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What areas of the trail are paved?
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Ben from St. Charles on 3/15/2013 6:08:17 PM:
I just bought a new road bike and I only live about two miles from the trail. I have never ridden on the trail before and drove by and noticed that part of the trail is gravel/dirt. I don't want to bang up my bike and I would like to keep my bike on pavement. Can anyone tell me which areas near St. Charles are paved? Thank!
 
MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 3/15/2013 7:01:46 PM:
The entire trail is gravel. Only a small portion is paved while on the street in Sedalia and across the bridge in Boonville.
 
Ben from St. Charles on 3/15/2013 10:25:46 PM:
Is it rough enough to damage the tires of the average road bike?
 
Darrell from Jefferson City, Mo. on 3/16/2013 7:30:15 AM:
Don't know about damaging tires of a road bike, but maybe you could pick up a used $20, $30 or $40 bike to ride on the trail and leave the new one at home. Every bike I have gets ridden on the Katy, even a refurbished vintage bike. But for you, a used mountain bike or hybrid may be what you need. Just a suggestion.
 
DSD on 3/16/2013 2:14:05 PM:
Ben, you can ride a road bike on the trail but I would invest in some kevlar tires due to the gravel and rocks.
 
Doug from Bluffton on 3/16/2013 8:02:28 PM:
Ben, did you buy that bike to ride it, or to look at it?
 
Doug from Bluffton on 3/16/2013 8:10:52 PM:
Yeah I know, before anybody goes off on me I better explain. I remember when I bought my first titanium bike and went on a ride with less than promising weather. I did not want to go out and one of my friends leaned over and said "So, what's it gonna do, rust?" I had one of the best rides of my life. Bikes are only made to be ridden.
 
ArkyKenny on 3/16/2013 9:14:29 PM:
Doug, I did the same thing with a new 4wd truck. Before I ever made a payment on it, my friend wanted to go mudding in it. I balked, then realized if I never planned on putting it in the mud, I should have bought a 2wd.....My new 4wd truck had brush marks on the doors before I ever made a payment on it, but it sure was fun to take out there in the mud holes!

Ben, buy some kevlar tires and ride! (Recommend Continental Gatorskins. Most road bikes can accommodate 700c x 25's). If you like the trail, you will probably want to eventually get another bike that is better suited to riding the Katy. In any case, the Gatorskins are probably a much better tire than what came stock, and they are great on the road.
 
Trek on 3/17/2013 4:56:09 PM:
Ben, I think when you ride your new road bike on the Katy may be more of an issue than if you ride it there. There is plenty of smooth riding in the tire tracks that can be better than trying to dodge glass and debris on the road.

We have a Santana tandem road bike and Trek hybrid half bikes. They all get ridden on the Katy, but when we ride is key to not banging them up though.

Yes, the Katy can be dusty, but so can the road. I'm not too concerned about dust on any of our bikes as they all get cleaned and relubed as needed. We won't ride in the rain on a rail trail unless we just get caught out and can't avoid it. The slurry created by limestone dust and water is very gritty....sounds terrible as the chain drags it through the gears and between the rim and the brake pads.

We can ride the road bike, stay in the tire track and enjoy not having to deal with the hustle and bustle of city streets or cars in general. And in favorable weather, nothing gets banged up.
 
Anonymous on 3/17/2013 10:06:38 PM:
As noted above, I think you'll be fine but I would definitely follow the advise regarding FLAT RESISTANT TIRES like the Gatorskins or something similar. I prefer 28s on my KATY bike, but have ridden many miles without problems on 25s. Bikes were made to RIDE. Enjoy!
 
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