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Reply to Shuttle with a 3 wheel recumbent


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Reply to Shuttle with a 3 wheel recumbent
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3wheeler from Aggieland on 6/28/2019 10:51:23 PM:
My husband and I are biking the GAP in mid July, from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. He has a 3 wheel recumbent and I have a surly. We are camping along the way. The problem we have is how to get our bikes/selves back to Pittsburgh after we arrive in Cumberland. We've considered the train, but it arrives in Pittsburg around midnight. We would then need to ride our bikes back to where our car is parked, hopefully along/near the trial, and the train station seems like a sketchy part of town, especially at midnight.
I guess my question is this: what's the best way to park at one end, get a ride back to the GAP, so that you can finish where you parked your can? Oh, "budget" seems to guide our decision too. Trying to do it on the cheap side if possible.
Any references or services would be appreciated.

 
charles from pittsburgh on 6/29/2019 4:02:30 PM:
we use get out and play to bring 15 people back to pgh they have a trailer and vans maybe you could get a ride back with other bikers and split the cost . as for parking in pgh you leave car at the station or bus station across the street from Amtrak. my be you rent a van and put bikes inside . you can leave car at train station take train to cumberland and bike back . the only thing is you will have to bike up a 12 mile hill to frostburg first but from there it down hill to pgh

 
Rivnuts from Homestead, PA on 6/29/2019 11:04:45 PM:
I don't have a definitive answer to your question but here are some options and observations.

1. I'm not certain how/whether a 3-wheel recumbent can be loaded on the Amtrak Capital Limited. The bike cars appear to be equipped to hang 2-wheel bikes. In multiple trips on that route, if not seen a recumbent in the bike cars. I'd check with a knowledgeable Amtrak representative to determine whether or not they can accommodate a 3-wheel recumbent.
2. Shuttles back from Cumberland to Pittsburgh are rather expensive given their normal "per person" pricing that I've seen. A one-way van or SUV rental may be a less expensive and more flexible option for more than one person and their bikes.
3. When riding from Cumberland to Pittsburgh, Frostburg is closer to 16 miles up the hill from the start of the GAP in Cumberland. Further, the GAP continues uphill from Frostburg to the Eastern Continental Divide some 23 miles from the start at Cumberland. The grade is not steep given it is/was a rail line but it is a continuous uphill trek.

 
Pat Ness from Greencastle on 7/2/2019 1:07:18 PM:
Hello. We just finished the thru ride from Pittsburgh to DC this past friday....awesome. we did take the Amtrak back from DC to Pittsburgh on the Capitol limited. Our storage car had no racks at all... had to lay the bikes flat. No idea whether Amtrak can say what type of car you may have for your bikes, but this was just an open space, so a recumbent would have fit fine.

Additionally, you mention budget is a concern, but the Hampton, although a bit pricey, is about 2 blocks from the train station when you return, and takes 5 minutes or less to ride to upon returning. Also, if you stay there when you leave, your car can stay for free while you are gone. We were gone 8 days, and car was looked after and fine. Most, if not all other hotels in the immediate area charge for parking.

Just some more info for your planning