Road Bikes or Mountain Bike?

Is the Katy trail paved or is it packed hard enough to ride a Road Bike? Or is it best to ride a mountain bike with wider tires? I am wanting to ride the trail from east to west and back this spring. How many days should I plan for the trip -one way? Thank you.

It's hard packed chat that works well for either a hybrid or road bike. A mountain bike is overkill. How many days depends on you and your ability and desire to either smell the roses or simply have another production ride.

The Katy is not paved but very hard packed limestone. It can be soft in spots when wet.
I suggest you use whatever bike your comfortable riding for a long distance. I've been end to end on a mountain bike with no problems. But thats what worked for me. If you use a road bike you may want to consider some heavy duty tires.
I can't tell you how long your ride would take not knowing how many miles you can/want to ride each day. Be sure to enjoy the sites along the way.

Paulie

Check out the FAQ on this site: Click "Katy Trail Home" up above, then "Read the FAQ".
Look for the topic "What's the best kind of bike tire for the Katy Trail / can I use a road bike?"

Last October, I had the opportunity to ride a portion of the KT for the 1st time. We rode from Rocheport to N. Jeff City and back. We used Hybrids, with skinny road tires and found the trail to be an excellent ride. The section of trail we rode was well maintained, packed peet gravel. It was covered by a lot of leaves at the time, which made for some guessing about what might be beneath. But an excellent ride and great scenery on this stretch. Can't wait to do it again.

I am observing, at least between Hartsburg and Tebbetts, where I am doing my daily rides, that the trail surface this winter, 2012-2013, as compared to last winter, is much "stickier." Last winter, even during wet weather, the trail got "doughy," when it thawed, but not "sticky," or muddy. I think this is because we had such a dry summer and fall. The likestone dust was not washed away by frequent heavy rainshowers, so it accumulated. Now, when you add a little moisture from drizzle or melting snow, the result is a sticky, slippery surface. My daughter said it would be perfect icing for a mud pie.

So the point of my post, in keeping with the discussion of what tires/bikes to use, is to alert riders from outside the immediate area to avoid potential disappointment with the conditions by riding early in the day when the trail is frozen and solid, or expect that wider tires may work better for the immediate future, and to expect that more bike maintenance, such as cleaning and re-lubing may be necessary. Someone posted not long ago, that, "We take what the trail gives us." I like that. The trail provides year-round recreational/fitness opportunities for me if I make small adaptations for the conditions. Thanks for providing the trail!

The KATY is solid, but not smooth. Add some nasty thorns when we have hot dry weather like last year and wider tires are the way to go.

While riding on 23cm tires will work just fine, you may be a little more comfortable with something a bit wider. It all depends on the rider.

The choice of bikes and tires also depends on the time of year. The trail is packed, but, does have some wide cracks to be aware of, Last July at 107 degrees on 700x28, 3 blowouts in 2 days, due to heat and chat. went back in Sept. on Hybrids with 700x32 better luck. Enjoy yourself and go with the flow.