Epicus07

There are a few dirt/gravel old railroad bike paths in my state. Each about 130 miles long. I really want to load up some bikes with camping gear and take some time to ride across them.

I currently have a cross check that i'm thinking will work if I swap out the tires for some wide knobbies. I'm wondering if my double will cause my knees too much hurt though.

Second, my girlfriend will need a bike and i'm considering buying her a mountain bike for the trip.

Should i look for a steel frame without suspension? or get one with front shocks and just really tighten them up.

The last time i had a mountain bike with front shocks it felt like ALL of my energy went into the shock rather than movement. I also ended up breaking my collar bone so even the word "mountain bike" makes my shoulder hurt

thoughts? recommendations?

rodar y rodar

There`s only one way to find out
Seriously, you`ll probably get a lot of good input on this one- take notes, but remember that nobody else is going to have direct experience with the combination of your knees, your roads, and your bike. It`s definitely worth a try IMO.

Steel, aluminum, full suspension, front suspension...
vanilla, strawberry, Ford, Toyota, Verizon, film, digital...

LeeG

if these are paths that trains ran on the incline won't be enough to warrant ultra low gears. Get the fattest tires you can and go for it.

rodar y rodar

Oh, I hadn`t noticed that he was talking about rails to trails stuff- yeah, should be no problem with a compact double.

indyfabz

[QUOTE=Epicus07;10858341]I currently have a cross check that i'm thinking will work if I swap out the tires for some wide knobbies.QUOTE]

If you will be riding on crushed limestone or a similar smooth surface you won;t even need knobbies. I have taken my LHT fully loaded on unpaved surfaces like that with whatever size tires came on the bike. Conti Top Contact or something like that. Probably 37c.

electrik

Fat tires, 2.35(55) will gobble up gravel road ... but you must run them at a reasonable psi to get the benefits.

cyccommute 

The grade depends on the location. Here in Colorado we have some that are 5% sustained and, because the line owner hired the cheapest engineers he could find, the grade in one spot is pushing 6.5% pretty hard. Add to that the fact that the roads are dirt and many of them over 10,000 feet and the low gears are a blessing. For the very highest ones (I've been up to 13,000 feet on a rail bed), a mountain bike is almost required since the roads get weathered out easily. But that's Colorado.

I've done others in Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, (eastern) Colorado, New Hampshire, as well as a few other states I can't recall right now, and those were all very flat and easy on a regular touring bike. Even with panniers. They are a good place to ride and can take you to some very cool places.

I'd suggest you load the bike like you would for a tour...60/40 front-to-rear load split. Fenders may or may not be called for. Fenders are okay if it rains but can get clogged with mud if the surface is dicey. Don't worry about the fenders protecting you drivetrain because they won't. You'll get all kinds of dirt and dust on you and the bike. I'd also suggest not using a gloppy thick lubricant. That just attracts the dust and makes maintenance worse. Dry lube is best in dusty conditions.

rideon7

I'm gearing up now for off-road touring in the high desert country (it's really more like steppe) of Central Washington during the summer. I'll be using my hard-tail mountain bike with a lock-out front compression fork. I use my mtb for commuting so am switching the tires over to Specialized Fast Trak LK armadillos for the summer trips (lots of goat heads--thistle weed--where I ride). I like to travel ultralight and rain during the summer here shouldn't be a problem. A main focus will be how to pack enough water, or get accustomed to using a lot less than usual. Also will take an MSR e-wing shelter with me. Put it up in the hottest part of the day for shade to keep from cookin' my brains. My goal is to get off the beaten path and have some peace and quiet.

sunset1123

I've never had a problem on rail trails or fire roads on any bike, and that includes the fixie that I couldn't run tires wider than 28mm on. Now, you've got to be the judge of your surface conditions... and for anything REALLY loose, you are going to want to run a wider tire, or run fixed... but most of the time a 32-35 will be sufficient for this type of trail assuming you've got your bike handling skills in order.

One caveat: if you were carrying a heavy load, 38mm hybrid tires might be the way to go. 700x38 is almost mountain bike territory.

The cross-check will accommodate all of the above. The compact up front is all you... no one here knows how strong a rider you are. Surface isn't going to matter much, but steepness will. Chances are, as has been mentioned, it won't be a problem. Two riders means sharing the load.

I'd stick with the cross-check or something similar. Mountain bikes are wasted on fire roads and rail trails... get one if only if she wants to go play in the rocks.

Epicus07

She currently has a steel allez which probably doesnt have clearance for wider tires. I just figured a used steel hardtail would be the cheapest functional option for her.

hopperja

Add a triple to your Cross Check. I added a Salsa 26t small chain ring to my Cross Check, changed the front derailleur to a wide range XT, and changed the rear cassette to a SRAM 11x32.

VT_Speed_TR

Would help if we knew which trails/the area you plan on riding. For your own happiness, do whatever you have to to make sure your GF has the right bike & gear. That's not the place to scrimp :-)

RWBlue01

+1

I have never been on a true rails to trails that isn't paved. If it is paved, use a road bike. If it is like the state forest roads or the C&O Towpath, I suggest a mountain bike.

I have very little use for MT. bikes which do not have front shock w/ lockout and hard tail. It doesn't add the weight you would get with a full suspension bicycle. It allows you to unlock the front shock if you encounter an area that has been washed out, washboarded, or just bad. I would suggest ditching the knobblies for something less aggressive.

Good luck whatever you do.

cyccommute 

You need to get out more Except for the trail through Burlington, VT and a couple of trails here in Colorado, I can't think of many that I've been on that were paved. Outside of Burlington proper, the pavement (Causeway Trail) goes away.

I agree with your ideas on mountain bike, however, most of the rail trails I've been on are very well maintained and easily ridden on a touring bike. The Katy Trail and Steamboat Trace as well as the Causeway Trail would be easy to ride on a road bike. Even the Michelson Trail in So. Dakota is road bike friendly.

I have been on old rail beds in Colorado that require a mountain bike but those aren't designated recreational trails. Most of them are dirt roads that follow the rail alignment and are a different beasty all together.

electrik

Actually a larger wheel is more comfortable on dirt roads... So in terms of a mountain bike.. maybe a 29r or "monster cross" 700c cross/tour bicycle like salso fargo.

VT_Speed_TR

+1 on the Salsa Fargo. I love mine and its been great on forest service roads as well as some mild singletrack.

mijome07

Well done.

cyccommute 

Depends on the person's size. For women, 29ers have more warts then they do for men. Standover height is greater so it's more difficult to fit the average woman on a 29er. Salsa's own fit chart only goes down to 5'3" for women on their smallest frame. That's just below the average height for women in the US.

The larger wheel also means pushing taller gears which may be difficult for smaller women with lower muscle mass. The 29er weighs more which brings us back to the lower muscle mass problem.

For women riders...and remember the question was about women...the Surly LHT would probably be a better choice than the Fargo.

truman

The Fargo is for taking heavy loads over very rough terrain, like singletrack.
The Salsa Vaya is for light loads and doubletrack. Also the two smallest sizes of Vaya come with 26" wheels.

I built up a new Vaya last night. I leave for a mixed-surface tour to the coast this Saturday.



I've got some 42mm tires for the dirt portions of the trip.

Epicus07

These are the two trails we're looking at trying first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Plateau_Trail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Horse_State_Park

I have no doubt that my Surly could handle these with some wider tires.
I need the cheapest option for my girlfriend because i can't afford to buy her a really nice bike after buying her a new 10 speed group and Aksiums last month. I really have my doubts that her steel allez w/ 25 mm tires would do that well.

I understand that mountain bike is over kill but there are decent old steel hard tails for like $150. What other options do we have?

Thanks

electrik

Maybe i'll be verbose and add a disclaimer that if the bicycle fits and is geared properly. There!

The comfort I am speaking to is the benefit given by the larger diameter wheels due to the shallow angle of attack given by a larger wheel making it able to smoothly roll over small rocks and bumps. Such gravel and bumps are very common on dirt roads, therefore i suspect it is of benefit to try to keep a 700c wheel.

cyccommute 

The volume and pressure of the tire is going to have much more influence on ride quality than the size of the wheel especially on dirt roads, which are rather smooth compared to single track riding. I doubt that anyone would notice the difference. The gearing difference is significant, however. A 36/20 700C wheel with a 38mm tire is a 49" gear. A 36/20 26" with a 1.5" tire is a 44" gear. There is also a weight difference to contend with. A comparable 700C wheel/tire combination will weigh significantly more than a 26" wheel/tire combination. Given the lighter musculature of women, the higher gear and higher weight would outweigh any advantage in ride comfort. Since it would take more energy and power to spin the 700C at a higher speed and higher speed is needed for a smoother ride on a slightly rough surface (if you don't believe me, try riding slowly over a rough surface and fast over the same surface), the 700C system would be a disadvantage for a smaller, lighter, somewhat weaker rider.

I would suggest,Epicus07, that you look for a mountain bike in your girlfriends size. If the bike has a threadless headset, you easily swap a suspension fork for 26" rigid fork. 26" rigid forks are available fairly cheaply just about anywhere. I'd suggest looking for an aluminum bike since those are more readily available than steel mountain bikes are. There's nothing wrong with aluminum, no matter what people might think.

electrik

Did i hear you not saying that large wheels don't roll smoother? Haha. Those other things are adjustable.. tire width, psi, gearing, etc. We don't even know if his girlfriend has gear problems(due to her delicate nature, hah) or fit issues?

rodar y rodar

That sounds like an old mtb to me. Overkill or not, rigid mtbs can be set up in so many ways that the versitility is unbeatable and so is the price. If she wants suspension, that`ll do it too- just make sure to look for a 1.125 threaded HT like Cyco said in order to keep things easy. I`m a huge fan of $100 used mtbs.

sunset1123

Rigid. Steel. Singlespeed.

Looks like the right kind of territory... and they can be had cheap as well as very nice. KHS, Redline, Surly, etc. all make them in both 26" and 29" wheel sizes.

I'll plug the Redline Monocog, it was one of the best bikes I ever owned, period. Rode the crap out of it on road, trail, and gnarly rocky singletrack for 3 years for less than $400. The kind of bike that you can watch go over a cliff, hike down, get on, and keep riding. Never once had to adjust anything other than tire pressure.