Planning to ride the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O (DC to Pittsburgh)

Jeffrey Ritter

Jeffrey Ritter

Well-Known Member
Hi,
We are planning to ride the GAP and C&O in early June. I would appreciate connecting to anyone who has done so within the Cruzbike Tribe--suitable tires, best places to stop, etc. are all welcomed. Thanks in advance.

It is likely my wife will drive SAG and meet me at various points of interest, but if anyone wanted to join along on the trail, you would be more than welcomed. We are B&B not camping types.

Thanks,

Jeffrey
 
Mathew Fy

Mathew Fy

GRU
I've only ridden it vicariously via YouTube. I've got tentative plans for a five day out-and-back on the GAP with my V20. The 150 miles (one-way) are paved and smooth filled rail bed, so 28 mm tires will likely be okay. The C&O however is a more rutted canal towpath, so you'll probably want something bigger on your Silvio. You've probably already scouted https://gaptrail.org/trail-info/about-the-trail and others for some inspiration.
Please share your experience.
 
CuHead

CuHead

Active Member
I have been riding a Silvio 1.0 for a about three months now (bought used in great condition). Going back in the time machine, way way back to early 1990's, I rode the C&O trail with two friends. We parked at Great Falls National Park in Maryland. The guard said it would be ok if we left the van there for a few days. We had mountain bikes. I had a rear rack & panniers, light two-man tent & sleeping bag, two big water bottles on the frame and a bigger water bottle in a pannier, a full box of Power Bars, and many tools. First day was 150 miles. Second day, we got to Cumberland and got a bike repair done (one guy had broken something, maybe spokes) at a bike shop just past the end of the trail. We started back, ending the day at over 120 miles. Campsites are spaced about every five miles and almost all have a hand pump for water, but don't drink it! Third day was a short day, ~80 miles. Definitely needed our 2-2.5" tires and upright riding position for that fast ride on a long rough trail. My Silvio has 700c wheels with 25mm tires. Maybe 27" wheels are smaller and can fit a bigger tire? Take a headlight or flashlight so you can walk your bike through that one old tunnel!

IMO, Silvio is not suitable for long rides on bumpy trails. I rode mine once on the 'paved' Mount Vernon Bicycle Trail. I rode about ten miles on that trail and I'm glad I did not break_the_bike on the numerous trail 'root bumps' and wooden bridge transitions.

June is almost here. I wish you success on a touring ride. It would be interesting to hear details. B&B's must be nice!

Another fun mtn bike ride I did was the West Virginia Greenbrier Trail ride. That was a cold one, with ice on the puddles, but no snow. It was shorter, but it had two rail tunnels.

Samuel Heinrich
 
petermaron

petermaron

Member
I have ridden my Silvio from Cumberland to Pittsburgh on the GAP trail with no problems,.....with 23mm 700c Continental Grand Prix 4 season tires. Twice with hanging packs and once pulling a Bob Trailer I have since switched to 25mm 700c tires Continental Grand Prix 4 season tires.
 
b1kebox

b1kebox

Active Member
The use of the term "GAPCO" is misleading for the route when deciding "best" tires etc as the GAP and C&O surfaces are very different. I've ridden from Cumberland, MD north on 700-28c / 26-1 1/8" tires which are not suitable on the C&O. Rode the C&O last week on 650b-40mm wide tires (Cruzbike QX100) and last August (DC-Pittsburgh) on a Salsa with Big Apple 28-2". Drainage is very good on the GAP but the C&O can be very muddy even when it has not rained for several days.
We stayed one night in a Lockhouse [http://www.canaltrust.org/programs/canal-quarters/] last summer (one night is enough though to get the experience). Recommend the Bavarian Inn in Shepardstown [http://www.bavarianinnwv.com/], Riverrun B&B in Hancock, MD [http://www.riverrunbnb.com/], Marriott Fairfield in Cumberland, MD {[https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals/cbefi-fairfield-inn-and-suites-cumberland/] and Cobblestone in Connesville, PA [https://www.staycobblestone.com/pa/connellsville/]. As we've never had SAG support we always stay close to the trail but there are may places within a few miles of the trail (i.e. uphill) that are suited with SAG support.
Post some images afterwards.
 
K

kenhetrick

New Member
Hi -I rode the GAP on my Sofrider 4 years ago (a group of 10). Standard Maxxis detonator tires 1.75 x 26 - no problems. Lodging was set by Ride-the-GAP (now Noble Invention Bike Touring). Sarah had excellent planning, lodging, and meal suggestions. We started in Pittsburgh and ended in Cumberland - last day was all down hill. I hear the C&O is a bit rougher than the GAP.
 
Mathew Fy

Mathew Fy

GRU
Jeffrey Ritter said:
Hi,
We are planning to ride the GAP and C&O in early June. I would appreciate connecting to anyone who has done so within the Cruzbike Tribe--suitable tires, best places to stop, etc. are all welcomed. Thanks in advance.

It is likely my wife will drive SAG and meet me at various points of interest, but if anyone wanted to join along on the trail, you would be more than welcomed. We are B&B not camping types.

Thanks,

Jeffrey
Click to expand...
Did you ride the GAP/C&O? I’d love to know how it went . They’ve been having lots of trouble with storm damage.
 
Seth Cooper

Seth Cooper

Well-Known Member
Looking at doing the GAP next summer, one way from Connellsville to Cumberland, then take the Amtrak back. That is about 88 miles in two days which is as much as the wife is interested in doing.

I am assuming I can find some 28"s to stuff into the Vendetta for the gravel trail.

Anyone used Amtrak bike carriers with a Vendetta? The website says 70" long max, which if I take off the rear tire I can do. I could also reposition the boom to get it shorter.
 
Mathew Fy

Mathew Fy

GRU
Seth Cooper said:
Anyone used Amtrak bike carriers with a Vendetta? The website says 70" long max, which if I take off the rear tire I can do. I could also reposition the boom to get it shorter.
Click to expand...
I’d like to know that, too. I know the Capitol Limited accepts walk-in reservations and uses racks like these:
F9766274-7363-4DFC-A608-E59E62263CC7.jpeg
They have staggered heights, so the taller racks might fit perfectly. You could possibly mount the V20 rear-wheel-up and turn the front wheel a little. I don’t know how the swing-up stabilizer bar should be attached.
 
Seth Cooper

Seth Cooper

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the pic, that is really setup just for a DF bike. Not sure how I could get a V into that rack without taking apart the boom.
 
Mathew Fy

Mathew Fy

GRU
The Shoreline West Tour in Michigan transports bikes this way in trucks (each bike Zip tied to another). My V20 mounted just like these DFs. I wish I had taken a picture. It should work well on the train as long as the wheel hook is high enough.
 
Seth Cooper

Seth Cooper

Well-Known Member
It does not look like there is enough room above the hook for the boom. and reversing the bike and hanging it boom down like you suggested also looks real tight.
 
Doug Kline

Doug Kline

Guru
I was up in the Washington DC area for the Thanksgiving Holiday and had a chance to spend the day after Thanksgiving out on the towpath of the C&O Canal National Park. Nine years ago I rode the entire length of the towpath (Cumberland to DC) on a hardtail mountain bike. I wanted to see how well my S40 would perform as some day I'd like to do the full Pittsburgh to DC route. I put some 33mm Michelin Power Gravel tires on and the ride was great. No issues on the dry gravel. To be fair, it was a beautiful day with very little mud on the trail. When we did the whole thing, it rained 3 out of the 4 days and was a muddy mess. I haven't verified how well these tires work with some mud.

I was going to be out the whole day, so I used a 3 liter camelbak and a Ortlieb pannier on the TerraCycle rack loaded with extra clothes and Thanksgiving leftovers. I did an out and back on the first 50 mile (80km) section out of Washington DC to Point of Rocks and got in 90 miles (145km) before I ran out of day light and had my wife pick me up. You can see that section in map in Mathew Fy's post here: https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/matthews-bike-tours.11935/#post-149024.

The canal was built in the early 1800's to move cargo to Washington DC. On the left side of the below photo is the Potomac River and the right side is the canal. The towpath was used by oxen to pull boats along and a series of locks changed the elevation. Eventually the railroad technology won out and that put an end to the the canal. Fortunately some of our ancestors had the wisdom to preserve the towpath as a greenway which eventually became a National Park. The towpath near Washington DC is heavily used and well maintained.

IMG_0742_t.JPG


These 33mm tires worked very well on the dry gravel.
IMG_0752_t.JPG


Most of the canal is in disrepair. This is a section where the canal is still maintained in good shape.
IMG_0771_t.JPG



Further north of Washington DC the towpath turns to a rougher gravel, which this time of year is covered with leaves and sticks, but was still a comfortable ride with the gravel tires and a 2 inch Ventisit pad.
IMG_0798_t.JPG




What's this? A new surface? I haven't been on the trail for nine years, but have ridden through here maybe a half dozen times before that. This used to be the roughest section of the whole trail and is where I was headed to see if the S40 could handle it. Most of the new crushed stone surface is covered with leaves, but here is a section all blown off and now a beautiful ride. It turns out they resurfaced 23 miles in 2019 with 57 more miles planned. This surface is similar to The Great Allegheny Passage. If they had this all the way you could probably use road tires.

https://www.canaltrust.org/support/our-funding-priorities/towpath-forever/towpath-resurfacing/

IMG_0800_t.JPG


How does a canal cross a tributary to the Potomac River? Well you build a bridge over the river. This is the Monocacy Aqueduct built in 1833. The aqueduct was full of water and boats float across it.

IMG_0810_t.JPG
IMG_0819_t.JPG




IMG_0825_t.JPG
 
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3bs

3bs

whereabouts unknown
i wonder how fast you guys are riding these trails? i ride my t 50 on the kalhaven and crapier roads but i always feel like i am not riding fast enough. but having wiped out a few times on the v20 in soft stuff, i suffer the slower heavier bike in favor or fewer injuries.
 
Doug Kline

Doug Kline

Guru
3bs said:
i wonder how fast you guys are riding these trails?
Click to expand...

Not so fast. The trails near Washington DC were loaded with pedestrians the day after Thanksgiving, so the going was slow and required some walking in congested areas. Over my 90 miles (145km) I averaged 13.5mph (21.7km/h). The trail opened up north of the city and after about mile marker 20 it became an enjoyable ride. On the open trail I was comfortable cruising in the 15-16mph (25km/h) range. My GPS file shows me topping 20mph (32km/h) only a few times.
 
Mathew Fy

Mathew Fy

GRU
3bs said:
i wonder how fast you guys are riding these trails? i ride my t 50 on the kalhaven and crapier roads but i always feel like i am not riding fast enough. but having wiped out a few times on the v20 in soft stuff, i suffer the slower heavier bike in favor or fewer injuries.
Click to expand...
My Garmin recorded the 58 mile Connelsville->Pittsburgh 13.9 mph @ 83 watts, the return trip 11.5 mph @ 60 watts. Definitely a leisurely pace. I recall only one person passing me. (V20 with 28mm front, 42mm rear.)

When I eventually get around to the Great Lake to Lake ride it’ll be on the Vendetta. I’ll keep you in mind as you put out a request for others to join in.
 
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