Triode

I'm new to this so please bear with me.

I ride a paved path with no motor traffic, about 10.3 miles one way.

so. there is a stretch of this which I think is locally called "crushed run" gravel which is roughly .2/,3 miles long and is a little tricky because the stones which are normally up to say the size of a quarter - can have pretty sharp edges and irregular shapes.

I'm always extra careful there, slow down and am still worried about a flat. My tires are 700 x 32 which came on my trek 7.3 fx and pretty much slick on the contact surface with some ribs parallel to direction of travel.

my question is:

Am I and other bikers at a higher risk of flats on this type surface? or should our concerns be primarily limited to the Squirrely nature of the gravel?

For whatever reason, in my mind, I have been concerned about flats there - and last week a guy on a road bike had a flat there, but I don't really know the cause of his flat.

mechBgon

Coarse gravel isn't a hazard to those tires. With road-racing tires, a pinch flat is a possibility if one hits an especially large rock, and sidewall abrasion could be a serious consideration, but the tires on the 7.3 FX are relatively thick. Should be fine. Traction would be another story... if you want better traction, Trek also has a treaded LT3 in an appropriate width for your bike: https://bontrager.com/model/08058