Katy Trail 2023

Documents my first ride of the entire Katy Trail. The longest rails to trails system in the entire United States.

[@stevesecret2515]

Well Done.

[@NottinghamshireMadness]

Thank you for a great insight to the trail, I'm 64 and in the UK but haven't cycle camped since before covid, we have a few weeks of decent weather before the end of summer so I'm going camping! I'll do a video too. Thanks for the inspiration guys.

[@FollowThomas]

The Katy trail is on my list to ride. Thanks for the video. Awesome 👍

[@struggle375]

Cool vid

[@ReimaginedAdventures]

Excellent trip!! We stayed at the same place in Windsor loved that camp ground

[@karengleason4791]

Looks like great time with dear friends. Did GAPCO couple years ago, awesome.

[@clayboren5557]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I'm 3 hrs south I have to get up there and ride it myself

[@DCussen]

Great video!

[@papabeartooth3054]

Thanks!

[@Joerides7]

Nice job. I've ridden the Katy Trail several times, but it's been several years since the last time. I need to do it again soon. I've never ridden the section between St. Charles and Machens. I want to include that section next time.

[@papabeartooth3054]

Yeah we stopped at St Charles too, the one that came in on the Rock Island Trail went on to Machens. He wanted to say he went across the whole state.

[@HikerBiker]

Nice to see a video with a bunch of old guys riding the trail. I'm 71 and headed out to ride it, I hope this month. Thanks for a good video.

[@papabeartooth3054]

Good for you, we had a 71 year old as well. Makes me more excited about my future, you guys rock!

[@WheelersAtLarge]

What great trip👍 Riding between food stops, sounds like my kind of ride...😁🚴

[@gam3rkid954]

Wonderful journey, thank you for sharing.

[@underthedrone2735]

In case anyone else was wondering, the Katy Trail crosses most of Missouri. What a great trail ride. Great job on the video! Top notch! I wish it was closer, I'd love to make this ride.

[@papabeartooth3054]

Thanks, I actually have a Mavic Mini that I thought about bringing, it would have added a nice touch to the video. This being my first bike packing trip I chose to keep it simple. You should definitely try to make it, worth the effort.

[@underthedrone2735]

@@papabeartooth3054 As an avid and certified drone pilot I can say it would add another dimension to any video but it can be time consuming and even annoying to others on the ride who don't understand what it brings to the final video product.

[@Raveler1]

Looks like y'all had a great trip! I took the same route in the opposite direction - but stayed in all the same places you did - it was cool to see it the other way!

[@LLewis-vu9qf]

That was a wonderful video! ❤ Very enjoyable; you did a great job recording. I've seen several videos with riders on recumbent trikes, but you're the first I've seen on a 'bent bicycle. How difficult is it to balance? Did you all know each other before the trip? Years ago I had the experience of bike camping (that's what it was called back then); traveled from Nebraska into South Dakota twice and a short 3-day weekend ride from Omaha to Nebraska City and back. These were all over several years. I enjoyed the trips but have to admit that now at 74 years I'm content to just watch videos of others bike trips. I do still ride (an adult trike), just no long distances. Keep pedaling. Biking is not just for youngsters. 😊

[@papabeartooth3054]

We all had connections before the trip but were all friends by the end. The recumbent is always a bit more unstable, but so much more comfortable. Adding a heavy pack made it even more so, not optimal. In the future I would not take so much and get the weight lower down to make it less impactful. Also the backpack had to be very rigid to avoid oscillations. I ended up staying it like a mast with spreader to get it to move with the bike. In the very first part where we stop on the bridge "to make adjustments" you can see it is moving all over the place. Not optimal but I made it work. Lessons were learned.

[@TheMrKensco]

Glad to see I am not the only “old guy” out there.

[@papabeartooth3054]

We're just getting started ;)

[@mooreoutdoor9841]

Love the Katy Trail! You guys should have gone all the way to Machens. That's still a beautiful ride even though there is nothing at the very end. I stayed at some of the same places yall did. Did they get the bridge rebuilt between Franklin and Rochport? I had to do a slight reroute when I did it.

[@papabeartooth3054]

Yeah, with five people logistics are more complicated. The one in our group who started from the Rock Island trail went on to the end the next day. He wanted to do the whole state. The rest of us were just glad to do what we did.

[@solstar4778]

Did I understand right only one flat ! On the whole ride with 5 guys ! Unbelievable!

[@papabeartooth3054]

Yes and that was at the very end. We were not prepared for flats, I guess perhaps we were naïve in that regard. I did have Kevlar liners in my tires and I think some of the others did too.

[@solstar4778]

@@papabeartooth3054 , here in Houston ,I went 15 years with out a flat , well actually 13 years and in the past month on each of my 3 bicycles ,I get a flat just on the front tire ,one due to dry rot on stem of inner tube, another where a spoke punctured the tube ( that one I patched ) and the last one the tube again would not hold , none tire related but all tube related , by the way I use the butle tubes and not the thermal plastic ones ! Fair winds 🌬

[@raybosailor]

Is there a site/source listing the accommodations along the KATY trail?

[@papabeartooth3054]

Not sure, I was the newbie on this ride, I just went where they told me.

[@SFCRambo60]

I see you are the only one on a Recumbent Trike, did any of the bike riders complain about their tail bone? If anyone did they need to try out your Trike. I ride a Catrike Dumont Trike and love 💘 ❤ it. Will never go back to 2 wheel. I'm also 73 years young.

[@papabeartooth3054]

It is not a trike it is a bicycle but I do love the recumbent. I agree it takes a lot of the stress off.

[@porkchop1343]

Nice..What is that seating bike call?

[@papabeartooth3054]

It is a mesh seat, very comfortable

[@gregvose4281]

What the age of you guys?

[@papabeartooth3054]

We are not telling ;) but lets just say, all are retired, or should be.

[@Outrjs]

Drinking soda, ehh. Peddling. Keeping those old legs strong, good for you.

[@papabeartooth3054]

It's a crossover from backpacking, but I did seem to adapt to it pretty easily.