Wisconsin Limestone Trails and Tires

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by metalheart

The 35 and 56 from La Crosse to Viroqua looks like a reasonable route then county roads and as little of of 14 as possible south to Spring Green/RIchland Center looks like a nice ride. And, yes, my wife will meet me at night and we will stay in some comfy accommodations that will make her happy.

This is more of a point-to-point trip rather than stay in one place and explore, other than our time around Harshaw where I can ride some of the trails Plum Hill mentions. On past trips I have seen portions of the Bear Skin Trail and some others up north and those look like nice rides.

I haven't sorted out if I will do any riding between Madison and Wausau, but using the DOT maps and Ride With GPS, if I do, those are good resources for route planning.

Thanks again.

Got it and that's what I thought. You'll have a great time.

PS Brewers suck

[jfranci3]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I can only assume you are speaking from experience and all opinions are valid but I have ridden all those trails on a road bike for many many years. I think 28's are perfect to jump between roads and CL paths. Just still my opinion.

I took my 30c tires at 65psi today and rode a bit of crushed aggregate. As long as the stone is thin, yeah 28s will be fine on non-potholed trails. My point was that every bit of tire under you would help if he's thinking about new tires.

[earlfoss]

I live in Madison, on the West Side, and regularly ride many of the roads you're considering. The county roads between Madison, Spring Green, Viroqua, LaCrosse provide some of the best riding in the country.

I agree with everyone here regarding Hwy 14. It's a dangerous road to be on for longer than a few miles, IMO. There are rumble strips before the shoulder in some limited stretches, but for the most part it's a 2-lane 55 mph speed limit major highway that nearly everyone goes 70 mph+ on. There's been a few distracted driver accidents out there this year too which reinforces my wish to avoid it.

I'd have no problem running 25's on paths like the Military Ridge trail. Those paths are maintained such that you can have a less than ideal setup and be totally fine. I think the only time you'd require a wide tire out there is if the trail is waterlogged.

PM me if you would like assistance building routes through the area. I'd be happy to help.