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Reply to The right bike
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Mike U. from Louisville, Ky. on 6/23/2008 1:11:15 PM:
OK, you MKT/Katy experts. Am I taking my life in my hands if I try to ride my Scott CR1 road bike with 700 x 23C tires on the MKT out of Columbia and then the Katy to Boonville? I rode part of the route last year on a trail bike with wide tires and it worked great ... dusty but great. I may not be able to bring both bikes this year and will likely opt for the Scott because I will be riding it more in Colorado. I really enjoy using Missouri's trails but with those skinny tires ...

 
Trek on 6/23/2008 4:38:26 PM:
There are ruts/cracks sometimes that can be a jolt. If you're good at avoiding obstacles perhaps you'd be okay. There certainly are those who ride their road bike on the Katy. For us, the Trek hybrids go out on the trails and the Santana longbike stays on the road where she's comfortable.

 
Anonymous from Boonville on 6/23/2008 5:32:49 PM:
I ride several thousand miles a year on the Katy mostly on road bikes with 700-25 or 700-23 tires. In the winter freeze-thaw season wider tires become almost necessary although I usually move to the road instead. Just like on pavement the road bike tires roll easier. In real dry weather sometimes the trail cracks open especially on the Boone county MKT trail and on the Katy west of Boonville, but I have never had a problem related to my narrow tires.

 
Mike U. from Louisville, Ky. on 6/24/2008 9:43:33 AM:
Thanks for your thoughts. I'll give the road bike a try, but may invest in a pair of Specialized Armadillo all condition road tires to lessen chances of flatting. They'll also work well on the sandpaper-like road surfaces along the Kansas-Colorado border the next day. Those roads tend to eat up the Vredestein Fortezza tricomps I normally ride here in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.