Riding a bike in USA

Does anyone have much experience of using a bike as transport outside the big cities or gentrified parts of the US. Im hopefully spending a long while over there this summer and people keep saying it is impossible without driving. And that riding a bike in most parts of the country would result in much bemusement and people yelling "fuck off immigrant". I realise things are so far away in some places that its not practical. But really, how "acceptable" and safe is it for journeys in riding distance?

Ill be spending a lot of time in the south and rural areas. Will it be practical to ride up to 30 miles on a loaned bike into whatever maybe the nearest town?

People have told me that being without a car in the USA is torture. How true is this really? Do you just need a dose of HTFU?

Not much help but wanted to ask, what is your trip for? Business or pleasure? Sounds like a nice jaunt either way.

Somewhat related but an old housemate moved to Texas and got yelled at by drivers for walking at the side of the road (or on grass verges) and told to get a car. He learnt to drive soon after mostly just for convenience. He lives in Glasgow now and has long since given up the car.

Its a fun jaunt really. Staying the full length of a tourist visa if it works out. Volunteering in various places in exchange for board, hopefully learning some skills along the way. Like building american style prefab wooden houses, working on farms, a bit of conservation/animal rescue stuff. Also, hopefully get to check both see and play some music. (am into folk/bluegrass type stuff).

Fancied "living" somewhere else for a while, not a mindless holiday but becoming a semi-local by doing local things. This is why I chose an english speaking place, so its more practical. America also seems to have some of the most innovative/experimental methods of sustainable agriculture. Keen to learn about it.

Somewhat related but an old housemate moved to Texas and got yelled at by drivers for walking at the side of the road (or on grass verges) and told to get a car.

I got stopped by the police in California for doing the same thing. 'Nice day for a walk sir//What are you doing?//Walking where?//Do you have a place of permanent residence//Just going for a walk huh... stay out of trouble sir. This was on a very quiet country road about 20 miles from the town, at about 10 in the morning, not in some dark dingy industrial neighbourhood at midnight in downtown LA.

Anyway, some parts of the US are more bike-friendly than others; I don't think any of those places are in the south, though. It sounds like a really amazing thing to do, even if you do end up having to drive/get driven - so best of luck with it.

I've ridden in many states in the US, and had no issues whatsoever. Where are you travelling to?

I've ridden in many states in the US, and had no issues whatsoever. Where are you travelling to?

+1 (two states), also heard similar stories from other cyclists, but I kept hearing this one cropped up every now and then; Florida.

don't forget that many of the buses in the states have the capacity to carry cycles, which helped me out enormously in detroit.....

I've ridden in many states in the US, and had no issues whatsoever. Where are you travelling to?

This. New York, Texas and Louisiana off the top of my head were all okay. Some people were bemused and you do get the odd bit of abuse but use your loaf, research your routes, find the nearest bike project...you'll be absolutely fine.

Pistaboy can ride a bike very convincingly though, people probably mistook him for their national hero. Mr Armstrong

This. New York, Texas and Louisiana off the top of my head were all okay. Some people were bemused and you do get the odd bit of abuse but use your loaf, research your routes, find the nearest bike project...you'll be absolutely fine.

Louisiana? Really? The fattest state? Who rides a bike there (except tourists)?

Well I never.

Sounds like an awesome trip. Remember to post about it here with some photos.

James Cracknell did not like riding in the USA.

I lived in Florida for 2 years, just be careful at night, if you have a few beers. Most locals will carry guns.

You can actually get away with quite a bit being 'non local'

Check and double triple check you have sufficient travel insurance/medical coverage.

I know a trailer park in California, with quite a few people (US citizens) that lost their house' because of lack of medical coverage. Even a simple heart attack, can cost $100,000 (and probably another heart attack)

Make sure you have good maps, as the distances between places can be more than we are used to here in the UK and you might find "only 30 minutes" is actually 35 miles to the nearest town.

Oh and it can be bloody hot in summer.

are you doing this via wwoof?

... and what was said there ^ it will be very hot and humid in the south in summer.

are you doing this via wwoof?

... and what was said there ^ it will be very hot and humid in the south in summer.

Part of it. Its only about 20% organised, I am having palpitations.

You'll be fine DFP. When you get to where you are going, spend a day sussing out the local infrastructure. Are their racks on the front of buses, are there cycle lanes, bike racks etc etc. This helps build a picture. Get on a local bus and get driven round for a few stops and see how they drive.
Then enjoy. The weird thing is the gutter on the right.....

are you doing this via wwoof?

... and what was said there ^ it will be very hot and humid in the south in summer.

South east is insanely hot and humid in the summer. Crazy thunderstorms too.

I loved Louisiana. Definitely the most interesting state in the south.

^ with interesting food. I fell in love with creole here.....

Hell yeah, jambalaya is THE best. New Orleans has some amazing grassroots stuff going on, not just with bikes either. Stay at India House and visit Plan B if it's still there! I was there during June, July and August and can't agree more about the temperature - the air feels really different to other hot places I've been to.

I think I've only ridden on rural roads in Pennsylvania (where I'm from) but it never occurred to me not to - there's not a huge difference in my memory between riding there and in a place like Belgium or France.

But I do recommend staying on roads with a lower speed limit, at least at first, like 35 mph & below, and planning your routes around that. On a road with a 50 mph speed limit people are likely to be driving 70 mph and probably texting or something, too. So just be alert!

Hm, actually if you can make it that far north you should try to spend some time in Central Pennsylvania - bluegrass, sustainability & agriculture, and cycling are all well represented there. And it's beautiful countryside!

Thanks for the tips kattt, I certainly will have the chance to see pennsylvania. As I am starting off in Long Island NY and working my way down south-west.

Riding in the deep south in summer!? youmadbro?

all these stories are news to me, i expected stories of hicks, guns and random bible related violence, but never been hated just for riding.
On news earlier this week some kids nicked an suv and rammed 15+ cyclists just for the fuck of it, most of them seriously injured, 1 critical.
got to agree the states do have some amazing locations, but for many reasons its probavly the lowest on my list of countries to visit (have been many times before)

I don't know where you're aiming to go, but I would not ride through the Memphis ghettos as I value my life too much.

The number of meth towns that have appeared between the major metropolis centres, and the ghettos that emerged in the wake of the civil rights movement (when those with money - the white - moved away), have led to there being some very scary places in that part of the country.

I've seen up close what it looked like, and it's a poverty and desperation that I wasn't prepared for. Crazy motherfuckers, off their face, with guns. The people I stayed with all had guns, and answered their doors with them in their hands.

Nothing I saw in terms of poverty India, Thailand, Liverpool or Dundee ever came close.

Then add in the post-war freeway building policy which neglected to maintain the non-freeways, and you see that some local roads were just left to rot. This doesn't just mean poor road surfaces (mainly at the edge of the road where a cyclists would be), but poor infrastructure such as supply stores and watering holes en route.

I loved the USA (the land), and I loved cycling there, but a few very bad experiences in the South means I would hire a car and leave the bike at home. I'd definitely cycle in the North West, mid-West... would definitely not cycle in the deep South, and everywhere else would be an inbetween decision depending on the type of trip I was doing.

That sounds like scare-mongering, it's not meant to be. Cycle wherever you want. But forewarned is forearmed, and the risks are less the roads themselves or navigating, but beyond basic logistics (which you could plan for) the people and the South is the neglected underbelly of the US and you only need one desperate meth-head to make your journey turn to the worse, and you're fairly likely to meet quite a few of them in some places.

Saying that, there were some lovely lush stretches of land in the South, with virtually not a soul around, that I would've loved to cycle.

So I can see why you'd want to know and be torn on the decision making.

Now if we're talking of places I'd love to cycle in the USA... then Sedona. I fucking loved that place when I drove through it. And it broke my little heart that I didn't have a lifetime to spend there and had no bike to enjoy it when I was there.

It has the light of Provence (that stunning brightness that gives a dusty light over everything, all reflected from light rocks), the Alps* mixed with Grand Canyon landscape and scenes. It was gorgeous and is one of the few places that deserves the word sublime.

• By Alps, I mean the roads, also felt like the Luberon mountains and stretches of Provence around Ventoux.
  

Oh and you will need an app for this

Pff, you are statistically more likely to come across a tornado in Birmingham UK than 'tornado alley' in the US. The size of the country makes the tornadoes seem more common than they really are.