Touring - Weeklong trip on the Katy Trail in MO.

Hey guys, the wife and I are going to make a run at the Katy Trail and I am stuck on tire sizing. We are both currently running LHT’s with 28’s. Is that going to be wide enough or should I be looking into buying something a little wider.
Thanks for the info.

28's will work, but having done the trail, I personally would run 32's or 35's in case the trail is wet or not hard packed, jmo

32C works well and is fairly comfortable, 35/38C would be great from a comfort standpoint. The loose areas seem to be more common mid/late spring since they start doing trail repairs then. Having a very wide tire would make those areas not so bad.

No need for knobs, slick tires work just fine and don't pick up rocks as frequently. Get something durable though, I've had the little rocks punch through a tire.

I've had good luck with Schwalbe Marathon HS368's and Vittoria Randonneurs. The Marathons picked up rocks very frequently though.

It's generally a pretty hard-packed surface, so you should be fine. Be aware, however, that rain can turn it into a sloppy mess.

It's generally a pretty hard-packed surface, so you should be fine. Be aware, however, that rain can turn it into a sloppy mess.

Sloppy mess is an understatement. :)

When are you going?

John

28 will be fine on the trail, just watch out for loose gravel spots.

When are you planning on doing the trip? It'll be pretty soggy in the spring, so wait till May at least.

My advice is as follows:

1: Pray for no rain. "Sloppy mess" doesn't even begin to describe the tire-sucking slop that awaits you if it rains.
2: Avoid knobbies like the plague.

Our trip is scheduled for the week of May 15 through 22. I have been a little worried about the possibility of rain and what it would do to the trail. So with the thought of rain what fenders do you recommend, I have tried some plastic ones from Planet Bike and was not happy with them.

how is the trail in Sept?

I've rode the trail on an old 10-speed with 27 x 1-1/4 tires and also 26 x 2" street tires on my MB. They both did fine....as long as it was dry. One time a buddy and I were on it when a tornado came thru. It rained and turned very cold and the high winds hit Old St. Charles hard. A number of trees came down across the trail and much of the St. Charles Trailhead lost power. My buddy was on a Trek hybrid with 27 x 1.50 tires I think and I was on my MB with 26 x 2" tires. It was a real struggle trying to ride as messy as it was but I was a lot better of than my buddy. He almost had to stop and walk while I could still get along in fair condition. I'll be back to ride the whole thing this September but this time I'll be on 26 x 1.5 tires. Hopefully it will be dry.