Pictures of my first tour, C&O canal over Memorial Day weekend
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
Pictures of my first tour, C&O canal over Memorial Day weekend
I rode the C&O Canal from DC to Harpers Ferry West By God Virginia, camped along the Potomac river at a beautiful spot, then rode back to DC. It is 60 miles off-road each way, the scenery was ****ing beautiful. After 120 miles of singletrack it was just as beautiful as the start. I rode on a brand new bike (Surly Cross Check) that I had about 7 miles on prior to that as I had built the bike the night before. No mechanical break downs, no wrecks, no flats. It was great.
Lessons learned:
Better to over pack than under (We over packed)
REALLY good riding shorts are a must
Eat a lot
Drink a lot of water
Here are pictures from the tour:
The Bikes (Surly Cross Check which is mine and Lemond Poprad which is my friends)
Turtles
18 or so miles into the trail
Crane
The vast majority of the trail looked like this
Catoctin Aqeduct
Tunnel, where my friend almost got hit by a train while walking through
Looking back on the trail from Harpers Ferry West VA
Looking towards Harpers Ferry
Lessons learned:
Better to over pack than under (We over packed)
REALLY good riding shorts are a must
Eat a lot
Drink a lot of water
Here are pictures from the tour:
The Bikes (Surly Cross Check which is mine and Lemond Poprad which is my friends)
Turtles
18 or so miles into the trail
Crane
The vast majority of the trail looked like this
Catoctin Aqeduct
Tunnel, where my friend almost got hit by a train while walking through
Looking back on the trail from Harpers Ferry West VA
Looking towards Harpers Ferry
#2
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
Windsor I found locked up in town, period campy components, gold anodized brake levers etc, also had an Eddy Merckx sticker on it
Finally our campsite
Finally our campsite
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Montréal, QC (Canada)
Posts: 409
Bikes: 2008 Surly LHT complete & 1988-ish fuglyfixed Specialized RockHopper
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
You got some beautiful scenery down there! Nice pictures!
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 471
Bikes: Trek520
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Wow. I'm planning my first overnight trip for this upcoming weekend, but it won't look anything like that. Great pictures!
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
After mile 20 the trail becomes rougher, but more accepting of skinnier tires. Between mile 20 and DC there are larger pieces of gravel near the lock houses so they can be a bit annoying. We both rode the trail on 700x30s and they were more than acceptable. I wouldn't go skinnier than 28s just due to the volume of air when loaded, anything over 35s seemed like it would just increase drag. The vast majority of people were on mountain bikes which was total overkill.
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
White's Ferry has great chicken fingers and sloppy joes.
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
Oh and either camp on the GAP side of Harper's Ferry or plan on riding another 15 miles as you will be sleeping 50 feet from the train track otherwise.
#12
Senior Membre
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rennes, France
Posts: 266
Bikes: '87 Cannondale Team Comp, 98 Cannondale F900, 08 Bike Friday Tikit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Hey, the lesson that I learned from my first tour...um 15 years ago, was not to bring too much. I sent excess stuff back to my home by mail. Most of it was a few redundant changes of clothes and a book or two, but I have since kept what I haul to a bare minimum.
How about that train? How did you avoid that one? And why didn't you hear it coming?
Finally how is using a cyclocross bike compared to a touring bike. Twitchy with the bags or not?
How about that train? How did you avoid that one? And why didn't you hear it coming?
Finally how is using a cyclocross bike compared to a touring bike. Twitchy with the bags or not?
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Silver Spring, MD
Posts: 1,701
Bikes: Fuji Supreme
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
+1 on going into Harper's Ferry. There is some nice historical sites surrounding John Brown's Raid as well as an interesting African American Museum from the same era. Several places have really great ice cream as a reward for your long ride.
#14
GATC
Very nice. I used to live at the top of the hill in HF, by the cemetary above the Shenandoah. Some trivia for wading the Shenandoah, check out the non-native species fishing regs, right before bighead carp.
#15
la rapet
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: FL
Posts: 295
Bikes: 80s specialized expedition, soma rush
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
wow sounds beautiful. i definitely want to do this ride. so you were just running 700 X 30cm road tires?
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 1,572
Bikes: 1972 Paramount Track, 1972 Paramount P13 Road, 1972 Paramount Tandem, 1986 Paramount Road, Merckx MXL, Gunnar Cross Hairs, Samson Illusion NJS, KHS Aero Track, Titus Racer X 29er, Tom Palermo Custom Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
2 Posts
Hey, the lesson that I learned from my first tour...um 15 years ago, was not to bring too much. I sent excess stuff back to my home by mail. Most of it was a few redundant changes of clothes and a book or two, but I have since kept what I haul to a bare minimum.
How about that train? How did you avoid that one? And why didn't you hear it coming?
Finally how is using a cyclocross bike compared to a touring bike. Twitchy with the bags or not?
How about that train? How did you avoid that one? And why didn't you hear it coming?
Finally how is using a cyclocross bike compared to a touring bike. Twitchy with the bags or not?
The bike was only twitchy when i was standing, but less twitchy than the track bike I ride on a daily basis.
I rode Jones CX tires that were 700x30. I ran about 85psi in the rear as the sides have started to crack due to age. The tires did fine on the trail.
#17
THIS SPACE FOR RENT
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,849
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Chris from Velo Orange suggests the Vittoria Cross Evo XN tires for the C&O and general mixed hardpack use, they're a 32 with not much tread, made for firmer cross courses.