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bentley from Texas on 3/3/2011 4:02:38 PM:
I am planning to ride the Katy trail in late March. I have not been able to find much information on the surface of the trail. Are road bikes approprite or do I need a mountain bike? Thank you.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 3/3/2011 7:54:32 PM:
A lot of answers to basic questions can be found under the "Katy Trail Home" link above, then click on the FAQ link.

 
Skyguy9999 on 3/4/2011 1:10:10 AM:
The Katy is a fine limestone gravel surface. Given that, most bikes work well if the conditions are good. Most I've run into tend to prefer hybrid street tread, but road bikes will work well too as long as you're careful where the trail meets the road.

The only bad thing to be aware about for mountain bike tread is that the gravel can tend to stick in between the grooves and cause problems.

Hope that helps.

 
Don from Plainfield, IL on 3/4/2011 12:00:41 PM:
I rode it last year the end of March (had my wife and dog as SAG), west to east and it was unseasonanble warm, 60-70's. However most years it's cooler 40-50's, trail surface somewhat softer from the spring thaw, some flooding and branches down. Winds can be 10-20 mile gusts. Also nothing is really open along the trail, toilets and water until early April? I had a hybrid bike with 700x32 Bontager triple case tires and most surfaces were fairly hard except between Clinton and Sedalia. It won't be a problem and if it is, that's part of the fun.

 
zgeezer on 3/6/2011 1:21:54 AM:
Just make sure your tires are in good condition. Some spots can be a bit rough on tires.