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Backpacking/Cycling the Katy
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Adam from Kansas City, MO on 4/24/2007 9:30:38 PM:
Hey everyone,

Does anyone have any experience camping and riding the trail? I'm wanting to ride the trail (on my road bike with big tires) and carry my hiking backpack. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks!
Adam
 
Paulie from Knoxville on 4/25/2007 9:53:37 AM:
Hi Adam,

A hiking backpack may be a little top heavy. Have you considered using panniers? Last year when I did the Katy, I found easier to stay in motels and B&B's than pack all that gear. I made the trip in 3 days with everything I needed in a seatpost pack.

Good Luck, Paulie
 
Nails on 4/25/2007 12:28:15 PM:
Modern hiking backpacks are amazing pieces of equipment. With little training, you can walk for hours day after day with 50 or so pounds distributed on your shoulders, back, and hips. However, I made the grave mistake of thinknig that I could ride for hours on the KATY with the pack weighing a mere 30 pounds. All that weight went right to the seat and it was a painful experience. I'd recommend going mimimalist (CamelBack and a credit card), panniers, or trailer. At the least, try riding 40 or so miles with your loaded pack before finalizing plans on your epic ride. Good luck and have fun!
 
steve from saint louis on 4/25/2007 2:17:10 PM:
I would think that riding a bike on a multi-day trip with a backpack(on your back) is probably not a good plan. You can get front and rear racks for your bike that are designed to carry pannier bags. I believe they are generally limited to 40-50 lbs. These pannier bags are good for food, clothes, etc, but for camping gear to, I am not sure. I use a rear rack(which was very easy to install on my mountain bike) and pannier bags, but again, not sure about adding the camping gear part of it with these bags or rack.

I have also seen people with a trailer on their bike, which I would think would work for the camping gear.
 
El Toro on 4/25/2007 11:18:08 PM:
I agree with earlier comments. Like another mentioned - I rode the KATY in 3 days last October utilizing B&Bs and food stops along the Trail. Everything I needed - including clothes to eat at a restuarant in the evening - was carried in a pack behind my seat.

I can't handle a backpack when I ride. I get hot, I don't like the weight pushing into the saddle and I feel unbalanced....but that's just me.

 
Cliff from Edwardsville Kansas on 4/26/2007 2:02:33 PM:
As others have said I use panniers to pack clothes in and we tied my backpack on the carrier on my wifes bike. We had a little trouble with the pack at first but we bought a cargo net at the bike shop in Rocheport and it solved the problem. Staying in B&B's along the trial reduced the load also. Have a great ride.
 
Chuck from Grain Valley on 5/2/2007 10:37:32 AM:
A group of us bike the trail from Clinton to St. Charles each year. The first trip we all had the knobby tires....we have switched to the semi-road type....much better!!!! We stay at B&B's along the way and find that most are good, some excellent! Also, all of us use the "saddle bag" type to haul gear-----we only carry minimum on the trail, makes for a less stressful trip ( 4 days )......hope this helps. Chuck
 
caltreceft on 5/6/2007 8:20:53 AM:
Every pound on your back feels like twenty pounds on your rear after a couple miles, and who wants their rear end seeking vengeance? Most definitely not recommended.

Panniers vs. trailer: main trailer choices are B.O.B. or Burley Nomad. BOBs are unwieldy and make your parked bike fall over. Burleys are stable and pull more easily. Both are similarly waterproof. Burley pulls more.
Burley claims that fifteen pounds' weight on the bike and fifty pounds in their trailer pull the same, and I've found that to be true, excluding the unwieldy-bike aspect when loaded.
 
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