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Majahonke on 7/13/2015 7:27:34 PM:
I'm planning to ride from Pittsburgh to DC in late Oct and have no experience with these trails. Would a LHT touring bike or Tarek hybrid be adequate or is a MTB required? Thank you.
 
John W. from Pittsburgh, PA on 7/13/2015 7:42:20 PM:
I think knobby mountain bike tires slow you down too much, forcing you to pedal and exert way too much on such a long and flat journey. Nor would I recommend really thin racing tires, they'll get gobbled up in the mud and ruts on the C&O. I have a Trek 7.3 FX hybrid and have seemed to found a happy medium that is perfect for the GAP/C&O. I use wider tires than a racing bike, but not as wide and knobby as MTB tires. Safe Travels!
 
Tom M from Raleigh NC on 7/14/2015 9:43:33 AM:
A LHT would be ideal for riding the GAP-C&O but the hybrid would be fine as well. Tires are your more important decision. I would recommend at least 32-35 mm tires with some tread, such as cyclocross tires. I've ridden the trails twice on touring bikes, once with Panaracer Pasela 32s and the other time with Clement LAS 35s, and the wider stance and tread of the Clements was preferable.
 
Majahonke from Western NY on 9/17/2015 5:40:48 PM:
I'm a little late but thanks for your input. Very reassuring. We'll be travelling the entire trail mid to late Oct.
 
KittySlayer on 9/18/2015 4:49:47 PM:
My wife road a stock Trek Neko hybrid she bought this summer for the trip. The only change we made was to use her regular saddle. She had the light load with sleeping bags and shoes in panniers.

I rode a cyclocross bike with 700x35 tires pulling a BOB trailer. Worked well for me but I am a roadie and am most comfortable on that geometry.

We road both the C&O and GAP in dry weather. Both bikes worked well for us. Without a load I might even ride my road bike on the GAP. Enjoy your trip.
 
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