Originally Posted by
Archerobx
Background: last year did the 335 For Veterans ride from Pittsburgh to DC.I ended up borrowing a mountain bike that was too small. I want to do it again but I want my own bike that fits. I most likely will not be doing aggressive mountain biking, honestly probably just rails to trails stuff. Im 5'11" 215lb.
Im not sure if a mountain bike or hybrid would be the way to go. The C&O trail is the part that concerns me. Any thoughts or insight would be great.
thank you
You could get a rigid 29er or 27+ bike also, though most will come geared as a 1x11 or 1x12 anymore it seems. I've ridden the C&O on a hybrid with 700x35 tires on it. Trail was mostly dry, though I still encountered mud holes to ride around and through. It did just fine. Regarding the numb hands...proper size will help. With a flat bar bike, you could also go with Velo Orange crazy bars to give you more options to move your hands around to hopefully prevent numbness in the future. Good luck.