Originally Posted by
cleansheet
I've done both. First time on my road bike with 23 mm tires. It was bone dry conditions, so it was fine. The second time was on a hybrid and there were muddy patches from summer downpours that would have made the road bike a tough time on the canal trail. A cyclecross type bike would be perfect for this trip.
Trail maintenance has to be factored in as well; when my son and I went on 2011 the section between Herkimer and Little Falls, for example, was terrible. The state had apparently just dumped a new load of stone dust and in several places it was literally 4 to 5 inches deep. Even with our 35mm tires it was impossible for several miles, so we had to go off route.
Generally though, it's a very well maintained trail, just so OP doesn't get the wrong idea. :-) And as noted elsewhere, there's no lack of parallel roads to use when needed.