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Melissa from Chicago on 7/28/2012 11:18:38 PM:
I'm planning a bike trip along the Katy Trail for this fall with my mother and am putting together my emergency list... basically I'm concerned that we might find ourselves part way through a day of biking and unable to go on (be if from bad weather or bike malfunction or whatever). Looking at the shuttle services on the list they all seem grouped along the two ends of the trail... are there other local companies? Will taxi services be able to pick up the bikes? Looking at comments about shuttles under the comments area, there's a fair amount of chatter about booking shuttle services in advance but very little about unexpected pickups along the trail heads. What kind of fees might be expected for this kind of transport? Any advice and recommendations would be welcome.

 
Rhona Lococo from St Charles on 7/29/2012 10:57:36 AM:
we shuttle our guests at (Lococo House II&III Bed & Breakfast) on the Katy and if you have any kind of problem , all you have to do is call us and we will rescue you.....call me at 636-9460619

 
Michael Rodemeyer from Hartsburg on 7/29/2012 2:45:50 PM:
You should not start out until you have inspected the BikeKatyTrail.com mileage chart and towns and services that Ray provides with this web site. The trail can be long and scary, along the river, if you have a flat and its dark. If you use this site and make careful plans you should be ok. Some locals will drive you into town when they find you along the trail but don't count on this. And cell phones don't always work aound our location. Don't try and overdo it. PLAN,PLAN,PLAN

 
Anonymous on 7/29/2012 7:01:02 PM:
The weather usually isnt that bad in October. I would recommend short out and backs and making sure that both you and your bikes are in good enough shape to be on the trail long before I worried about a shuttle to come save me. If you worry about a mechanical or just being able to make it on the trail, fix those long before you head to Missouri.

 
Cathy from Jefferson City on 7/29/2012 9:48:04 PM:
How experienced are you and your mom? If you have done some riding and have some experience, you will do fine, especially if you plan carefully, which you appear to be doing by being on this forum. I live in Jefferson City and I do not know of any shuttles in the middle of the trail. I have seen people post comments that they had a bike break down and they were able to call a bike shop and they got picked up by the bike shop and taken care of. That is probably not the norm, but it would be a good idea to bring a list of the bike shops along the trail and their phone numbers just in case. You and your mom will love this trail. I bet you do this more than once.

 
Melissa, Chicago on 8/28/2012 3:43:23 PM:
hi all, thanks for the info - we're relatively experienced (biked RAGBRAI a couple times a couple years ago), our bieks are in good condition, and we have the experience to fix most minor stuff (flats, broken chain, etc) ourselves. And we've been conservative in our milage - we're only going about 40 miles a day. But as Michael said plan, plan, plan and with my mom being 60, I'd like to have some kind of contingency list of taxis or shuttles or what not just in case... for example I have no issues riding in rain, but if there's lots of lightning I'd rather see if we can book a ride to our next destination. I've looked at the milage list of companies, but I've also seen a lot of mixed reviews of those companies in this forum and so I'm interested in hearing if anyone has any companies that they'd like to put forward as being people that are good in a pinch.

 
Bike Rider from Kansas City on 8/29/2012 8:46:27 AM:
Melissa, it sounds like you are preparing well for this trip on the Katy Trail with your mom! It sounds like alot of fun. I don't have any experience with the shuttles, but I think most of the bike shops along the way would be very helplful, and could recommend solutions to you in a bind. The bike shop in Hermann has helped us out on two occasions. I would keep their phones numbers in your phone, too. Also, if you've made reservations at B&B's along the way, the owners can sometimes help you out, or give you recommendations for shuttle service. I hope you and your mom have a great trip!

 
Darrell from Wrinkle City, Mo. on 8/30/2012 4:54:15 PM:
"we're relatively experienced (biked RAGBRAI a couple times a couple years ago), our bieks are in good condition, and we have the experience to fix most minor stuff (flats, broken chain, etc) ourselves. And we've been conservative in our milage - we're only going about 40 miles a day. But as Michael said plan, plan, plan and with my mom being 60, I'd like to have some kind of contingency list of taxis or shuttles or what not just in case..."

May I suggest that you talk to your mother and try to get her to slow down to a pace that you can keep up with. Sure you can get a shuttle and meet her at the B&B or whatever, but I bet she would enjoy it more if you could ride the whole way with her.

Welcome and enjoy your tour of the Katy!

:)

 
Anonymous on 8/30/2012 8:04:56 PM:
Look for people who operate businesses along the trail that are riders for help. Some of the bike rental or sales places may be able to get you or make repairs. Some of the B&B people are riders, for example Rendleman in Bluffton has helped people with parts at his B&B, or has even come to help someone on the trail.

 
jr on 8/31/2012 1:17:11 PM:
Toni, the owner of a bike shop in Defiance is a great guy. He runs a shuttle service, typically an SUV w a bike rack in the back. He tooks us from Defiance to Washington to catch the train - $20/person.