I'm not sure if you have been in the States before, so don't be offended if I say things that seem elementary.
The USA is a huge country, compared to countries in Europe. Traveling through New England from state to state you might get away with using a map that shows several states, but once you get out West the distances are large and you won't get much detail on roads with a multistate map.
I've never seen the need to stock up on maps here when I travel. Stop at a gas station just before you enter a new state and buy a map for $5.00. Most of them will have the major Federal, state, and county roads shown. Or find a Tourist information center- they often have the same quality maps for free.
If you want the level of detail down to local dirt roads, farm roads and forest roads you will probably have to buy a state atlas. These typically are large (~15" x 10") but thin, paper bound volumes. They cost about $20 at any major bookstore. Obviously, you wouldn't want to cart a set of 48 of these around on a bike.
Personally, I'd go with the gas station maps and occasionally buy an atlas in a few states as I went through. I'd probably tear out the pages I wanted from the atlas and toss the rest.
................shu
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