Rail to trail touring

cedube said:

I'm planning on riding some of our nation's "rail to trail" routes beginning next year. The majority of these seem to have crushed rock surfaces, the Katy Trail in Missouri being archetypical, though some are asphalt. Some are day rides, and many are treks of several days from start to end point. I anticipate carrying no more than rear panniers and a bar bag; essentially "credit card" touring plus. I'm trying to identify the best bicycle for this sort of activity, and I'm gravitating toward the Trek DS or the Giant Roam series. Any thoughts or suggestions, especially based on personal experience?

I'm 76-years old. I've cycled the world, now going on 17 years. I'm currently cycling in Spain.
I started out, however, in the U.S. my first trip from N.Y.C. to Cripple Creek, Colorado. I'd never done such before, I had little money.
Depends on how old you are, what you seek from doing this, and your comfort level.
Whatever, I encourage it, as a wonderful way to see the world.
You probably have job! One secret, don't be in a hurry. If you are you'll miss much. Stop and smell the roses along the way. Have no great itenerary, unless you're restricted because of time.
F.A. Hutchison
[email hidden] (if you have more questions.)

How I would love to do a tour like that. But as I had posted in other threads, I don't relish riding by my lonesome and I always prefer to ride in groups. However, small groups of maybe 3 to 5 would be ideal since it is easier to manage and disagreements are not that often unlike for a big group where opinions are too varied. And my idea of a touring is not exactly on the trail because my endurance might not fit well. Country roads would be more like it for me.

I love credit card touring the rail trails here in Australia - although we don't have enough of them yet! I definitely recommend a good touring bike that works well on all surfaces - my bike is a Salsa Veya 2 and I love it.
You might like to check out organised tours in the US (cycletoursglobal.com/Tours/USA) as many will use the rail trails - they're not all guided and will often just take care of accommodation or even luggage transfer.

Touring sounds quite amusing. Hope someday I could be able to participate in one, whether is on urban asphalt or across the countryside's highway. I wonder how could a person should be prepared to endure this kind of strain.