How flat-prone is the Katy Trail?

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Doug G from Rochester Hills, MI on 4/7/2013 12:17:55 PM:

Riding here in MI, I generally get about one flat a year, but last year during a trip on the Great Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal Towpath our group averaged about two flats per bike! Different places have different hazards (particular thorns, stones, etc.). So how is the KT in this regard? I'll be on it for about 5 days in mid-May.

Hank from New Haven on 4/7/2013 12:25:02 PM:

I rode about 1,000 miles on the Katy last year and got one flat. My wife rode about 400-500 miles and got three or four flats I think. In the fall there is a hazard here and there from thorns. Right now the main hazard is tree litter and the occasional rough section with possible sharp rocks. I am a pretty careful rider and dont run over anything that looks bad. Still, it happens.

Flat-prone? I would not say the KT is flat-prone, other than certain sections during fall thorn season. But you need to go prepared, expecting at least one flat. I ride with a spare tube plus a repair kit just in case. This I feel is the minimum you should have.

ArkyKenny on 4/7/2013 12:38:23 PM:

I think the tires make all the difference. They need to be new/ not brittle. Thick rubber with limited opportunities for the little limestone "arrowheads" to work their way through, so self cleaning is a plus. Notice that I didn't say expensive,because I don't think that is necessarily true. But kevlar, or puncture protection of some kind is definitely a good thing, and those tires can be expensive. If you want cheap, think kevlar strips. If you want expensive, Schwalbe and Continental both have good puncture resistant tires. I don't care for the Slime filled tubes. Specialized makes a semi slick 26" tire called the Nimbus that I had good luck with too, and it flat protection, and was $20.

Jim from St Louis MO on 4/7/2013 5:50:39 PM:

My wife and I have ridden about 2400 miles on the Katy on Kevlar reinforced tires and we have not experienced a problem since going to that type of tire. Well worth the expense.

Doug G from Rochester Hills, MI on 4/9/2013 9:21:09 AM:

Yeah, the worst tires I've found are those whose tread has small "sipes" in them that are good for traction on wet pavement, but on unpaved trails small stones can stick in the grooves and gradually work through the casing. My distance road bike now has Continental Gatorskins. For this trip I'll be using a new hybrid with 700x38 tires with a very small knobbed tread design. We'll see how it goes, but I'll be taking a couple of tubes and extra CO2 cartridges just in case.

El Toro on 4/9/2013 9:40:39 PM:

In my experience, you've got to use flat protection tires or you will be changing lots of tubes.

Michigan Riders from South Haven, MI on 4/10/2013 10:12:58 AM:

We just rode 2 sections (on 4/4&4/6). The only flat we experienced was while sitting at the winery Bistro. My husbands front tube exploded like a gun shot! Found nothing in the tire so maybe too much air in the tube with a weak spot. Total of 75 miles riding and that was the only flat.

Merrill from Albuquerque, NM on 4/23/2013 2:09:01 PM:

I rode 500 miles on the KATY last Sept. without a flat. I used Panaracer RiBMo tires 700 x 35c, with thorn resistant tubes and Flat Attack sealer. I was on a loaded camping bike, so the extra weight did not make a difference. These tires are ideal for the crushed limestone KATY, and are really tough. They'll take 90 psi (!) so they roll really well even on pavement. KATY has thorns. I met many people with flats and even ruptured tire casings. I never even needed to air my tires up, they worked so well.

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