tcarl

martialman.45: I've always felt that for the same amount of effort I'm riding 3-4 mph slower on the Katy than on pavement. It really depends on how smooth the trail is. Well-worn (heavily used) areas (such as St. Charles - Augusta and Jefferson City - Rocheport) when dry will be faster. Less used sections are rougher and therefore (much) slower. If wet, as from rain, very much slower. When soggy from snow melt, unrideably. I can agree with the previous poster, take it slower and enjoy the scenery, but if you wish to push it fast, you can do it. I like wider, lower pressure tires (like cyclocross tires). I think they do well for that type of surface, and you can pump them up harder if you want a fast ride. For reference, on my cyclecross bike with 700x32 cyclocross tubulars at 65-75 lbs pressure I can comfortably ride the well-worn/smooth sections at 14 mph, and if I really want to push it can hold 18. Last year on a 4 day St. Charles - Sedalia trip with a fully loaded touring bike with 700x38 tires at 70 lbs pressure I rode in the 11-16 mph range on the smooth parts depending on whether I had a head or tail wind, and 9-13 mph, depending on the wind, on the rougher parts (such as Hermann-Jefferson City).