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Pittsburgh to DC with kids
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JDEcho from Minneapolis on 10/17/2012 1:38:12 PM:
Planning a trip next summer with my boys ages 10,12. Any thoughts or concerns on riding with kids? We are all in excellent riding shape and have proper gear and mechanical know how. I am concerned a bit with safety and trail conditions, especially on the C&O. My boys can easily ride 60 plus miles in a day, but that's on paved trails. I'd like to average 50 miles a day but feel that may be too much on non -paved trails. How rough or smooth is the C&O? Is it safe to travel with kids? Thanks, Joe
 
lenny on 10/17/2012 6:32:30 PM:
It's plenty safe, but 50/day for four days adds up. I have seen teenagers struggle at a little more milage than that. Are you camping? I think its a bit ambitious for the boys, but you know them best. You didn't say if you are doing the GAP as well. That makes it a little tougher. Good Luck
 
YellowBird from NJ on 10/17/2012 7:27:28 PM:
Just finished the C&O on 9/29. It varies quite a bit on the roughness scale. Some places hard-pack, relatively smooth ride for non-asphalt. Some places I was only doing 7-8 mph because of the roughness (stones, roots, ruts) and puddles/mud. Assume they'll be carrying packs too.. that is a factor in how fast you can/want to go. I think it's perfectly safe for your kids though.
 
Anonymous on 10/17/2012 8:16:39 PM:
The plan is to ride both the C and O and the Gap. They wouldn't be carrying anything other than water. I will be hauling everything on my XtraCycle. I am planning on bringing my ultra light tent just in case, but plan on staying at hotels etc every night. The ride is ambitious enough so we won't be camping on this trip. The roughness of the C and O is bothersome....
 
lenny on 10/18/2012 4:13:32 AM:
The C&O isn't that rough that you can't do 10 mph consistantly. My wife and I averaged 10.7 and did considerably more milage , we are in our late 50'S.
 
JDEcho from Minneapolis on 10/18/2012 11:06:12 AM:
10 mph pace is what I'd hope for. We're under no pressure to finish the whole trail but that's the plan the boys and I have. We'll be in 3 bikes with 3 different size tires, 700X32, 26X1.5, 26X1.75. Any issues with riding those street oriented tires on the C and O??

Thanks for all of the replies, Joe
 
lenny on 10/18/2012 4:09:04 PM:
700x32 is the thinnest I would run personally I run 35. The 26x tires are fine.
 
mcparsons from Iowa on 10/24/2012 8:57:17 PM:
Joe, I'm planning the same trip with my boys (11 & 15) next summer. It's our third year doing extended bike trips both on road and trail (first time on the GAP and C&O though). We haul our tent and all the gear - a trailer for me and panniers for the boys and the camping is a big part of the fun. My boys can do 60 or 70 miles loaded on the road. 50 miles on packed lime surface trail is about equivalent to that - pedaling on the softer trail surface is much more tiring. I usually plan around 40 miles a day but vary it based on the boy's attitude. We like to set up camp by 4 so they have time to goof off and wind down. This trip looks to have lots of great side trip opportunities like Antietam so we'll take our time.

Good luck. Maybe we'll see you there!

Marshall
 
mcparsons from Iowa on 10/24/2012 8:59:51 PM:
Oh, one more thing. My youngest has very narrow road tires on his little road bike. Handles the packed lime fine but make sure you have at least on spare since you can rip the lightweight tires up. 26's should be fine.
 
Joe from Minneapolis on 11/13/2012 9:02:02 PM:
Marshall, ideally I'd like for all three of us to be riding the same size tires and that could change I suppose. I am worried about the C and O being rough. My boys currently have both mountain bikes and street bikes. The mountain bikes are lighter than their street bikes but the street bikes have racks and fenders which I think would be good for this trip. I go back and forth on what bikes they should ride, my soon to be 12 year old is riding a 25 lb Schwinn Homegrown hard tail, my youngest is currently on a 24 inch Marin that I converted to a single speed. Their street bikes are rigid and are closer to 30 lbs. 5-10 lbs is a big deal over that distance. I just want our first endeavour in big mileage touring to be a good one, I'm probably I er thinking it. What part of the summer are you planning on riding the trail?
Joe
 
mcparsons from Iowa on 11/24/2012 2:36:02 PM:
Joe,

Agree it is best to have a single tire size to spare but hard to do with smaller kids bikes. Those tires can be hard to come by on the road too so you definitely want to have one of each. You won't need them, but if you do ...

Knobbly mountain bike tires take a lot more effort and won't provide any real advantage on packed lime trails. The kind they offer stock on hybrid bikes are a pretty good compromise. When we rode the KATY 2 years ago my 9 year old had a beat up mountain bike with smooth tires and he did fine. Whatever they ride should be what they are most comfortable on. I put racks on all so they can have a small pack with snacks and water and their own stuff. Water can be critical - I've been caught low before and it can get ugly fast.

Here is our journal from this summer's tour with some ideas on our load and on riding with kids.

We are waiting to figure out schedules, I'm hoping to make it in early/mid June but it could be anytime.

Marshall

 
mcparsons from Iowa on 11/25/2012 11:46:18 PM:
Oops. Looks like I can't post links. Our last year's journal is at crazyguyonabike com. Just look for mcparsons. Good luck.
 
Parkas from Alum Bridge we on 12/12/2012 10:13:45 AM:
We have done the Pitt/DC trip with my grandchildren 70 miles per day is difficult for 10 year old, 14 year old handles it fine. The light bike makes a lot of difference. Good luck! Will be out there again on fathers day weekend. Maybe we will see ya!
 
Joe from Minneapolis on 7/24/2013 4:59:29 PM:
I just want to thank everyone for their input on riding with my kids. As of 7-18 my boys and I completed our ride. We started in Connellsville to shorten the ride a bit but made the entire trip in 5 and half days on the trail. I rode a converted mtb with an Xtracycle attachment and 26X1.75 inch hybrid tires, my 12 yr old had a hybrid with 700X32's and my 10 yr old road a touring bike(drop bars etc) with 700X28's! We were warned on the trail that the C and O was wet so we purchased some 32's in Hancock for the touring bike but never installed them, didn't need them. Our average day was about 46 miles with a 67 mile push on the last day to make it to Georgetown a day earlier than planned. We did a mix of campgrounds, trailside sites and one night at a motel in Frostburg. Never had any issues, complaints, or break downs, period. Extremely happy and proud of the boys for taking on this endeavor, couldn't have gone any better.
 
lenny on 7/24/2013 7:17:15 PM:
Way to go Joe and boys. Brava
 
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