Rock Island Trail Forum

Hi! I plan to ride the Katy from Clinton to Rocheport. What's this stretch like? I've been from

Rocheport to St. Chuckie. Thanks, FP

Clinton to Rocheport is not quite as scenic as the eastern end. There are a lot of long stretches through fields. I still think it is nice, just not quite as nice as the eastern end.

I agree with Jason for the most part,but I find the stretch between Sedalia and Boonville interesting. The trail winds along and over the Lamine river with some scenic views. The trail is the most "hilly"(for a rail trail!)in this are as well. The grades are not bad, just long and steady. New Franklin to Rocheport....very straight...very flat. But your trip will end going through the only earth tunnel on the trail! Have fun.

I've seen quite a bit of wildlife along this stretch.....deer and turkey. In fact, north of Pilot Grove last spring my cell phone rang....spooked a deer out of the brush and I came within a couple of feet of hitting her. Her hind feet went out from under her as she hit the trail right in front of me.



Also, Whiteman Air Force Base is close enough to see a B-2 Stealth bomber fly over if you're lucky.

I agree. I found the western end of the trail scenic as well. You don't have the river flowing on one side of the trail through this stretch, but there are plenty of sections of the eastern half where the river is a mile or two away from the path and you are walking through the farm fields.

At any rate, I like farm fields. :-)

I have also seen lots of wildlife. I think the most interesting was a bobcat that I saw somewhere between Sedalia and Pilot Grove, if memory serves.

I also think the western end of the trail is scenic in its' own way. Lots of wildlife (I saw a bobcat a few miles out of Clinton early one morning), deeply wooded areas, lots of creeks/streams to pass over, fields, I watched an Amish farmer plow his field by horse and plow west of Windsor one afteroon. All sections of the trail are secenic in their own way!

Although....those occasional long slow low grades on the western end aren't steep by any means...they just seem to go on forever some times!

We just returned from a stay at Birk's Gasthaus. What a great B&B! Comfortable beds, immaculate, pleasant rooms, charming setting, reasonable pricing, wonderful hosts and breakfasts the gods would give up their ambrosia for. We highly recommend Birk's.

We just returned from a stay at Birk's Gasthaus. What a great B&B! Comfortable beds, immaculate, pleasant rooms, charming setting, reasonable pricing, wonderful hosts and breakfasts the gods would give up their ambrosia for. We highly recommend Birk's.

Does anyone know when the campground opens at the fairgrounds? I tried calling at 2, 3, and 5 but just get a recording saying they're open from 1 to 5.

Weird coincidence - just today I got an email from the Sedalia Fairgrounds people informing me of a new phone number. Maybe you'll have better luck with this number: 660-827-8150

Thanks Ray, you da man.

We camped here July 11, 2006. Nice campsite next to the river with port-a-potty nearby. Quiet for us since there was only one other tenter besides us. For a nice place to tent camp, I would recommend it. Not a busy congested amusement park like a KOA, just a great place to camp next to the Missouri River. Showers were up the road at the store.

We camped here July 11, 2006. Nice campsite next to the river with port-a-potty nearby. Quiet for us since there was only one other tenter besides us. For a nice place to tent camp, I would recommend it. Not a busy congested amusement park like a KOA, just a great place to camp next to the Missouri River. Showers were up the road at the store.

I stopped at Katfish Katy's on a ride last year and the lady(owner?) in the store said they will even rent a tent and a blow up air mattress. Good to know if you want to do an overnighter there and don't want to haul a lot of gear

I stopped at Katfish Katy's on a ride last year and the lady(owner?) in the store said they will even rent a tent and a blow up air mattress. Good to know if you want to do an overnighter there and don't want to haul a lot of gear

Did anyone have a problem with mosquitos since the camp sites are along the river? We're planning on staying @ Katfish Katy's in May this year. Thanks!

Did anyone have a problem with mosquitos since the camp sites are along the river? We're planning on staying @ Katfish Katy's in May this year. Thanks!

We stayed there in October and the bugs were pretty bad...not just mosquitos. There were LOTS of spiders, gnats, mosquitos...you name it. It didn't make it miserable, but a good supply of bug spray would be recommended!

We stayed there in October and the bugs were pretty bad...not just mosquitos. There were LOTS of spiders, gnats, mosquitos...you name it. It didn't make it miserable, but a good supply of bug spray would be recommended!

This was a GREAT run!!! Loved running on the trail and thru the park. Hope you do it again this year!

This was a GREAT run!!! Loved running on the trail and thru the park. Hope you do it again this year!

My husband and I have visited Les Bourgeois many times, including when we rode the KATY Trail in May 2005. This May, we are planning another camping/biking trip with friends and defintely plan on having some wine at the A-Frame. Exquisite views and delicious wines...life doesn't get any better...

My husband and I have visited Les Bourgeois many times, including when we rode the KATY Trail in May 2005. This May, we are planning another camping/biking trip with friends and defintely plan on having some wine at the A-Frame. Exquisite views and delicious wines...life doesn't get any better...

I was told by a co-worker of mine who has ridden the trail that there's a bike store along the trail that sells puncture proof tubes. The tubes had an extra 1/4 thick rubber on the outer edge of the tube, he bought a pair after having 5 flats in one day. He told me he never had another flat, anyone know the bike store that sells these, or who possibly makes them?

Call the Cycle Depot and ask if they can set you up. They used to be in Hartsburg along the

Trail, but they have moved into Jefferson City: 573-636-9599. Enjoy!

I'm not sure but he may be referring to Slime tubes. There are Slime tubes, puncture sealants, tire liners, and pre-glued patches. If that is what you are looking for, another alternative beings you are in Indy would be to check out PerformanceBike.com or nashbar.com. I'm not sure about Nashbar, but Performance Bicycle has Slime products. From this websites home page, scroll down to the link for either on the left side of the page. If you order going from either store using the link from this website, the webmaster gets a cut that is used to help keep this site up.

Slime tubes work great if the added wheel weight doesn't bother you. I put slime tubes in my mountain bike for trip to the Utah desert and had no flats. So when I returned home, I left the tubes in for about a year. When I changed the tires I must have had 50(or more) thorns in my tire. Not a one penetrated the tube. This made me a big believer in Slime.



Paulie

I've had Armadillo tires put on my bike with no further flats. They have a kevlar lining to make them puncture resistant. I got my at my local bike shop...I'm sure most would either carry them or be able to order.

Puncture resistant tubes are actually quite common nowadays and, in my opinion, a must on the Katy Trail. I rode 283 miles on 700x28cc tires last October and did not have a single flat, despite pretty heavily shredded tires. Check out nashbar.com or performancebike.com as they have a wide selection of puncture resistant tires available. If your local shop has them, try and buy from them, but they may not have any. Be careful with the Slime Tires as they are usually VERY heavy.

If you value businesses along the Trail when you ride, I urge you to support those businesses.

Sure, you can order your bike supplies from nashbar or performance (the same company, by

the way). But, if you buy them from your local bike shop or from a trail shop and there is a

problem, you can be sure you will get good customer service. The Cycle Depot specializes in

equipping bikes to ride the Trail and I am quite certain they are the shop from where your

friend got the tubes mentioned. Happy riding!

And how on earth could you be "quite certain" that the Cycle Depot is "the shop from where" someones "friend got the tubes mentioned?" When there are several bike shops along the trail who "specialize" in bikes for the trail.....that seems to be quite an assumption on your part. "You can be sure you will get good customer service" if you buy something from from a local bike shop or from a trail bike shop? Seems like another wild assumption on your part. Are you a paid hawk'r for the Cycle Depot or what???

Remember, this is a lawyer doing the logic. In her defense, there are bike shops along the trail and then there was (Hartsburg) Cycle Depot. It was in a class all by itself for service, selection, and knowledge. (I say was because they are now located in Jefferson City, nowhere near the trail. So sadly, I won't be able to patronize them anymore.) They're the kind of bike shop that nashbar and performancebike are leading to extinction.

I'm aware that she hung her shingle here so we would all know that she was a logical thinking attorney. Guess I give the lot more credit than to assume that any given shop is "the shop" to solve all ills just because a lawyer bought stuff there once upon a time. Oh well.



I think online commerce leads other businesses to provide online commerce tools for their customers. Often times businesses don't need anyone to lead them to their own extinctions.....they just simply choose to live in the past as long as they can and then choose to blame someone else for their demise.



I've patronized the Cycle Depot as well as many, many other businesses along the Katy. I also patronize Performance Bike and Nashbar. I see nothing wrong with giving this sites webmaster Ray a cut from time to time.



I mentioned the two online shops for the original poster, "cycling tomcat , Indy" in hopes that he could find the product he was looking for. When someone from Kansas City won't drive to Jefferson City to patronize the Cycle Depot anymore, my guess is someone from Indy would probably order online instead of driving to Missouri. Thats my twisted nonlawyer logic though. : )

Thanks Trek Biker, I appreciate you using this website’s links to shop Performance/Nashbar. But I want to jump in before the conversation turns negative. I really want to encourage folks to support their local bike shops – I fear that the LBS’s will eventually be replaced by “big box” stores the same way that local hardware stores, bookstores, etc. have. Sure it’s cheaper to buy a bike at Walmart, but you need someone who can fit a bike to you, and someone who truly understands the equipment.



It’s especially essential to support LBS’s along the trail, because we need businesses that we can rely on when riding the trail. Many of the trail-based businesses struggle to stay above water (H’burg Cycle Depot decided they just weren’t getting enough business in Hartsburg to be economically feasible). If a shop treats customers poorly then it doesn’t deserve your business, but in general I’ve only heard good things about the trail-based bike shops.



Having said all that, I acknowledge that many people do shop for bike parts and supplies on the web. Maybe your LBS doesn’t have the part you want, or you can’t get there during business hours. For those who do want to shop Nashbar or Performance, I’ve added links on the home page of this website. By clicking these ads, you still pay the same price for everything, but Nashbar/Performance give me a small commission. Honestly this adds up to very little, but every little bit helps. Although I enjoy running the website, it would not be worth the large investment of time without getting a little something back in this manner. In effect, Nashbar/Performance subsidize this website when you click through their ads on the home page to buy stuff.



So again, please support your LBS’s, because only by giving them business can we help them stay in business. But if you’re buying from Nashbar/Performance anyway, I truly appreciate you clicking their ads on the home page.

I hope that I didn't stir up a hornets nest by mentioning the online shops again. I did say to try your local shops first but you may have to resort to an online store. We have 4 local bike shops in town and none of them had any puncture resistant tubes when I was looking. So, I had to order them online. I am all for supporting local business, but I also have to go where the product is available. When we rode the KATY trail, we made it a point to stop at as many local businesses as possible just to buy something and support them. I feel that local businesses and large stores like Wal Mart and Nashbar both serve their purpose. We will be hurting if either type store doesn't exist. Find a happy medium and support both businesses. As for customer service, there are good bike shops and bad ones. I make it a point to avoid the ones that offer no customer service and make you feel like they are doing you a favor by letting you shop there. Most shops make the majority of their profit on service, which no online store will ever be able to take over. The profit on parts is not very high. My approach is...try to buy parts from the local shop if available. If not, order them. Always use my favorite shop for service needs. And always support ALL the businesses along the KATY trail or any other Rails to Trails route. Happy riding...wherever you buy your parts!

For the record,

1) Owing to my poor wording, I may have given one the impression I am a lawyer. Proudly, I am not a lawyer (or a day trader).

2) Sharon never said she wouldn't drive to Jeff City to patronize the Cycle Depot.

3) Neither did I. I'm rolling down the trail ticking off 100+ miles per day. I may be in need of some service or parts. I'm not going to risk my life on the US-54/63 bridge and add 6 hilly (relative to the KATY) miles on legs that will be shredded at the end of the day.

4) I would expect Cycling Tomcat to ride to her LBS to get the parts she needs. The union of rdering online and driving to MO for parts is not a Venn diagram that adequately describes all possible solutions.

I too would expect most of us to patronize our local bike shops and then hit the web to get what we can't locally. If you live in Indy.....the Cycle Depot is probably not your local shop. If you want to patronize "a trail shop" as sbikes says...that is not the Cycle Depot either as they have moved off the trail. Hence, my amazement that if one values businesses along the Trail when they ride, they would be refered to a business that is not local or on the trail.

I am just not going to respond to personal attacks or negative comments, because life is

just too short. The poster asked what bike shop might have sold the puncture resistant

tubes. The answer is Cycle Depot. AND, if the poster were to call the Cycle Depot, they

would be more than happy to mail to to the poster the requested tubes. And, even though

they are not on the Trail anymore, they know very well how to equip a bike for the Trail in

ways that an out of state bike shop or an impersonal website simply does not. And, for the

record, even though I live in KC, I am a regular customer at the Cycle Depot because I can

call them for what I need and they will ship it to me...all the convenience of an on-line

store, usually at a better or equivalent price and if there is a problem, I know they stand

behind their product. My experience with Performance a/k/a Bike Nashbar is that they do

not. Happy riding!

i must've been very lucky

i rode katy full round trip on a road bike with 700 x 28 tires, not one problem, and then continue for the rest of my 3000 mile season on the same tires. no flats. only just now in then 2nd season have I had the reason to change the tires. oh well.....take this for what it's worth.

Just when you think things have been awfully quiet on my favorite website, Sharonbikes has to go and get Trek Biker all fired up...again! :) Spring is in the air!!

My 2 cents; I have used slime tubes, and Armadillo tires. I had a flat last fall with the slime tubes near Pilot Grove. Talk about a MESS! I threw away the slime tubes, deciding I will invest in some Armadillo's for the recumbent. I have put around a thousand miles on a pair mounted on my MB, with no flats.

Somethin in the air alright. I really didn't mean to jerk a knot in her spandex either. I guess I just don't understand logic that tells someone that a conversation in Indy had to be about the Cycle Depot when there are several competent bike shops along the trail. But I'm learning......sbikes shops there.....so it had to be.



And now...knowing that there are hundreds of miles of rails-to-trails conversions like the Katy.....the Cycle Depot knows "very well how to equip a bike for the Trail in ways that an out of state bike shop simply does not." Not much can be said about that but......Oooookaaay!

Back to the original post...I have found the best combination to be a puncture resistant tube mated to a tire that has a kevlar (or equivalent) belt...not to be mistaken with a kevlar bead. The belt will stop most big objects (thorns, glass, etc) and the tube will stop small objects (splinters, small chips of glass, etc). I had this combo on my trip and it worked beautifully. Plus, the weight of the tires/tubes was not bad at all.



As for customer service at Performance, I had a set of their Forte Titan wheels for about 3 years. I was riding one day and broke a spoke. I called them and they mailed me 3 new spokes. A couple weeks later I broke another spoke. Again I called them and they said that once you start breaking spokes, it''s all downhill from there (no pun intended). They said that they would send me out a brand new set of wheels. Also, I paid $200 for the wheels 3 years ago, but they are now only $150. So they credited my checking account $50 plus the cost of shipping the old wh

I didn't realize when I posted the original question that the thread would become so nasty! C'mon people, let's be a little nicer towards one another! The answer to my question is these can be found at Scenic Cycles bike shop in Marthasville MO, talk to Cathy @ (636) 433-2909. The tubes are thorn proof, not puncture proof.



Peace,



Tom

I really hate to bring this thread to the top again, but for the record: sbikes did not "hang her shingle" here. I am responsible for 'outing' her as an attorney - something I now regret!



Let's just chalk this thread up to cabin fever.



cycling tomcat: Stop in and visit here once in awhile, we usually behave better than this. :)

Although in the big scheme of things, (trying to get information about biking products based on fact instead of emotional ties to any given bike shop or online outlet) it makes no difference....but, for the record sbikes did hang her own shingle:



"Worse than networking, I was fishing for clients. I was about to be laid off from my job and so was going to hang out my shingle again (I'm a lawyer), so I" ........Sharon

- posted 9/22/2006 10:03:49 PM by sbikes , Kansas City

Tsk tsk Swift Biker Veterns for Trek. You originally claimed sbikes "hung her shingle here" and now change it to "did hang her own shingle". Rather, she told a story of how she was "going to hang" her shingle again and there is no indication that she was doing it here. If she were hanging her shingle here, there'd be a weblink, e-mail address, phone number, or some other kind of contact info.



Can't we all just get along and ride? Peace. Out.

No, she didn't solicit business here. My bad, Nails. But she did tip her hat here that she was a lawyer...that was the point....that it was her and not someone else that was "responsible for 'outing' her."



Reading up....you are the one that brought up that she was a lawyer on this thread...."Remember, this is a lawyer doing the logic." A good statement to make before following up on your last post with "Can't we all just get along and ride?" Stir the pot a bit and then stand back and be coy! lol



Someones profession was never the point. Although, when someone comes here asking for help, if we choose to post, I think we all owe it to them to provide information based on what is known to be fact and not emotional ties to a particular business.



Personally, I'm hard pressed to beleive statements like ....the Cycle Depot knows "very well how to equip a bike for the Trail in ways that an out of state bike shop simply does not." If that's true.....then whoever posts it should quantify that and educate us all. Tell us why a bike shop in any other state along a rail conversion simply does not know how to equip a bike for a Katy type trail. When they don't, or won't, explain statements like that, then I can't help but think that those statements are driven by emotion and are of little value.



I never saw that this thread turned nasty or that any of us could not get along. Happy trails folks!

enough is enough. who really gives a rats back side about who said what, or who is more qualified to give what information. i have never seen so much arguing about nothing. how bouts it folks.



ray, i think it might be time to shut this topic down. whats you think ray.



however, happy bikin folks.

Yep, I think everyone has had ample opportunity to state their views on this dead horse :-). Back to the trail....

Has anyone stayed at the Midway Budget Inn? Was it nice? We have a family of 5 and are having trouble finding accomodations for June 2 that will take kids, ages 13, 11, 9. Thank you!

Has anyone stayed at the Midway Budget Inn? Was it nice? We have a family of 5 and are having trouble finding accomodations for June 2 that will take kids, ages 13, 11, 9. Thank you!

Kay,

The Midway Budget Inn is quite a distance off the trail down U.S. 40 OR I-70 from Rocheport. I have never stayed there, so I can't speak for the motel itself.

However, access might be a problem. If you have road transport to and from the motel, that might not be too bad, but if you are planning on biking it, that could be dicey.

I would suggest staying in Boonville, where the Hotel Frederick will be open by then or at Isle of Capri hotel. Both are located right on the trail. Columbia might be a good option, too, since you can take the 8.9-mile MKT trail into downtown Columbia.

Camping at Katfish Katy's might also be a better option.

Kay,

The Midway Budget Inn is quite a distance off the trail down U.S. 40 OR I-70 from Rocheport. I have never stayed there, so I can't speak for the motel itself.

However, access might be a problem. If you have road transport to and from the motel, that might not be too bad, but if you are planning on biking it, that could be dicey.

I would suggest staying in Boonville, where the Hotel Frederick will be open by then or at Isle of Capri hotel. Both are located right on the trail. Columbia might be a good option, too, since you can take the 8.9-mile MKT trail into downtown Columbia.

Camping at Katfish Katy's might also be a better option.

We just returned from a cold trip to Rocheport and stayed at the Katy Trail Bed and Bikefest in the Carriage House which is a room over the garage. It was very spacious - it sleeps 8 with 2 queens and 2 futons. It also have a small fridge plus table and chairs. We had our children w/us - ages 8, 6, and 18 months.

We just returned from a cold trip to Rocheport and stayed at the Katy Trail Bed and Bikefest in the Carriage House which is a room over the garage. It was very spacious - it sleeps 8 with 2 queens and 2 futons. It also have a small fridge plus table and chairs. We had our children w/us - ages 8, 6, and 18 months.

Do yourself a favor and take 15 minutes to stop here. You'll find EVERYTHING and ANYTHING here. The owners are there every day and go out of their way to help you. This is the kind of store you thought only existed in Norman Rockwell paintings.

Disclaimer: I have emotional ties to this business. (wink)



I grew up in Boonville. In 1981 I went shopping in Kansas City and bought a Sony boombox for $120 (on sale at CNC Stereo). A week later a friend was admiring the boombox and asked if I had got it at Snoddy's. I was laughing until he said: "Seriously, I saw that same boombox at Snoddy's the other day for a hundred bucks."



Last fall I was helping my sister winterize her vacant house in Boonville. Orscheln's and Walmart were both out of RV antifreeze. Snoddy's had it and their price was LOWER than Walmart!



I have many more anecdotal stories I could bore you all with, but as Robert said, do yourself a favor an stop in. Snoddy's is the ideal spot to stop for groceries if you are riding eastbound and camping at the Katy Roundhouse (but buy your beer at Casey's in New Franklin after you've set up camp and are ready to relax - it's a short downhill ride back to camp and your beer won't get warm).

Rick Pankau could have had better things to do than take care of one lonely cyclist on Sunday, April 1st 2007, but he chose to do just that. I was the only guest he had that night and he made me feel right at home. He was great company and I can't wait to get back to Herman to se e him and the "Gasthaus" again. Great accomodations, wonderful breakfast, good conversation all made for a fantastic Katy Trail experience. The price was even right. Thank you Rick.



Shane Andrews