[bstickler92]

thanks for all the responses! This is all great information! we're starting near Harrisburg, PA and going across the northern part of the country, stopping at friend's places and national parks, we'll be camping every night. Going down highway 101 from Newport, OR to LA, CA, then back across the US stopping in CO and other national parks. We're not going for fastest time across, so we may stop in small towns for a week or two to earn some money for food. We're going for more of a moving lifestyle taking around a year rather than a straight path of least resistance and do it in a month.

[LarryM]

Originally Posted by askmeaboutmybeard

We have decided on the TransAmerica Route and will be going from East to West.

My next project is our bikes. I want to get them as soon as I can so we can begin training on the bikes we will be using on the ride. These are the 2 bikes I'm looking at most closely.

Both of the Novara Safari and Trek 520 are great touring bikes that have been used by many for cross country trips.

I'm curious as to why you eliminated Surly's LHT?

[askmeaboutmybeard]

Been talking to some local bike shops about the Surly Long Haul Trucker...seems like a nice bike.
Really to need make a decision in the next couple weeks!

Trek, Novara or Surly...Hmmm?????

Another issue is finding the right frame size with proper gearing for my son. Some have suggested a woman's frame.

[bjjoondo]

Originally Posted by askmeaboutmybeard

Been talking to some local bike shops about the Surly Long Haul Trucker...seems like a nice bike.
Really to need make a decision in the next couple weeks!

Trek, Novara or Surly...Hmmm?????

Another issue is finding the right frame size with proper gearing for my son. Some have suggested a woman's frame.

Don't know the size of your Son but my wife is VERY Short legged, 26 in. inseam, barely! I found a KHS Vitamin B, which is a flat bar road bike with a "13 inch" frame, this is a mens style and she has the seat up quite a bit so it might work out for your Son. They have a Vitamin A which is MSRP at $419.00 we went with the Vitamin B to get the "carbon fork". FYI.

[askmeaboutmybeard]

We went to a local bike shop and it looks like 48cm is the best frame size for him.

[wild]

Jamis has some Touring bikes an Aurora Elite in a 48cm frame allso an Aurora
My ¢¢

[LarryM]

My wife has a 2009 Jamis Aurora and loves it. The only thing is that the bike has an 11-32 cassette and 50/39/30 chain rings. That gives a granny gear of about 25 gear inches, which is a little tall for fully loaded touring in really hilly country. So far it hasn't been a serious problem, but we have been talking about changing to something with a 22t small ring to get down to about 18 g.i.

[askmeaboutmybeard]

We just visited a local shop and they have 2010 Jamis Auroras for $900.00.
Is this a good deal?

[LarryM]

I think it's a reasonable deal.

Check to ensure the fork has mid fork braze ons to attach a front rack. There were a few Jamis Auroras made in 2009 and 2010 that didn't have them. It shouldn't be a deal breaker even if it doesn't have them. You just have to get a rack that attaches to the brake bosses ( like some listed at http://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/RackPages/FrontRacks.html ) or use some band clips (like http://www.oldmanmountain.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=O&Category_Cod e=MH except you should be able to get band clips at a hardware store)

Also, you may want to lower the gearing as I mentioned in my post above. A lot of tourers change parts to customize their bikes..

[digitalmouse]

I would highly recommend recumbent trikes for long touring such as this. While recumbents can be a bit more pricey (anywhere from $800 - $3000 for a decent touring model, depending on brand), your butt, arms, shoulders, neck, and back will thank you for it. Not to mention you'll see more of the countryside instead of staring at the road ahead. And be able to travel farther on a daily basis due to the comfort. And not worry about falling over with a heavy touring load.

Dealers around the US:
http://www.catrike.com/dealers.php - $2000-$3000
http://www.terratrike.com/ (dealer page is under 'Products') - $1000-$1600 for base tour models
http://www.icetrikes.co/home - $2800 for their folding touring trike
http://www.kmxus.com/models/ - for young tour cyclists or off-road.
http://www.getitbent.com/arrow.html
http://www.t-ryx.com/trikes.htm

You may also want to check out the website of the recent "Roll Over America" tour (http://web.mac.com/josef.janning/Roll_over_America/Home.html). West-coast to east-coast in 4 weeks by a large group of velomobile riders. The site has a route map, blogs, and experiences of the tour that are worth reading about, at least for an insight as to the experiences of many riders.