Cycling From Greystones to Dublin

mmalaka

Friends;


Does anyone do this Cycling Daily?? i.e. cycling to work from Greystone to Dublin (Blackrock)??

How is it?? Which way do u take usually?? how much time would it take??

Regards

blorg

That's a fair trek but it is doable if you are fit, Blackrock at least is not so far as central Dublin. Bit of a hill coming out of Greystones but pretty flat otherwise.

I'd take a route like this (Google Maps unfortunately stops at Bray.)

You could also take the Stillorgan road and turn off at Cabinteely and then down Pottery Road or alternatively turn off at Cornelscourt to go through Deansgrange.

Allowing for traffic lights etc. I would imagine around an hour?

air

Based on a quick google, it seems to be 28km each way to city centre so maybe 24 to Blackrock?
Shouldnt be too bad if you're fit, I do 40km each way to work between 2 & 4 days a week normally. You should be able to do it under an hour pretty handy if you've got a decent road bike & are in any kind of shape + allow 10 mins either end for gearing up / showering etc.

mmalaka

What kind of bike & Accessories needed for this kind of Cycling? From where can i have a good deal for that??

Work does not have showering facilities…

blorg

I would go for a road or touring bike for that sort of distance. Rack would be good for carrying stuff. Lack of showers at work would be a big problem for me personally, especially in the summer (not be so bad in the winter.)

Accessory-wise, beyond rack, mudguards and water bottles I would go for "clipless" shoes and pedals (e.g. the ones that lock in to the pedal.)

mmalaka

Any recommened shops/Online shope for this kind or bike?? How much it would cost me to got these stuff?? I am not looking for high price things; I am looking for stuff that would do the job withen good price

snack_ie

Hey,

You could get a Giant OCR 4 - it the cheapest road bike they which would do the job. Thinks its around 450euro.

Use chainreactioncycles.com to get pedals and shoes if you want them - there cheaper than any cycle shops and have free postage .They do make a difference.

Niall

blorg

Snack_ie's suggestion of the Giant OCR 4 is indeed a good one, Giant make good value inexpensive road bikes. I'd suggest BikePlus for the shoes and pedals, simply as they have a very good "buy a pair of shoes and get pedals cheap" offer. I bought Specialized Sonoma shoes from them.

damianmckeever

Hey mmalaka,

if price is a major concern worth checking out some of the tri clubs as they usually have second hand bikes the members sell. Have a look at www.wicklowtri.com as many of the members are from Greystones and cycle into town every morning anyway! might be worth making some contacts there anyway in case you get a puncture!

Also I know Rob in Wheelworx does at times have some second hand road bikes he also does the above mentioned Giant bike.

kincsem

You don't mention clothing. For that trip you would need cycling shorts, cycling jersey, cycling socks, cycling shoes, cycling gloves. I keep using the word cycling as you can not do that trip in working clothes (or in old casual clothes). You would be a ball of sweat.

Cycling shorts - to stop chafing on your inner thighs.
Cyling jersey - material that draws sweat from your body and evaporates it.
Cyling shoes - that click into the pedals and you pedal more efficiently.
Cycling gloves - have gel in the palms to relieve the pressure on your hands.

Better to also get a good cycling helmet. Some people like to crash without helmets. I crashed last May, landed head-first, and broke the helmet. Now I know some people will argue that I could have saved money by not having a helmet .......

mmalaka

Sure I need all of this; full Package of equipments; I think we r talking about 600 - 800 Euro correct???

Any idea for a shop to get a good deal

air

As a bit of an aside, cycling is a cheap way to get around but it's not free by any means.
If you want to use it as an effective method of transport then the right gear is pretty much essential.
If you do this trip every day you're going to clock up about 12k Km a year - some people would do less than that in their cars per year.
You're going to go through tires, chains, clothing etc much quicker than a recreational cyclist would simply because of the sheer distances you are clocking up.
Having said all that I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than any other method of transport and a lot healthier to boot.

michaelm

I know this is a little off the point but I used to live in Bray about 20 yrs ago and worked in Greystones and can only say that your return journey from work on a nice evening must one of the most enjoyable around - the satisfaction of reaching the crest of the hill at Windgap and freewheeling into Greystones with those stunning sea views - I envy you - go for it you'll never look back. As a matter of interest can you take a bike on the Dart? My memory suggests you can't but given that it's 20 yrs since I've been there I'm curious to know if this facility has been added like some systems on the continent (a small deicated carriage for cyclists).

kincsem

mmalaka wrote:

Sure I need all of this; full Package of equipments; I think we r talking about 600 - 800 Euro correct???

Any idea for a shop to get a good deal

I often buy cycling clothes from Prendas Ciclismo / bike bits from Chain Reaction Cycles (both internet). My brother bought a Focus road bike (about €1000) from Wiggle (internet). I'm not recommending you spend that much, just pointing out you can buy bike, clothes, bits online.

Figure out what you need, then price it up.

The Crunch

Hi,
All the advice listed so far is pretty smart, I reckon, but if you're new to serious cycling then you might want to go to a good bike shop where you'll be able to see and touch the stuff. The Internet works better for people who are familiar with the equipment in question.
There are several good bike shops in and around Dublin. My favourites are:-
1, Joe Daly's, Main St, Dundrum. (01)2981485. Speak to Dave Tansey there. He's a very helpful chap and a very experienced racing cyclist.

2, Cyclesuperstore, Tallaght. (01)4512744, www.cyclesuperstore.ie, Great selection here and friendly.

3, Cycleways, 185/186 Parnell St. (01)8734748. This place is run by Phil Cassidy, superhero amateur racing cyclist.

4, Cyclelogical, 3 Bachelors Walk 1 Dublin. (01)8724635. Great selection.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

blorg

The Crunch makes a good point there, if you are new to cycling best go to a shop, especially for anything where fit is essential (I am thinking mainly bike and shoes here.)

I was in Joe Daly's recently looking at bikes and reckon you would get a more personalised service there than the others, it's a smaller shop (but with a very long history.) Dave was very helpful indeed.

Another in the area which I find good is Hollingsworth in Kilmacud. Cyclesuperstore and Cycleways will have the advantage of a bigger selection though. Best shop around, take a few test rides, and see what suits you best.

flutes

fastest way to get there is:
windgates - bray - shankill - N11 - right at dunnes stores, down through deans grange village and just straight to Blackrock,

you'll want at least to dry yourself off with a towel and get into dry clothes

take it handy up windgates so you dont sweat loads or inhale too much crap, then put the power down
should take less than an hour as long as there isnt a head-wind, you should get that down to 45minutes relatively quickly

ruprect

I personally could not stand using a road bike. I can actually go faster on a hybrid than a road bike due to it being more comfortable (even thought the road bike is in theory more efficient). On some routes I am actually faster on a MTB than my hybrid since the roads are in such dire condition that I am braking, weaving and loosing momentum all the time. On such a long trek I would value comfort highly even if it meant 5-10mins added to my journey time.
Google maps is great but do take into account road conditions & lights. Some odd route may be a shorter distance but in reality can take longer due to constant stopping at lights, or some other reasons you can not keep up your momentum.

Having said all that I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than any other method of transport and a lot healthier to boot.

It can be a lot faster too! I can cycle to town in 30mins now that I am reasonably fit, my mother & sister do the same commute and it can be 90mins for them in a car or using public transport. Many people underestimate their travel times, omitting times. I time mine from the moment my front door closes until I am at my desk. So people can say it takes "60min on the bus", leaving out the 10min walk to the bus stop, 15min wait for a bus, & 15min walk to the workplace.

lisnsooz

Hi Mmalaka!

Check out this site - it has a full map, and you can see pretty much exactly what kinda route to take by entering in your route details. You can change the route by putting in details a couple of times to build the route if the one they pick includes any avoidable hills.
http://www.dto.ie/web2006/jp.htm

I started cycling from Rathmines to Sandyford recently (a piffling 9 km or so compared to your trek!). Am making it in 50 mins cos the going is a bit slow with the secondary roads, plus am still building up the stamina - but it's such a great feeling to get in and out without using the LUAS and get the exercise in! And my commute time is the same too (although saving €€€ cycling - no fear of wear and tear yet with my slower speed!!). Only thing is when it's raining....

Pity you don't have shower facilities in your office - any chance you could talk your empoyer into installing one in the bathroom? A lot of businesses around town are trying to be seen to be more 'green' and promoting more eco awareness and fitness for employees. This could be a good move for HR to be seen to encourage employees to engage in healthy pursuits! (although - mightn't work if there's only a couple of ye in the office!!!).

Check out these sites for some incentive material for your employer:
http://home.connect.ie/dcc/docs/bike_co.html
http://www.irishheart.ie/iopen24/catalog/pub//Literature/newsletters/Workplace%20Newsletter%201%2005%20jan(B).pdf

Something else you could try - which I did when I first started cycling and wanted to build up my fitness - go cycle and DART. So, cycle part of the way, and then get the DART the rest of the way. You'd have to leave your bike in the station tho - but you could deter would-be thieves by removing saddle etc. Or pick a station which has a locked bike park, or is more visible to the ticket office. I don't think you can take the bike on the DART (esp in peak hours anyway) but you could ask if there's a particular time of the day they let people do it.

best of luck!

flutes

ruprect wrote:

Google maps is great but do take into account road conditions & lights. Some odd route may be a shorter distance but in reality can take longer due to constant stopping at lights, or some other reasons you can not keep up your momentum.

what lights!