Here's my situation: I am by passion and choice a mt biker. Last summer, I got into road biking which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

I recently bought a Burley trailer for my son so that I can get in more rides this year, but the only place I feel comfortable having him in a trailer is on the Rails to Trails trails.

The biggest tire I can get on my road bike is 700x26. So I am looking for recommendations on a 25 or 26 tire that will work well on rails trails. I am not terribly worried about weight or rolling resistance since I am going to be towing a trailer, but I'd rather not have a total pig of a tire as there are some secondary roads I'd probably use these tires on even when I am not towing the trailer.

Any advice would be appreciated. The tires I have now are 700x23 and strictly a road/performance tire. I am assuming I want/need something with a little tread and a little wider.

Guess it depends on the trail surface. Around here our rail trail is a mix of paved sections, compacted limestone sand and some bare dirt. For that something like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700c looks like a good option. It comes in 25mm so that will fit well. Biketiresdirect.com has several options under the city/touring section.

I've used both Panaracer Paselas and Specialized Armadillos for stuff like that. Currently using Serfas STK 26 which are faster on roads than either of the previous 2; no idea how long they will last (less than 300 mi on them so far).

I have the Schwalbe Durano Plus in 25mm on my commuting bike for DC. I ride it everyday to work for a year and a half, including days like today, and it is fine. It is also not a big handicap for training rides. Good volume and a stout casing.

The Armadillo is good too but maybe a little stiffer so it depends on what is your priority: a tire that is good enough on the rails to trails type riding (crushed limestone mainly?) but ok for fast road riding or something dedicated for fireroads and the like. In the latter case, get a used cross bike.

Thanks for the replies. I haven't ridden a ton on the rails trails just because unless I am pulling my son, it doesn't really appeal to me, but I am fairly certain it is mostly crushed limestone where I will be riding. I live in Greensburg and would ride around there, Ohiopyle and possibly as far south as Uniontown.

I am looking for something that is capable on crushed limestone, but also good for secondary roads (paved, but with more debris, potholes, etc). Not really looking for something that would work on fireroads and tame single track as I would use my mt bike there.

Schwable Marathon Plus was one of the tires I was looking at. I almost pulled the trigger during biketiresdirect president's day sale but wanted to get advice from others who have more experience with the rails trails.