I have always had either a mountain bike or more recently a crossbike for riding the limestone path in the fall and winter. I usually use my roadbike exclusively on the street. Now, however, the streets are getting meaner and one of my favorite rides is just really dangerous for about 7 miles unless I use a limestone bike path. Once beyond a certain point the streets are safe again to ride solo. Any downside except the extra wear on chain and components from the grit, the paint chips from the flying little pieces of rock and the crunchy sound the drivetrain makes? I figure it will require cleaning more frequently and I’d probably have to get a beefier set of training rims and probably 700c x 25 tires, but I’m tired of the near misses in traffic, the verbal abuse from drivers, the occasional drive right up behind the cyclist and blow the horn or slam on the brakes, the pass the cyclist and immediately make a right turn in front of him, the drive on the shoulder behind him and swerve back onto the road right before passing…you get the idea.
I’ll admit it. Occasionally I ride my Airfoil Pro on the prairie path in illinios. It makes me feel guilty, but, like you, sometimes I just need a break from the cars. The only problem I’ve had is a sh__t load of flats. Like 1 every couple hundred miles. That and the fact that the trails are board flat keeps me from doing it very often. I usually go about 100 miles when I do, so I can’t imagine a 7 mile stretch doing much harm.
get some gatorskin tires and go nuts
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You’re underestimating the durability of your road bike. Ride it and if it gets dirty, clean it.
Be careful if it is a crushed stone path as you will get the small stones in between your forks and tires and chainstays and tires and if it is a carbon bike you can definitely wear down the carbon fiber.
I ride my road bike and tri bike on the rail trails, stone, dirt, mud its prety easy to clean up after and I’ve only noticed a little extra wear on tires.
As someone else said just get some gatorskins and go nuts!
Hah, that’s information I could have used about two hours ago. Well, I took my Specialized Roubaix out for a ride on the prairie path loop–I live near the Lincoln Marsh and rode out to Batavia then to Geneva, St. Charles, North Elgin following the loop back to Winfield/Wheaton. Two flats, luckily I took 2 tubes and three CO2 cartridges. Bike got really dusty, but I think it should hold up fine. The road was really busy so I never jumped off into traffic. Lots of construction and recently some damn company bought out old railway tracks. Used to be you never saw trains on them but I got stuck twice waiting to cross the tracks. Apparently 200 car freight trains now pass frequently. Thanks all for the responses.