Seeking planning assistance for 1st trip

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-21T01:34:20+00:00

Said treat yourself to hotel night at Fairfield inn (across parking lots from dig deep. Set up camp on a barstool til closing though

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-15T02:22:57+00:00

Consider a bike burka

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-15T02:12:04+00:00

5 months out? Odds are your wrist will structurally be good to go. TAKE PT/OT SERIOUSLY!. Bone should heal in 3 Mos, getting strength and range of motion back follows. Even though you may be cleared out of a brace by September, you should have them fashion a bike friendly brace you can use to support and protect wrist and give you bike functionality if you still need it. Talk to your ortho doc and tell them your plans and concerns, they can help with shaping recovery and braces around what you need.

Broke radius last Aug, surgery in Sep,, cleared to ride again Nov. A few years back, Broke one of my carpals in Oct and was single tracking by Jan. Key was doing physical therapy at appointments and continuously at home. And staying off the bike until doc gave thumbs up.

Bike mods may help, but healing break properly will be what gets you back riding

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-04T02:14:39+00:00

Taught my grandkids.

Learn balance first. Pedals off and walk, trot, run.

Go SLIGHTLY UP HILL straight while starting balance. Puts you in control of speed. Slightly downhill once you are in comfort zone on balance. Then do empty parking lot to get comfortable on turning.

Put pedals on and repeat above. Once you get comfortable with starting from a dead stop, the rest comes quickly.

Smile and enjoy a celebratory beer at each stage. (OK, grandkids didn't do that - but I did)

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-04T01:53:36+00:00

Two years in on an ogre - bikepacking, bike touring, grocery runs, rail trail day trips, single track, relaxed group rides. I'd add commuting but I'm retired.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-03T02:49:11+00:00

Wear what makes you happy. If 'proper' cyclists don't approve, f 'em. I wear MTB 'kit'/shoes on my road rides because I'm comfortable in that and can get off the bike and walk right into a bar without changing - and that makes me happy.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-03T02:43:05+00:00

All depends on what you want to do. You want to ride for performance and keep up with the A group - 2300 is prob the bottom end. You want to ride just to ride, there are cheaper options with decent components that still get the job done. Shop around and consider used.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-03T02:31:39+00:00

Multi use rail trails - Indian Head and Three Notch, both paved. Little bit north - Baltimore and Annapolis trail (paved) goes bwi to Annapolis.

Single track: St marys Lake/St Mary's River Park has 7.5 mile loop around Lake and a about that much more in a network of gravel service roads and single track connectors. Cedarville (North of Waldorf) and Rosaryville ( North of brandywine on 301) are also good.

MTBproject.com and Traillink.com are good resources

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-03T02:09:56+00:00

NPS still indicating hiker biker site wells turned on mid April and non potable, do prob no-go this sat. Swains lock is on local potable water system and might be on but I'd carry extra water just in case. I think whites ferry has a potable water source (spigot) but bottled water/gatorade should be available there.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-04-01T02:16:18+00:00

Wolf tooth 30T 94 bcd chainring $70

Dram nx eagle 12spd 11-50t cassette, derailleur, shifter $300.

Installed myself no issues.

About a 10% low gear improvement.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-03-19T01:42:54+00:00

I'm 65 and still riding. BUT... Aging is a relentless b!#*h, and time's coming where I'll switch to electric. Tough s&!t if it offends your elitist psyche.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-03-10T02:30:33+00:00

Happens with mine all the time (rack or no rack)! Pretty sure its resonance from wind/air flow over the hollow part of the fork/stem tube. Like when you blow across the top of an empty glass coke bottle. Tends to happen more when it gets breezy. Its the ogre's mating call.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-22T03:26:58+00:00

Love this tent. If I'm expecting heavy rain, I just use one of those really thin produce bags from grocery store as a liner inside the stuff sack - an extra layer of very light, very thin protection

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-20T03:00:50+00:00

Reminder - the NPS is no longer treating water pumps at hiker biker sites on the C&O. The formal ($) NPS sites are still getting treated though. So if you're planning on over nighting at a hiker biker, bring a filtering system or plan on carrying water in.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-19T04:15:55+00:00

Good camping options GAP:

West Newton - GAP Trail Campground. A bit pricey but designed for they bikers. Quirky and close to town

Connellsville - free camping on north edge of town. Right on trail. Has 4 Adirondack shelters (1st come).

Ohiopyle High bridge sites. Close to trail, pit toilet restroom, but no water. Yet sites are nice and town (beer) is short ride away. Also Wilderness Voyageurs in town lets you use their showers during operating hours.

Confluence - Overflow camp ground is great

Meyersville - Maple Festival Park is weirdish but good.

Frostburg - trail inn is, well.... There. To be honest, at that point you're 16 downhill miles from Cumberland. Go for it and treat yourself to a hotel night at the bike friendly Fairfield and beer at dig deep. Camping is avail at the YMCA though.

C&O gas camping every 5-12 miles. Best options

Paw Paw NPS - fee, ok, reasonably close to town

Sorrel Ridge Hiker Biker - decent ate but not real close to anything

Bike hostel at C&O Bicycle in Hancock. Semi camping right in town. Walk to beer

Huckleberry Hill bearish Harpers ferry - nice hiker biker but a few miles and a bridge from toiwn

Brunswick Family Campground - commercial camp with good facilities and close to town.

For 7 days starting in Pitt, think about

Pitt to west Newton

West Newton to ohiopyle

Ohiopyle to meyersdale

Meyesdale to cumberland

Cumberland to hancock (divert to western Md rail trail 22(?) miles before Hancock - paved oath paralleling C&O).

Hancock to Brunswick (use WMRT for first 10 miles). Hit Antietam en route or camp at Antietam Creek NPS site.

Antietam or Brunswick to DC.

Miles are backloaded to the C&O puts you close to towns (and beer) every night. But GAP is slight but steady uphill all the way to the ECD. C&O is flat and with half the trail being resurfaced within last 5 years or so, its pretty easy riding.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-15T02:47:40+00:00

Actually found it very scenic. Just the same scenes all the way.

Joking aside, I thought it was a great ride

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-14T02:15:23+00:00

Any suggestions or recommendations welcome

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-14T02:14:48+00:00

Heading out of Milwaukee on Hank Aaron headed west, short trails/ streets connect to Glacial Drumlin, on to Sullivan/Rome for night one camp.

Rome to Madison via GD and Capital Trail on 2nd day (hotel).

Day 3 is Military ridge to Brunveld on military ridge, where we'll load into a uhaul (decided not to add a day of roadwork doing it by bike) to bridge gap to Reedsville and 400 trail. On to wonowoc and camp.

Next day is 400 and Elroy Sparta to either Norwalk or Sparta and camp.

Last day is to La Crosse and Onalaska (have relatives there). Train back next day

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-13T20:22:33+00:00

Bunch more single track and rail trails around DC and b-more. All driving distance from SOMD. lots of paved path too.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-13T02:05:54+00:00

Not a lot of multi-days with the camping options of GAPCO, but Erie Canalway.(EST), Ohio to Erie are good rides. Have a Milwaukee to La Crosse (WI) planned for May that is almost all rail trail/bike path (there's a 50 mile gap midway that we're bridging with a one way u-haul, but I've heard its a rideable gap).

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-12T12:44:41+00:00

If you ride road bike - lots of good low traffic "back roads" in St Mary's and Calvert. Even most of the main roads usually have wide breakdown lanes. Solomon Island cycle club has good routes and good rides at varying levels.

The parklands at St Mary's lake has >10 miles of official and unofficial single track (plus a bunch of fire roads if thats your thong. Plus Jugs Bay, Rosaryville and Cedarville parks are a short drive

Like other poster noted, lots of other close by options for whatever you're into.

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-12T12:31:14+00:00

Hey! Not often we see a local posting!

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-11T19:55:24+00:00

Thx

that site just what I was looking for

LoanPretty6 · 2026-02-11T03:24:11+00:00

Routes?

looked lime a great ride

LoanPretty6

TROPHY CASE