Cycling in America.What are the dangers and Annoyances?

jc4lab

Apart from the obvious no go downtown areas to avoid,is Cycling in America Dangerous ?Anyone ever tried it and had problems..Maybe struggled with distances,weather, etc ...been robbed.or even shot at.Are car drivers as antii cycle as here ...

Wooliferkins

Locals? When Mark Beaumont did his circumnavigation he got all the way around including a skirt through the Istans only hassle run over and mugged on the same day in the States. Seriously though it's the same as anywhere you need to assess things as you travel same as you would here. You tend to get a 6th sense of when you've strayed into the wrong part of town and small town America can be humblingly helpful

Gregamos

I cycled a lot in a America while on a gap year in 2009, so hopefully I can be of some use.

If anything, the only thing that could be in any way daunting is that people are overtly friendly towards you, and if you aren't used to it it's a bit full on. That's only because being british, we are usually too tight-lipped to take an interest in other people. It's seriously nothing to worry about. I was on my own when I was 19 and I think only once or twice did I ever feel that the place I was in was unsafe. I was never robbed or anything, but I always had a bike lock and carried my valuables with me. Most of the time you feel like you're insulting them when you lock your bike up, as if to say "I don't trust you", but better safe than sorry.

You'll want to steer clear of the busier roads too, they have a fairly similar attitude towards cyclists as we do (maybe a bit better), but their cars and HGV's are that bit wider than they are here. I found that on the busier roads they'd approach you at full speed while assuming it was clear to overtake, rather than coming up slowly and accelerating round you. Something to bear in mind.

Distances - I suppose that's up to you to decide. I didn't 'struggle', but I definitely suffered a lot at times.

Weather - like here but more in every way. When it rains, it really rains, when it's hot, it's baking, when it's windy, it blows a gale. I learnt all about tornados and their signs when I was in Kansas just in case, but they didn't trouble me.

geoff_ss

As Gregamos says, most people are amazingly friendly. We haven't done much but we attended the Tandem Club international near Salem Mass in 1994 and spent the following week riding up into New Hampshire. We had lots of examples of how open people were.

We visited some friends we met on the TC event in North Carolina a couple of years later and it was fine there too. Although we were advised not to give errant motorists 'the finger' as they could be armed red-necks. A friend of our did actually get shot at (in Arizona, I think) with shot gun loaded with salt but that's very rare.

Even in New England distances between towns is generally higher than here and there are fewer roads. We found it difficult to find maps showing anything other than the main routes. It's a relatively new country, thinly populated so it goes with the territory. Having said that, I think you can do Windsor-Chester-Windsor in an afternoon

The worst experience was going through immigration. I think the officials are specially trained to make visitors feel like criminals. After 911 I expect it's even worse now.

jc4lab

Thanks ..As per my other thread Im off to New England in October..

wheelygood

A number of years ago some people I know did a charity ride in the eastern seabord and they had problems with not being allowed to cycle over certain bridges and causeways. Might be worthwhile trying to find out about this before you go.

raybo

I am an American and have done lots of bike touring here.

One major difference between the US and UK is road shoulders (verges). It is unusual that a road doesn't have room on the side of the road where cars aren't supposed to go. The bigger the road, the more likely it will have shoulders. In the UK, virtually no roads have shoulders.

But, just because a road has a shoulder, doesn't mean it will be safe to ride. Sometimes, the shoulder is unrideable due to debris or "bumps" put there to alert drivers they are off the road. Some states think they should put them all across the shoulder, though, in my experience, this is rare.

Also, busy roads in America will be like UK motorways. They will have shoulders, but be bigger, busier, and noisier. Like UK motorways, it is often forbidden for bikes to ride on Freeways or Turnpikes (Motorway).

It is hard to tell from looking at a map if a road is busy or has a shoulder. If you want to know, check out the state's Department of Transportation (DOT) website. It will usually have a link to the state's Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) or other traffic studies. These sites often have maps showing shoulders, state bike maps (usually free), or other traffic maps that can be very useful for route planning.

I find Americans far more curious than Brits and more willing to engage. As a result of these random conversations, you will likely get more offers for things like rides in trucks, and random conversation. I really like engaging people while on my tours and do it frequently. I rarely get offers for overnight stays or meals, but your British accent might help here.

Tourist offices are rare in the US and only in large cities.

You will have to be much more careful around cars in the US. Drivers aren't as courteous as in the UK, will pass closely going very fast, and will yell things at you fairly often. Don't make any assumptions about a driver giving you room, getting out of your way, or even seeing you. More and more people are distracted and you must ride defensively. Here is where road choice makes a huge difference.

Get a mirror. On my recent trip to the UK, the most common question I was asked was what the thing hanging off my helmet was. It was my mirror and I don't think I saw anyone else using one. A few people had mirrors on their handlebars. I believe riding without a mirror in the US is foolish. I recommend one called the Take a Look mirror which fits on glasses or your helmet.

B&Bs are far less common in the US. Don't assume that every good sized town has a place to stay.

Always check out the room before agreeing to spend the night there.

At present, the US is in political turmoil. Don't assume that government facilities will be open. This includes national parks!

Remember that in the US guns are legal and many people carry them around. You won't be shot for sport, but be careful who you argue with.

I'm sure there are lots of other differences but this is what I came up with off the top of my head.

Good luck. New England is a great place to ride.

Ray

spaghetti89

I cycled coast-2-coast across the USA earlier this year, solo & unsupported.

Never really felt particularly endangered, certainly not moreso than biking in the UK (or Middle East where I am currently based). In some states you can ride on the shoulder of the Insterstate, in others (California & Louisiana) you can't. I rode close to 1000 miles on Interstates and the road surface was often the biggest danger, sometimes smooth other times I was left wishing for my mountainbike!

Overnighted in a few rough areas but that was more down to my own lack of planning or just being to exhausted to continue any further. Bike shops were few and far between on my route,

What type or riding are you thinking of and where?

spaghetti89

I cycled coast-2-coast across the USA earlier this year, solo & unsupported.

Never really felt particularly endangered, certainly not moreso than biking in the UK (or Middle East where I am currently based). In some states you can ride on the shoulder of the Insterstate, in others (California & Louisiana) you can't. I rode close to 1000 miles on Interstates and the road surface was often the biggest danger, sometimes smooth other times I was left wishing for my mountainbike!

Overnighted in a few rough areas but that was more down to my own lack of planning or just being to exhausted to continue any further. Bike shops were few and far between on my route,

What type or riding are you thinking of and where?

canamdad

I grew up in New England (NH) and then lived a fair amount of time in Colorado before a stint in Canada and now in Berkshire. I think upon reflection that NE is really the best area for cycle touring in the US because of the relative smallness of the states and a fairly decent network of smaller roads. Being a northern New Englander, I was always partial to NH, VT and ME and that's where I've cycled but there are also, I'm sure, some beautiful riding in MA, CT, and RI as well. With a lot of new road construction since I lived there, many of the old "main roads" are much less used now than they were before. There are also a fair amount of dirt roads that can be ridden if you have some wider tyres and they can really take you back in time.
Although there are a litany of horror stories about bad things that happen in the US (and in many other countries as well unfortunately) there are millions and millions of instances of life proceeding along as "normal " that, of course, are not newsworthy but certainly reassuring when setting out on a trip. I think you'll find that the overwhelming amount of people you meet will be at least friendly if not quite intrigued that you've come from so far away to see their area. Just remember if you hear people talking about the Tea Party, they won't mean a place for tea and cakes! Have a good trip!

jc4lab

My own route takes me Burlington To Boston in 15days.with some must sees in between Stowe Quechee,The Kanc The Lakes...Options are pedal it all..or if too risky get Carhire +do loop rides at Selected locations..

Thanks for the tips.I always find the dangers and annoyances sections of guide books interestring reading

canamdad

I did a year of graduate study in Burlington and it's a real gem of a small city with a really spectacular setting on Lake Champlain with the Adirondaks in NY to the west. Easy little airport too that you can ride straight out of. You should have no trouble finding some nice routes on your way to Boston. As the mosquitoes should be gone by now and the black flies abating, you really shouldn't have too many annoyances as there are lot more of them than people in that part of the country! Might be a good idea to do some internet searching on how to get to Logan Airport by bike but, aside from that, you should find plenty of rural cycling.

GyatsoLa

I rode down the Great Divide trail last year (from Canada down through Montana, a bit of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado) and also a bit of road riding in New Mexico.

I found it generally fine. Distances are huge so sometimes it can be wearing on those long, featureless roads. Occasionally, it can be quite tough to get water as there are huge distances even between gas stations. People are generally friendly, especially if you ride on one of the Adventure Cycling Association routes as they are very familiar with touring cyclists on them. You get some odd attitudes in remote towns sometimes, but you get that anywhere in the road.

Driving isn't great as they don't always know how to drive around cyclists, especially at the edge of towns, but as several riders said to me, the 'Lance effect' means that most rednecks aren't actively hostile to lycra clad individuals as they once would have been.

http://downthegreatdivide.wordpress.com/

bigjim

I recently toured in Europe with a couple of Americans. They said they rarely ride on the roads at home [Virginia]."Its just too dangerous" I was told. They blamed the bad driver attiude towards cyclists as a culture thing. In Europe we were brought up walking, cycling, motorcycling. cars. In the states thanks to Henry Ford cars were availablecheaply to the masses pretty early on and they therefore do not have a cycling history/culture. That was their take on it. I have never cycled there so I don't know but there are plenty of rides there featured on Crazyguyonabike.

crankycrank

Being american I would agree with everything said already. Just use your wits and you should be fine. Check you daily weather reports as each area of the country has their own unique climate that can become dangerous to a cyclist on short notice (hurricanes, heat waves, lightening, hail storms, tornadoes, etc.) but generally it won't be a problem. Most americans enjoy anyone with an English/Scottish/Irish/Welsh accent so exploit yours as much as possible. You may even get an offer for a free bed for the night ,

oysterkite

I just completed a 2500 mile trip along the west coast (Pacific Highway), national parks great to camp in (Hiker/Biker sites usually $5 per night) although not so plentiful in Southern California. Highway 1 is great for cycling. Many roads have a shoulder which has been mentioned and this makes riding much safer. Didnt have any security issues, the vast majority of West Coast Americans I encountered were very friendly, welcoming and helpful. Annoyances were few and far between (racoons in campsites, badly placed rain drains in the road and the 'June Gloom' ). Its a great country to ride through. I wrote a blog which you can find here

http://www.cyclingthepch.blogspot.com