Reply to Newbies gonna go biking!

I am planning a trip for 2 couples. We plan to base in St Charles and do day rides of 20-30 miles, returning each night to our base in St Charles. Since we will have two vehicles, we can drive west of St Charles, drop off one vehicle at our take point, then drive up to the start of that day's ride.

So, I'd like suggestions for riding 3 segments of the Katy...20-30 miles on way..... each doable as a day ride out when based out of St Charles....!

Thanks in advance!

Doesn't sound fun to me: You'll be spending an aweful lot of time in the car for not much riding.

Instead, take a ride on the wild side.....as in 3 day ride. Find a way to Jeff City and credit card tour yourself back to St Charles. Lots of good resources on this website. Click on a town, roll the dice, and enjoy something unknown. Then tell your friends that you rode 1/2 way across Missouri.

I'm with Arky. Unless someone is paying you $$$$ to show up in St. Chuck every night I'd spend some of that wasted gas money on somewhere else to stay along the trail. Spend your time on the trail instead of wasting gas and time beating it up and down the road shuffling cars back and forth.

What Arky Kenny said. From St. Charles you can ride 26 miles west to Augusta, beautiful overnight stop. Day 2 is 34 miles west to McKittrick / Hermann. Day 3 is 45 miles to Jeff City, but if that is too far then park you car in Mokane and ride 25 miles west to your car.

The 20 to 30 miles day trip idea doesn't get you very far out of St. Charles, given that you're only going 10-15 miles one way and then turning around. A 10-15 mile out and back from St. Charles isn't really going to be that great in either direction.

Park one car in Mokane and ride 85 miles to get to it. It would be a blast. Jeff City would be better yet if you can swing the extra miles.

I forgot to mention how great Hermann is. Augusta is excellent, Hermann is better yet. Google them both; small town Missouri tourism at its finest.

Hello,

First of all, to a fellow Knoxvillian (or a former one in my case), get ready for a great adventure. I rode this Fall from Clinton all the way through St. Charles and I had the time of my life. So much so, in fact, that I am planning to do it again this Spring.

My input: if I were you, I wouldn't do it that way. Take Arkykenny's advice (Trek and Hank too). There are several options for you to stay along the way, and as someone noted above, that would involve a great deal of driving. There are B&B's along the way, as well as hotels (I used both, depending upon the locations. I did the trail in 4 days, and planned my trip around the facilities where I could realistically stop.

Be sure to get a copy of the Katy Trail Guidebook so you can plan your trip.
Best of luck to you on your trip.

We revising our plan! Will get a shuttle to Jeff City or Hermann and ride from there, over nighting in Hermann and Augusta!

Nice short, entry level trip....and perhaps just enough to get us to do a lot more in 2015! No 5th wheels, we will use B&B and hotels.

So, suggestions about panniers, etc? Tires? Always carry rain gear? We will be riding 9/22 to 9/24.

I forgot....favorite places to stay in Hermann and Augusta?

You have made a good decision!

You can spend as much as you want to on panniers, but that is not necessary. If you already have a rack, just get a small or mid sized duffle bag, put you stuff in a trash bag, put the bag of stuff in the duffle, then and bungee that to the rack. Topeak also makes a nice lite use rack pannier and bag combo with saddle bags that can carry more than enough stuff. You'll need at least 2 bottles for water for each person, trail mix, a few tubes, a frame pump, a basic tool kit, and a few miles on the bikes before you take off. I always carry a chain tool and an extra link too. A good rule of thumb is that you can ride 3x as far as you train if you ride easy, so get in a couple 10-15 mile rides before you go, and you will do fine.

As for tires, new ones (not dry rotted ones). Again, spend a bunch of $ if you want, but cheapies from Wal-mart are likely to work fine for you. Smoother tread is better than knobbies.

As for rain gear, I use a trash bag with a hole cut for my head, and a shower cap on my helmet. Lite, cheap, disposable.

Great info! Thanks! Tires about 32 wide? Love the shower cap suggestion. I have several in my photo bag! And garbage bags will serve the purpose for our stuff.

We have rain gear, so we could use them to blunt chilly wind or rain. I plan to be able to layer..

If you know what a 32 is, I guess that means you ride a hybrid. Tires are a subject of much discussion on this board. Read those threads if you want, but anything that you have on a hybrid that is in good shape will do. Narrower than 28 is probably not a good idea, and knobbies are not necessary. I ride 32s in dry weather or to go fast, 37s most of the time, and 40s when it's wet, or for Pedalers Jamboree (lolly gagging).

If you ride in Sept, hydration can be a problem. Think about getting a Camelbak for everyone and learn to "Drink before you're thirsty, and eat before you're hungry." "Slosh" with water before you take off, eat Trail mix, and drink 16oz an hour. I use bottles so I can track how much I drink, but I carry an 80oz Camelbak to extend my range. My bet, is that you can go as long, and as far as you like if you do drink and eat, and are otherwise healthy. If your pee is clear, good: If it's dark, or if you are not peeing, drink more.

I'm considering buying the 2014 Giant Rove 0 - which comes with 32s....I'll have to check the tread.

Seems like the B&Bs are really expensive. Anything between high-end B&Bs and camping? LOL!

It looks like the Rove 0 would work just fine. All you need to add is a rear rack and some sort of bags to carry extra clothes, extra tubes and a few tools. A couple water bottle cages, and handlebar bag to carry some snacks, a camera, sunscreen etc.

Some B&B's are a little more reasonable than others. We are usually on a tight budget and I usually camp if going alone, but when my wife comes along she would rather stay where she has her own bathroom! Here is a list of the more reasonable places we have stayed along the trail:

Best Western in Clinton (think it has a new name now)
Bothwell Hotel in Sedalia
Hotel Frederick & High Street Victorian B&B in Boonville
Katy Trail Bed & Bikefest in Rocheport
Hartsburg Inn & Globe Hotel in Hartsburg
Katyrest Caboose in Hartsburg
Turner Katy Trail Shelter Hostel in Tebbets (would need to bring your own bedding)
Rendleman Home B&B in Bluffton
Joey's Bird House B&B in McKittrick
Campbell Haus B&B in Hermann
The Little House B&B in Marthasville
Lindenhof B&B in Augusta
Lococo House III in St. Charles

I think most of these cost us $75-$100 per night over the last couple years.

Next like you know is camping which runs about $10 per night, but you have to carry a bit more with you on the bike everyday.

Not a fan of the Giant Rove. I don't like cheap shocks and cheap hydro brakes. Both are unnecessary, and potential problems. How about a Kona Dew Plus, or a Cannondale Quick--Rigid front fork, mechanical brakes, decent components.....less $, and better bike. Spend some $ on a women's specific seat with a wide tail, a rack, some bottle cages, and some cages and straps for your feet so (so you can use your legs to push AND pull you down the trail)

If you want shocks and that type brake for some other use, great...but you certainly don't need them for the Katy Trail...at least that's my opinion.

I certainly appreciate the comments regarding the Giant Rove 0. It's more money than I planned to spend. I tried a Cannondale Quick at it was a jarring ride - but it also had a shock front fork ...it just didn't feel good. Looked nice, though. My second choice was the Fugi Traverse 1.3....but I REALLY didn't like the components.

The Rove 0 is a women's specific bike....seat felt fine...Shimano Deore compoments for the most part....fitting only needed a small extension for the handlebars...

I'm not familiar with the Kona Dew Plus.....will see where I can find it.

Thanks!

I looked at the Kona Dew Plus....maybe I'm missing something, but most components seem to be lesser quality than the Giant Rove 0.....they much more comparable to the Rove 3 in components and price...

I chose to go with the Rove 0 for the better components...and at a heft price penalty.

An $1100 bike is always better than one you buy at a big box store. I hope you enjoy preparing for, then riding the Katy (and many more places after that). RAGBRAI?.......... Best wishes.

RAGBRAI! YIKES! No way!!!!!!! LOL!

Maybe the entire Katy next year......we shall see!

We have our lodging all reserved.....only thing left is to arrange a shuttle from the Lakeside 270 RV Park in St Peters to Hermann.

Oh, and I still need to buy a bike!!!!!!!!

I'll keep checking here to see if there are more comments and suggestions.

A special shout-out to Midsouth, Rogersville, Mo!

Thanks for the suggestions on lodging! We chose the Lindenhof in Augusta and the Lydia Johnson in Hermann!

And we are using our 5th wheels at the Lakeside 370 RV Park in St. Peters! All told, we will be in the area 7 nights!

Looks like the beginning of many more mile on the Katy!

Butlerkid, I would also prefer the Cannondale Quick CX4 Bike - 2014 over the Giant Rove. It has mechanical disc brakes and no front suspension, which is not needed and adds weight. All Shimano components and is about $650 at REI.

Appreciate the bike suggestions. As I said, I rode the Cannondale Quick......and just didn't like it. Why? Ride seemed jarring, components were clunky, it looked nice....just didn't call to me! LOL!

BTW - I'll never be a race demon or aggressive rider...those days of kamikaze single tracks are behind me. At 63, I just wanna get out and enjoy!

I really liked the ride of the Rove 2 but wanted the better components of the Rove 0. I guess the ride of the -0- will be different since the tires are 32's and the -2- comes with 40's!

Well, if you are going to go that way with a bike, why don't you buy a rigid steel 29er mountain bike (like a Surly Karate Monkey) for about $800 and get a comfy steel rig with a real component group (lx,xt, Deore, Avid mechanical brakes), put some 700 x 37s on those 29er wheels (instead of hybrid quality stuff), put some Ergon grips on it, a women's seat, and you would STILL be $300 ahead of buying the Rove.

Or........buy a 5 year old 26" mountain bike (also with higher end components), put some 1 1/2" slicks on it, and have an additional $600 in your pocket for the trip.

From what I found, the Surly Karate Monkey is a single geared MTB at around $1,200...... not even close to the kind of bike I want. And I have looked around my area and not found a used bike of interest....again I'm not looking for a MTB bike. I already have one.

I negotiated a substantial discount on the 2014 Rove 0......and I am very impressed with the detailed fitting and support provided by this particular LBS. This LBS is far more customer focused than others in my area.

I didn't mean to sound like I have an axe to grind against Giant Roves: I don't . Nor do I have any problem with buying expensive bikes that are more than you need from local guys. Heaven knows I have spend a bunch of money on stuff that really didn't make much of a difference.....but I usually knew I was doing it. Mostly, I just didn't want you to spend a bunch of money on a bike for an easy trip on the Katy, because there is no need for that---unless that is what you want to do, then have at it! I will also admit that I probably assume the worst about salesmen who frequently try to sell you something you don't need.

I don't even have a problem with hybrid bikes with a front shock and hydro brakes, as long as you know what you are getting. If you buy something like that 1) it really limits you applications for other rides/it will really only be good for only short path rides (IMO), 2) there is unnecessary weight, more maintenance, and maintenance issues that you can't do or fix on the trail (hydros), and 3) the resale value of something like that is not going to be very good: So you're either going to be stuck with a fancier bike than you need and don't ride, a bike you can't take off road or very far on the road, or a bike you can sell for a fraction of what you paid so you can buy the type of bike you want to buy.

I still say go buy a Kona Dew or Dew Plus, or buy somebody else's mistake on Craigslist. You now have permission to read the thread on Salsa Vayas, and make fun of me :)

Arky, thanks for the reasons WHY you don't recommend the Rove! LOL!

This will be a recreational bike for social rides on both pavement and light off road conditions. I will be interested in going as fast as I can. But, I do want something that can roll easily on pavement and still give me some gears to help with the hills around Tn. Off road to me is something like the Katy. I used to jump tree roots, tackle sand and be aggressive....not looking to do that anymore.

So you don't think the Rove would be good for a 3 day - 50 mile/day paved rides?

And doing the entire Katy over several days would be the longest and toughest off road I'll probably ever do.

I didn't necessarily want shocks, but most hybrids that have hydros seem to also have shocks. These have a lock out...and that is what I would use on road rides. Hubby's bike has hydros. He makes several short rides every day and really likes them.

I agree about the re-sale value, both from the standpoint of being a hybrid and also a women's bike. Guess I'd better ride it! My MTB is 25 years old (a Univega!) and it has served me well for years. I just find it a drag (literally) on the road!

Where I live, Craig's list just has $75 - 15 year old junk bikes. The brands you suggest really aren't represented by my area LBS.

I'm sure I could easily use find a $650 bike to would suffice, but I wanted to at least have Deore quality parts. I have negotiated a price on the Rove 0 that lets me get the Rove 0 with better components for just a little more $$$. So I'm NOT spending close to $1,000. And yes, I'm sure I am spending more than I need to, but I don't want a road bike and I don't want an MTB either.

I really appreciate your continued advice!

Then my thoughts remain unchanged: A $1,000 Giant Rove does nothing well. A front shock is unnecessary, and disc brakes (much less, hydro disc brakes) are completely unnecessary: It's a railroad bed with railroad grades!

Hybrids are great for 30-50 miles a day of lollygagging. But a rigid $400 hybrid (or maybe even a geared cruiser) with rim brakes (preferably V-brakes) and some 40's will cost you less, take you as far, give you more options for later rides (like RAGBRAI: NOT KIDDING!), and give you less trouble in the long run. Go find one of those that is comfortable. Deore is great--I have a lot of it--but anything that is Shimano or SRAM these days is pretty good stuff as far as working and staying adjusted: That is all you are looking for.

To me the stuff that makes the difference is the seat, the grips, my shorts, my shoes, my gloves, my helmet, and my pedals--the places where I come in contact with the bike. Tires and tire pressure are a big deal too. My advice is to spend your efforts there. Then get in good enough shape to enjoy the trip.

Or, I could compare my 29er mountain bike to any hybrid. It's is a good quality steel hardtail with a suspension fork (that can be locked out) and it has a thudbuster seat post. With a change of the tires, I can literally ride it anywhere and do anything with it: Singletrack, trails, rail trails, lolly gagging, dirt roads, bikepacking, pub crawls, and the Tour Divide are all viable options for me to ride on my mountain bike. Some people even like to tour on flat bar mountain bikes.

If I put 37s on it, compared to a hybrid it would be faster, lighter, more comfortable, more dependable, more durable, and not that much more expensive than a $1000 hybrid that would not give me anything close to that many riding options.

My point is, if all you are going to do is lolly gag on a rail trail, ok--buy a hybrid with a shock you don't need and cheap hydro brakes that you won't use and can't adjust. But if you want to that that, and maybe some other things too, think about getting somthing that will give you some options, or at least let you bail out of it on the cheap.

Come on Mr. Arky. This way. Let's go back to your room. It's time for you medication.

LOL!

This has been an interesting conversation to a point. For me, it has now moved passed interesting and have moved into gear (or ax) grinding.

Enjoy the KATY my friends.

I am actually learning something from Arky's messages. I have a Giant DX hybrid with a front shock and disc brakes. It's a comfortable ride, but I have come to realize that my bike is much heavier than others. I am wondering about the trade-off of comfort on the seat versus the extra effort of pedaling a heavier bike...

If you go here http://bikecalculator.com/wattsMetric.html you can compare bikes. I compared two bikes on a 50 mile (80 kilometer) ride with a 1% grade at about 15mph. One bike weight 25 pounds and the other 35. The riders weighed the same.

Riding the 25lb bike required 168 watts and 1844 calories. The 35lb bike required 172 watts and 1898 calories.

If you change the grade to 0%, it's 109 vs 111 watts and 1202 vs 1219 calories.

Bike weight on a flat course like the Katy has little impact.

(NOTE: this is my 3rd attempt to post this topic)

Thanks Brad, that's interesting. At said lollygag speed the difference would be even less. I mean, that is what most riders do, something around 10 mph or less, that is lollygagging, a perfectly socially acceptable manner in which to ride the Katy Trail.

And it is perfectly socially acceptable to ride the bike of your choice whatever that may be. There is no one perfect bike for all situations or for the Katy. We all don't need your perfect bike, nor do we want it. It's no big deal that someone rides a bike thats not like yours, goes slower than you, or that they have no goal of riding RAGBRI or the Tour Divide.

When you're on the trail, it's about enjoying the trail and not so much about obsessing over your cool bike.

Brad, Thanks for posting. VERY interesting information! Just confirms what other experienced riders are telling me.

Once again, Anonymous has put an an-noying spin on a thread.

Fairly early on in this thread, I wrote that almost any bike and tire combination will do for the Katy. I stand by that. Anything that does not have dry rotted tires, was not purchased from a big box store, and has something bigger than 28's or bigger on it will probably work just fine.

BUT, when asked specifically, and repeatedly about a certain bike (as was asked), I am glad to respond to a topic where I can be as OCD as anyone. That was not the point I was trying to make. In fact, if you will go back and read the thread, "MY BIKE IS THE ONLY BIKE TO HAVE" is the exact opposite of what I said.

I hope Butlerkid, and other take this message away from from this thread:

1) Do a tour if you can, not a bunch of day rides. You will make great memories.

2) A little preparation, and a little coaching from those who have done it before may save you a little trouble, time, and money.

3) For a multi-day bike trip on the Katy, or other rides, you need a good quality, comfortable bike. Cheap, simple, brand name bikes, for the vast majority of people, work as good (often better) as expensive ones, so there is no need to buy a high dollar bike and worry about certain component groups or other details (Unless doing that sort of thing is fun for you, as it is for me). If you do go high dollar, it would be good to know what you are getting.

Ciao.

Arky, thanks again for your perspective. People like Anon are not worth your time. I agree that riding the length (rather than day trips) is a much better way to go. I considered day trips before my first Katy ride, but I realized that I was just being fearful of the unknown (when/where to stay, etc). As soon as I let go, I really enjoyed myself.

Just to clarify...I asked about riding the Katy trail in segments....and I gladly changed our plans after great input from this site.

I especially appreciated the lodging suggestions.

However, I stated I was considering the Rove 0 and would have to check tire width - I didn't specifically ask opinions on the bike selection.
And then I got a lot of "harrassment" about my choice. If a whole range of bikes can "do" the Katy, then why did it become such a big deal? Not once was I told the Rove 0 would not handle the Katy. While being open minded, I felt that the aggressive opinions of one person were unwarranted. I tried to be polite, and state my reasons for my selection. Only to be challenged by arguments that didn't seem to address my personal situation but those of the responder. RGBRAI? - not a chance! Money spent? I repeatedly said that I was paying MUCH less than retail. And most of the alternative suggestions were close to the price I will be paying....but with lesser quality components. Why would I want to spend about the same money for lesser quality components?

And I indicated that we might very likely to the entire trail next year, after enjoying this short "reconnaisance" trip this year with another couple.

On a brighter note: All of our lodging and shuttle reservations are now confirmed. And I am excited about our first visit to the Katy!

I will however, consider this thread closed.

If price is a consideration, consider the cabins at Klondike park. It's just a few minutes from Augusta on the Katy Trail.

They are new and nice. They have power, a bedroom with 2 sets of bunks, a fold out queen in the main room, an inside table, a loft with single beds, and a ceiling fan. Outside is a porch and fire ring.

They are "rustic" and have no air or heat and the bathrooms are shared, but they have lots of screened windows and the bathrooms are well taken care of. My wife HATES camping but she's happy with the cabin and park.

The park is pretty with a small lake, fishing, bike trails, and a very pretty overlook point that looks over the river. Great sunsets.

Like I said, Agusta is close with food, stores, wineries and breweries right near the trail. I think they just opened a new bike shop there too.

We rent them twice a year and bike the area. There are only 6 or 7 so BOOK EARLY.