Originally Posted by
Nickel
Riding the trail was a welcome break from the blazing sun and offered a more direct return route. However, I would be mindful of the potential trail conditions to determine if riding the trail would be fun or 'fun' - there was a section that appeared to be undergoing some rehab and the ground was awfully soft with loose soil. I could definitely see it wrecking havoc on a narrow-tire'd ride.
There were also a few deep sandy spots in some areas that required careful attention. I would say it would be more fun on a CX-style tire.
The Reformatory Branch is a mixed bag. The Concord section has a couple of egregious mudholes, pleasing to a certain subset of mountain bikers. The Bedford section is in pretty good shape, albeit with a sandy patch or two, and with one very hard leftover artifact of the former railroad spanning the trail that you really don't want to hit at speed. That said, it's not much worse than the NGRT, I've ridden it with 32mm and 37mm tires. Jim, if you ride it, take the bike with the widest tires you've got, and consider walking around the muddy bits.
rod