Tire width and use
 

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying a new bike. My other bike is a MTB that I use to ride and rougher trails, but I'm looking at a hybrid that is better on smooth surfaces but can handle gravel, crushed stone ..ect as well. I'm looking at specifically riding the Luce Line Trail here in MN and trails like it. There are some patches where you are basically riding over ungroomed grass fields, but most of it is either paved or crushed stone/gravel.

Would something with a 700x35c work?

I ride on the crushed limestone KATY Trail in Missouri on 700x32 tires at about 70 psi. I weigh around 215 lbs and the mile another 30 lbs. I'd think that 700x35s would work unless you weigh a lot more on the limestone portion of your path. You might need something a little wider for the 'natural' part of the trail depending on how soggy it gets.

I would think that a 700X32 would be the best compromise. A 700X28 could also work - it would do well on pavement and it does OK on dirt roads, but the looser the gravel the less well it performs.

I'm around the same weight as you so it sounds like 35c should be OK if 32C works.

My older Trek hybrid has 38's and works perfect for the environment you're describing. So I'm sure the 35 would be fine.

Yeah, the bike I'm looking at is the Dawes Eclipse 3.0 for $349. It looks like the right sort of bike I want for the right price. Was thinking about a Trek Verve 2 but it's $100+ tax (so more like $140 more with tax) and the component upgrades don't seem to justify that too me. I like to support my LBS but this is a 3rd bike for me so I'm not looking to give away money.

I have 35's on my 7.3 fx and they ride nicely on ungroomed grass or gravel. During a portion of my ride, I usually hop onto the sidewalk from the road and go through dried mud/stone. I also run into loose gravel/stones on the sides of the roads.

I think a bigger question here may be tread pattern rather than just tire width. When I changed tires on my Trek hybrid I went from 38 to 28 and have never looked back with regards to packed gravel, grass, or certainly pavement. Anything the bike can rally sink into, such as soft deep gravel, deep soft sand, or mud will not be fun unless you have deeper tread. Decide how much extra rolling resistance you're willing to tolerate to cover those conditions.

Thanks for the input everyone. I actually went in another direction, I went with a Jubilee Trail which is sort of a combo of a MTB and hybrid with 1.9" semi-slicks (though they look to have good tread for light off-road). Seems like it should handle anything I should run into from pavement to some light off road on ungroomed fields, even if a little wet or muddy.