Getting ready for the Katy Trail

Kathy and I are real excited to ride the Katy trail in Missouri for the third time, especially since we were rained on last year. We're making it a long weekend, hoping to do 100 miles or so over 3 days. Already have the bikes tuned up and ready to ride. We're staying in a great little bed and breakfast in Rhineland called The Doll House. We stayed there last year and had a great time, the owners were fantastic and the breakfasts were the best.
If you're not familiar with the Katy Trail, here's some info I copied straight from bikekatytrail.com:
The Katy Trail is a 225 mile (365 km) bike path stretching across most of the state of Missouri. Over half of it follows Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri River, where you can ride beneath towering river bluffs while eagles circle overhead. After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland and small-town Americana.

America's longest "rails-to-trail" project, formerly the MKT rail line, is flat and scenic. It's ideal for hiking, running, or cycling on just about any kind of bike. Horseback riding is also allowed on a 25 mile section of the trail. Many cross-country cyclists include the Katy Trail in their tours. It is part of Adventure Cycling's Lewis & Clark route, as well as the American Discovery Trail.

Visit the FAQ Page for more general trail information. Or, dive right in and start planning your ride -- check out the towns and services along the trail, or build your own customized list of just the towns and services that interest you.
Our plan is an out-and-back ride each day. Hoping to get to Marthasville the first day before turning around. Second day we'd like to get to Mokane or Tebbetts. When we're not riding, we plan to hang out in Hermann at some of the wineries. Oh...I can't forget the pie!

Comments

What is Kashima Coating?

Kashima coating is a feature currently only found on Fox forks and shocks*. It's easy to spot from it's distinctive dark brown color. What is it and why do they use it? First, a quick definition: Anodizing is a process by which a metal part (normally aluminum) is electrically charged and submerged in a chemical bath. This creates an oxide layer that penetrates the metal and changes the microscopic texture and the crystal structure of the metal near the surface. After a part is treated, it can be dyed to give it color before it is sealed to increase durability. Hard anodizing is a similar procedure that penetrates further into the metal. This increases the surface hardness of the material making the surface even more durable and corrosion resistant. It does not make the metal part stronger, it affects the durability of the surface of the metal. Kashima coating is a type of hard anodizing that involves a lubricating treatment as well. This ...

1986 Fuji Restoration

I just picked up this 1986 Fuji Sagres to restore. This has been one of my all time favorite bikes and one I've been searching for a long time. It's gonna be a long term project since it doesn't have the original gunmetal grey Ukai rims and gunmetal grey handlebar tape. I'd like to pick up some original 27" SCCR Fuji tires too, but that may be asking a bit much. I'm not sure why I've always like this so much. Maybe the color, maybe it was a good seller for us at the shop back then. It would have been the year before I started working at the shop so it could have been old inventory or that we just worked on a few of them the following years. I remember always wanting one, probably has a lot to do with the color. It's one of the last to have been made in Japan and features quad-butted Valite tubing. These were decent riding bikes and reasonably priced at about $325 if I remember correctly. So why the big deal about a mid 80's Fuji? ...

1986 Fuji Sagres Restoration Part 2

I finally finished the new wheels for my '86 Sagres restoration. The original wheels will be nearly impossible to find because they were painted to match the dark grey paint on the bike. In the mean time, I decided to buy a rim that was similar to the original and paint it myself. In order to make this happen, I had to tape off the sidewalls so they would be silver. This took some time to get it right but I'm pleased with how they turned out. The paint isn't a perfect match, but it's very close and they look great! The wheels were built with a basic 14g stainless spoke and a set of used hubs. Tires are Panaracer Pasela 27 x 1 1/8 - the only true skinwall tires I could find in this size. Not ideal because they have more tread than the originals, but I didn't want to spend a lot on these wheels since I'm still looking for the original wheelset. They aren't 100% period-correct parts, but they will make it ridable and a close enough match to ...

The Bike Hive

Search This Blog