Pittsburgh to DC trail bike frame recommendations

[slowgoing]

Thinking of doing the Pittsburgh to DC trail ride next year.

What kind of bike would be best? All I have are road bikes and most will not take wide tires.

Cross frame? Some other type of frame? Types of wheel and tires?

Any other advice for the ride?

Thx.

[icepick_trotsky]

Doing the Towpath? It's pretty tame as I understand. Road bike would probably be fine.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Depends on if you're just riding or carrying gear and camping. I wouldn't ride the C&O on 28s, but then again I don't ride 28s anywhere.

I was certainly happy with 51-584 and fenders. Lots of mud puddles on the C&O if there's been rain.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7291/27669241185_3e646a862c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Ja36qv)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/Ja36qv) by ColonelJLloyd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/51002114@N03/), on Flickr

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7749/27075524654_57bab5165e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Hfz9bA)062 (https://flic.kr/p/Hfz9bA) by ColonelJLloyd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/51002114@N03/), on Flickr

[cp43]

I rode Cumberland to DC in ~2008, and Cumberland to Pittsburgh the next year. So, my info may be outdated now.

From Pittsburgh to Cumberland it's crushed limestone, and well maintained. You'd be ok on 28's if unloaded.

From Cumberland towards DC, there are lots of areas that get very muddy in the rain, and are bumpy (lots of roots) in the dry. If you'll be carrying much gear, you'll want 30+mm tires.

I rode to DC on a Novara Randonee with a BOB trailer, ~35mm tires. To Pittsburgh, I rode a Surly Big Dummy, 26" wheels, 2.1" tires (I think). The Randonee was fine. The Big Dummy was overkill in terms of tires.

Are you planning to buy a bike for this ride? If so, think more about what else you'll want to do with it after the ride. Anything that's comfortable all day, and takes 35+mm tires will be fine.

[pinkshogun]

Its a nice ride. this is near Ohiopyle

[adrien]

I've only done the first 50 or so miles out of DC. As a matter of fact, we have a group ride on Wednesdays in the winter -- it can be a great ride. With he right tires, you can get some good speed going.

I ride it on a steel road bike with clearance for bigger tires. I've done it on 25s, but it's best on 30-35mm tires. Current set up is 30mm Strada Biancas, which are actually about 32-33. Fantastic ride.

[rwsaunders]

If you're starting in Pittsburgh and coming from out of town, you can fly with your gear to PIT and there's a trailhead (Montour Trail) about 1/2 mile from the terminal. It'll take you to Pittsburgh and you can connect to the other trails there. 32's and above would be comfortable.

[rccardr]

I did the DC-Pgh route on an '88 Cannondale ST touring frame fitted with 9 speed Shimano and 32mm Vittoria Rando's. You don't need much in the way of gearing- aside from the very long pitch out of cumberland it's fairly flat- but not sure I'd recommend anything smaller than 32's, especially if it rains and the surface gets soft and squishy.

[rnhood]

Cross bikes will work since they take larger tires, but I recommend a gravel type bike as these have rack and fender fittings which can be nice, in addition to a more relaxed position/geometry. As already stated, the trail is very tame Pitt to Cumberland, but the C&O will require something more on the lines of 30-35+ tires as stated above. Its a rougher ride.

[.RJ]

I did this trip this year, and with the right conditions (i.e. no mud, smooth trail), you *can* do it on 28's but you will have a bad time on the C&O for large portions of the trip. I rode a Specialized Crux on 35mm CX tires, tubeless, at about 60psi loaded for hammock camping. Would have liked larger tires but the 35's were great.

[slowgoing]

These are great pictures and recommendations everyone. Very helpful for anyone trying this ride, so thank you. I've got a lot of learning to do about gravel bikes and wheels and tires.

[Ken Robb]

I would want a bike that allowed me to have the bars at or above saddle. This would allow me to look around and enjoy the sights and also keep the front wheel from having so much weight that it wants to dig into soft surfaces. A cheap used mtn. bike that might be a bit "too big" for technical mtn. biking might be just right for this adventure and will probably cost less than renting a bike for the trip.

[.RJ]

The surfaces on that route arent soft at all, and you dont need a "gravel" bike. The GAP is fine crushed stone that would be fine for a road bike on 28's and the C&O is mostly dirt with little gravel. Its a super easy route, good surface, just ride what you have as long as you can get some decent volume tires. If you are staying at hotels/B&B on the route you really dont need to bring very much with you, you are never more than 30-40 miles from a gas station or restaurant.

[blantonator]

I road it on a cross bike with 38's and it was perfect. There was very little mud.

[xjoex]

Bigger the better! The two times I did it the cumberland to white's ferry section was bumpy and tiring me out on 32s. I slightly bigger tire would have been nice.

It's beautiful! If you stay in Ohiopyle get food at "Over the Falls Pub" and stop in at Wilderness Voyagers for spare parts.

Cheers,
-Joe

[El Chaba]

It depends....The Pittsburgh to Cumberland leg-as others have mentioned- is consistently good with a gravel surface. The C&O section varies from a good gravel surface on the east end to essentially packed dirt on the west end. The lack of gravel on the west end makes the conditions highly variable depending on the weather. Several years back I did it with my randonneur bike with 32 mm road tires (Grand Bois Cypres). They were nearly ideal until the rain started on the west end and I was under-tired for both width and tread. I made out, it just would not have been my equipment choice for the conditions. Also, if you are trying to move along quickly...and for the trail that means over 15 mph...you will want a little extra tire volume. In the dappled sunlight that cover most of the trail, it is hard to see the numerous rocks and roots along the surface, so you will take quite a few of the inevitable thumps....

[znfdl]

Some friends and I rode the GAP and C&O in one straight shot, I was happy that I used 32mm cross tires. At the end of the GAP, I let out some air, so that I had better traction on the C&O.

[sailorboy]

Nothing to add about bike/tires since I think it's been covered, but depending on the time of year you go, may need to bring clear lens full-coverage eyewear of some sort. I did the GAP trail around memorial day weekend a few years ago and the sections along the river in PA were absolutely swarming with clouds of gnats and under full canopy so it's too dark in there for bright light lenses.

[adrien]

Nothing to add about bike/tires since I think it's been covered, but depending on the time of year you go, may need to bring clear lens full-coverage eyewear of some sort. I did the GAP trail around memorial day weekend a few years ago and the sections along the river in PA were absolutely swarming with clouds of gnats and under full canopy so it's too dark in there for bright light lenses.

Yup.
also keep mouth closed.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Yup.
also keep mouth closed.

Ha. I had forgotten about that. Indeeed, I got quite a few bugs in my eye and I was wearing (normal) glasses.

[zennmotion]

If you're camping or otherwise depending on the camping sites for sourcing your water be aware that the hand pump wells are frequently "shocked" with iodine because the water table is near the surface. The water won't give you giardia, but the iodine tastes pretty bad if recently treated. A cheap carbon filter will help reduce the nasty flavor.

[yonderb0y]

I did this ride (in the other direction) with my girlfriend just last week - here are our rigs...

http://i68.tinypic.com/2hn5o41.jpg

me: 5' 10" & 195 pounds
Twin Six Ti Rando frame
Bruce Gordon Rock'n'Road tires (43mm)

her: tiny & 110 pounds
All City Macho Man Disc frame
Specialized Houffalize CX tires (32mm?)

The bikes: Both have very similar geometry that's comfortable to ride on or off-road all day. They're more relaxed than a racy cross bike, but are much more lively than a typical tourer. For me, these bikes are the closest I can find to the unicorn do-it-all. Granted, I don't race crits :)

The C&O: It had rained for a few days right before we started, and we had quite a bit of mud on this stretch, and the path is definitely rougher than the GAP overall. We were both pretty happy with our tires, though - my wide, treaded R'n'Rs treated me as well as anything would have, and she felt the same, obviously weighing a lot less :) I know that some people will recommend fenders for this trip, but we ran into a lady whose rear wheel wouldn't even spin because of the mud caked under her fender - I'll take some muddy legs over that ANY TIME. The primitive campsites were mostly beautiful little spots, and we got clear, taste-free water from the pumps. We really only encountered the clouds of flies on the last maybe 20 miles into Cumberland. That was pretty gross...

The GAP: Rolling west out of Cumberland was a big change in the path - honestly, this might as well be paved. We actually chatted with a guy who was riding a skinny-tired fixed gear. The Rock'n'Roads are designed to roll pretty well on both dirt and pavement, and I felt like I was cruising down a street the rest of the way into Pittsburgh.

I read a ton of threads about tire selection, etc before I went on this trip, and people were all over the place in their recommendations. My advice: don't overthink it. Yes, the whole way is flat, and the GAP is very smooth and easy to ride, but the C&O is a dirt trail that might be muddy. The widest tires that you can fit that have some decent tread will treat you well on the C&O, and not hold you back on the GAP.

More importantly than anything else, have fun! It's a WONDERFUL trip!