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A Cannonball Run Attempt to Bike from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington DC

I’m not exactly sure how or when we came up with the idea, but my friend Johnny X and I decided we were going to attempt a straight through pull from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, DC via The Great Allegheny Passage/ C and O Canal trails (GAPCO). It had been done before—I’d read about folks who had completed the trek …

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Biking the Blackwater Canyon

One of the most under-used trail resources in our little slice of countryside is the old railroad grade that descends down through the Blackwater Canyon from Thomas to Parsons, WV. We receive several visitors to the shop, as well as phone calls from folks interested in biking the Blackwater Canyon. Whether you are a single track junkie or a rail-trail …

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Bikepacking in West Virginia

What’s up with this bikepacking fad? We’ve had a few folks come through the shop looking for information on bikepacking. Is this a new phenomenon? The latest craze? The industry’s attempt to convince us we need yet another bike in the quiver? Well, whatever it is, it’s happening and bikepacking in West Virginia is about as good as it gets. Fortunately …

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Why Do You Do What You Do?

Every spring, my family and I take a trip to the beach in South Carolina for a week. Some years we happen to be there at the same time the PGA Golf Tournament is in town. I’ve never been a golfer, or been interested in watching a tournament on TV or in person. Therefore, I can’t relate to the thousands …

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Thoughts on the 7th Annual Canaan MTB Festival

I sat down and started writing my first blog entry for the newly launched Blackwater Bikes website (something our stellar marketing team said would be a good idea). They suggested the first entry should be a recap of the recently held 7th Annual Canaan Mountain Bike Festival. After drafting a few paragraphs, I realized my recap was just that—a plain narrative …