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Big bike trip help

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Monkeys, need your help and thoughts/ideas. My son's Boy Scout troop is doing the entire C&O canal trail as a week long bike/high adventure trip. My task as one of the leaders is logistics of moving 16-20 bikes/camping gear, etc everyday. Any guide/LBS monkeys have any idea how to make/buy/rig transport devices to put on trailers/vans to haul bikes? Any thoughts and help would be appreciated.

Mods: If this needs to be in another forum, sorry for the work load.
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
Funny you should ask...I'm going to support troop 2886 from Chester, VA this weekend on the section from Cumberland to PawPaw.

The last trip I went on went like this...

They pretty much stuff bikes in pickup beds and racks as they fit. They have a box trailer to haul the camping gear and kitchen.

Once you get there the bikes move themselves under the scouts down the trail. Other non riding adult chaperones shuttled the vehicles to the next location.

We stayed that trip at the Little Orleans campground. http://www.hereintown.net/~goodpeople/default.htm I highly recommend it as they have a large tent group camping area set aside from the other campers.

A couple of us have BOB bicycle trailers which are great for hauling gear down the trail.

If I don't freeze to death I'll let you know how this weekend went.

Mike
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Great! Any lessons learned would be great. Right now, we are planning on having a Ryder type small box van to haul bikes and tow our Troop box trailer w/ camping gear. They're going to shuttle from one campsite to the next and haul bikes from PA to Cumberland. We plan on having a 15 paasenger van to act as sag wagon with a hitch mount bike rack for emergencies.

I need ideas for a mounting/rack system for inside the box van.

I'll pass anything i get on if you're interested.

Good luck this weekend and stay warm.
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
My friend has a box trailer he uses to haul bikes. He uses eyebolts along the edge of the floor to attach tie down straps to. They are looped over the downtube and pulled taught to hold the bike down. The bikes are arranged herringbone fashion along the walls with moving blankets for padding in between them. I believe the Ryder truck should have some sort of tie down rail along the walls to attach straps to. I wish now I took pics of it. We had a lot of bikes in a 10 foot trailer.
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
I don't have any tips but the trip sounds awesome, I would have loved that as a kid / scout. When is the trip?
I think our guys are doing a long trip in May.

Here's info on the trail....

http://bikewashington.org/canal/

Nothing technical. Fireroad never more than 1% grade. But the views are awesome. You can just cruise along on your bike and take it all in. The PawPaw tunnel is really cool too.
 

brungeman

I give a shirt
Jan 17, 2006
5,170
0
da Burgh
I would think that you could build a quick rig to mount on a small trailer like the ones they use down at SnowShoe for shuttling?!?


sounds awesome! I have some folks that come into the bike shop from time to time who do the ride from here in Pittsburgh down to DC... it ends up being a great ride from what I hear! :thumb:
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Our trip is at the end of July and the humidity will suck, but the views are indeed great. The best part is some of these kids just started riding bikes to train for this and they are 13-14 years old! We have a Troop tracker to log miles and we're doing 3 15 mile trips locally, along historic paths and parks (Valley Forge, Washington's Crossing on the Delaware) and a few 25 milers and a 50 miler from the Lehigh Valley down to the art museum in Philly, all to prep for the 4 days worth of riding. So far, the 6 adults going, all over 30 have the kids out mileaged by 3 to 1 but it's cool to see them getting jazzed up about biking. I told them that if all 14 kids going could out mileage me by July 4th, I'd do the whole 100 plus mile trip on my DH rig! Hoping to get the LBSs to help out with bike inspections/tunes and get some corporate sponsors to get the crew some custom cycling jerseys. I'll keep up the details. thanks for all the advice...
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
I'm not a scout or a scout leader. I figure that since many scouts have earned Eagle on our trail projects this would be a cool way to give back and help them earn their cycling badge.

Yeah the first trip we did was in August. 100% humidity. It was the most miserable night I spent camping. I just had to resign myself to be soaked for the weekend.

This weekend is shaping up to be one of the coldest I've ever spent camping. I did a lot of winter camping in Western New York when I was younger.
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
I think our guys are doing a long trip in May.

Here's info on the trail....

http://bikewashington.org/canal/
Yep, been there done that.

I live in Annapolis, MD. My wife and I drive up a couple of times a year to Harper's Ferry and do day trips towing the Burley Solo with the boy in it. Some time this spring I'd like to borrow a BOB and do an overnight out and back. If that goes well, we might consider doing the whole thing.
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Wow, awesome pics! Looks like a good ride, even though a bit cold. We had an outdoor event this weekend too and it was cold!

Thanks for the trailer picture, that's looking like a good way to haul the bikes.
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
You're welcome and it seemed to work fine.

BTW we covered the segment from Cumberland to PawPaw and jumped to Hancock, MD and rode to Williamsport. About 25 miles each day.

The troop camped out in a park in Hancock. I chose the Super 8 there. (I was there for tech support not chaperone :p)