http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=240600

More phone pics from today's hike. This is one of my "access" trails to the Airline Trail which is a Linear State Park in eastern CT. I've never made it to the bottom still clipped in and I've never made it to the top at all. It's a 250 ft drop over 2/5th mile and its all root, rock and sand.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=240601

The bottom of my fire road with a view of the prize.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=240602

The actual Airline Trail which goes on and on for miles. Ultimately all of it will look this good. There are still areas under construction though. In years past, the wet areas were simply filled with traprock untill they stayed above water. Then gravel and sometimes something more substantial is placed on top. It can be done on a road bike, but the tires aren't going to like if forever.

As you know that trail is not far from my house. With any luck I will have a bike capable of riding the trails next fall. TCC has rides throughout the winter and I'll probably join in on those. Any suggestions for a bike for those trails? I am a total novice for anything other than the road. Probably going to look for something used not new.

I'll be riding down you was soon enough. Early spring is always a good time to ride the East Bay MUP. We usually stop for breakfast in Warren.

Much of the main trail can be done with anything you want. It's a bit harsh on narrow road tires and wheels, but any old hybrid or MTB will do. There are times that I take the suspension fork off for just riding on the trail. There are however some offshoots where a hardtail with suspension fork is a bit more fun. You really only have to keep your eyes open for water cuts and runoff trenches that haven't been filled. For trail riding I use a hardtail with or without suspension fork and Kenda Kosmic Light II tires in a 2.0 size to ride on top of the gravel, limestone or dirt. That tire will allow you to get off the trail and do a bit of asphault riding if you wish. It's not enough for loose sand or deep dirt however as it starts to spin without traction if your going uphill.

My "access roads" are not however safe for a road bike or comfortable with a rigid fork. If I wasn't so cheap, I'd love to build a dual suspension setup just for fun. I had an old school one years ago with a coil/shock rear but I gave up on it quickly because it was a tank.

Well I woke this morning to snow, double the amount that fell all winter (4") has fallen over night. We're heading into a warm spell, so I don't think it will stick around long.

A lot of the TCC folks ride cross bikes on some of those trails. That suggests to me that they are sticking to the trails although I must admit I know little about cyclocross.