First tour

[gamcgregor]

Trying to plan my first tour, is it advisable to wear shoes that clip in or not while on the road. I have a Trek 1000 what is the minimum size tire i should have for a short tour. Any advice is appreciated.

[cyclebum]

To clip in or not, that is the question.

Strickly a personal matter. If you're use to riding clipped in, go for it. If not, no reason to on a tour. Clipping in offers advantages to competitive cyclist, but probably not to the average tourer. Cleated shoes are not suitable for much off bike activity, necessitating a second pair for walking about. Good running shoes work well on and off the touring bike.

As for tires, as long as you're gonna be staying on hard surfaces, a kevlar lined 28 mm or bigger will work fine for a short tour. Longer tours with 40 pounds of gear, 32 mm and up. Schwable and Continental make reliable puncture resistent tires for touring. I'm rolling on Continental Touring Plus, 32 mm. 1500 flat free miles so far.

[gamcgregor]

cyclebum, yes clip in or not. Thanks so much for the advice, those two little suggestions helped a lot. Wish i could do a real tour like yours, guess i have to start somewhere. Thanks again.

[johnsondasw]

I've always used skinny road tires (for about 30 years).  This has never been a problem.  On a 1400 mile tour, I got 1 flat with 700x23c tires.  If you will be on paved surfaces, they work great.  This includes both pannier and trailer tours.