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Road Bike
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Ed from Greenville, SC on 4/9/2013 5:58:11 PM:
I have a sturdy road bike. Is there anyway to ride the entire trail on a road bike or do I need a hybrid?
 
Paul Toigo from Kansas City on 4/9/2013 7:13:51 PM:
No need to buy a hybrid to ride the KATY trail unless you want to ride a hybrid on the KATY trail.
 
Trek on 4/9/2013 7:44:05 PM:
We have a Santana tandem road bike that is a good fair weather ride on the Katy. I had Bontrager Hardcase 700 28's on it and got along fine with no flats. I switched to Ultra Gatorskins last year and have found those to be good Katy tires too.

Ride in the track out of the loose stuff and the road bike will be fine.
 
El Toro on 4/9/2013 9:37:56 PM:
In my experience you will be fine, unless it has been pouring rain on the trail for a week prior to your ride. I would use tires with really foot flat protection and would go as wide as the bike would allow. I personally prefer 28mm tires. Enjoy!
 
ArkyKenny on 4/10/2013 8:25:00 AM:
If you're looking for an excuse to buy a hybrid bike, this is it.

In the absence of a hybrid, for several years I chose to ride a rigid mtn bike with semi-slick tires over my road bike. The speed I would be riding, ruts on the trail, loose top layer on the surface, riding over road crossings, smoother overall ride, and carrying capacity all made it a better choice for me. It worked fine.

Now I have a drop bar hybrid with 29er wheels. All that really did was scratch my itch for a new bike, and give me extra hand positions........No harm in that through. The best bike is the one that you like to ride.
 
Merrill from Albuquerque, NM on 4/23/2013 2:18:18 PM:
Tires make the difference. 700 x 28c is about the minimum. 700 x 32c is better, if you have room to fit them. You will have to pay careful attention to not washing out your front wheel on the looser sections if you go with narrower tires, but most of the trail rides almost like pavement. Thorns (goatheads) are a hazard. I used Flat Attack sealer to eliminate this problem and had zero flats. I used Panaracer RiBMo tires: very heavy duty, take 90 psi, and are almost a slick (they have small sipes). They roll well on crushed limestone trail AND on pavement.
 
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