I think part of what makes it interesting is that it is early in the year. And the weather may still be unpredictable for the ride. Very excited. My goal is to do it single speed this year. I really want to do it fixed,but my knees may not like that many miles.
Wow! That time of year again! I think I just pee'd myself a little. Adam, is that you with the out and back idea? Rick and I should be in for this year. Hans
A question for those of you who have or are thinking about going single speed... What gearing worked well for you, or are you thinking about running, Thanks
44x18 has worked well for me in the past but gearing is really a personal thing.
this year i am bringing 18 gears again unless the weather report sucks. then i'll grind it out on the 44x18 with full fenders as i did the first 3 or 4 years.
i was out freezing my extremities off on the roadbike last night... reminding myself that it probably would never be that cold on CtC.
Max, Thanks for the info. I've been playing around with a couple different gear ratios to see what works better for a long trip. Heading out this morning before it gets really cold this coming week.
that is a mighty tall gear for such a thing me thinks...
you ever ridden 50+ miles of gravel on that gearing? not trying to talk you out of it but giving you an honest suggestion for something to try before you settle on it. having blown out achy knees by the time you reach rockwood would not be a fun way to start this thing
also remember also you'll be lugging a few extra pounds of kit this ride compared to your usual outings.
admittedly 44x18 is kind of spinny for flat roads and tailwinds BUT with your prospective gearing i would have probably walked most of the hills from breezewood to somerset. as it was i managed all but one or two (though not without significant effort).
anyhow gearing is very personal but i urge you to really consider if your gonna like that gearing after first riding 150-200 miles and then climbing the biggest hills of the ride on a loaded bike.
I was thinking the same thing. I've been riding my loaded up bike everywhere and been real happy with my 42x18. It is a bit spinny, but it pulls me around nicely and lets me get up the hills without gassing out. I prefer a little higher cadence anyway. I would be fully out of gas with that tall gear, but good on ya, if it works for you. Thanks for the input guys.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at 20 S 10th Street two years ago....About 1.5 miles from the start. Clean and a decent night's sleep was worth the cost from my perspective...
GAP news below from the Adventure Cycling Association bi-weekly email newsletter...A June 15th finish means next year's (2014) CTC won't have to hit the roads again after Rockwood. Trails all the way to the finish, if I'm reading this right....
EXPANDING THE GAP The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the following on October 12, 2012: "Groundbreaking for the final mile of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail through Sandcastle Waterpark and the neighboring Keystone Metals property will be at noon today, officials announced. When construction is finished in the spring, the trail will extend from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it meets the C&O Towpath to complete a continuous 370-mile trail link from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C." We now hear from our sources in that neck of the woods that plans are brewing for a big bash at Point State Park in Pittsburgh on June 15, celebrating the GAP's completion. "Bike rides, ribbon cuttings, and unveilings will be announced soon; stay tuned!" said Paul G. Wiegman, treasurer of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, in an email to Bike Bits. You can stay tuned on the alliance's website: http://www.atatrail.org
was cold and foggy for the first half. then rode to work in the pouring rain this morning. seemingly doing alright this year although i am probably going in with less miles for the year than ever before.
did some recon on the final section into philly the turn from pughton rd to cold stream rd on map 29 is still missing a sign. other than that all marked from map 28 to valley forge.
still looking to maybe split a hotel if anyone is interested...
can't post on the new site maybe this will show up there?
anyhow anyone have a gpx for this sucker?
i am particularly interested in the stretch from everett through breezewood and the tunnels to cowan's gap. i'd like not to get lost or have to do any guesswork if i don't have too and this is the only section i could see that happening.
tom, dropping you an email! you were the one who showed me how amazing (but sometimes demoralizing) the Garmin 500 can be with all it's data. riding along with you seeing the elevation profiles as we rode the hills was amazing.
kris, that looks like it might be Adam's (from dirtrag) gpx from last year? definitely goes through the abandonded turnpike which is probably the only spot most people would need GPS if they can follow signs decently since it is the only thing that deviates from Bike Route S. thanks!
Tom, I have never done that with my edge 500. I'm grabbing Adam's export from above, do you recommend the TCX file? Also, how much does it drain the battery? I think last year I had an hour to spare at the most without really touching the unit or following a course (17 hrs I believe).
32 comments:
Out and back is my new goal.
It starts on Sunday this year?
Meh, fours and nines look a lot alike when you are not paying attention.
19th.
Friday.
19th huh? Could it be any earlier? My participation will be weather dependent. If winter is bad here in NEOH I will not have trained enough by then.
I think part of what makes it interesting is that it is early in the year. And the weather may still be unpredictable for the ride. Very excited. My goal is to do it single speed this year. I really want to do it fixed,but my knees may not like that many miles.
Awesome - Goal for me is Saturday midnight
@Api's - Come down to CBus an train with me.. Will be riding whatever the weather
I say we take the year off
Very funny EG. If you're gonna take a year off, make it a westbound year. :)
You know the calendar year has changed when you see activity heat up on the CTC blog !
April 19th. Sounds like a fun time. Doing the road after Rockwood sounds better than staying on the trail to DC.
Wow! That time of year again! I think I just pee'd myself a little.
Adam, is that you with the out and back idea? Rick and I should be in for this year.
Hans
A question for those of you who have or are thinking about going single speed... What gearing worked well for you, or are you thinking about running, Thanks
J,
44x18 has worked well for me in the past but gearing is really a personal thing.
this year i am bringing 18 gears again unless the weather report sucks. then i'll grind it out on the 44x18 with full fenders as i did the first 3 or 4 years.
i was out freezing my extremities off on the roadbike last night... reminding myself that it probably would never be that cold on CtC.
Max,
Thanks for the info. I've been playing around with a couple different gear ratios to see what works better for a long trip. Heading out this morning before it gets really cold this coming week.
I plan to do it 46x17
stephanie,
that is a mighty tall gear for such a thing me thinks...
you ever ridden 50+ miles of gravel on that gearing? not trying to talk you out of it but giving you an honest suggestion for something to try before you settle on it. having blown out achy knees by the time you reach rockwood would not be a fun way to start this thing
also remember also you'll be lugging a few extra pounds of kit this ride compared to your usual outings.
admittedly 44x18 is kind of spinny for flat roads and tailwinds BUT with your prospective gearing i would have probably walked most of the hills from breezewood to somerset. as it was i managed all but one or two (though not without significant effort).
anyhow gearing is very personal but i urge you to really consider if your gonna like that gearing after first riding 150-200 miles and then climbing the biggest hills of the ride on a loaded bike.
max
I was thinking the same thing. I've been riding my loaded up bike everywhere and been real happy with my 42x18. It is a bit spinny, but it pulls me around nicely and lets me get up the hills without gassing out. I prefer a little higher cadence anyway. I would be fully out of gas with that tall gear, but good on ya, if it works for you. Thanks for the input guys.
for locals:
any decently cheap lodging near the point?
Yeah I have done close to a 200k fixed in that gearing. I plan on freewheeling it. I should be ok.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at 20 S 10th Street two years ago....About 1.5 miles from the start. Clean and a decent night's sleep was worth the cost from my perspective...
I'm officially out. Won't be nearly fit enough in time. Been sick and too busy to ride in what has been a tremendously shitty winter here.
Someone say hi to the nice guys at the bike shop in Connellsville for me.
hmm, i guess i should have figured hotels in pittsburgh would cost more then breezewod.
any other out of towners up for splitting a room?
wouldn't be weird at all to meet a complete stranger right before sleeping in the same room together right? ;-P
GAP news below from the Adventure Cycling Association bi-weekly email newsletter...A June 15th finish means next year's (2014) CTC won't have to hit the roads again after Rockwood. Trails all the way to the finish, if I'm reading this right....
EXPANDING THE GAP
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the following on October 12, 2012:
"Groundbreaking for the final mile of the Great Allegheny Passage
(GAP) trail through Sandcastle Waterpark and the neighboring Keystone
Metals property will be at noon today, officials announced. When
construction is finished in the spring, the trail will extend from
Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it meets the C&O Towpath
to complete a continuous 370-mile trail link from Pittsburgh to
Washington, D.C." We now hear from our sources in that neck of the
woods that plans are brewing for a big bash at Point State Park in
Pittsburgh on June 15, celebrating the GAP's completion. "Bike rides,
ribbon cuttings, and unveilings will be announced soon; stay tuned!"
said Paul G. Wiegman, treasurer of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, in
an email to Bike Bits. You can stay tuned on the alliance's website:
http://www.atatrail.org
So, who else feels like they are behind in their fitness, give that were are less than 6 weeks out?
training ride yesterday:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/283343063
was cold and foggy for the first half. then rode to work in the pouring rain this morning. seemingly doing alright this year although i am probably going in with less miles for the year than ever before.
did some recon on the final section into philly the turn from pughton rd to cold stream rd on map 29 is still missing a sign. other than that all marked from map 28 to valley forge.
still looking to maybe split a hotel if anyone is interested...
hrmmm...
can't post on the new site maybe this will show up there?
anyhow anyone have a gpx for this sucker?
i am particularly interested in the stretch from everett through breezewood and the tunnels to cowan's gap. i'd like not to get lost or have to do any guesswork if i don't have too and this is the only section i could see that happening.
No Max, it doesn't seem to work. (posting here and having it show up there). Hopefully Adam will enable comments on the new site soon.
As for GPX tracks, I will be making them for my Garmin 500 sometime soon.
Email me at tomhovan3 - gmail, so I can reply back to you with those files once I make them.
Hey guys I'm not sure if this is accurate (I'm hoping it is) but I stumbled across this route on Ride With GPS: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/381082
You can download a GPX track under the export tab... Like I said I'm not sure if this route is up-to-date though.
tom, dropping you an email! you were the one who showed me how amazing (but sometimes demoralizing) the Garmin 500 can be with all it's data. riding along with you seeing the elevation profiles as we rode the hills was amazing.
kris, that looks like it might be Adam's (from dirtrag) gpx from last year? definitely goes through the abandonded turnpike which is probably the only spot most people would need GPS if they can follow signs decently since it is the only thing that deviates from Bike Route S. thanks!
Heh. Yeah, Max sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Tom, I have never done that with my edge 500. I'm grabbing Adam's export from above, do you recommend the TCX file? Also, how much does it drain the battery? I think last year I had an hour to spare at the most without really touching the unit or following a course (17 hrs I believe).
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