Tire width for C&O Canal Trail?

[TwoWheelsDC]

28s generally would be perfectly fine. But if you’re riding within a couple days of a decent rain, you might find the trail slow-going in places where it’s more muddy and sandy, and find yourself wishing for something a little wider.

[mstone]

28s should be fine generally, but be careful of the fine line between “cushy enough for the gravel” and “pinch flat from slamming into a surprise rock with underinflated tire”. Also remember that there are three types of riders on the late summer towpath: those who like fenders, those who like skunk stripes, and those who are really, really slow.

[Crickey7]

28s are okay, though I’d say you’re definitely making a tradeoff of greater speed potential vs. comfort and handling. If the rest of your group is going to be cruising at moderate speeds, you’d be much happier with 32s.

[Judd]

@Crickey7 165546 wrote:

28s are okay, though I’d say you’re definitely making a tradeoff of greater speed potential vs. comfort and handling. If the rest of your group is going to be cruising at moderate speeds, you’d be much happier with 32s.

This. I’ve ridden on it on 25s, 32s and on a 27.5+ hard tail mountain bike. Rolling on 32s was the sweet spot between comfort, speed and pedaling effort. You’ll be fine on 28s as long as you’re mindful that there are sometimes larger rocks protruding from the canal. As you get closer to Harper’s Ferry there are some sections that are prone to puddles and mud pits if it’s rained recently.

I hope you enjoy your ride. I rode DC to Harper’s Ferry earlier in the year and really enjoyed it. If you got time, stop at Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick for some coffee and goodies.

[mstone]

@Crickey7 165546 wrote:

28s are okay, though I’d say you’re definitely making a tradeoff of greater speed potential vs. comfort and handling. If the rest of your group is going to be cruising at moderate speeds, you’d be much happier with 32s.

I wouldn’t even say that–the surface isn’t one where skinny tires are going to provide a speed advantage. I saw the question more as “do I need to have different tires, or will this work”. Wider is definitely better, but 28 is workable depending on rider weight. (I’ve managed to knock a wheel out of true slamming into a hidden rock on the towpath riding underinflated 32s, but I’m over 200#. With 37s I can go much faster, more comfortably, and without worrying as much about the terrain.)

[hozn]

@mstone 165565 wrote:

I wouldn’t even say that–the surface isn’t one where skinny tires are going to provide a speed advantage. I saw the question more as “do I need to have different tires, or will this work”. Wider is definitely better, but 28 is workable depending on rider weight. (I’ve managed to knock a wheel out of true slamming into a hidden rock on the towpath riding underinflated 32s, but I’m over 200#. With 37s I can go much faster, more comfortably, and without worrying as much about the terrain.)

I agree; I don’t think 28s would be faster on this, even on the relatively smooth crushed stone sections south of Rileys Lock (which is as far as I’ve been). I generally have come around to accept that wider is not slower (up to a point) and that really it’s just the type of tire that matters. I have no qualms riding 28s on the towpath, but if I was doing a setup just for riding on the towpath, I’d do 35mm+ Schwalbe G-One tires (I’d run 40mm G-One since that’s what I have) because I could run them more comfortably and bouncing around less would make them faster. I also think the sweet spot is probably 32-38mm, running low pressure. Maybe these 38mm Compass tires would work well too, though with no flat protection that might not be the best choice (they’d probably be the fastest, though).

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hozn 165573 wrote:

I’d do 35mm+ Schwalbe G-One tires (I’d run 40mm G-One since that’s what I have) because I could run them more comfortably and bouncing around less would make them faster.

As you’ve seen, the G-One 35s are what I run, and I commute on the C&O almost daily. They are very fast and extremely comfortable on the towpath. My foul weather bike, which I also use on the towpath for my commute, is equipped with Clement X’Plor 35s (with tubes). The X’Plors are good tires, but the difference between the X’Plors and the G-Ones is night and day. I assume much of the difference is tubes vs. tubeless, but the G-Ones really are just phenomenal tires.

[hozn]

@TwoWheelsDC 165575 wrote:

As you’ve seen, the G-One 35s are what I run, and I commute on the C&O almost daily. They are very fast and extremely comfortable on the towpath. My foul weather bike, which I also use on the towpath for my commute, is equipped with Clement X’Plor 35s (with tubes). The X’Plors are good tires, but the difference between the X’Plors and the G-Ones is night and day. I assume much of the difference is tubes vs. tubeless, but the G-Ones really are just phenomenal tires.

I’d propose that it’s the tread pattern & rubber compound more than tubeless, but tubeless does yield a more supple tire. But the G-One are great tires. There is a pretty big difference between 40mm tubeless G-One tires and the 43mm tubeless Panaracer Gravel King tires I’m running now. The Gravel King feel significantly slower — especially on-road — at same pressures as the G-One. Also the G-One seem to continue to feel fast when running lower pressure, whereas the GKs definitely feel sloggier when the pressure drops. (For me, if riding a mix of conditions, my notes say 26/30 psi [F/R] for the 40mm G-One; I’d probably do 30/35 if there was more road involved.)

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