Originally Posted by
NomarsGirl
Probably stretching the limits of "metro Boston" here, but has anyone ridden in Acadia National Park? Thinking of taking a trip up there in June. Would my road bike be suitable on the carriage roads or would I be restricted to town and the Loop Road?
Ruby has 28 mm tires, but can take wider ones, though I can't find the specs to see what the limit is. Maybe if I put on 32 or 35 mm with some tread on them? The stock tires are pretty smooth. I should learn to change the tires anyway.
Metro-Boston/Downeast Division. Ridden there many times. We've ridden the tandem around the Park Loop Road, on some of the gravel carriage roads, and on some of the local town roads. I've also ridden the PLR and up Cadillac on nine different solo bikes (many with 23mm tires). The biking is great in spots and no so great in others.
The PLR surface is glass-smooth. No trucks, no winter plowing. Be aware it has some steep hills, and some longish hills, so low gears are your friend unless you are a TdF competitor. We're talking hills that hit 15% grade. About 3/4 of it is one-way. The two-way section can seem scary when cars go by and you are fatigued from grinding uphill with no pavement shoulder to speak of. But not so frightening as to make you not ride. The eastern side of the PLR is all one way and has one downhill that must hit 20%. You need brakes or you'll go around a 25mph turn at 35 and maybe pick up a speeding ticket.
Cadillac is a 3-mile grind uphill, also with minimal shoulder. Lots of traffic but it's still worth the effort, very rewarding when you reach the Blue Hill Overlook sign near the top. The ride down is awesome. You can ride both Cadillac and the PLR on any tires you wish.
Many of the carriage roads are designated biking roads with packed tiny-gravel surface. Lots of folks seemingly unused to bikes ride them on rental mtb's. You could ride them on 28's if youa re careful but 32's might be better. We have 32's on the tandem. IIRC I did some on 23's once. I confess I keep the tandem speeds down for fear of skidding out. The Eagle Lake and Witch Hole Pond loops are especially nice.
We tried riding rt 102 around the "quiet side" once. Went as far south as Southwest Harbor, turned around. The road at that time was in bad shape and it has lots of traffic. It's been repaved since then but we probably won't bother again. Other town roads are nice, mostly, probably easier on solo bikes than on a tandem. The sandy soil and heavy use make the shoulders break up easily on the really busy roads. The biggest problem with biking anywhere on MDI is that other than the PLR (which is only 19 miles IIRC) there are no satisfyingly long rides without having to deal with steep hill sections or busy traffic. Still, if you want to bike, by all means, do so. We are going up there again in a week or so and I will be taking a solo bike for another PLR/Cadillac ride. Probably take the '83 PFN-10. Or something else.