Originally Posted by
csport
Thank you djb for the detailed advice!
700x48c slicks (Soma Everwear), not road tires. Should be good for loose gravel, mud may be unpleasant. Will double check and also check for recent heavy rain.
Now I would be more comfortable. I've read a story about a truck with a second trailer running a rider off the road near Johnstown:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...id=168986&v=2e
Am I overthinking it? Are you saying that the Waterfront Trail all the way or Route Verte 1 to Ottawa are a better options?
Good to hear
Example of my experience: last summer I arrived to a hiker/biker campground on the C&O canal towpath right after dusk and there was another cyclist staying there. I set the tent, approached him and said hi (I know it was stupid), next morning he told me he had thought I intended to steal something. A couple days before that he had left his bike at a campground for a while and someone stole his spare tire. Also at night there were some people outside discussing how to steal his bike. He packed everything and rode away at night. I think he said it had happened at the Dravo Campground on the GAP trail, and many locals on the trail told me it was a rough area.
Thank you! So far I planned campgrounds in Labelle and Saint-Jerome, then maybe Champlain Campground in the Voyageur Provincial Park. Will call the campgrounds to make sure they exist. Probably this is a somewhat curated map:
https://bikeacrosscanada.github.io/
48 slicks in my opinion would be perfectly fine. Like I said, I've ridden on 38/40 and 48ish mm slicks a lot, and on rail trails, you really arent ever going to have mud, the crushed stone and stuff generally avoids actual mud.
about road incidents, I dunno, Ive been touring for over 35 years and use a mirror and am fine on all kinds of roads. For sure rail trails are quieter and all that, so can be more relaxing, even for someone like me who has ridden on roads in cities all my life and toured in all kinds of countries (touch wood!!).
going to Ottawa adds on extra distance, but I assume you want to see Ottawa.
I have done Kingston to Montreal and the roads are perfectly safe imo. The main traffic takes the big "interstate" type highway, the 401, and not the small "old highway" that runs along the St Lawrence. Very pretty ride all in all. The Thousand Islands area is really pretty.
to say its stupid to say hello to another cyclist at a campground, to me and any Canadian, is an odd thing to say. Campground folks are nearly always families, or people traveling, on vacation, and being friendly is just part of being Canadian. Like I said, campgrounds really don't have the stuff that you are describing, which seems to me is a reflection of your society that is a real difference to like in Canada. --- Sure, there are rough areas and poor people, and people who steal , but it's not something that you will really see or feel in a regular Canadian campground.
Yes, of course, things can get stolen at a campground, but having a feel for the people around you and the surroundings should aleve any fears that you have.
That said, I always lock my bike up, to a tree, to a picnic bench,or whatever, and dont leave my valuables in sight or out for someone to grab--basic common sense pretty much.
I'd say having situational awareness and observing the people around is the most important. Mr and Mrs Smith and kids on vacation , or a fellow bike tourist, not things to worry about. Sketchy looking folks hanging around a store you plan to go into, thats a different matter.
re Labelle, st Jerome camping, I dont think Ive camped at Labelle, and I forget how many klicks kms it is from Mont Laurier. St Jerome is where the Ptit train trail starts or ends, so Ive always finished there when doing the whole Ptit train du Nord (so not camped).
when are you thinking of doing this trip?
I ask because in high season, it might be an issue with full campsites. Due to the present particular political climate, more Canadians are not doing vacations in the States, which could very well make campgrounds more full than usual. On bike some places find spots for bikers, but that is hit and miss, but you could ask beforehand and see what Ranger Bob tells you over the phone about arriving by bike and if they will make an exception for a "full campsite".