Road Cycling - katy trail (or any rails-to-trails road condition info)

I'm thinking about riding this trail, but wasn't sure if my road bike is suitable. The Katy Trail website, http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/index.html, states "It is covered in "pug," which is a crushed limestone surface that when hard and packed offers many of the qualities of concrete."

Will the 25mm tires on my LeMond hold up to a road like that or should I get a pair of something like 28mm armadillos?

That looks like a nice trail. Please let me know how it was with your road bike. I live in Iowa and want to tour Mizzou.

I would use cross type treaded tires.

Will the 25mm tires on my LeMond hold up to a road like that or should I get a pair of something like 28mm armadillos?

I live within 30 miles of the trail and have done up to 100 miles on it using slick 35mm road tires and shorter rides using semi-smooth 1.5" ATB tires. All of these rides are on the far eastern end of the trail in the St Charles/St. Louis region.

If your choice is 25 vs 28, I think you won't notice the difference and shouldn't buy an extra set of tires just for 3mm. In my opinion tire tread would make little difference.

The trail is fairly hard-packed from edge to edge, but there are sections where the edges are a little soft. And very rarely you'll encounter crevices in the trail that are large enough to swallow a tire. And in some places the sections where you cross over a road are a little soft or bumpy.

So don't drift to the far edge of the trail and keep an eye out for rough spots and I think you'll be OK on the 25mm tires. Be aware that there are stretches of the trail where there are no trail-side stores or the stores are closed during weekdays or off-season. And trail-side reststops (toilets) may be closed in the off-season, too.

I've ridden it on a hybrid with 38 mm tires. I've seen people on touring bikes on the trail, and one guy I met on the road in St. Louis County said he took his road bike on the trail. Along the eastern end of the trail you sometimes cross gravel roads with larger rock than on the trail, so if buying new tires is not an issue, go with the 28s. Otherwise, you'll probably be ok on the 25s. I wouldn't use racing tires, though.

The KATY Trail website has some good information for you. I, too, have ridden only the eastern end of the trail. The section between Defiance and St. Charles is good if you want views of the Missouri River. Between Defiance and Augusta takes you through farm area. Though I've not ridden it, I understand the section around Roachport is beautiful.

I've ridden it on a hybrid with 38 mm tires. I've seen people on touring bikes on the trail, and one guy I met on the road in St. Louis County said he took his road bike on the trail. Along the eastern end of the trail you sometimes cross gravel roads with larger rock than on the trail, so if buying new tires is not an issue, go with the 28s. Otherwise, you'll probably be ok on the 25s. I wouldn't use racing tires, though.

My 25's are Bontrager Select. They're the tires that came with my LeMond. From the posts I've read so far, it looks like they will probably be fine. I just really don't want to take my mountain bike on a trail this long.

The larger the tire the better. I rode 140 miles of it a couple of years back on a bike I built just for that and it had Continental Avenue semi-slicks, 26x1.7. Which is about 43mm. I was also pulling a BOB yak trailer with about 60 lbs in it, so I wanted a nice wide tire.

I wouldn't suggest riding the Katy on road bike tires. I am sure it is possible, but you would have a much grater chance of flatting with the skinnies. I encountered alot of debris as well as several areas of trail that were somewhat washed out. I did not have any tire problems at all with my set up.

For a good information source on the trail I suggest the book "The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook" by Brett Dufur. His bookstore is in Rocheport Mo which is on the trail. Excellent source of info for you to plan a trip.

If you want any more of my info, PM me. I planned extensively for my adventure. I had to cut it short because of my knees giving out on day 2 of my 6 day trip.

I'm thinking about riding this trail, but wasn't sure if my road bike is suitable. The Katy Trail website, http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/index.html, states "It is covered in "pug," which is a crushed limestone surface that when hard and packed offers many of the qualities of concrete."

Will the 25mm tires on my LeMond hold up to a road like that or should I get a pair of something like 28mm armadillos?

I used to work in a bike store located at the eastern end of the Katy Trail so I think I've got a pretty good handle on your question.

From St. Charles to Augusta the trail gets very heavy use. It's the next thing to black top. I doubt anybody would have difficulty with any type of bike or tire on this section. West of Augusta the trail immediately gets noticeably rockier. An inch and a half tire would be my first choice beyond Augusta.

Having said that, while most people use bikes with 1.5" or wider tires, other people routinely ride the entire trail with road bikes equipped with 23mm and 25mm tires. My own last trip was with 23mm tires and I had no problems of any kind. If you have a relaxed attitude, you can use anything and you'll probably be fine. If you're the type who worries a lot, I'd recommend wider tires.

I live in KC and ride the trail at least once a year. A lot of people ride the trail with 23c tires on thier road bikes. I ride with 1.5 inch tires on my Mtn bike. Some places are kind of soft. Either way you will love it.

Wes

I've ridden on the eastern part many times with a road bike on 23's. Sections that are hard-packed and dry are fine, but I've also encountered wet conditions and places with larger gravel which aren't fun on skinny tires.

I'd say your 25's will hold up fine, but if I was going to ride the whole trail across the state, I'd change up to the widest tire that would fit my rims/frame. You can run lower pressures with wider tires, and will have less rolling resistant on the rough surface. You'll be going slower on the trail so aero drag isn't an issue.

I've ridden the trail myself many times and actually experienced a flat...but due to other circumstances.

I recommend doing your long ride and then hitting the wineries for a bottle before you head back in to St. Charles. Its a beautiful ride. Enjoy.

Mount Pleasant winery has a great vista.

doc

I have ridden the KATY from Sedalia to near St Charles twice and, while you can probably do fine on skinny tires, something like the 1.5 inch cross tread tires I used on my "commuter" mountain bike make for a more relaxed ride. Others have mentioned wet conditions, but I think my borther and I had the greatest challenge in the extremely dry, drought conditions in 1999 from Sedalia to Boonville. The limestone can get powdery and sort of swallow your wheels under those conditions.

But, it is not a really big deal. The KATY is a terrific ride with great scenery and terrific people at stops along the way. Take your time and stop at several of the B&B's along the way. I especially recommend the place in Hartford (sp?), the nice old manse just east of Boonville, the Bothwell Hotel in downtown Sedalia, the whole town of Hermann. Whatever you do about equipment, just make sure you make the ride - after writing this note I'm ready to grab whichever bike is closest to the door, throw it in the car and go back. Whoops, I forgot it's March and probably not all that pleasant in Missouri - maybe I'll wait a while.