Ben Beckerich Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Looking at doing a or some road bike rides up the mountain this summer. I'm assuming Cloud Cap is at least partially, if not wholly, gravel? Anybody have any opinions on HOW gravelly? Would 25mm Pave tires at low PSI handle it....? Is it generally hard-pack, or freshly/loosely gravelled gravel suitable only for car and maybe fatbike knobby tires? Etc.. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christophbenells Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 its a rutted out dirt road with big water barrier bumps. would be fun on a mountain bike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Beckerich Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Rutted out is fine, if it's dry hard packed dirt. This sounds doable. Any chance anyone happens to have a representative picture or two of the road? I've been goggling, but it appears people don't generally stop to take pictures of the road when they go up to Cloud Cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Think - potholes. BAD potholes that cripple subbies. I bet the TJ cabin trail is more enjoyable as a mtn bike venture and I bet it is snow free now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 kee-rist, i miss that shirt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Major Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Ben, road bike would never handle that road. It has large and sharp rocks mixed with ruts and water runoff bumps. Mountain bike definitely suitable though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain royo Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 (edited) I rode the Cloud Cap road in Oct 2010 on my steel road bike with 28mm tires and 36 spoke wheels. We were on a four day tour from Portland and rode from Hood River to the Tilly Jane cabin where we spent the night. I went with a friend who rode a Surly Steamroller with 32mm tires and jury-rigged 1x5 gearing. My friend was admittedly a little crazy to go up there on that bike. He did fine though. With low enough gearing- I was at 34-27 and wanted lower at times- it was fine, if slow going with a light touring load, including sleeping bag, clothes, food for three days, spares/tools etc. All a mixture of loose gravel, hardpack, rocks, ruts etc. We were also lucky in that the road had a few days to dry out before we went up there. I could imagine it being very different (in a bad way) during or after some rain. 25mm tires might be not very fun, especially on the descent, but if you are experienced on rough loose gravel roads and willing to take it very very slow I would say it is possible. It would be worth it to go larger tires if your frame could fit them. This is all qualified by the fact that I haven't been up there since 2010 so not sure if the conditions have changed since then- which is possible since there is a large burn area there that would presumably accelerate erosion of the road. Edited April 27, 2015 by mountain royo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Beckerich Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 Well, it would be a challenge, if nothing else. Vittoria Paves come in a 27mm variety, but I just don't know if the bike would take 'em... the 25s already rub a little in hard turns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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