Katy Trail Question
 

For those who have ridden the Katy Trail...

Are 700x35 tires adequate for the trail; St. Charles to Clinton?

Thank you.

I have ridden the most of the trail on 700x35 tires.
You will be fine as long has the trail is dry. If it rains that day, ride on the nearby roads.

Thank you.

I rode it with 35 and 38mm tires. It was dry both times and all was fine.
There were random spots where the trail surface was loose, like a small 10' patch here or there every 5 or so miles.
I'm guessing it was washout repair.

It all depends on the weather. If it's hot and dry, most of the trail is solid as pavement and you could ride it with road racing tires if you wanted. When it gets wet, it gets loose and you'll want fatter tires. 35s are a pretty good compromise unless it starts pouring.

I've ridden the Katy several times and imo, yes, 35's will be just fine. I've used 32's most of the time and never had a problem even when wet.

We've ridden 700cx35 on the Kary for several years. The only time we had a real problem was when, right after a rain. we hit a stretch of limestone that was newly laid. It was like unpacked beach sand. Even a dry, newly laid limestone surface can be trouble until the limestone sets. If a big storm hits the week before you go out, you may run into some tough riding on unrepaired or newly resurfaced trail. But we've never changed out tires, we just cope. Some years, and most of the time, it's not an issue.