Interesting video. The coast to coast is also on my bucket list. I would be interested in your actual route. Can I find your gpx file somewhere? Thanks. Erik (Belgium)
hey Mark. I'm watching your cross country videos. I'm due to head out on july 7th on the northern tier headed west to east. You got frightened by busy roads and narrow shoulders and changed your trip (completely reasonable)...I'm wondering...do you know if the traffic is less and the roads a bit less scary on the northern tier versus the trans-america? Thanks.
From everything I have heard and read (quite a lot), I believe their routes have less traffic than mine. I avoided them because they tend to be so hilly, and my bike is quite heavy. (And I generally am not a fan of tough climbs.)
Welcome back. I was also out for a bike ride today. Only 12 miles, but for me, just riding is victory. Fighting my way back from heart problems. I used your cross country ride as motivation to get out and ride. A week ride on a bike is my goal. Hope to see more videos. Thanks.
Mark I really enjoyed your videos about the trip and the honesty why you skipped certain parts for safety reasons. I am also an Eagle Scout and enjoyed how you inserted the teaching moments for those who may not have been involved in scouting. My daughter and I are currently planning a very similar trip cross country to do next year after she graduates from college. Are you on Instagram or Facebook? Would love to get your advice on the planning process.
Personally I would have left it as a 3x especially for touring. Not a fan of 1x, mechanically it makes no sense unless you're riding a single speed fixie.
Very solid build. I'd lose the full frame bag which, combined with front and rear panniers, makes the bike an unsafe sail in crosswinds. I run a 1/3 frame bag under my top tube which still provides some capacity for long things and a collapsable water bag. Happy trails!
Loving your videos, Sir. So you've got at degree in electronic engineering, if I remember correctly, but have you also been giving a lot of lectures or presentations of any kind? Or making videos etc on other media than RU-vid? 'Cause you're a flippin' natural at this. Seems like you've been doing this your whole life. This is as close to professional grade presenting as it gets and it's a joy to watch. You've got an engaging demener, and, to me, you sound a bit like Alan Bean, one of the asutronauts on Apollo 12. And that's a good thing 'cause I could listen to him forever 🙂 So now that I'm done with the sunshine blowing, I'm looking forward to watching the series 😅Just gotta make my way through whatever videos comes before that 🙂 Cheers A.K, Norway
what a great looking bike and set up all around. It is impressive at the number of individual decisions you had to make in order to just be ready to start a ride like this. Definitely will be in my go-to channels if/when I decide to hit the road for longer trips.
@@marktgreene I live in Illinois near the MCT trails and not too far from the St. Charles, MO end of the Katy Trail. When you planning on riding there?
Hello from Holland! Really enjoyed going through your videos! Got a kick out of seeing how well prepared and meticulous your planning was. Stuff like knowing the exact newton force you need on which bolt, spare parts for everything imaginable, knowing the exact specifications of all your parts. You may just be the most prepared bike tourer I've ever seen! Congratulations on completing your ride!
When we did it, we flew from Washington DC to Denver and then rented a 12 passenger van to get us down to Philmont. We brought all of our own equipment.
@@marktgreene I think we went with 4 crews from the south florida council. Each crew did different hikes. But training hikes in the everglades in June wasn't much fun, mosquitoes ate us alive. Still feel the bites 40 plus years later hahaha
Thanks for the video. I was hoping to hear more about the fender flute by velo orange. I have a Bridge Club with 650b tires and the fenders just float way too high above the tire. Do you recommend getting the fender flute to fix that problem? To lower the fender closer to the tire?
I’m afraid I’m not much use for this question. My Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires are large enough that I did not have too much space between them and the fenders. The fenders initially rattled a bit, but Velo had pieces/accessories to solve that problem. The fenders worked really great for my whole trip - except on the muddy C&O Canal trail where there was so much mud that I had to stop several times to pry the stuff from between my tires & fenders, but I don’t believe that’s really the fault of the fenders. Have a great ride!
The handlebar is called truck stop bar. I had the avocado color and weights like a tank, already at 15+kg. I really like those hammered aluminium fender, but I couldn't find seller in my country. I plan to ride it through the apocalypse.
Dude, forget all the unnecessary tech, RU-vid etc. Just enjoy the cycle and scenery instead of spending time looking through lens and worrying about video
That crazy steel staircase from the trail to the city street is insane. It would be nice if there was ramp on one side of the stair to roll the bikes up and down. I have used ramps on staircases on other trails. Lots of places to stay in Harpers Ferry . There are hotel and a campground for trailer and a tent area and swimming pool. Just off the bike trail where it crosses the Appalachian trail there is a Hostel. Nice historic town but be prepared for very steep streets.
I've never met a trail I didn't like. Hearmann MO. Is a great little town to stop and spend a day or two and taste a sip or two of the local Norton grape wine. A native grape that I really enjoy. As with all trails if you want to really see a trail you have to ride it both ways. Start and end at the same place.
I'm from Nebraska. The Cowboy trail goes through the Sand Hill. One of the largest grass sand dunes in the world. Since the trail runs just a few yards from the highway I find it a lot easier to ride the shoulder of the highway. Plus, you don't run over the Sand burrs sometimes called, goat Heads. For those who have never seen them they are nasty triangle shaped thorn so one side is always pointing up. Wood Lake has a nice Campground with flush toilet and running water picknick shelter and tables, Right on the trail. There is no problem hearing cars coming behind you. The ranchers' pickups and car tires are very loud and are designed to travel for mile on sand county roads. In Nebraska there is an old saying: Anyone can love a mountain, but it takes a special kind of person to love the Prairie.
Please, please please don't start unboxing videos. YT is destroyed with them and they are absolutely plain stupid and pointless, stick with the buildings, rides etc
Good job I home your trip went well. Don't ditch your warm clothes in the summer heat. The greatest number of deaths from Hypothermia occur in the Spring and Summer. There is nothing like a hot summer day turning into a bone chilling cold rain. For road safety on narrow shoulder less roads I use a flashing light shining on my reflective vest.
Nice bike. I've got aluminum frame Trek 920. I think modern aluminum frames are pretty dependable. Funny thing is, I've got the Surly rear NICE rack(chromoly). I broke the bontrager aluminum rack in the Arizona desert. I spent some time fitting a double kickstand. Instead of that pivoting seatpost, I've got the spring in my B67 saddle. I'm surprised you went with a 1x drivetrain. I switched to a triple 44/33/22 front with 11-42 rear. Same as you, I run tubeless Schwalbe Almotion 29x2.15. Schwalbes are the best & rode all over the U.S. & never got a flat. Interstate highways, desert(sand, cactus), glass, ect. Best tires hands down. I've got the larger bottle cages for nalgene bottles. I also have hydro brakes. I've never had a problem with them. You look like a guy I met in a bike shop near Wichita, KS. He was getting ready for a ride on the Katy trail. I was riding from California to Missouri. We both had the same spd sandals. Happy trails.
Just saw this video and good job. I have ridden the Ohio to Erie Trail and yes, there is very little places to camp. I will say that you missed some of the best parts of the Ohio to Erie Trail. You would have ridden through Amish communities and some awesome scenery. I can't emphasize how great that section is that you missed. If you can, please ride from Columbus to Massillon and then to Cleveland. It is fantastic!
Thank you for the overview. By chance do you have a copy of the route you actually took? My wife and I are planning to tour from Kansas City to DC in 2024. Starting with the KATY and ending with the GAP/C&O. But we need to connect some of the dots in between. Like you, we prefer quieter side roads and gravel tracks/rail trails. Any favorites or tips for that section would be welcomed.
Let the religious nut-jobs think they know what the sign is for, it will ruin their day when they find out it means you “believe” that you can do this epic trip. I’m considering the Bridge Club for my trip. I’m also considering a couple of other bikes, I’m not as convinced that aluminum is not strong enough. Most of the attachment points are actually on places that it won’t really matter if the bike is steel or aluminum. I do like the idea of being able to get a steel bike repaired anywhere. The weight of steel bike compared to aluminum is insignificant compared with what it will weigh packed with all the stuff you’ll be bringing.
I have been bicycle touring all my life . And never used a van or car for help. The term bike packing got started with off-road Riders .gravel and trails they simply pack their gear different than I use as a touring cyclist with four standard panniers and a handlebar bag.
