Choosing our bikes

We’ve been planning this trip since 2023, and one of the choices we had to make was the bike – which bike can get us across the country comfortably? We always knew we would ride on paved roads and rails-to-trails. And, we love gravel riding, so adding that to our route was an option as well. Anita and I ride 2-3 times per week together, and we love our gravel bikes.

Our plans have changed a bit, but from the start we agreed on one thing – we need a support vehicle. This is not a bikepacking trip. Given that, we weren’t concerned about weight on the bike or the number of mounts – no need to purchase a touring bike to carry lots of gear. We might need a couple bags for snacks and other necessities, but we can keep it light. That opened up lots of possibilities, including using bikes we already have.

Last year, I purchased a 2024 Specialized Roubaix Comp, and I love it so much.

It came with 32mm tires, so it works on road or rails-to-trails. I bought is specifically for our cross-country trip. But, the new route has a few chunky gravel roads, so I’ve decided to take two bikes – road and gravel. My gravel bike might be my favorite bike of all times 2022 Specialized Diverge Expert in robins egg blue.

It’s the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden, and it handles like a dream. I would ride it across the country, but given the size of the tires, 42mm, it makes sense for me to bring a road bike for the road miles. Fortunately, with the RV, we have the capacity to carry two bikes and still have room for Anita and Mark’s bikes.

Anita purchased her Diverge at the same time that I purchased mine, and we’ve put thousands of miles on them. She’s planning to bring that one across the country, but use 38mm tires. Mark also has a Diverge gravel bike that he’s bringing. They’ve both decided to take their gravel bikes only, since they aren’t bringing a separate support vehicle.

The three of us did a practice ride a few weeks ago when we rode 100 miles at Pine Creek. That was the second time the three of us did a long ride together using these bikes (with me on the road bike), and it worked out well. We even tried doing a pace line for a bit, which was fine, but we need a bit more practice, I think.

One challenge I face with my bikes is that both have electronic shifting, and my friends will tell you, that can be a real problem – especially when I’m halfway through a long ride and the battery dies. For our cross-counrty trip, I need to come up with a good strategy for keeping them charged. Speaking of that, I need to go charge my battery!