Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Some additional considerations:
Unless you are going to spend the entire trip wearing the same riding outfits all the time, you are going to be carrying some stuff. Have you been training with your anticipated loads?
Have you practiced changing tubes in the event of flats? Are your tires suitable for the surface of the C&O, which is rougher than the GAP?
If you will be taking the train and will be packing the bikes yourselves, you will need the tools required to remove your pedals, losen your stems and bars and probably lower your seatposts. That's what you need to do to get your bikes in the Amtrak bike boxes.
Excellent advice, thank you! We haven't been training with our anticipated loads, though we plan to pack light (mainly clothes). Our tires should be OK for the C&O from what the shop we bought them at said, but would you be able to provide a more detailed explanation of the surface of the C&O? We haven't changed flats, but have the spare tubes and were shown how to do it. I think we can sit around looking sad if we can't figure it out, but I'm confident we can do it.
Finally, I didn't realize we need to take the bikes apart for shipment on Amtrak. Are these specifications available online, perhaps on the Amtrak site? If so, I might need to look into them.
Thanks!