Noonievut

With bike touring you may come across gravel roads, fire roads, etc, and touring bikes often have tires with enough volume to handle such a thing, but has anyone done tours on cross/touring bikes where you mainly ride on non-paved roads (but not necessarily an extreme route as with say the tour divide)?

I was thinking that it would be fun to use one of my gravel bikes (both can accept panniers) for a gravel/dirt-only tour where I would camp off the beaten track. I would choose a general destination, and then ride there on a meandering route, exploring some spots that I may have overlooked if thinking I'm "road" touring.

I would probably use two panniers (I have those), but would have to add a small tent, sleeping mat and a lighter bag than the one I use with the family. Not sure how the extra weight would affect riding on these harsher roads, or handling on washed out gravel, etc.

Please share your experiences and feel free to pass along any tips related to such an adventure.

IAMAMRA

To out western and ride my fire/logging roads

fietsbob

Touring

& crazyguyonabike.com: Bicycle Touring: A place for bicycle tourists and their journals


read about southern Hemisphere trips Spine of the Andes and all that open space.

tarwheel 

A lot of cyclists have ridden the entire GAP - C&O Canal trails on touring or cross bikes. The trails run about 350 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. The GAP, from Pittsburgh to Cumberland MD, is a rails-to-trails path surfaced with fine crushed rock. The C&O, from Cumberland to DC, is an old mule tow path for the canal and surface varies from gravel to dirt to mud. I recently rode the whole GAP - C&O trail with friends and we were all on touring bikes, with tires ranging from 32 mm Panaracer Paselas, to 32 mm Vittoria Voyager Hypers, to 40 mm Clement X'Plor. More info in this trip report:

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/95...rail-tour.html

Terry66

We rode the GAP from Cumberland to Ohiopyle and back on a weekend bikepacking trip. We've ridden the length of the GAP and the Katy as well. Left to right are a Disc Trucker, LHT and my Salsa Vaya. Loaded down with clothes, food, camping gear, tools, etc. My Vaya is running 37c WTB All Terrains

Noonievut

Great photo. Thanks for sharing