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N7

BuzzFish

Hey folks,

Pretty new on the bike but having bought a Giant Defy road bike a few weeks ago I'm starting to get some mileage under my belt. I'm living in Naas and Work in GrangeCastle and so far have been using the N7 for my trip up and back as you can see here:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88433517

Just wondering if anyone else does this trip and if there is a better way to go as all that traffic really kills the buzz of flying along on the bike. any suggestions?

Also what is the etiquette on lane usage when on a dual carriageway like this and coming past slip roads... At the minute I keep my pace and move across the slip once the hatched area appears between the slip and the left lane. I'm not a fan of this junction though as this is not really possible...

http://maps.google.ie/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.284668,-6.456662&spn=0,0.00202&z=19&layer=c&cbll=53.284738,-6.456975&panoid=cfHZ7QTzQiOTcNe5uyaRIw&cbp=12,52.72,,0,10.64

as there is not much room.

Also, can anyone recommend a good club in the area to get involved in as a newbie.

Thanks in advance

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petethedrummer

I used to cycle Newbridge to Dublin the odd day. I would go through Naas, Kill, Rathcoole etc. on the road parallel to the N7. It was always a very quiet and pleasant journey.

wpd

i live in sallins and ride in to tallaght a bit. N7 is quickest but know what you mean about traffic.
your best alernative route would be down to Kill and into back of Rathcoole via Steelstown. Alternative to Kill cross at next fly over to castewardern golf club and around the side of that.

Naas cycling club meets at 9am from the court house in naas every sunday and they would welcome you. we are running a club league at the moment on Thursday nights and some open races in Mondello
3 groups go from the court house
see website http://naascyclingclub.com/site/

BuzzFish

wpd wrote: »

Naas cycling club meets at 9am from the court house in naas every sunday and they would welcome you. we are running a club league at the moment on Thursday nights and some open races in Mondello
3 groups go from the court house
see website http://naascyclingclub.com/site/

Looks good. So would it be OK to just turn up and cycle out with the Group C this weekend to see how I get on? Is there someone I need to contact beforehand? As I say, I'm totally new to cycling but having run quite a bit my fitness isn't rock bottom.

wpd

I would say try the B group if you are relatively fit
On the contacts page of the website you can email the B group captain Hugh Durnin who will advise
alternatively we are racinig this Thursday at 7pm at naas rugby club i think so you could spin around and have a chat

I will keep an eye out for you on N7 if i cycle in and say hello

BuzzFish

I won't make it Thursday but Sunday looks good. Thanks a million.

Rutrider

Pm'd you.

BuzzFish

Rutrider wrote: »

Pm'd you.

Me? I don't see anything!

Graham1882

Hi folks

Just a quick question, going to be commuting from Kill to Dublin City centre via the N7 and Redcow and just wondering what people's experience has been?

Appreciate the back roads via Rathcoole would have better scenery but it's more of a I need to get into work as quick as possible scenario.

crosstownk

Graham1882 wrote: »

Hi folks

Just a quick question, going to be commuting from Kill to Dublin City centre via the N7 and Redcow and just wondering what people's experience has been?

Appreciate the back roads via Rathcoole would have better scenery but it's more of a I need to get into work as quick as possible scenario.

5 year old thread :eek:

You'll need to make your choice from the bit in bold - you can't have your cake and eat it.

On the upside, you'll have the wind behind you on your way in on the N7 most of the time but will have the hassle of that very busy road. If you avoid the N7 and go via Rathcoole then you'll have to combat Windmill Hill or go by Kilteel - both of which will add a few minutes and are more hilly than the N7.

Worse still, heading home on the N7 on a windy day will be torture!!

Graham1882

Thanks Crosstownk yeah I am not made for hills just yet the flattish road of the N7 suits my physique better at the moment. Went up Windmill once and thought I was king of the world for a couple of seconds because I got to the top without stopping.

Do you take the slip roads off and come back down the otherside of the Rathcoole exit or just stay on the Main road and wait until it's clear to continue on the hard shoulder?

Thanks for coming back to me

crosstownk

Graham1882 wrote: »

Thanks Crosstownk yeah I am not made for hills just yet the flattish road of the N7 suits my physique better at the moment. Went up Windmill once and thought I was king of the world for a couple of seconds because I got to the top without stopping.

Do you take the slip roads off and come back down the otherside of the Rathcoole exit or just stay on the Main road and wait until it's clear to continue on the hard shoulder?

Thanks for coming back to me

I don't commute in that area. Any time I come back that way from Naas I usually head back home via Saggart and Tallaght.

The N7 is not the most enjoyable road on a bike!

And welcome to Boards.ie, btw

DanDublin1982

crosstownk wrote: »

The N7 is not the most enjoyable road on a bike!

I'll second that and I've only rode it on relatively quiet mornings, never during commuting hours.

The cycle lane set up at the red cow is a bit crap too and your choices are to use it or take your chances with traffic merging from the m50. Might not be so bad in rush hour but still not something id fancy myself.

Another poster recently asked about a similar enough journey, I suggested coming off the n7 at the outer ring road and then turn onto the new nangor road and take that all the way to rejoin the n7 at woodies. Its certainly a longer journey but after the turn off you'd have a pretty quiet bus/cycle lane most of the way until you get back to the n7.

Graham1882

Thanks again will need to work on the hills by God there are some amount of them out this way.

Crocked

You could go out the back roads past Peamount and then in via the canal. Might add 2 or 3km but much better than the russian roulette that'd be the N7 during rush hour

TooObvious

I cycle the N7 on a fairly regular basis from Kill to D2.

In terms of the Junctions - There is, in my view, one difficult junction, this is the Rathcoole Junction. In the past I would have continued on the main road (as it's my right!), however these days I feel that taking the slip road off and then back on again is the safer and more sensible option. Alternatively, I might leave the N7 at this junction and head through Saggart for Tallaght and in to the city centre via Rathmines.

I avoid the flyover at Newlands Cross and take the bus lane - at this point you will also make the choice to either take the pedestrian/cyclist route across the M50 or mix it with the traffic. If I'm being honest, I prefer to mix it with the traffic, I couldn't recommend this though!

Generally coming home I tend to go via Tallaght and take in a hill or 2, otherwise it's the N7 all the way, not dilly dallying at the junctions and keeping a sharp watch over my shoulder.

Hope that helps.

Graham1882

Will try it over the weekend and may have to bit the bullet and tackle the hills

Graham1882

DanDublin1982 wrote:

Another poster recently asked about a similar enough journey, I suggested coming off the n7 at the outer ring road and then turn onto the new nangor road and take that all the way to rejoin the n7 at woodies. Its certainly a longer journey but after the turn off you'd have a pretty quiet bus/cycle lane most of the way until you get back to the n7.

Thanks I must look into this route a bit more

Graham1882

crosstownk wrote:

And welcome to Boards.ie, btw

Thanks for the welcome

Roadtoad

Graham, The N7 is noisey but probably safer and better lit than the twisties.
Interestingly, from the original poster's map, the Rathcoole slip road is the only junction that I usually leave and immediatly return to the main road. Those wires and the tight space spook me.
The Kingswood Junction 2 slip can be a bit buzy, I have on occasion stopped and waited for a gap, then walked across. More a winter pre dawn thing when the lighting is poorer/ more confusing.
(regular Naas to Long Mile Road N7 commuter)

Graham1882

Roadtoad wrote:

Graham, The N7 is noisey but probably safer and better lit than the twisties. Interestingly, from the original poster's map, the Rathcoole slip road is the only junction that I usually leave and immediatly return to the main road. Those wires and the tight space spook me. The Kingswood Junction 2 slip can be a bit buzy, I have on occasion stopped and waited for a gap, then walked across. More a winter pre dawn thing when the lighting is poorer/ more confusing. (regular Naas to Long Mile Road N7 commuter)

Thanks Roadtoad, cycled in this morning, it was a glorious morning for it. It was my first time on the bike in about a year and first time with clip ins, and i didn't fall which was an added bonus (that right of passage will happen sooner rather than later I know).

Very surprised that was very little dirt in the hard shoulder. Just like yourself I went up the Rathcoole slip road and back down the other side, wouldn't feel at all comfortable trying to negotiate staying on the N7 there.

Hope you don't mind me asking how long does it take you to get in and home for a daily commute? I am cycling to D4 and did it in an hour 10 mins

unichall

In the past I've cycled this route from Naas to the city centre quite a bit. Inbound approaching the red cow I stay all the way to the left and head towards the Ibis hotel and then down the ramp to merge halfway through the junction and avoiding the cars going onto the M50, you can carry a bit of speed down the ramp so it's no so bad merging with traffic.

Also inbound at Rathcoole I go up the off ramp and back down the on ramp, it's much safer than trying to merge with the traffic on the other side of the fly over because the on ramp is quite long and traffic has a lot of speed as you are trying to go left towards the hard shoulder again.

Outbound is not so bad, the red cow junction is handy enough only have to worry about the traffic coming off the M50 after the flyover but there is plenty of space to see what's coming and stop if needs be.

Roadtoad

Graham1882 wrote: »

.....Hope you don't mind me asking how long does it take you to get in and home for a daily commute? s....../QUOTE]

Ah come on. Dev was Taoiseach whe I popped my head out. Set your sights a bit higher!

Graham1882

Roadtoad wrote: »

Graham1882 wrote: »

.....Hope you don't mind me asking how long does it take you to get in and home for a daily commute? s....../QUOTE]

Ah come on. Dev was Taoiseach whe I popped my head out. Set your sights a bit higher!

Haha I don't know about that some of the "older generation" on the bikes do be flying by me, age is just a number.

Cycled from D4 to Kill via Crumlin and then on the N7 all the way home, wind in the face and took double the time it did to get in but really enjoyed it. Will definitely go to do some of the routes suggested by others but need to get more practise on the hills first.

Thanks again for the suggestions by everyone.