Bents & the Trans Canada Trail

Hi Andrew When are you planning your ride on the TCT? If you
use Google, just type in Trans-Canada Trail and pages of
info sites appear. I thought about the rail trails, but from
what I have seen a tadpole would never survive and the minds
who develped these trails put steel posts up too narrow for
a trike (supposed to block cars and ATVs). Someone did ride
the 6005 Km route on a bent in 13 days, but I cannot find
much info on that ride/

Joshua
******

"Around Australia Recumbent Style"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9gzzc.28094$sj4.6140@news-
server.bigpond.net.au...

Quoted message said:

Hi fellow bentee's.

I am wondering if anyone out there has ridden a recumbent
down the Trans Canada Trail? If so, is there anywhere I
can read about your experiences?

I am thinking of a cross Canada and USA trip on a SWB and
thought the TCT would be a bit of fun. From what I can
find, the trail appears to have

some

Quoted message said:

mountain bike bits but also a fair bit of bike path,
country road and highway stuff in it, so it could be fun
to have a go at.

All replies welcome.

regards

Andrew

geocities.comCycleTouring.htmlOpen ↗

My son and I regularly ride or tadpoles on the Georgian Trail (or Oro
Medonte trail) which are both sub trails off of the TCT, according to the
maps I've read. Right now we mainly do excursions from Barrie north to
Orillia and are slowly building up the mileage and distance. Time is not
our friend at night 🙂

As for the trail, it is covered in crushed limestone and is
more than wide enough to ride side by side on the trikes.
It's definitely wide enough for a vehicle to drive down but
has posts at most of the major road-crossings to prevent
this. In the vast majority of areas the trail is packed very
well and easy to ride on with road tires (not to be confused
with road bikes 🙂). It is not rough at all and there is
only the very occasional spot where the gravel is a little
loose and difficult to ride through but they are all mainly
limited to very short sections (like 10 or 20 feet). In my
rather low state of fitness, it is very easy to maintain a
20kph cruise rate indefinitely and on many parts we average
25 to 30kph and definitely higher when we are pushing it.
The blocking posts are more than wide enough to allow a
trike to go through or around them and while we ride, we
remove pieces of [censored], rocks or other debris that find their
way onto the trails. We've honed our skill to the point we
can reach down and grab them as we drive by at about a 20 to
25kph cruise speed. The path is relatively straight and has
very gradual uphill and downhill sections due to the train's
grade requirements.

There is another section of rail bed that was converted to
bike path on the west side of the 400/hwy 11 that runs north
south as well. From where, to where, not sure, but I am told
it is in similar condition to the stretch between Barrie and
Orillia. I'm not sure how many sections of TCT are like the
rail trails in our area, but they are more than capable of
being ridden with trikes and bents. Even road bikes could
easily ride on most parts if they don't have the ultra
narrow tires.

"Around Australia Recumbent Style"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9gzzc.28094$sj4.6140@news-
server.bigpond.net.au...

Quoted message said:

Hi fellow bentee's.

I am wondering if anyone out there has ridden a recumbent
down the Trans Canada Trail? If so, is there anywhere I
can read about your experiences?

I am thinking of a cross Canada and USA trip on a SWB and
thought the TCT would be a bit of fun. From what I can
find, the trail appears to have

some

Quoted message said:

mountain bike bits but also a fair bit of bike path,
country road and highway stuff in it, so it could be fun
to have a go at.

All replies welcome.

regards

Andrew

geocities.comCycleTouring.htmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Around Australia Recumbent Style"
<[email hidden]> wrote: Hi fellow bentee's.
I am wondering if anyone out there has ridden a
recumbent down the Trans Canada Trail? If so, is there
anywhere I can read about your experiences? I am
thinking of a cross Canada and USA trip on a SWB and
thought the TCT would be a bit of fun. From what I can
find, the trail appears to have

some

Quoted message said:

mountain bike bits but also a fair bit of bike path,
country road and highway stuff in it, so it could be fun
to have a go at. All replies welcome. regards Andrew htt-
p://www.geocities.com/andrewhooker59/CycleTouring.html

I have ridden sections of the TCT in Ontario by trike.

It is important to point out that many sections are for
HIKING and not rideable by bike at all. Often there is *no
notation* of this at all. At one point I had ridden about
15km out of my way at sunset and then I was dumped off in
the woods in a section with boardwalks and about 130 steep
stairs with a " No Bicycles" sign. After cycling about 100km
loaded that day. I chose to carry by fully-loaded trike up
those stairs while being chewed alive by mosquitos. There
was no safe reasonable alternative.

Also there are sections on Lake Ontario that are beautiful,
but take you many many miles in patterns that take you
functionally no where. They are often scenic, but it can get
aggravating.

That said- it is easy to pick a nearby road and just skip
sections of the TCT.

Hi Jay

Are you aware of a bike trail from the East end of Toronto
to Port Hope. I had heard a few years ago a Lakeshore route
was planned, but I don't know if it was ever done.

There is a 30 mile SE rail trail from Lindsay to
Peterborough and Port Hope is just 30 miles SW of
Peterborough and I believe there is a trail part of that
route along the Gananaska River. Just seems retarded going
60 miles NE to Lidsay to then go 30 miles SE to Peterborough
and then 30 mile SW to Port Hope, when IF there was a
lakeshore route I can ride 90 miles due East.

Joshua
******

"Jay" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

/CycleTouring.html

I have ridden sections of the TCT in Ontario by trike.

It is important to point out that many sections are for
HIKING and not rideable by bike at all. Often there is *no
notation* of this at all. At

one

Quoted message said:

point I had ridden about 15km out of my way at sunset and
then I was

dumped

Quoted message said:

off in the woods in a section with boardwalks and about
130 steep stairs with a " No Bicycles" sign. After cycling
about 100km loaded that day. I chose to carry by

fully-loaded

Quoted message said:

trike up those stairs while being chewed alive by
mosquitos. There was no safe reasonable alternative.

Also there are sections on Lake Ontario that are
beautiful, but take you many many miles in patterns that
take you functionally no where. They are often scenic, but
it can get aggravating.

That said- it is easy to pick a nearby road and just skip
sections of the TCT.

Thanks everyone, as usual, all info worth the read. regards,

Andrew
geocities.comCycleTouring.htmlOpen ↗

"Around Australia Recumbent Style"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9gzzc.28094$sj4.6140@news-
server.bigpond.net.au...

Quoted message said:

Hi fellow bentee's.

I am wondering if anyone out there has ridden a recumbent
down the Trans Canada Trail? If so, is there anywhere I
can read about your experiences?

I am thinking of a cross Canada and USA trip on a SWB and
thought the TCT would be a bit of fun. From what I can
find, the trail appears to have

some

Quoted message said:

mountain bike bits but also a fair bit of bike path,
country road and highway stuff in it, so it could be fun
to have a go at.

All replies welcome.

regards

Andrew

geocities.comCycleTouring.htmlOpen ↗

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Around Australi
Hi fellow bentee's.

I am wondering if anyone out there has ridden a recumbent
down the Trans Canada Trail? If so, is there anywhere I can
read about your experiences?

I am thinking of a cross Canada and USA trip on a SWB and
thought the TCT would be a bit of fun. From what I can find,
the trail appears to have some mountain bike bits but also a
fair bit of bike path, country road and highway stuff in it,
so it could be fun to have a go at.

All replies welcome.

regards

Andrew

geocities.comCycleTouring.htmlOpen ↗

So far, the trans Canada trail seems to be nothing more than a whole lot of unconnected individual trails, all very rideable, but each running in a different direction, with no clear plan to link them together to make one path accross the country.
A few years back,when I was living in Elmira Ontario ( the place of my birth), The runners who were crossing the country carrying the water from the three oceans to officially open the trail came through with much ceremony and fanfare, opening our little piece of the trail which runs on the abandoned rail bed of the former Guelph to Goderich CPR line.
A couple of sections of this line have been converted to trails, and while designated part of the TCT, connect with nothing and end up nowhere.
I have ridden many trails around Ontario that would fit that same description. Nice place to go for a ride, but hardly part of a greater system.
Another problem with many of these trails is the narrow gates at access and crossing points. These are designed to keep out ATVs and other motorized vehicles, but they make it hard for people on trikes or for those that like to go for a ride and tow the young 'uns in a papoose caboose.
Anyway, those who drive ATVs can always find a way other than the gate to get on the trail, so I don't see the point of those overly restrictive gates.
I applaud those who have made the effort to achieve what exists so far, but much remains to be done if we are to see this dream become a reality.
Time for more of us to get involved.