Tires for the Katy

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jason from kansas on 3/2/2013 7:10:42 PM:

Hello, my wife and I are planning on riding the Katy. She has a Trek Hybrid/comfort bike with 700x30 (close to that) tires that have smooth tread in the middle with the knobs on the outer edges. I have a mountain bike with 26x2 tires (specialized captain tires, not overly aggressive). Am I going to have issues with 26 in wheels as opposed to 700c or 29r, and is 2in to wide? Should I also think about putting a fully treaded tire on my wife's bike? We will be doing the section between Booneville and Hermann. I am wondering about keeping up with my wife and another rider who will both have 700c wheels. Thanks

Anonymous on 3/2/2013 7:32:26 PM:

When are you riding? Soon?

jason from kansas on 3/2/2013 7:34:47 PM:

not until May sometime

ArkyKenny on 3/2/2013 8:20:13 PM:

I have ridden both 26 x 1.5 slicks and 700c x 37 wheels on the Katy. I think the 26 tires, for me anyway, are a mile or two an hour slower than the skinny tires on the hard surface. That surprised me because we were running fully loaded at 12-14 mph on a flat, hard surface, and at that speed, I didn't think the difference would be that great.

If you are a stronger rider than your wife, you can use that difference to make you the same speed, but if you are the same speed, you may want to get the same speed bikes.

Trek on 3/2/2013 9:34:23 PM:

I have a Trek hybrid and have ridden slicks for several years. Currently it has Michelins with an inverted tread. When they come off I'll put slicks back on. Our tandem also has slicks on it. I couldn't think of any reason that I'd want to put a tire on with more tread. The slicks have less rolling resistence and work well on pavement as well as railtrail surfaces like the Katy.

Anonymous on 3/3/2013 12:07:29 AM:

Based on my experience, I don't believe you will have troubles whatsoever with tire width.

I always have a better time on the KATY when I use tires with great flat protection. Frankly, I have found that to be more important than the width of the tires.

Just my 2 cents.

Enjoy!

ArkyKenny on 3/3/2013 8:39:37 AM:

Anon, you nailed it, People on this forum always seem to be asking some version of "How skinny can I go?" In regard to tires. I don't understand that. I usually ride multi-day trips on the Katy, (so I carry 40# of stuff), and my preferred ride is a drop bar steel 29er with 40mm kevlar touring tires (Schwalbe Marathon Mondial). I run them at around 60# of pressure.

Anyway, I like the big tires because they keep me on top of the surface, they keep me out of ruts, they allow me to not cringe every time I hit debris, they don't get pinch flats when I cross over an asphalt surface, they save me when I am not paying attention and run off the trail, they keep my butt and hands comfy, and they are plenty fast. For all those reasons, I previously rode on 26x 1.5 semi slicks. (I bought those 26" tires for $12 on eBay--thick rubber in the middle, lugs on the edge).

If I was trying to go for speed, or distance and unloaded, I might think about 700x 28s. But people on the Katy, including me, generally want to cover ground, but not as fast as they can. I say go big, semi-slick or smooth in the center, and go kevlar for maximum enjoyment.

jason from kansas on 3/4/2013 10:01:34 PM:

That answers alot of questions, thanks. I seem to be a bit hung up on 700 vs 26 though. I am really wanting to ride my hard tail MTB as really enjoy riding it but I am riding with two other people that will be on 700c. I know we aren't going to be flying so any thoughts on wether I could just make up for the 26 in with gearing? I just don't want to have to work my tail off to keep up

Trek on 3/5/2013 8:00:11 AM:

I think you're splitting hairs. You've recognized that the 26 will be slower than the 700 bike. Can you make up the difference? Depends on you. If you're really like riding the mountain bike, ride it. Has the ability to keep up with your wife been an issue? If so, why do you ride a 26? If it has not been an issue, move on. Or perhaps you could consider a tandem.....ride as captain and you'll always be ahead of her regardless of tire size and gearing.

jason from kansas on 3/5/2013 8:42:08 PM:

lol, I supposed you are right. I am going to start covering some longer miles on my MTB again soon and see how it goes.

Figs from Olathe, KS on 3/6/2013 11:28:31 AM:

Hi Jason,

I ride a Trek Hybrid. I did a 72 mile day on the KT back in October, and had no problems. My other bike is a mountain bike, and after riding the KT, I think I would prefer the narrower tire. KT is a gravel trail and therefor offers more rolling resistance. The added resistance of fatter tires would be more of a workout, which I need, but won't inflict upon myself.

kevin from Jeff City on 3/6/2013 1:01:46 PM:

I'm a little late to the discussion, but I would say that the difference between a 26" and 700C on the trail is negligible if you are on a recreational ride. The trail is flat, so you have to crank all the time no matter what. If your riding partner is going too fast, she just has to crank a little slower to let you catch up.

Since the trail is crushed limestone, there's squishy, gravelly parts here and there, along with ruts and cracks, so wider tires are more forgiving, but not necessary. As long as the tires are not worn out you won't have much of a problem.

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