Commuting route advice - Fairview to Ballsbridge

RonanCFD

Morning all,

Could anyone advise on the most sensible route to commute into Ballsbridge from North of the river? I'm coming from Portmarnock and I'll use the cycle path as far as Fairview, but from that point onwards I'm not sure on the best option (from a self-preservation point of view, I'm not fussed about shortest possible distance). I'm guessing that Samuel Beckett looks like the best bridge to come across, but could do East Link if better. This is the route I'm looking at:

https://goo.gl/maps/KbWZnVBbz4Q2

All advice gratefully received! I'll be on a road bike, but if any proposed routes require N+1 I'm fine with that

Ferris

I go East Link every day. Usually the traffic is so bad on east wall road that you can pick your way through easily. When the traffic is flowing its a wide single lane road. I avoid the toll by going through the wall into Ringsend. Never had an issue with this part of my route.

Edit - see you're on a road bike, you'll need puncture resistant tyres, I ran schwalbe marathon pluses in 28mm width on my road bike as road past the 3arena is filthy.

mcgratheoin

Just wondering why you've chosen the Clontarf route versus Coolock. I usedd to go from Clongriffin to Grand Canal area and found the handiest was just straight in the Malahide Road and left onto Seville Place to go across Sam Beckett bridge. There's a bus lane & cycle lane the whole way so you're fairly well protected from traffic - the coast road can be horrible if it's windy.

Either way from Fairview I'd probably go Beckett bridge rather than East link - but try each way a few times to see which you prefer.

brocbrocach

That's the route I'd take

RonanCFD

Yes, I might do Malahide Road if there's a strong headwind, I've done the coast road a few times in the wind and it wasn't too pleasant (fun when I turned around though!)

Thanks, Ferris, for the advice re: road surface - I'm after an N+1 that can take wider tyres and would look at puncture-resistant ones. The bike I was going to use in the meantime is my bike for club spins so not ideal to be too compromised on the tyre front.

Alanstrainor

RonanCFD wrote: »

Morning all,

Could anyone advise on the most sensible route to commute into Ballsbridge from North of the river? I'm coming from Portmarnock and I'll use the cycle path as far as Fairview, but from that point onwards I'm not sure on the best option (from a self-preservation point of view, I'm not fussed about shortest possible distance). I'm guessing that Samuel Beckett looks like the best bridge to come across, but could do East Link if better. This is the route I'm looking at:

https://goo.gl/maps/KbWZnVBbz4Q2

All advice gratefully received! I'll be on a road bike, but if any proposed routes require N+1 I'm fine with that

I travel from Portmarnock as far as Fairview and follow the route you've shown. And when I have an appointment in St.Vincent's I would take the route you showed. It's a good route, the main area of concern is the road from Portmarnock to Baldoyle which can be troublesome. Take a position well out from the side of the road and you should be fine.

I would also avoid the east link bridge, I used to commute over it from the south side, north to Fairview, and I never liked it. It's quite hostile and the roads leading to and from the bridge are busy with heavy good vehicles. Maybe others perception of the route isn't as bad as mine however.

As for why to avoid Coolock/Malahide road. For me at least I find the cycle lane from Baldoyle down to Fairview is fantastic and well worth the detour for. It's a straight run in with little chance of having to stop. However given the distance of your commute OP, travelling the Malahide road would cut a couple of KM off your total distance so it could be worth it.

As for tyres, I suppose my commute doesn't take me through the worst of Dublin city, but GP4000s are a favourite of mine. I used to cycle straight through the centre of town on them and found them excellent. And they're still a lovely grippy tyre and not too heavy.

RonanCFD

Thanks, Alanstrainor. I'm out to Howth a lot so I'm well used to the Portmarnock to Baldoyle stretch (admittedly not at 8am) Not pleasant, but at least I know it well.

I'm running 25mm 4-seasons on the winter bike at the moment, have always found them great but I'll see how I go.

mcgratheoin

RonanCFD wrote: »

I'm after an N+1 that can take wider tyres and would look at puncture-resistant ones.

I have a Kona Paddywagon drop bar single speed for Dublin commuting - great bike, good gearing and ideal on flat ground and slight inclines (e.g. Fairview through Marino).
I'd heartily recommend it if you're looking at N+1 - steel frame with lifetime warranty, comes with 700x30 tyres and is available at just under €500 from cyclestore.ie

ILIKEFOOD

mcgratheoin wrote: »

I have a Kona Paddywagon drop bar single speed for Dublin commuting - great bike, good gearing and ideal on flat ground and slight inclines (e.g. Fairview through Marino).
I'd heartily recommend it if you're looking at N+1 - steel frame with lifetime warranty, comes with 700x30 tyres and is available at just under €500 from cyclestore.ie

I also bought this bike from the very same site, love it for zipping around town - and I think it has helped my form on the road bike too

RonanCFD

Its a great price, Reynolds tubes as well. I'm just undecided whether I'm man enough to get along the cycle path into a headwind on a singlespeed!

Alanstrainor

RonanCFD wrote: »

Its a great price, Reynolds tubes as well. I'm just undecided whether I'm man enough to get along the cycle path into a headwind on a singlespeed!

I did it for 6 months when I moved to Portmarnock. It was pretty bad, I had to change my freewheel gear to something easier (it had been a tiny cog to be fair). I used that bike for 6 years before then as my commuter, covering huge mileage on it through Dublin. But that stretch down the coast made me think it was time for a new bike. It is doable, but not the perfect bike for the job.

RonanCFD

Leaning towards this Vitus Energie CX bike although I'm eligible for BTW again and Chain Reaction isn't on their list, so I'll look at a few other things as well

Alanstrainor

RonanCFD wrote: »

Leaning towards this Vitus Energie CX bike although I'm eligible for BTW again and Chain Reaction isn't on their list, so I'll look at a few other things as well

I did consider a CX bike when I was looking. But decided to get a road frame in the end. A giant contend sl 2 disc. Discs front and back were a big plus for me, and everything else has worked out great so far. There's a lot of similar bikes for that money, so plenty of choice.

tomasrojo

I used to go from Fairview south all the time, and I avoided the East Link. I haven't done it in years, but the EL used to be pretty unpleasant to use.

magicbastarder

probably depends on the time you cross - i've mentioned before that i go north-south on it at about 7am and it's usually fine. i couldn't tell you what it's like at 8 though.

AndrewJRenko

If you do go over the Sam Beckett, follow the on-path cycle track round the corner and go up Forbes St, across Grand Canal Dock and up by Google on Barrow St. Macken St by the Theatre is a nightmare.

Wishbone Ash

RonanCFD wrote: »

- I'm after an N+1 that can take wider tyres and would look at puncture-resistant ones....

For that short flat commute I'd be going for a single speed with solid tyres - great piece of mind and no need for any accessories/tools as such.

A headwind on the Sutton Clontarf can be taxing at times but it's only a few kms. You have the option of changing the gearing if required. I went from a 48/16 to a 48/17 but it's difficult to take advantage of a taiwind if the gearing is too low.

RonanCFD

Just to follow up on this, I've been doing the commute for a few weeks now and I'm very happy with the route (going the canal side of the theatre & past Google rather than Macken St, thanks Andrew)

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

mirrormatrix

What bike did you go for in the end?

RonanCFD

mirrormatrix wrote: »

What bike did you go for in the end?

Ha ha, the important question. I'm still prevaricating, at the moment I'm using my road bike with 25mm Conti 4 seasons which is great for 95% of the route, not so good for the other 5%. I'm sure I could just carry on with it, but as I can use BTW again I'll probably get something that can take wider tyres. I'll report back.

mr spuckler

RonanCFD wrote: »

Just to follow up on this, I've been doing the commute for a few weeks now and I'm very happy with the route (going the canal side of the theatre & past Google rather than Macken St, thanks Andrew)

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

out of interest do you go home the same route? I currently cross East Link at 9:15ish and it's not too bad but coming back across at around 5:45 it ain't pretty so am interested in alternatives which don't involve Amiens st! starting from Leeson st and aiming for the coast path I usually head along the canal then up South Lotts rd and across onto the East Link beside the toll.

RonanCFD

Yes, exactly the same route in reverse on the way home. I'm doing the city part between 5:30 and 6, mostly fine, East Wall Road is a bit of a logjam but there's usually room to get past the cars

magicbastarder

mr spuckler wrote: »

I currently cross East Link at 9:15ish and it's not too bad but coming back across at around 5:45 it ain't pretty

which way do you approach the east link?
this is the way i go in the evenings:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/53.3368178,-6.2183084/53.3473908,-6.2272906/@53.3417771,-6.225734,15.75z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e1

HugoMyBoss

RonanCFD wrote: »

Just to follow up on this, I've been doing the commute for a few weeks now and I'm very happy with the route (going the canal side of the theatre & past Google rather than Macken St, thanks Andrew)

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

Which way do you go when you have crossed over the Smauel bridge?

Could you update your map route??

mr spuckler

magicbastarder wrote: »

which way do you approach the east link?
this is the way i go in the evenings:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/53.3368178,-6.2183084/53.3473908,-6.2272906/@53.3417771,-6.225734,15.75z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e1

same, I also join from Thorncastle st. I tend to change my route from time to time when I eventually get fed up of bad road surfaces / particular conflict points etc. the roundabout at the 3 arena and the stretch along there to East Wall rd in particular are really annoying me these days.
that's not helped by me getting a blowout on my good bike on the roundabout a couple of weeks ago when a truck coming from along the quays decided he didn't need to stop for me coming from his right, so I ended up swerving into a massive pothole which promptly blew a hole in the side of the tyre :mad:

RonanCFD

HugoMyBoss wrote: »

Which way do you go when you have crossed over the Smauel bridge?

Could you update your map route??

Here's the updated route:

https://goo.gl/maps/oy1kmUQLDW72

HugoMyBoss

RonanCFD wrote: »

Here's the updated route:

https://goo.gl/maps/oy1kmUQLDW72

Cheers.

copacetic

RonanCFD wrote: »

Here's the updated route:

https://goo.gl/maps/oy1kmUQLDW72

Interesting the different routes people prefer, I do a very similar route, and also bypass Macken street, but since the building work and state of the roads have changed the Ballsbridge end to Northumberland Road, canal and clanwilliam terrace. Cobbles aren’t great but otherwise it’s much better road wise, especially on way home.

I know a lot of people prefer east link, but I just can’t get on with that route at all.

RonanCFD

Like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/dCZ4VTYyzGv

Looks good, I much prefer Northumberland Road to Shelbourne Road and sometimes cut across to it via Burlington Road, but your route looks much more sensible than doing that. And cobbles are good, gives further justification to myself that a new bike is needed!

magicbastarder

copacetic wrote: »

I know a lot of people prefer east link, but I just can’t get on with that route at all.

one of the reasons i find myself on the east link is that strand road is usually a reasonable road to cycle - no crossing junctions and you've got the sea on one side.

mirrormatrix

RonanCFD wrote: »

Like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/dCZ4VTYyzGv

Looks good, I much prefer Northumberland Road to Shelbourne Road and sometimes cut across to it via Burlington Road, but your route looks much more sensible than doing that. And cobbles are good, gives further justification to myself that a new bike is needed!

I take a fairly similar route, except I use Fairview/Seville Place rather than East Wall, and have always used Macken St. Never even considered GCD! Would it not be very slow with all the pedestrians at grand canal square? Or is there some sort of cycle path there?

RonanCFD

There's no bike path, but quite a lot of room and as there's a Dublin Bikes dock there, pedestrians seem well used to bikes. I take it very slowly, staying on the canal side and giving way to any pedestrians, but its such a short stretch it doesn't really make much difference to my journey time.

magicbastarder

so this evening i came home via ringsend/macken street/beckett bridge/sherriff street/east road, and onto east wall.
maybe it's a case of 'better the devil you know', but i'm not keen to repeat that. at least with crossing the east link, the bad traffic is usually just on the east link and east wall road till you pass the point village, but this evening, traffic was bedlam turning right off pearse street, and all along macken street and cardiff lane.
didn't help that i took a right too early then, but in general it just felt far more congested and stop starty than my usual route.

also, it was quite irritating to see most cyclists ignoring red lights on that route. crossing from the beckett bridge onto guild street, i was the only one of six cyclists who didn't break the red.

P_1

magicbastarder wrote: »

so this evening i came home via ringsend/macken street/beckett bridge/sherriff street/east road, and onto east wall.
maybe it's a case of 'better the devil you know', but i'm not keen to repeat that. at least with crossing the east link, the bad traffic is usually just on the east link and east wall road till you pass the point village, but this evening, traffic was bedlam turning right off pearse street, and all along macken street and cardiff lane.
didn't help that i took a right too early then, but in general it just felt far more congested and stop starty than my usual route.

also, it was quite irritating to see most cyclists ignoring red lights on that route. crossing from the beckett bridge onto guild street, i was the only one of six cyclists who didn't break the red.

I'd suggest 2 quick changes to improve that.

1 - Turn right at Grand Canal Street, coming onto the cycle path as Rogerson's Quay and use the path till you get over the bridge.

2 - Turn right down the quays at the end of the bridge, turn left then up New Wapping Street to take you up to East Road.

magicbastarder

P_1 wrote: »

1 - Turn right at Grand Canal Street, coming onto the cycle path as Rogerson's Quay and use the path till you get over the bridge.

you mean onto erne street?

P_1

magicbastarder wrote: »

you mean onto erne street?

Through the square and straight down Forbes Street. Take it handy down the 400m mixed pedestrian section but it's much quicker, stress free and less stop-start than going down Cardiff Lane.

https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/53.34244,-6.2387959/53.3459656,-6.2379994/@53.3441285,-6.2411492,17z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e2

copacetic

RonanCFD wrote: »

Like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/dCZ4VTYyzGv

Looks good, I much prefer Northumberland Road to Shelbourne Road and sometimes cut across to it via Burlington Road, but your route looks much more sensible than doing that. And cobbles are good, gives further justification to myself that a new bike is needed!

That’s it exactly, might swap back when all building work is finished. The fecking builders never look before stepping out from behind all their parked vans on way back from the coffee shop to building site. I’d nearly crashed into about 10 of them by the time I switched routes.

My route brings me from Portland row/Seville place direction also

AndrewJRenko

RonanCFD wrote: »

Like this?

https://goo.gl/maps/dCZ4VTYyzGv

Looks good, I much prefer Northumberland Road to Shelbourne Road and sometimes cut across to it via Burlington Road, but your route looks much more sensible than doing that. And cobbles are good, gives further justification to myself that a new bike is needed!

And you get the pleasure of the 'tram only' section along the Luas line at Spencer Dock, where you can count the trucks, vans and cars ignoring the 'tram only' rules all the time.

copacetic

magicbastarder wrote: »

so this evening i came home via ringsend/macken street/beckett bridge/sherriff street/east road, and onto east wall.
maybe it's a case of 'better the devil you know', but i'm not keen to repeat that. at least with crossing the east link, the bad traffic is usually just on the east link and east wall road till you pass the point village, but this evening, traffic was bedlam turning right off pearse street, and all along macken street and cardiff lane.
didn't help that i took a right too early then, but in general it just felt far more congested and stop starty than my usual route.

also, it was quite irritating to see most cyclists ignoring red lights on that route. crossing from the beckett bridge onto guild street, i was the only one of six cyclists who didn't break the red.

There are pedestrian lights, then cycle lights, then the actual lights. It can be a bit of a free for all! Mostly cyclist go on cycle lights when on road, it’s a bit vague if that’s ok I guess. Coming from the grand canal dock route as outlined above you’ll be on the east side of bridge cycle track which is busy but an easier cycle. Macken street/Cardiff lane is a disaster, it’s the same in a car also

magicbastarder

hmm; still not seeing much benefit to avoiding the east link. this is the only section which is slow (if approaching northbound from strand road, and going via the church in ringsend and thorncastle street) - many of the above options still drop you onto east wall road but the bit you're missing out is the wasy bit.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/53.3449858,-6.2274839/53.349919,-6.2269156/@53.3468179,-6.229224,17z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e1

copacetic

magicbastarder wrote: »

hmm; still not seeing much benefit to avoiding the east link. this is the only section which is slow (if approaching northbound from strand road, and going via the church in ringsend and thorncastle street) - many of the above options still drop you onto east wall road but the bit you're missing out is the wasy bit.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/53.3449858,-6.2274839/53.349919,-6.2269156/@53.3468179,-6.229224,17z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e1

Personally I just don’t like it, but also I’m heading toward grace park road, so need to get back toward that direction anyway which makes it an easier call I guess.

magicbastarder

i go up griffith avenue past the grace park road junction - sometimes i go east wall road - fairview - phillipsburgh avenue; more often east wall road; alfie byrne road; malahide road and onto griffith avenue.

copacetic

magicbastarder wrote: »

i go up griffith avenue past the grace park road junction - sometimes i go east wall road - fairview - phillipsburgh avenue; more often east wall road; alfie byrne road; malahide road and onto griffith avenue.

Weird the different routes people prefer, on way in I’m always Philipsburgh -Portland row-Seville place - new bridge.