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welcome to TE, please visit Sheldon Brown's website. You will learn oodles about tires, bikes, brakes, anything bike related. Sheldon (who died in the last year) was like a bike encyclopedia and his family keep his website up to help others.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com
Where in WV are you? My team recently did a training camp not too far into WV (very close to the VA border in chicken farm land), and we went to 1) ride the mountains, but 2) get some good backroads riding in too :). I love riding country roads. So long as the speed limit isn't 50mph+ with blind curves, I don't mind if there's no shoulders.
I've got friends in various parts of WV and one of my teammates is from the 'burgh. I might be able to get some training tips from them for you.
I'm wondering, too. My mom is from outside Clarksburg and there is no way I would ride the roads around my granny's farm. Way to narrow and cars that drive way to fast.
I'm from Morgantown, WV. You are right about the roads around here...they are treacherous in some areas. I love the rail trail, it's so peaceful, but it's also not very safe. Not counting the fact that I almost ran over a copperhead snake a couple weeks ago while riding by myself, but there are some unsavory people that sometimes lurk around and the trail once you get past Morgantown is not travelled very much. I have been harrassed before down there and quite frankly it's scary. I would actually rather take my chances on the roads than face whatever one of them would do to me. Like i said, the trail is beautiful and peaceful for the most part but there is literally nothing (houses, phones, cell phone doesn't work, little traffic) until you get to fairmont or morgantown. Now that I'm riding further, I'll be going even deeper into that. It's disconcerting. A partner or two would be great but if I can't then I guess I'll just have to plan a route that will take me past major areas where there are a lot of houses or businesses and make sure that my gf knows where I am. I do that anyway.
I'm really enjoying this forum.
Gray
Morgantown is one hilly place, but I've heard from the kids at WVU that there are some great roads to ride. WVU doesn't have a very big road club, but there's got to be some clubs out there you can contact for some road route info. I know the guy who's the head of the WVU club, and I'm sure you can look them up online (they have a pretty good, user-friendly website), and contact them about cycling in the area. I know they are involved in MTB riding and road riding (and maybe 'cross too).
We took our trip out to the itty bitty town of Mathias, and the traffic was very friendly even on the state highways (which had the best road surfaces and more manageable grades and room for climbing and descending.
I'd just advise to plan your route with some country stores along the way for refills and rest breaks, and that ensures you're going through at least a little bit of civilization.
Hi, GraysonKelly. I you mentioned the LBS mentioned a Specialized cyclocross bike, I bought one this year. I've had it since spring and LOVE it. I can ride the trails around there that go from paved to dirt. It's very comfortable and I've had a ton of fun with it this year. I bought the TriCross Sport. Check it out.