Gravel Bike Rental

Fighting Tao

I have a friend coming to Ireland at the end of the month and he would like to hire a gravel bike. Does anyone know any shops offering the service in Dublin?

Mercian Pro

Was about to start a new thread when I found this one.

I'm hoping to ride the Barrow and Grand Canal from St Mullins to Dublin but really need a gravel bike to do it justice! I've been trying to find somewhere on the East coast to rent from but the only shops I can find are in Galway and Sligo.

Anyone know of anywhere nearer to Dublin or on the Dublin to Waterford train line?

Weepsie

Not many rent road bikes let alone gravel.

Could try roadbikehire.ie, he was recently upgrading his fleet I think so might have bought to get gravel too

a148pro

If not a hybrid or mtb would be grand

Mercian Pro

a148pro wrote: »

If not a hybrid or mtb would be grand

Have a flat-bar Cannondale Synapse with 28mm tyres that was great on the Royal Canal and I might be able to squeeze 32mm tyres on to it. There would be very little clearance so mud or grass clogging could well be a problem. Three clubmates did Dublin to New Ross in a day via the Grand and Barrow a few weeks back and strongly recommended gravel bikes even in dry conditions.

nilhg

To some extent splitting hairs but a CX bike will also be fine for your trip MP, probably not as well outfitted with mounts for racks and so on but I'm sure for a day or two you'd manage.

I think you're NCD so I'd imagine you'll be able to lay your hands on a loaner up there somewhere but if you're stuck and a 56 would suit PM me, Kildare station is only in the road for me.

a148pro

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Have a flat-bar Cannondale Synapse with 28mm tyres that was great on the Royal Canal and I might be able to squeeze 32mm tyres on to it. There would be very little clearance so mud or grass clogging could well be a problem. Three clubmates did Dublin to New Ross in a day via the Grand and Barrow a few weeks back and strongly recommended gravel bikes even in dry conditions.

I'd definitely go with any recent intel over my suggestion, unless they are recommending something to do it in one day specifically? That is a reasonably serious endeavour, prob 160k odd off road, albeit with no climbing, but still equivalent to 200+ maybe 250 on the flat I would think? I did it over two days and was pretty fecked 20k out of Carlow which is only around the halfway point. It had been dry and there was almost no mud and the grass had been recently cut back.

I was only thinking tyre size as opposed to clearance for clogging in suggesting the hybrid. Also, the canal near me has not been cut back like it usually is so I suspect it will be the same for large swaths of this route south of Robertstown which are really in the middle of no-where, in which case grass could really be an issue. There was a post here a few years back by lads who did it on fatbikes and found it a real drag.

If your stuck I have a 56 out of Dublin city centre also, actually on the canal, but there's something wrong either in bottom bracket or cranks that I have to get sorted, a lot of squeaking going on after last cycle, ongoing problem which I'm not really happy with for a 2018 bike

nilhg

a148pro wrote: »

I'd definitely go with any recent intel over my suggestion, unless they are recommending something to do it in one day specifically? That is a reasonably serious endeavour, prob 160k odd off road, albeit with no climbing, but still equivalent to 200+ maybe 250 on the flat I would think? I did it over two days and was pretty fecked 20k out of Carlow which is only around the halfway point. It had been dry and there was almost no mud and the grass had been recently cut back.

I was only thinking tyre size as opposed to clearance for clogging in suggesting the hybrid. Also, the canal near me has not been cut back like it usually is so I suspect it will be the same for large swaths of this route south of Robertstown which are really in the middle of no-where, in which case grass could really be an issue. There was a post here a few years back by lads who did it on fatbikes and found it a real drag.

If your stuck I have a 56 out of Dublin city centre also, actually on the canal, but there's something wrong either in bottom bracket or cranks that I have to get sorted, a lot of squeaking going on after last cycle, ongoing problem which I'm not really happy with for a 2018 bike

A good bit from Robertstown south was mown recently, certainly to Monasterevin and including the feeder canal coming in from Milltown.

With all the rain grass is regrowing fast though....

cletus

I did Robertstown to Monasterevin about 6 weeks ago. Even with the grass cut, its mostly bumpy (in some cases very bumpy) grass, apart from a stretch coming into Rathangan from the Robertstown side. Rathangan to Monasterevin (past Wilson Bridge) is probably the roughest section of it.

Ive a bit of a spin organised from my place out towards Clane with a friend. He's running 28's on a road bike, and I have avoided all canal path sections for him

Mercian Pro

nilhg wrote: »

I think you're NCD so I'd imagine you'll be able to lay your hands on a loaner up there somewhere but if you're stuck and a 56 would suit PM me, Kildare station is only in the road for me.

a148pro wrote: »

If your stuck I have a 56 out of Dublin city centre also, actually on the canal, but there's something wrong either in bottom bracket or cranks that I have to get sorted, a lot of squeaking going on after last cycle, ongoing problem which I'm not really happy with for a 2018 bike

Thank you both very much for your generous offers. I know it's heresy here not to go the N+1 route but this will probably be my only off-road trip this year and the shed is pretty jammed already! I have a few other possibly options to check out but might well come back to you.

4motion

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Have a flat-bar Cannondale Synapse with 28mm tyres that was great on the Royal Canal and I might be able to squeeze 32mm tyres on to it. There would be very little clearance so mud or grass clogging could well be a problem. Three clubmates did Dublin to New Ross in a day via the Grand and Barrow a few weeks back and strongly recommended gravel bikes even in dry conditions.

So its possible to go from St.Mullins to Dublin by Barrow River? Im living New Ross, i did 20km one way from St. Mullins recently.

cletus

4motion wrote: »

So its possible to go from St.Mullins to Dublin by Barrow River? Im living New Ross, i did 20km one way from St. Mullins recently.

The Grand Canal comes out of Dublin, and branches off at Lowtown/Robertsown in Co. Kildare. This branch is known as the Barrow Way.

It runs through Rathangan and Monasterevin on the way to Athy, where it rejoins the Barrow, and runs on to Carlow and St. Mullins

iwillhtfu

4motion wrote: »

So its possible to go from St.Mullins to Dublin by Barrow River? Im living New Ross, i did 20km one way from St. Mullins recently.

Yes although it's not entirely the barrow you'll join the canal at lowtown but very doable route. You would've done the nicest part on your 20km spin

cletus

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Yes although it's not entirely the barrow you'll join the canal at lowtown but very doable route. You would've done the nicest part on your 20km spin

You'll actually join the canal at Athy. You'll pass over the Barrow on the aquaduct in Monasterevin. There's also a divergence for what used to be the Mountmellick Line, but you can only follow a couple of hundred yards of it. It's been back filled.

If you stop on the aquaduct, you'll see some of the bridges in Monasterevin that resulted in it being referred to the 'Venice of Ireland'.

iwillhtfu

cletus wrote: »

You'll actually join the canal at Athy. You'll pass over the Barrow on the aquaduct in Monasterevin. There's also a divergence for what used to be the Mountmellick Line, but you can only follow a couple of hundred yards of it. It's been back filled.

If you stop on the aquaduct, you'll see some of the bridges in Monasterevin that resulted in it being referred to the 'Venice of Ireland'.

I cycle it regularly

cletus

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I cycle it regularly

the info was more for the OP

Mercian Pro

4motion wrote: »

So its possible to go from St.Mullins to Dublin by Barrow River? Im living New Ross, i did 20km one way from St. Mullins recently.

It's about 180km from New Ross to Dublin via the Barrow and Grand Canal so you might need to build up the milage a bit from 20km

a148pro

https://swordscc.com/2020/07/grand-canal-barrow-way-cycle

It's mad I consider myself reasonably fit and yet these lads did the whole thing in one day and cycled back to dublin the next day