Greenway in Mayo

DublinBeaker

hi there,
Just looking for some advice. I recently bought a road cruiser flat bar bike with 25mm tyres and I will be cycling the greenway in Mayo in a few weeks.
I have been told that my bike is not really suitable as it would be susceptible to punctures on the gravelly surface.

I have been told the bike can take 28mm tyres. Would these be ok or would I be better renting a bike there.

thx

yop

DublinBeaker wrote: »

hi there,
Just looking for some advice. I recently bought a road cruiser flat bar bike with 25mm tyres and I will be cycling the greenway in Mayo in a few weeks.
I have been told that my bike is not really suitable as it would be susceptible to punctures on the gravelly surface.

I have been told the bike can take 28mm tyres. Would these be ok or would I be better renting a bike there.

thx

Can't see any issue with 25mm tires to be honest. 28mm MIGHT be that bit better but putting new tires on just for the greenway seems like a lot of hassle and money.

markusz

youll be fine id say. bring repair kit with spare tubes. just take it easy on it as it is loose chippings on some spots and if you take your eye off the balls you'll take a fall... it even rhymes! :-)
nearly every weekend there is a sprained / broken wrist incident from people on road bikes from what i hear.

what_traffic

DublinBeaker wrote: »

I have been told that my bike is not really suitable as it would be susceptible to punctures on the gravelly surface.

I would say handling would be more of an issue rather than punctures. There are some small cattle grids along the Greenway which are not ideal if your tyres/wheels are on the thin side.

DublinBeaker

Supposed to be a nice scenic cycle and having to stop frequently to fix punctures would Just take away from it.

happytramp

No, it's completely fine. Nicer than most of the road around here. Tiny, crushed gravel pieces. Far more danger of one of them jumping up and scratching a lovely new frame than causing a puncture.

elchupanebrey

I've done a good bit of the greenway on a road bike with 23mm tyres. As has been said the main thing to be wary of is grip in certain areas. Surface is loose enough so you would want to be careful going around corners on downhills etc that the front wheel doesn't slip out. I don't think you'd be any more likely to puncture on GW than anywhere else.

slideshow bob

I prefer the wider tyre on the greenway for sure exactly as said above: better handling. If you're planning to do a few trips on it whilst you're down maybe get the 28mm tyres (or do one on the 25mm and buy locally if you conclude you need them).

If you're just going to do one trip you could consider renting - you have the option with a lot of rental companies to bike one direction and get a bus in the other. I'd watch the weather and start at the upwind end.

Muahahaha

Could anyone tell me is the greenway do-able in a day with a group of people who haven't cycled in a few years? I think it's 42km in total, it's not overload is it? Also are there many gates to navigate or can you keep moving for a good few kilometers at a time without having to dismount ?

blobbie

It is pretty much flat as a pancake with the odd bump the worst being the last KM or 2 back into Westport. I'd take an alternative route to avoid the last hill.

Only a handful of gates you need to get off at.

The wind on the day will determine whether it is an easy ride or not. If it is a westerly you could slog it out and cruise back.

If you spread it out over the day it should be manageable.

mirrormatrix

Hire bike is definitely the way to go. Saw a few lads on road bikes when doing this last weekend but they didn't look like they were having an easy time of it on the corners. Plus, as others have mentioned, surface is loose gravelly bits which stand a good chance of giving your bike a scratch or 2.

I went out with Clew Bay tours (I think) and thought the bikes they had were pretty well set up for rentals. Muahahaha, if you're looking for an easy cycle, I'd recommend getting a shuttle service out to Achill and just doing the way back. Predominantly westerlys out that way so getting the lift out will mean you have a much easier time of it. We did it in under 4 hours at a relaxed pace with coffee/pint/lunch stops dotted in between. Mulranny bay hotel is a great spot for a pint and a scone!

deandean

I've done the greenway a few times, it's a lovely spin. Stop at The Blue Bicycle in Newport for tea and scones.

I've tried several bikes and my chosen mount is my 7-speed 'town bike' which has 38mm tyres.

I didn't enjoy riding on narrow tyres at all. The gravel is deep in places and you could easily come off. Punctures weren't an issue.

Most of the rental bikes have 38mm or so tyres.

Tombo2001

Plus 1 for the Blue Bicycle. Lovely people, lovely food.

what_traffic

Plus 2 for the Blue Bicycle. Great food alright.
It is a pity you can't cycle on the Viaduct coming into Newport. Would have been great if it was incorporated into the Greenway.
http://newportmayo.ie/h-viaduct.html

12 element

what_traffic wrote: »

It is a pity you can't cycle on the Viaduct coming into Newport. Would have been great if it was incorporated into the Greenway.
http://newportmayo.ie/h-viaduct.html

I think it's a pity they didn't use this old tunnel which seems to be just outside newport:



A more recent picture of the tunnel here:
http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=MA®no=31208019

And:

http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=MA®no=31208020

slideshow bob

Muahahaha wrote: »

Could anyone tell me is the greenway do-able in a day with a group of people who haven't cycled in a few years?

Yes

Muahahaha wrote: »

I think it's 42km in total?

42km each way... if you hire bikes at one end you can do it one-way as suggested already. If you're group is not terribly fit be sure to pick the down-wind way and you'll have a grand time.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Also are there many gates to navigate or can you keep moving for a good few kilometers at a time without having to dismount ?

Mostly you can keep going. There's only a handful of points along the way where you have to dismount.

Muahahaha

Thanks for that slideshow Bob, reckon I'll see if I can get a fre friends together to do it one way in early Sept. I see there are a few bike hire shops in Wesport and Achill that do transfers to one end of the trail and you cycle back which is handy.

nuac

Endorse all the above remarks

The Wpt-Achill Greenway journey is like going for a sail. The prevailing wind in the area (South West ) has to be factored in.

The Blue Bicycle in Newport is a great pitstop. It looks small on the outside but opens onto a large yard behind. Owners are great hosts, and know every yard of that Greenway

Mercian Pro

Five of us did Newport to Achill and back to Mulranny last week in great conditions. One was on a road bike with 23mm tyres and had no problem with the surface other than a new unfinished section beside the main road where he took to the road. Conditions were perfect with sunshine and virtually no wind.
Later in the week two of us went from Westport to beyond Newport and back with coffee and cake in the Blue Bicycle on the way out and lunch on the way back. Like everyone else I can strongly recommend it.
The main advantage of hiring (€22 a day) is the "free" shuttle service if you want to do a one way cycle. A few years ago they would pick up other bikes for a fee but now they say insurance conditions prevent this! They have also advised me that the Greenway is totally unsuitable for road bikes but this is not my experience. Otherwise, they provide a great service particularly for people who don't want the hassle of bringing their own bikes.

G1032

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Five of us did Newport to Achill and back to Mulranny last week in great conditions. One was on a road bike with 23mm tyres and had no problem with the surface other than a new unfinished section beside the main road where he took to the road. Conditions were perfect with sunshine and virtually no wind.
Later in the week two of us went from Westport to beyond Newport and back with coffee and cake in the Blue Bicycle on the way out and lunch on the way back. Like everyone else I can strongly recommend it.
The main advantage of hiring (€22 a day) is the "free" shuttle service if you want to do a one way cycle. A few years ago they would pick up other bikes for a fee but now they say insurance conditions prevent this! They have also advised me that the Greenway is totally unsuitable for road bikes but this is not my experience. Otherwise, they provide a great service particularly for people who don't want the hassle of bringing their own bikes.

Not mine either. A bike with 23mm or 25mm tyres is perfectly capable of cycling the Greenway. There is a patch of about 50-100 yards which is covered in potholes but apart from that the surface is perfect. I cycled it just last Sunday. 43.5km one way.

TonyStark

G1032 wrote: »

Not mine either. A bike with 23mm or 25mm tyres is perfectly capable of cycling the Greenway. There is a patch of about 50-100 yards which is covered in potholes but apart from that the surface is perfect. I cycled it just last Sunday. 43.5km one way.

I found the bit where you come down the hill at Mulranny a little slippy with the gravel, though i was last on it a year ago.. has the gravel been washed away?

I did try it on a hybrid with 28X700c was nice, would be reluctant on the road bike.

G1032

TonyStark wrote: »

I found the bit where you come down the hill at Mulranny a little slippy with the gravel, though i was last on it a year ago.. has the gravel been washed away?

I did try it on a hybrid with 28X700c was nice, would be reluctant on the road bike.

No. Didn't find it an issue. The 'climb' (all 50 yards of it!!) out of Mulranny has that grippy surface you sometimes see on entrances to roundabouts and bad corners on roads. I didn't have any issue with slippy gravel anywhere on the route (25mm GP4000).

finbarrk

Going at this tomorrow. Looking forward to it.