The GAP

I am seriously considering riding the GAP this October with Kmehrzad, and perhaps someone else from TE. I do understand that it is crushed limestone, and I need to find some limestone to ride on to see what I think of it. I've heard of an appropriate trail in Ohio that is 20 miles or so in length that would likely give me an idea.

I do have arthritic hands - have other ridden this trail with the same problem? Of course I would have a steel bike - probably my LHT, but am wondering what it might do to my hands to ride so far on limestone - so it would be quite interesting to read experiences of those who have gone before me :D

I thought maybe you needed panniers or a trailer for a trip to the mall.
;)

Have you thought about riding the Canal Tow Path in Indy? It's crushed limestone--or at least I think is.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Have you thought about riding the Canal Tow Path in Indy? It's crushed limestone--or at least I think is.

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Thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten about the Tow Path - it will be a good first test. I still want to check out the trail in Ohio as it is longer and will give me an even better idea.

I ride crushed limestone with my steel Trek 520... on my commute and I do not think you will have any issues. It is actually a pretty smooth ride and the steel soaks up any bumps. The only time it is a bit more bumpy is after a big rain.

I can actually cruise pretty fast on the limestone section of our MUP. The only thing with this surface type is all the whitish dust the bike collects. It gets pretty dirty so , I find myself cleaning the bike and drivetrain a lot. If you have fenders it will cut down on the dust though.

Let us know how the test ride goes... Sounds like a great ride if you decide to go.

Catrin- Are you talking about the Ohio & Erie Towpath up near Cleveland that's crushed limestone?

http://www.ohiobikeways.net/erietowpath.htm

sounds like a fun ride!!

Shannon

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Originally Posted by Roadtrip

Catrin- Are you talking about the Ohio & Erie Towpath up near Cleveland that's crushed limestone?

http://www.ohiobikeways.net/erietowpath.htm

sounds like a fun ride!!

Shannon

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I am talking about the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) - more information here :)

I think Roadtrip was wondering which trail in Ohio--you reference one in your OP--you were thinking about practicing on to get a feel for riding on crushed limestone.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

I think Roadtrip was wondering which trail in Ohio--you reference one in your OP--you were thinking about practicing on to get a feel for riding on crushed limestone.

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Ohhh, I misunderstood - not enough coffee yet today :) I will have to check with my trainer, but I think there is a crushed limestone trail in Chillicothe State Park - Scotio Valley? I will double-check with him about the location - it is much closer to me than the Erie path.

The Canal Tow Path in Indy appears to be 5 miles long - so I will ride that a couple of times to see how it feels before I go anywhere else.

As much as I want to ride today - I am taking the day off. I've had three days of being on bike or spinning bike and then I spent all that time yesterday biking (for a short time) or hiking on gravel trails - my legs need a break. They actually feel fine - but am trying to learn better habits. No more than 3 days in a row :o

This afternoon I am going to go FIND the Tow Path here in town and figure out where I will park and perhaps walk a bit of it to see what the surface is like. It has got to be much easier than that gravel road I was on yesterday ;)

You can park at the art museum, along Westfield (near Illinois) or in Braod Ripple. The path is easy to access and easy to ride. It does get crowdedd during peak hours though.

Crushed limestone is a pretty easy surface to ride on except, perhaps, when it rains. I doubt you'll have any problem with it, either in terms of handling or your hands.

As for deep gravel (as you asked about in another thread), that's tougher as it can give anybody fits. I'd suggest getting comfortable first with crushed limestone and dirt before giving gravel another go. I'm sort of in your shoes in this regard as I've yet to learn much about MTBing. That said, I anticipate that MTBing will help me learn to move around the bike better, which would likely help on a road surface like gravel.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

You can park at the art museum, along Westfield (near Illinois) or in Braod Ripple. The path is easy to access and easy to ride. It does get crowdedd during peak hours though.

Crushed limestone is a pretty easy surface to ride on except, perhaps, when it rains. I doubt you'll have any problem with it, either in terms of handling or your hands.

As for deep gravel (as you asked about in another thread), that's tougher as it can give anybody fits. I'd suggest getting comfortable first with crushed limestone and dirt before giving gravel another go. I'm sort of in your shoes in this regard as I've yet to learn much about MTBing. That said, I anticipate that MTBing will help me learn to move around the bike better, which would likely help on a road surface like gravel.

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Thanks for the parking tip Indy, I really wasn't sure where to access the path but was going to look at maps in the office tomorrow. I think this would be a great early Saturday morning activity... I need to do this soon to get over it in my head. After my very tiny gravel experience yesterday I am more confident about it ;)

Your advice about starting with crushed limestone and dirt sounds spot on... I didn't intend to try and ride deep gravel yesterday, it just kind of worked out that way. I am getting way excited about the clinic!

The GAP is actually a very well-maintained and fairly smooth (for limestone) path. Dusty, as someone said, but a nice surface for 1.25-1.5 inch tires. A heavy rain could give it some rills, but a light rains is just soaked up by the crushed stone. I rode it a few years ago. The grading is so gradual you'll hardly notice the uphill to the divide heading east, though you get a nice downhill run after the divide.

Awesome! My little taste of gravel the other day tells me that crushed limestone shouldn't present any problems although I still want to practice in it...err....ON it ;)