Road bikes

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Eva on 8/6/2019 6:40:30 PM:

Are the trails road bike friendly??

Nicole from Newark, NJ on 8/6/2019 7:14:51 PM:

I'm really eager to hear the answer to this as well!

Bop from Rochester on 8/6/2019 8:17:48 PM:

What do you consider road friendly? I'm riding a Trek Domane and have see many different road bikes along it all the time. It's a hard pack trail that I have traveled many times from Hulberton to Newark. If you're looking for a smooth piece of asphalt, ride where your at.

The paved section in my area has root bumps bulging up here and there from the trees. Spots that will require you to cross roads. People walking dogs, kids. It's a MUP path in the larger towns.

Here, watch this. See if it's your cup of tea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziRwUGTwfQw

Bop from Rochester on 8/7/2019 10:13:12 AM:

Here's another good look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODe2OvBQtMo

Margaret from Amherst on 8/7/2019 10:58:24 AM:

HI, We did a trip from Lockport to Syracuse on the Erie Canal in June and I had a road bike- I was fine- There was a sandy section on the first day and our group elected to ride on the backroads for that small section- But most of the trail was absolutely fine.

Margaret

John from Cobleskill on 8/21/2019 10:10:42 AM:

I am asking the same question myself since I love my road bike.

From Utica eastward is mostly paved thus a road bike is fine. The "stone dust" is okay with my hybrid but I'm going to take my road bike on stone dust soon (like in the next week or so).

But I'm wondering if all "stone dust" is created equal because there's a part of it, east of Little Falls, that listed as stone dust and is more like a 4 wheeler path through the forest than anything else.

In the end, I might upgrade my road bike tires to the biggest, fattest ones I can put on it and go for it!

John from Cobleskill on 8/24/2019 9:55:19 AM:

Eva.... How far are you going on the Canal?

If you are doing a day trip, road bikes are fine.

But I am trying to do a Buffalo to Albany trip and I'm asking myself the same question and I've spent the greater part of this summer trying to get the right answer, trying different bikes (Mtn, road, Hybrid etc) and different tires. I've decided that doing end to end is possible with a road bike but I'm outfitting it with the best/widest/most rugged tires and tubes I can buy because parts of the canal trail is less than ideal for a road bike tire :) And I'm assuming a flat tire or two but that's the price I have to pay to use my beloved road bike.

Enjoy.

Lisa Langkawi from Langkawi Malaysia on 2/22/2020 1:20:39 AM:

Hi, This 'road bike?' discussion is very helpful for me. I love my Canondale roadbike, which is super light, and I'm planning to fly it over from Malaysia to do the Erie Canal Trail from Buffalo to Albany in early June 2020. Currently I'm training on the roads and small padi field paths on the island of Langkawi and every time I meet gravel I have to slow right down as I can easily skid. My tires are 28mm.

I need to know are these 28mm roadbike tires going to be ok on the trail gravel, or do I need a whole new bike with gravel grinder tires? (We have a support vehicle, so I don't have to bring stuff.)

Bop from Rochester on 2/22/2020 8:47:17 PM:

As I said last year. I'm running Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite, wire bead, 60 tpi, 700x28c on the canal since 2013 on this type of tyre. I haven't any trouble worth talking about.

There was a soft spot here and there from trail repairs on the section I ride a couple of times a week last year. That would be from Medina to Greece. I have been as far as Palmyra. I can't speak for the remainder of the trail.

John from Cobleskill on 2/28/2020 11:55:01 AM:

Lisa Langkawi: after much Erie Canal biking (on the eastern end), I have decided to use my much beloved road bike for an end to end trip but it will be outfitted with 28mm tires and a kevlar type of tires like the Continental GatorSkin or Schwalbe Marathon tires. There are many brands and those are just two of them. But I have heard enough from people who say that 28mm tires on a road bike is good enough.

Margaret from Amherst on 2/28/2020 1:30:15 PM:

HI, We just road the Erie Canal last summer and I rode it on a road bike with 27 1/4 Continental Touring Tires- I was fine- no flats, no worries- In most places the trail was fine- even on a really rainy day!

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

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