For the other halves birthday weekend, being the old romantic that i am, I’m taking her to Bath for the weekend. The upshot is though that we are going to bike from just outside reading:)! She is a dirty roady but i fancy taking the sustrans towpath route all the way to Bath. Anyone done this on a road bike before? Any recommendations on a knobbly road bike tyre that can take a bit more off road stuff?
Much appreciated

M

should be fine unless its an uber light weight race bike. I’d stick on something like schwalbe land cruisers, cheap tourers that will be fine on towpaths… i use mine all the time off road even around muddy forests.

A quick cheap fix knobbly 700 tyre would be the Schwalbe CX Comp 700 x35

There is a big chunk between Newbury and Devizes that is barely ridable on an MTB, let alone a road bike.

The Sustrans route does take you around some quiet(ish) roads which adds a few more hills and miles.

Also, watch out for sections near Devizes where they have cut the Hawthorn bushes. I was on there a few weeks back and there was a line of cyclists fixing punctures. I had Marathons and still got three punctures! Haven’t had a puncture for about four years previously.

I did this the other way on a touring bike with 35mm tyres (Schwalbe Kojaks) last year. It’s doable on a road bike, certainly.

IMPORTANT BUT:

Some substantial sections of it at the Reading end are not really surfaced: there is quite a lot of gravel, a fair number of rooty sections and one stretch is just a grass track through a meadow.

Also, where the Sustrans blazes divert you onto the road, I’d do as you’re told. The stretches of towpath that are not National Cycle Network are narrow, rough and unsurfaced – you can end up doing miles along what is basically a rut through the nettles.

I don’t want to put you off, it’s a lovely route and I had a very good day doing it. But I got pretty tired hands and shoulders and made slow progress for long stretches at a time – it’s about 90-100 miles and took me a solid 10 hours or so without lengthy halts. The weather was utterly gorgeous, which helped. 🙂

I rode about 2 miles south of Bath on my Madone to see where it went, it was all normal tow path stuff; fine, but muddy and gravelly. I’d not even vaguely entertain doing the whole thing on a ‘proper’ road bike. Cross bike – fine.

There is a big chunk between Newbury and Devizes that is barely ridable on an MTB, let alone a road bike.

he isn’t kidding.

i live in devizes and have ridden as far as pewsey on my full sus that i had at the time.tis definitely rutted muddy overgrown.

have ridden devizes to bath/bristol and back on my tarmac sport that i did have.is doable but not the most fun on the towpath (potholes/ruts).

I’d imagine that a fair chunk between Reading and Newbury is in a pretty poor state too – I struggled on a singlespeed with Mud X last year (mud, flooded sections), and the canal is higher this year than last.

here is a big chunk between Newbury and Devizes that is barely ridable on an MTB, let alone a road bike.
he isn’t kidding.

i live in devizes and have ridden as far as pewsey on my full sus that i had at the time.tis definitely rutted muddy overgrown.

You lot need to MTFU 😀

Probably not a good idea this time of year, after a bit of a summer it’s doable (I live and ride at the Newbury > Pewsey end regularly, but have ridden out to Bath before now a few times), but it’s best done in as an exercise with an escape route on a bike you don’t care about!
Cross bike is far more the tool for the job, but the alternate is that there are roads following the course of the canal more or less the whole way – maybe slick up your bike?

it’s about 90-100 miles

It’s never that from Bath to Reading, the canal is only 60 odd miles in total. But I guess that’s including the Sustrans diversions?

As others have said the Devizes to Bath or Bristol section is the only part I’d really consider riding. Bath to Bristol is all tarmac, Bath to Devizes is 99% muddy, potholed, and wouldn’t be much fun on a road bike with slick tyres. CX maybe, MTB even better. It isn’t boggy as such, but most often full of puddles, potholes and quite slippy. Having a particularly dry or wet day makes a difference but it isn’t a smooth and fast path for a roadie. Rode Bath to Devizes a few weeks ago in the rain and came home with tyres that looked like I’d spent a month riding through cacti!

It’s never that from Bath to Reading

Apologies, quite right. That was Bristol – Reading, with the diversions.

I was commuting between Reading and Newbury last year for a bit. Really enjoyed it. Only had non knobbly City Jet tyres and it was fine, if a bit rattly overall.
Proper roadie may be fragile i reckon.

Live in newbury and the bit from Newbury out towards thatcham and beyond was quite flooded a few weeks ago. May be ok now. To echo what’s been said, it is muddy and rooty in places. I’d not do it on a road bike. CX would be fine.