Originally Posted by
UsedToBeFaster
Bikes can handle 32mm tires so a bit of gravel is ok.
After a few thousand miles on a mostly crushed gravel trail network I would not even consider riding "off-road" on 32mm tires. My bike stock came with 38mm's and I upgraded to 42mm's. I'm not a big guy, 150lbs if wet. The tires just don't have the flotation on softer ground - as in wet dirt, and the worst - coarse gravel (like that used on construction sites for temporary equipment paths) and pea gravel - its akin to trying to ride over marbles.
If the ground you are going to ride is "hard" (actually hard and if it rains you aren't victim to dirt going soft) then you can get by. It just would not be my choice. If I were riding like that routinely I'd have something in the 51mm/2" wide range. It will make for a smoother ride, also, with more sidewall to absorb the terrain.