Mike G
All-Pro
- Location
- West London
- Name
- Mike Gorman
I have a hybrid bike based on an ATB using a Shimano chain set but didn't like them but haven't got around to changing them yet, eyeing some Blackburn chain Sets!
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Project Beastie Bike
- Thread starter tonyturley
- Start date
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
Another nice Wilderness Bike & Hike, on some of the most rugged, remote terrain WV has to offer. Pushing a 40 pound Fat Bike over a mile up a 45 degree incline was intense, but the scenery was incredible. 6.6 miles, but it felt like 15. Great workout. I took only the X30 . . . no extra lenses or filters, no camera bag. Light and simple.
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Iansky
All-Pro
- Location
- Cotswolds, UK
Wow, all credit it to you it is a real beast and I am sure it runs as well as it looks - job done!
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
This thread puts a huge smile on my face every time. Especially love the foggy shot.
Have we discussed you maybe doing the GAP / C&O yet?
Have we discussed you maybe doing the GAP / C&O yet?
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
LOL, no, I don't think so.
The pedaling is getting easier. The first time I rode this section, I lost my legs in a few spots and pushed for a while to rest them. Saturday, I never ran out of steam, even once. There were a few spots that were rough and washed out or had huge mud holes, and I walked my bike around those, but the daily workouts on a stationary bike and the regular trail rides are working. Not only do I have loads more stamina and leg strength, but I've lost 4" off my waistline since I began my weight loss challenge in December!
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
I'll put a plug in for the GAP / C&O, then.
1. You're close to it. It hugs WV and Maryland most of its 340-ish mile length.
2. It is your kind of scenery and riding style, but even flatter and usually smoother than you're used to. Old rail trails, so there are certainly grades to most of it, but they're gentle so you don't really notice too badly.
3. It looks daunting, but really 90% of the game is comfort. People who bounce off of it almost always do so because they've never spent any real amount of TIME on their bikes, so they haven't gotten the ergonomic stuff all sorted out. Once you've got pretty much ANY kind of bike that you are "all day" comfortable on, you're set. Just need to do about 11 mph for 6 hours a day, and you can do as many segments as you want, up to the whole thing (5 nights / 6 days for us).
4. You could just do one chunk of it to try it out.
5. I can recommend places to stay if you want to credit card tour like we did (ie, not camp).
I'm such a pusher. Sorry.
1. You're close to it. It hugs WV and Maryland most of its 340-ish mile length.
2. It is your kind of scenery and riding style, but even flatter and usually smoother than you're used to. Old rail trails, so there are certainly grades to most of it, but they're gentle so you don't really notice too badly.
3. It looks daunting, but really 90% of the game is comfort. People who bounce off of it almost always do so because they've never spent any real amount of TIME on their bikes, so they haven't gotten the ergonomic stuff all sorted out. Once you've got pretty much ANY kind of bike that you are "all day" comfortable on, you're set. Just need to do about 11 mph for 6 hours a day, and you can do as many segments as you want, up to the whole thing (5 nights / 6 days for us).
4. You could just do one chunk of it to try it out.
5. I can recommend places to stay if you want to credit card tour like we did (ie, not camp).
I'm such a pusher. Sorry.
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
Thanks for that, Kyle. I remember your posts, and it does sound inviting. The most I've done on my bike in one day was 17 miles, and my next goal is to do a 20 mile round-tripper. Baby steps!
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
You're getting there. Also, all miles are not created equal... On smooth-rolling ground that isn't more than a few% grade at most, you'd be surprised how far you can go. Bumps, and even short steep hills really take more out of you than you'd think.
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
I would agree with that. I've done a couple of 10-12 mile rides that gave me a serious workout. Our river rail trails often have short sections of ascent/descent, and some are definitely more challenging than others.
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
I thought the Pittsburgh-DC trip was going to push me into "uncomfortable / unhappy / death march" territory, and it really didn't. I was focused on the numbers before-hand... 65 miles, 72 miles, etc. The miles kinda flew past, almost all the time. And when they didn't, it was because we had rutts full of mud, which your bike would've chuckled at.
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tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
Another great ride today, 20 miles out-and-back on the Cranberry Tri-River Rail Trail in Nicholas County, WV. The trail follows or crosses 3 major rivers in the area, all of which are known for excellent fishing and/or whitewater activities. Great scenery, and I bet in Autumn it is stunning. Have to go back and see. Last 3 miles back were tough, as the trail climbs slightly as it follows the Cherry River upstream, and the trail had softened considerably on the way back as ice melted in the rapidly rising temperatures. My legs were noodles by then, but it was still an awesome ride. Don't know if I'll do 20 again, though. All with the X-T1 + Tokina 17mm 1:3.5. The bike and car are suitably filthy, so they go to the car wash in the morning.
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KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
Our rivers are high and gushing too. Sooooo much snow this year to melt.
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
The rivers were running strong yesterday, but not much snow to melt around here. Our mountainous areas had up to a foot recently, which fed the streams. You can see from the photos that the water was about as clean as it will be. However, check out the lower deck of the old bridge where the Cherry River meets the Gauley River. I don't know how recent that is, but that's a lot of water.
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tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
It is a sturdy ride, for sure. I'm not an aggressive rider, but I have taken it on a few trails that were fairly rugged.
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
Oh man - the tree litter up on the bridge... damn!
tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
Indeed. We had widespread major flooding last June, killing two dozen people around the state. Richwood, a town of about 2,000 about 6 miles from where I started this ride, was devastated by the Cherry River, which is the river you're seeing at my feet. Under the green bridge is the Gauley River. My guess is much of that debris is from that huge flood event, as our meteorologists like to call it.
KillRamsey
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Hood River, OR
- Name
- Kyle
Reminds me of what Hurricane Irene did to Vermont 5-ish years ago. NYC and Boston got all panicked by the early reports, and it came over as a mildly windy rain storm. "That's it?!" Then, it kept heading north with a lot of moisture yet to get rid of, and dumped it all on vertical, stoney Vermont. The soil couldn't absorb it, and it all ran downhill into the waiting riverbeds, which shot up 30 feet in a matter of hours, filled with tumbling boulders, cars, and house debris, and chainsawed their way along. Going in a straight line was ok, but when topography asked the river to turn, it wasn't happy about it. Worst one they got since the 1930s if memory serves.
