Quote Originally Posted by Crankin View Post
I seriously don't know how you guys can ride on chip seal. It pretty much ruined my experience on the San Juan Islands last year. This was with 25 tires and my ti bike; guess you can get used to anything, but why in the world do they use that stuff?
I am sure the answer is that it's cheap. Thankfully, it's not used around here.
Like most roadbuilding it probably depends on materials and technique. It's really only a problem here when it's fresh and loose. When it's very hot the tar melts, but not so much as to be slippery. When it's been in place for a couple of months, it's as smooth as macadam, or nearly so. Granted I've never ridden an aluminum road bike.

The alternative is unimproved gravel. I'll take the chipseal.