Originally Posted by
Cougrrcj
Before you decide, You also have to ask yourself where you will be riding --
Pavement type? Pavement condition? Pavement texture? Pavement cleanliness (road debris)? Desert (spiny thorns, etc)?
Now what about weather? Do you foresee any wet-weather riding that will require non-slick tires?
The OP did mention that he was planning on touring the coast of California after grad school. Now being a CA native, I can tell you from experience there is nowhere on the coast where you would
need anything fatter than a 1 1/4" wide tire. Even 1 1/8 would be fine, but the 1 1/4 gives you a bit of safety margin, and would be OK for a diversion down a gravel road or two.
Slick tires are fine in the wet, though it's kind of non obvious.