Hi Nick. I live in Franklin and I ride the trace and a lot of the backroads between Franklin and Nashville quite a bit. A lot of cyclists out this way. Especially on Saturday mornings! 96 has a nice wide shoulder. I prefer the backroads, but 96 can be nice riding. I ride it a lot in when I'm trying to get a quick time trial type ride in.
Welcome maybe I'll see you out there some time!
Oh yeah. I looked at the picture. Those tires do seem iffy.