SE Michigan vs. NE Ohio Suburban Singletrack Shootout #3: YOU SO CRAZY!

The Maybury trails in Novi and the Bedford Trails in the Bedford Reservation Metropark are both near former or current mental health facilities. Makes you wonder: Hampton is on a former landfill. Mountain bikers must be a strange breed of outdoor enthusiasts, or maybe they’re trying to tell us something.
I purposely matched Maybury with Bedford because I knew Maybury would win, even though Maybury might be better compared to Hampton Hills. Maybury isn’t a long trail, probably less than 10 miles. But what is there is (once again) fast but still mildly technical. They haven’t done a whole lot to make the trail “more sustainable” and every once in a while you have to stay on your toes, or you’ll botch a climb or get your front wheel in a bad spot. There’s also a couple of small jumps that I’ll still hit, even though my jumping days ended effectively two years ago. I like this trail a lot; it’s perfect for a quick buzz, and maybe two laps if I have the time. Even though its not close to other trails, the way Milford easily links up with Highland, Proud Lake, and Island Lake, you can hit Maybury in the morning and something else within a 15 to 20 minute drive, and have a nice day in a good part of the outer Detroit suburbs.
Bedford is a relatively recent addition to the Metroparks mountain bike trail system. Designed by CAMBA, its set adjacent to the Tinker’s Creek Gorge (very cool place) and generally follows the contours of the land in a rather boring way. There’s just nothing really remarkable about the trail design, and we tend to ride the “Bedford Backcountry” more than the actual single track. I suppose if you live in the near-metro area, its a good place for a spin, and they hold races there, but most of us from the Medina/Summit county area ride East Rim or Connector. ‘Nuf said about that kind of riding, tho.
Maybury 7, Bedford 6.

We have a tie so far: Ohio 11, Michigan 11 Go Lions!!

Next up: Austin Badger vs. Proud Lake