Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

maryown

We go quite often to cycle Wicklow Mountains. Also open for other spins even somewhere further for 1-2 days.
Last leisure spin 58k.

Join our FB group and cycle together as it's completely different experience than on your own



https://www.facebook.com/groups/193790741147900/

smacl

Lovely lunch time ride up Cruagh direction to Masseys and back via Stocking lane. Still suffering badly with the shoulders so moving at a snail pace and getting off a fair bit, but it still beats the crap out of the turbo.



You'd know the Weevil boards crew had been through recently, wrecked the place they did!

secman

Had the day off today and have been off the bike for 2 weeks, a bad dose doing the rounds. Headed out to blessington and on to Poulaphouca , left turn around by the Poulaphouca house and on towards the lakes. On to valleymount and around the lake drive to Lacken. Back road to manor kilbride and home on n81.
70km avg 25.5kph, slowish but delighted to get out again.

Fighting Tao

96.7km Dublin to Drumintee, Co. Armagh for my commuter bikes first service. Had an awful headache most of the way and the headwind was punishing.

4hrs 17min moving
22.6kph

https://www.strava.com/activities/1250392546

Daroxtar

First spin apart from the turbo in a fortnight and to be honest the turbo sessions were only half hearted spurts just to spin the legs.
I was trying to get a few of the club mates to come up the hills with me but alas they all pulled out one by one.
I headed off on my lonesome this morning. Forecast said up to 15 degrees and dry so that was all I needed to know. Threw on the sexy new Santini Angliru jersey, Gilet in the back pocket and away off with me. I went up bohernabreena and on across by the firing range, Scurlocks leap and onto the Sally Gap. Now up top of the bohernabreena road was a bit foggy at that stage but it was still not too bad but by the time I got to the Gap crossroads it was a dirty mist and time to turn back. Which I didn't.
I went down to Laragh for coffee and cake. The fog thinned out a bit by the time I got round by the waterfall and a bit of a breeze picked up so I thought it might blow it off.
The coffee and sticky toffee cake was the business, although probably not in any respectable training manual.
The return up to the top of the Gap started slowly but I picked up the pace a bit as I got higher up and then the crosswinds, mist and misery started to play fck with me. From the crossroads over past Kippure was torture and freezing. Descending was treacherous. I am a confident enough descender but I was blown all over the road coming down by the lake. Then the featherbeds....
I don't think I have been as close to getting off the bike in a very long time and that includes some serious suffering in Spain a few weeks ago. The life was just sucked right out of me, doing less than 10kmh and my face was going into spasms on the left side with the cold wind and heavy mist. I could not even face goin the whole way over, as soon as I got to the Cunard road I bailed. And lo and behold, halfway down the road, it was dry and warm, just as forecast.
It took me ten minutes sitting in the car before I got enough feeling back in my hands to tie the bike on the rack. I'm sure it will help me build character or something but I'm still not right after it.
85km, 1358m climbed in a pitiful 3:45, average temperature 7 degrees

https://www.strava.com/activities/1250471846

magicbastarder

first time out on my otherwise usual sunday morning NCD spin, in about five or six weeks, but cut it short due to that northern wind and a head cold. 40km, and it took it out of me. felt like i was missing the last 10% capacity in my lungs.

Weepsie

magicbastarder wrote: »

first time out on my otherwise usual sunday morning NCD spin, in about five or six weeks, but cut it short due to that northern wind and a head cold. 40km, and it took it out of me. felt like i was missing the last 10% capacity in my lungs.

Hmm, wind you say. Glad I stayed indoors so, even though it looked and looks nice out. Legs are demanding a few days off which they're getting.

magicbastarder

It wasn't that it was hellishly windy, more that I was heading north for the first half and my legs were complaining.

dahat

Club spin today, ended up down around Kilkenny and i must say road surfaces there are almost perfect, not a pothole to be seen for km after km.

121km at 29.7avg and I'm in a ball here, today was my official start to winter training and 2018 race season.

Now to stay away from the cupboard!!!!

C3PO

Had a really nice spin around Dublin and Wicklow today ... Including a coffee stop in the Happy Pear!
100kms/1850mts elevation!
Lovely bright day!

grouchyman

60 kms this morning. As it was my first time on the bike since 1st September. The legs and back are stiff and sore. I had to stop at 58kms as I got cramps in the back of my legs. Glad I did it though. Hopefully now get back with the club for the Sunday mornings.

AndrewJRenko

Glorious 2 hour spin out the Featherbeds, down Glassmucky and back home via Tallaght, touching 79kmph on the road into Tallaght, 647m elevation - hardly a breath of wind on the Featherbeds at all - only problem was sweat coming down into my eyes and stinging - I think I need Bjorn Borg style headband or something.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Glorious 2 hour spin out the Featherbeds, down Glassmucky and back home via Tallaght, touching 79kmph on the road into Tallaght, 647m elevation - hardly a breath of wind on the Featherbeds at all - only problem was sweat coming down into my eyes and stinging - I think I need Bjorn Borg style headband or something.

Smidgen of valsoline should do the trick, friend of mine who boxes suggested it to me years ago and I've used it since.

magicbastarder

this was mentioned here before; not sure how well it would sit with a helmet on your head too.

https://www.sweatgutr.com/

Fighting Tao

Yr.no promised me a tailwind coming back to Dublin today. It lied! I don't think it predicted much sun either. I got sunburnt!

Apart from that I realise that my commuter bike saddle is not good enough for 185km in 2 days. Let just say "it hurts".

So the second day of my trek was a little strange. One minute I felt like I had loads of energy, the next none and my legs refusing to work. However, an average of 24.5kph leaves me happy.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1252266598

nilhg

Muck, slop, back roads, russet leaves, beautiful autumn sunshine, Hollywood Glen, Donard, Blessington, Grangecon, good company, plenty of slagging, half of the lads getting lost, a headwind all the way home, all part of a good Sunday club spin.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1252122921

secman

Missus has very bad asthma so didn't get out yesterday and just a short spin today. Headed to Kilmuckridge and out by Wells to main road, next left turn back to Kilmuckridge and around coast road to Ballygarrett, down to Peigs bar and left for killenagh and home. 35 km avg 28.3kph hopefully she feels better soon and I'll get a half decent spin tomorrow. Looks a nice day tomorrow with little or no wind

On the sweat in eyes... I suffered greatly with this problem, bought 4 Nike sweat bands and definitely works... using one at a time

dahat

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Glorious 2 hour spin out the Featherbeds, down Glassmucky and back home via Tallaght, touching 79kmph on the road into Tallaght, 647m elevation - hardly a breath of wind on the Featherbeds at all - only problem was sweat coming down into my eyes and stinging - I think I need Bjorn Borg style headband or something.

I've always used a headband especially during summer bit lately with drop in temp I'm using a cap reversed and it's doing an excellent job.
I shave my head twice weekly with a mach 3 type razor so need something to stop the sweat.

Mercian Pro

Hadn't been up the mountains for a while so when a friend suggested going for a spin yesterday, I thought Sally Gap and maybe Laragh. YR was showing 11 degrees at Laragh so I went with shorts, base layer, ss jersey and arm warmers. It looked a bit odd with winter gloves but I thought I'd get away with it.
It wasn't a bad combination for the climbs on the Old Long Hill and Lugala but up at Sally Gap the Garmin was showing 6 degrees despite the sunshine. As forecast, the NW wind had eased off but it was not a place for hanging around. We decided to head back to town as it was only going to get colder and were cheered up (if not warmed up) by the Reservoir Cogs lads coming up by Lough Bray as we flew down. It took 15min in the shower later to get back to normal temperature.
It's that time of year again when choosing the right clothing is becoming critical especially if you don't carry too much natural insulation! Time to root out the tights and even the Mistral jacket and accept that Winter is on its way.

LollipopJimmy

40kms, out the canal and on to Celbridge. Longest run since doing Galway - Dub, I've found it really hard to motivate myself to get back in the saddle. Heading out again today so we'll get back into the routone

AndrewJRenko

Thanks for all the sweaty advice - must get a sweatband or two for a start.

godtabh

Havent done any long distance in a while.

Did the usual Athlone Dublin today but fcuked my back up just as I was about to leave picking my my 5 year old. Stiff as hell now

LennoxR

After a long (and tough) road ride yesterday, I tried doing the Royal Canal path on the gravel bike today. Started at Cross Guns bridge in Phibsborough and finished at the bridge near Lucan. Then came off and came back by the strawberry beds and Phoenix Park.

To be honest I wouldn't recommend the Royal Canal at all. From Phibsorough to Castleknock the surface was ok, but too many gates and far too many walkers (don't worry I was polite). The next bit, which I believe is called the Deep Cutting, I wouldn't do again, except on a mountain bike, preferably with full suspension. Really narrow with a sheer drop on the right hand side and loads of roots and rocks. If it was in the woods, you could belt along and the worst that would happen would be a slow moving crash, but with a deep canal on one side? No. Especially not with the odd walker coming the other way. Had to walk some of it.

And even once you get past that point ,after brief gravel/shale sections, it's mostly grassy, muddy and rocky as far as I could see. Had intended to go to Maynooth but gave up near Lucan.

The grand canal has its rough stretches too, but in general it's much more cycleable in my opinion than the Royal.

marvin80

LennoxR wrote: »

To be honest I wouldn't recommend the Royal Canal at all.

The best part of the Royal Canal at the moment is down in Westmeath.
Get the train to Mullingar and cycle to Ballymahon and back. Few pubs, shops and places to eat in Ballymahon.

You can cycle onto Longford and get a train back to Dublin from there also.
Section after Ballymahon isn't in great nick from what I've heard.

Mercian Pro

LennoxR wrote: »

After a long (and tough) road ride yesterday, I tried doing the Royal Canal path on the gravel bike today. Started at Cross Guns bridge in Phibsborough and finished at the bridge near Lucan. Then came off and came back by the strawberry beds and Phoenix Park.

To be honest I wouldn't recommend the Royal Canal at all. From Phibsorough to Castleknock the surface was ok, but too many gates and far too many walkers (don't worry I was polite). The next bit, which I believe is called the Deep Cutting, I wouldn't do again, except on a mountain bike, preferably with full suspension. Really narrow with a sheer drop on the right hand side and loads of roots and rocks. If it was in the woods, you could belt along and the worst that would happen would be a slow moving crash, but with a deep canal on one side? No. Especially not with the odd walker coming the other way. Had to walk some of it.

And even once you get past that point ,after brief gravel/shale sections, it's mostly grassy, muddy and rocky as far as I could see. Had intended to go to Maynooth but gave up near Lucan.

The grand canal has its rough stretches too, but in general it's much more cycleable in my opinion than the Royal.

From my own experience of walking and cycling both canals, with the exception of the Deep Sinking, the Royal is generally better than the Grand. While the latter has sections of road in places, the towpath elsewhere is often narrower and rougher than on the Royal. As outlined in http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057747877, once you get past Coolmine on the Royal, the section to Maynooth is quite doable even on a road bike. Further out, the stretch between Kilcock and Enfield is currently being upgraded and from the Westmeath border to the Shannon is excellent.

LennoxR

Mercian Pro wrote: »

From my own experience of walking and cycling both canals, with the exception of the Deep Sinking, the Royal is generally better than the Grand. While the latter has sections of road in places, the towpath elsewhere is often narrower and rougher than on the Royal. As outlined in http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057747877, once you get past Coolmine on the Royal, the section to Maynooth is quite doable even on a road bike. Further out, the stretch between Kilcock and Enfield is currently being upgraded and from the Westmeath border to the Shannon is excellent.

Yeah, I should clarify, I wouldn't recommend doing the Royal Canal around Dublin. Particularly not the Deep Sinking. I don't have experience of it further afield. But as I said, I got as far as Lucan area (near Luttrelstown) and ahead was mucky, grassy trail as far as I could see. So I gave up!

Certainly not doable on a road bike from Castleknock to Lucan.

Edit: Re the Grand. I know it as far as Sallins from Dublin and aside from a stretch between Lucan and Hazelhatch bridge (I usually bypass that bit via Newcastle), which is very rough and another muddy stretch before Sallins, it is much wider and easier to cycle in my opinion. But again, I don't know it beyond that.

secman

Headed to killenagh and on into Gorey, out old n11 to inch and on to Arklow. Back to inch and took left turn for Castletown. Around Tara hill to Ballymoney and back the coast road from courtown to towards Ballygarrett, killenagh and home. 66 km , avg 26.4kph.

Interested Observer

First commute home since I moved (hence new route) in the dark today. Couple of bits of road aren't great for it but I seem to be visible enough. Might buy some more lights though.

Gerrup Outta Dat!

Passed far too closely again today by a maniac in an Audi. I've hardened to it now and it doesn't shake me anymore. I just hope they don't get too close one of these days to swipe the handlebars. I've started owning the road more and cycling out from the edge off the road, still doesn't always work.
What do you recommend as a minimum safe passing distance?

Do these people have tunnel vision? Are they just scumbags? Do they not care about other vulnerable road users?

AndrewJRenko

Gerrup Outta Dat! wrote: »

What do you recommend as a minimum safe passing distance?

1.5m is the recommended passing distance by RSA and Dept Transport. A more immediate measure is out of arm's reach - if you stick your hand out to signal to them to move away and the car hits your hand, it is way too close.

Gerrup Outta Dat! wrote: »

Do these people have tunnel vision? Are they just scumbags? Do they not care about other vulnerable road users?

I think it is a combination of things. First and foremost, it is the overwhelming sense of entitlement of most motorists, the assumption that they have 'rights' on the road and that cyclists are some kind of 2nd class citizen who really shouldn't be there, and if they are there, they should just get out of the way.

This combines with a lack of understanding of how vulnerable cyclists are, and how scary it is be close passed.