Need some tire advice. My brother and I are planning a week of cycling in central Wisconsin in August. Most days we will be riding on regular roads, but one day involves substantial mileage on the Sparta-Elroy bike path, which I understand is a nice trail but paved with crushed gravel. I'm currently using 700 x 23 Michelin Axial Carbon tires on my bike, but was thinking it might be a good idea to put some wider and perhaps more durable tires on my bike for at least that day, if not the whole trip. I was thinking of either some reasonably light 700 x 25 road tires like Michelin Axial Race or Conti GP 3000 that I could still use for regular riding after the trip, or just buying some heavy but cheap tires for that one day on the trail. I need a tire that would still be narrow enough to use with my Ultegra brakes. I also don't want to spend $40 each on tires that might get trashed riding on gravel all day. However, I don't mind spending more for good quality 700 x 25 road tires if they would hold up on the gravel. Any suggestions?
Need some tire advice. My brother and I are planning a week of cycling in central Wisconsin in August. Most days we will be riding on regular roads, but one day involves substantial mileage on the Sparta-Elroy bike path, which I understand is a nice trail but paved with crushed gravel. I'm currently using 700 x 23 Michelin Axial Carbon tires on my bike, but was thinking it might be a good idea to put some wider and perhaps more durable tires on my bike for at least that day, if not the whole trip. I was thinking of either some reasonably light 700 x 25 road tires like Michelin Axial Race or Conti GP 3000 that I could still use for regular riding after the trip, or just buying some heavy but cheap tires for that one day on the trail. I need a tire that would still be narrow enough to use with my Ultegra brakes. I also don't want to spend $40 each on tires that might get trashed riding on gravel all day. However, I don't mind spending more for good quality 700 x 25 road tires if they would hold up on the gravel. Any suggestions?
If you are going to stick with Michelin road tires, get a set of 25 Carbons. The crushed limestone will cut the sidewalls on the Pro Race to shreds. I would prefer something like a 30mm Ritchey Speed Max if they would fit in your frame/fork.
That Elroy to Sparta trail has seen so much use that it feels a lot more like a blacktop road than a gravel one. I don't think that you'll have any trouble at all with your road tires. Don't forget to bring a light for the tunnels. They'll be darker than you think.
That trail is very firm and the limestone is very fine. You don't run the risk of cuts (limestone is a soft material) and you don't need anything wider. I've ridden the trail in sew-ups with no problems. As noted by others, the tunnels can be very dark, especially at mid-day or on a cloudy day (the morning or evening sun shines in the end and does a better job of lighting the tunnels). Also, I would not ride the trail in the wet, as the stuff will be fed off your back tire into the drive train. Otherwise, enjoy. It's a great ride.
Looks like I'll keep the Axial Carbons on my bike, although I'm tempted to buy some 700 x 25 tires to have on hand anyway. I weigh enough that I've considered trying some 25s anyway. Thanks also for the tip about lights -- I didn't realize the trail had tunnels.
Would you guys also happen to know what sorts of climbs I am likely to encounter in the Sparta area? My brother and I are riding in the POWWOW Coulee Region tour the week of Aug. 8-13 and I'm trying to decide which bike to take. My steel Merckx has a 12-27 double, and my ti Merckx has a 13-29 double and weighs about 2 pounds less. I rather take the steel bike because the Shimano gear would be easier to fix if something breaks or gets out of adjustment, and the ti bike has Campy Chorus that can be finicky at times.
The trail is an old railroad grade, and so the max steepness is 3%. You hardly notice those climbs. Of the trail can be quite hilly, though we obviously can't tell what gears will be needed by you and your brother. Those who always want that bailout gear will tell you to take the climbing bike. The tough guys will say they never need anything smaller than a 23. Since I really don't have bike breakdowns, I never think about that aspect of chosing a bike. Of course, I only have one bike, so that simplifies things for me.
About 1700 miles on the current set (my first). Almost no wear visible on the front. Slight evidence of wear on the back but loads of life yet. I ride generally good roads but venture onto less smooth terrain once in a while (every two weeks or so). I like the added cush of running 25mms at lower presure (95PSI front 100PSI rear). I'm fairly light (150lbs so that probably makes a difference). I use these for everything - I can't see that they make me any slower on fast group rides either
I tried a set of Veloflex Paves (22mm) before this - a totally different beast I know but these got cut to shreds (front and rear within 150 miles) on the same roads and trails I ride the Pro races - I might have just been unlucky but it seems odd as aside from the Pave's I have ridden 5000 miles with no punctures/problems etc.
Steve
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