Linking Up Preparation

Physical conditioning

You certainly don't have to be a serious athlete, but you will be riding moderate distances on several successive days. So it's a good idea to do some riding in advance. In particular, it's a good idea to ride two or three days in a row a few times. Some of your preparation rides should be as long as the daily distances you plan for the trip. However, we rode with someone whose advance preparation was a couple of 20-mile rides, and she did fine.

Itinerary, reservations, and support

If you’re planning an unsupported camping trip, planning is minimal – just load up the bikes, take a list of campgrounds, and start out. However, if you want to sleep indoors, you should make reservations at B&Bs or motels that suit your Big Decision about luxury and provide reasonable daily riding distances (see trail maps). You also need to think about logistics for the trip and plans for transporting people between home and the start/stop of the trip.

Bicycle preparation

Our groups have used an assortment of bikes, from suspended mountain bikes, to hybrids, to an old beater road bike. We have ridden this trip fully loaded for camping with a friend on a hybrid; she did fine. Most riders with mountain bikes prefer hybrid tires or conservative MTB tires with just a little tread in the center and lugs on the edges to handle mud. Be sure the riders are comfortable on the bikes, especially the seats.

If you do your own maintenance, check the bike over before leaving. If you don’t do your own, take the bike to your friendly local bike shop for a safety check and tune-up – then ride it on a short trip to be sure everything’s ok. Check your helmet, too – you’ll be wearing it for a week.

Baggage and camping equipment preparation

If you’re carrying baggage on your bikes, be sure you can carry it all safely and under control. Get racks and decent panniers. If you have camping gear, you’ll probably find that the bike handles better if you split the load between front and back panniers – or use a one-wheeled cargo trailer. We don’t think the C&O Canal towpath is suitable for 2-wheeled trailers.

Be sure you know how to operate all your camping equipment. We’ve been entertained for untold hours by watching people take new tents and camp stoves out of their factory packages after dark and try to set them up in campsites far from home. Don’t join the entertainers.

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This page is part of the Allegheny Trail Alliance's site in support of the Great Allegheny Passage, a motor-free recreational rail trail connecting Pittsburgh PA and Cumberland MD. Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001by Allegheny Trail Alliance, Bill Metzger, Mary Shaw, and Roy Weil. Amenity information courtesy of FreeWheeling Easy. We encourage you to create links to this site and to print copies of the maps for your personal use. We prohibit other uses of this site, especially if they generate spam or other mass communications -- see our Privacy Policy.. This page was last modified on 04/07/01. Send email to ATA or contact the ATA or member trails.