Waynesville Tour Bike Suggestions:

The basic idea of this trip is a semi-supported multi-day tour.  The “supported” part means we recruit a few folks to drive motor vehicles that carry the luggage.  That means we don’t have to pack the whole load ourselves.  That means we can ride lighter bikes, with only the minimal gear needed on the road that day.

 Why minimal gear?  Well, we don’t want the support vehicles to shadow us all the way.  Support drivers will be free to travel on their own.  They would meet us at a pre-arranged lunch stop, and at the overnight rally points.  Otherwise, they can play tourist, and we can ride.

Without the support vehicles riding in close support, we will need to carry the daily essentials.  That means rain jackets, minimal tools and spares, cash, and little else.

That all adds up to a much lighter bike requirement.  I would actually recommend riding something that is pretty light.  Each day’s legs are only about 65 miles long.  So absolute comfort is not essential, and carrying capacity is not a priority.

What I would recommend, strongly, is something with good climbing gears.

The first day, from here to Dahlonega, with a trip through Atlanta on MARTA, will be surprising.  Locally, it’s not too hilly.  From the north side of Atlanta, through Cumming, and on up to Dahlonega, is mostly up hill.  The last leg, up Auraria Rd, and into Dahlonega itself, almost measures as a “gap climb.”  A good low gear, something that yeilds a ratio of 1 to 1.2 would be a great idea for this trip.

That ratio can be obtained with a 39 tooth chainring and a 32 tooth low gear on the cassette.  Or a “compact double” with a 34T chainring and a 27T low on the cassette.

You will want some higher gears too, but they won’t be essential.

On the other hand, you’ll want to be riding a rig that descends well.  Trust me, part of this trip, the “payoff” is some of the finest, most prolonged, quality descending available east of the Mississippi.

Yee!  Haw!!