So my wife and I are really digging riding our new-to-us tandem bike since we picked it up in mid-December. Since we have found it to be such a great activity I'd like to take it to the next level and do a mini-tour on it. Since the bike is heavy and rolls on 2"+ tires our advantage will be riding semi-flat and semi-paved trail vs. the more traditional road type touring. I've decided the C & O Canal Path would be fun to ride. and it isn't too far from our house.
We still have quite a bit of training left to do before we'd be ready for something like this but I think we could be ready by later in the summer or fall. Right now the rough plan would be-
◘ Ride Columbia to DC since DC is closer to our house and should be easier to get a ride back to our house from. I have not really worked out exactly how we will get our bodies and bikes to the trail head yet. The big problem is that we plan to take the tandem and so it isn't as simple as taking a cab or having a friend in a car drop us off.
◘ We'll take 4 days. This seems like a good mix of putting in miles but also having time for possible side trips and general lallygagging.
◘ In all likelihood we'd be staying in hotels or B&B's since we don't already own much backpacking equipment and our 'car camping' stuff is too heavy.
◘ The bike is a Cignal Melbourne Express. It has 2"+ tires and 48 spoke wheels. We've upgraded the saddles, seatposts, added barends, and replaced the rear axle with a stronger one. Before a tour like this we'd likely add a rear rack and possibly some fenders.
Has anyone ever done this or a similar "rail-trail" tour? Got any advice for me as far as training, planning, or riding?
We still have quite a bit of training left to do before we'd be ready for something like this but I think we could be ready by later in the summer or fall. Right now the rough plan would be-
◘ Ride Columbia to DC since DC is closer to our house and should be easier to get a ride back to our house from. I have not really worked out exactly how we will get our bodies and bikes to the trail head yet. The big problem is that we plan to take the tandem and so it isn't as simple as taking a cab or having a friend in a car drop us off.
◘ We'll take 4 days. This seems like a good mix of putting in miles but also having time for possible side trips and general lallygagging.
◘ In all likelihood we'd be staying in hotels or B&B's since we don't already own much backpacking equipment and our 'car camping' stuff is too heavy.
◘ The bike is a Cignal Melbourne Express. It has 2"+ tires and 48 spoke wheels. We've upgraded the saddles, seatposts, added barends, and replaced the rear axle with a stronger one. Before a tour like this we'd likely add a rear rack and possibly some fenders.
Has anyone ever done this or a similar "rail-trail" tour? Got any advice for me as far as training, planning, or riding?