amanda was so accomodating and helpful. She greeted us with chocolate chip cookies and lemonade. Yum! It really hit the spot after a long day bicycling on the trail. Dinner across the street was really good as well. And the breakfast was absolutely delicious. This is a must stop place.

We stayed at the Doll House B&B on the first night of our Katy Trail trip. Wow! Everything was great! Amanda was so accomodating and helpful. She greeted us with chocolate chip cookies and lemonade. Yum! It really hit the spot after a long day bicycling on the trail. Dinner across the street was really good as well. And the breakfast was absolutely delicious. This is a must stop place.

We stayed at the Officer's Club B&B last Friday. We started from St. Charles on Wednesday and spent the third night of our Katy Trail trip in Boonville. It was wonderful! Paula went above and beyond. The house was so warm and inviting. (It reflected the personality of our hostess.) Paula had wonderful snacks, great conversation and advice, and she took care of our every need.) Breakfast was fantastic. I can't say enough. I hope to schedule a family weekend at the B&B later on this summer. I wanted to stay there and try out the bubble tub. :)

We stayed at the Officer's Club B&B last Friday. We started from St. Charles on Wednesday and spent the third night of our Katy Trail trip in Boonville. It was wonderful! Paula went above and beyond. The house was so warm and inviting. (It reflected the personality of our hostess.) Paula had wonderful snacks, great conversation and advice, and she took care of our every need.) Breakfast was fantastic. I can't say enough. I hope to schedule a family weekend at the B&B later on this summer. I wanted to stay there and try out the bubble tub. :)

Hi, This is Scott from the band Scooters Groove. I wanted to let everyone know we are planning a great time this Monday from 4 - ?

We are a band out of St. Charles (and surrounding areas)The band is looking forward to playing Terry and Kathys place. We invite anyone looking for some good classic, dance, and blues music, to come on out and enjoy. The weather will be great and the music plentaful.

Rural Missouri magazine has announced the winners of its "Best of Missouri" awards, based on its readers' votes. Quite a few of the winners can be found on or near the Katy Trail:


Best place to stay: School House B&B in Rocheport


Best winery: Stone Hill Winery in Hermann
and Les Bourgeois in Rocheport


Best catfish: LeMaire's Cajun Catfish in Sedalia


Best fried chicken: Claysville Store in Claysville



Best festival: Oktoberfest in Hermann and Festival of the Little Hills in St charles


Most beautiful town: St Charles and Hermann

Thanks for the updates, Ray. I would add that Rocheport was named one of America's "10 coolest small towns" by the editors of Frommer's Budget Travel magazine, and was featured in the June 2006 Southern Living magazine as the last stop west on the Missouri Wine Trail.

Mokane to Treloar: washboard, lots of weeds, rough in parts!!!!!!

We just got off the trail yesterday riding from Clinton to St. Charles. The trail was in perfect condition as far as I'm concerned. There are areas that would be deemed a little rougher than others, but considering it's a 225 mile corridor maintained by the state, I'd put them up against Missouri roads any day of the week. I found the best place to ride was on the left hand side of the road, and then just making sure to pay attention and move across to the right hand side should anyone be coming your way. (remember we were going West to East)

I understand that the great bike shop in Hartsburg will be closing this year.......anyone else hear this??????

That is a GREAT bike shop!!!!!!!!

I have heard this rumor too. It is tough to make a living along the Trail. Mark is the best

(and only) certified bike mechanic in mid-Missouri. The guy who works on the bikes at

Rocheport comes to Mark for lessons and help with his work. Pam and Mark rent the bike

shop and I think there may be some issues there. Maybe if they could buy some land

somewhere else along the Trail they would move it? I don't know. If they close, they will be

missed.

Rumors of our death, it seems, have been greatly exagerated. We are not closed and have no plans to do so. Business has been growing by leaps and bounds this last year and we are busier than ever. That however could change in a day if everybody thinks we have closed. Thank you for the compliments, it is nice to know that we are appreciated and that our workmanship is admired. Pam and I plan to continue operating one of the best bike shops in Missouri for many years to come.



Sincerely Pam & Mark

Rocheport should also be classified as mid-Missouri. I have had conversations with Larry at the Trailside in Rocheport about his mechanic certification among other things, and from their website.....both Don and Larry are certified bicycle mechanics from Barnett Bicycle Institute.

The folks in Rocheport are fine with simple, basic repairs, but they don't know how to do

more complicated stuff like working on wheels, etc. My recollection is that the program they

went to is a week long certification whereas Mark's training was over several months and was

intense and tested training on all aspects of bike mechanics and building. Mark is also a

certified frame builder and builds great bikes. And, the shop in Rocheport is not full serve

the way Hartsburg is.

Thats good information to have....and thanks for it. My point was simply that he is NOT the "(.... only) certified bike mechanic in mid-Missouri." Good information you provided, but not truely accurate.

My wife and I just recently bought 2 mountain bikes and plan on riding the trail from Clinton to Windsor to start off with. The 2 bikes came with 26 X 1.95 knobby tires and I was wondering if any of you veterans of the trail out there could tell me if these are good tires for the trail or should I look at getting another kind of tire? And if so is there a bike shop in Clinton that would have those tires? Thank you all for your help.

Ready - what you have now will do in these initial stages of bicycle riding. As you both increase your distances and experience you may well then consider different tires, but for now those tires will serve you well. Enjoy the voyage......Mark of the Dalton Boys

Agree with above. Just get out there and enjoy. Regardless of tire choice, be certain someone in your group carries an extra tube or 2, the proper tools and pump and knows how to change a tube in the field. If you desire to get more information on specific tires for rail-trail use, I can email you an article I wrote that is too large to post in this forum. Mind you, I am just an amateur and am not in the bicycle business.

ready, what both the above said. have fun and happy bikin.

We can (and have) argued all day whether to ride roadie, baldy, or knobby tires. That is all a matter of personal choice based upon riding style and experience. There are two things we all agree on:

1) You must carry a patch kit, spare tubes, and tire tools.

2) You must know how to use the items listed in number 1.

I'd like an Amen from everyone on what I consider a third thing we should all agree on.

3) Your tires should have a Kevlar belt. The weight penalty is neglibile for riding on the KATY trail. It won't save you from all flats, but if only saves you from a fraction of the flats, it's work it.

Do I hear an "Amen"?

nails, thats an AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I neglected to suggest those things, and...."AMEN"!

I have used a lot of tires on the KATY.

Perhaps the best were the Continetal Touring 2000's and the Maxxis hookworms.

Thanks for all the advice all. The reason I was curious is the fact the trail being mostly crushed stone and I was figuring the knobby tires would cause drag and slow one down somewhat. I thought maybe a smoother tire would create less drag on the stones. The Kevlar belt is good advice and surely will be on my next tire purchases. I also have seen inner tubes available now with a gel insert, anyone have a comment on these good or bad? Thanks all.

i have not heard any good luck fron any gel filled tubes i thinh the best thing is to have 1 or two extra tubes and also a patch kit and for the comment on the kevlar tire it does not really help save any flats and actually weighs more than a steel belt tire the real advantage of the kevlar side wall is it is a foldable tire so you can take it with you on long rides for a spare good luck with the ride

Thank you for that very humorous post Ken.



AMEN Nails!!!!

Thanks Ken for a factual straight forward answer. MLH I did not post for humor but some factual help and answers wanting to be as best prepared beforehand on the trail.

RTG,



MLH indicated that Ken's post was the humorous one, not yours. I believe that the "steel belt" was what he found humorous as there is no bicyle tire I know of that has one.



I have real world evidence based upon hundreds of miles of riding on the KATY trail that Kevlar belts significantly reduces (not eliminate) flats. I grant you that nothing, not even Kevlar, will stop Nails.



Nails

I just can't figure out where you all ride that you need to "Amen!!!" flat resistant tires.....I've yet to have a flat on the Katy....I've yet to see glass, thorns, whatever, on the trail that made me think I needed special tires or tube gunk to prevent a puncture. Yes...I always carry a spare tube, patch kit, pump, etc....and I know how to use those items....I also watch where I'm going. I'll spend my tire money on gas getting to the trail. If I were the original poster, I'd be thinkin that I needed to go buy new tires, when what they have will work fine!



Enjoy the ride....you are in fact......"Ready To Go!"

Clarifications: Nails was referring to a kevlar belt, that is, a belt under the tread just like a steel belt found therein on auto and motorcycle tires. Even if there was such thing as a steel-belted bicycle tire (meaning commonly available), it would be MUCH heavier that a kevlar-belted one and the rolling resistance would be atrocious.



Also, I think Ken was trying to refer to a kevlar-BEADED folding tire (as opposed to steel-beaded, you know, the latter are the ones that hold their shape when you hang it on the wall), not a kevlar sidewall or belt. When a tire is made in both steel and kevlar-beaded versions, the latter is foldable and always lighter.



A kevlar or kevlar-like sidewall overlay is used on some MTB and Trekking tires to diminish pinch flats and sidewall blowouts. The amount of weight added is very little and it does not influence foldability. It's the bead that determines the latter.



Choosing a kevlar vs steel bead boils down to availabilty, price (kevlar costs a little more), weight (kevlar less) and packability (serious tourers like to pack extra tires, hence folding kevlar, not just tubes).



So full circle: A kevlar-BELTED tire is highly recommended for serious/consistent rail trail riders, especially for longer rides.



Just my 0.02, no disrespect intended and I just successfully cured my own insomnia.

Earlier in this discussion, MLH offered an article he had written on the subject of tire selection for the Katy Trail. He has graciously given permission to publish his informative article here on the website: Katy Trail Tire Selection

I agree that non-Kevlar belted tires will work just fine. However, just like a seat belt, Kevlar belts provide additional protection. I don't know how many miles you've ridden on the KATY, I've probably got 1000. The three flats that I recall were all on non-Kevlar belted tires. One in particular was from a pyrimidal shaped rock that was about 1/8" on a side. A Kevlar belt would have saved me from that flat.

Some of the links in the article that Ray referenced above have been changed. I will try to update this ASAP.

Just rode KC Airport to Boonville on roads, then Boonville to St. Charles on the trail, on a Bike Friday with 20" 115# Schwalbe City Marathons on the bike and 12" 35# tires on the little suitcase trailer. (I'm not sure what benefit I get from high-pressure bike tires while shlepping along the trailer on low-pressure ones, but I seem to have made the same 8-12 mph as everyone else...) NO flats, didn't even need to add air to any of the tires. When it was wet on the trail, I dropped to 7 sticky mph now & then and was sorely tempted to ride a few road miles alongside the trail, just for a break from the unrelenting friction.

As every one else has said, go with what works for you. Personally, I like the big knobby tires. At low speeds on pavement or concrete they cause a little vibration, but they smooth out at speed. When I'm on or off road, I like the traction they give me. Back when I had a road bike with those little skinny tires, I had it slide out from under me in a high speed corner once. The pavement was a little wet, I was going a little too fast, and I got to feel, see and taste the local plant life as I slid off the road and down through the ditch. I've never had that happen on my mt. bike. And now that I'm almost 50 years old, I don't really know whats happened but the dirt and rocks and such seem to be much, much harder than they were when I was 20. Hurts a heck of a lot worse when I hit them than it used to. Since I'm in exactly as good a shape now as I was then (HAR!!) it must be that the rocks have changed! As for the supposed drag the knobbies cause, well, I ain't tryin' to set no speed records anyway. Gives me time to smell the wild roses.



Get out and ride, have a good time, take some good pictures. Make this something that's so much fun you and your wife just can't wait to get out there and go again.

Talk to your bike guru -- he or she will have the best advice for you and your riding style. By the way, our small group (4) just finished the trail (Clinton to St. Charles)and we had 2 flats -- one was a VERY small thorn, the other was a small piece of glass.....we will all change to tougher tires before or next trail trip.......