Short trip back to Ireland - cycling advice required!

dancrowley

Hey folks.

I'll be in Ireland for about 7-10 days later this month and will be bringing my bike with me. I'll be based in West Cork and Dublin (Sandyford area) and would appreciate some nice recommendations for spins. A few hills would be nice, and any spin up to ~100km would be great. Yes, I could check the heat maps on Strava etc, but some human input would be better Would be great to ride with someone whilst there, too!

Also, re temperatures, what kind of clothing would be recommended for this time of year? I've only really been cycling here, in Qatar, and the weather is a little bit warmer, so arm warmers etc don't factor in my wardrobe. Do I simply invoke Rule #5 and be done with it?! :pac:

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Inquitus

This was at the race on Sunday

07Lapierre

Clothing? Bring everything! It was 0 degrees this morning and there's snow on the mountains today. It should be gone over the next few days but you'll still need arm/leg warmers, gloves, cap and overshoes. A rain cape and/or gillet in you back pocket.

dancrowley

Inquitus wrote: »

This was at the race on Sunday

Oh my. I feel cold looking at that picture!

07Lapierre wrote: »

Clothing? Bring everything! It was 0 degrees this morning and there's snow on the mountains today. It should be gone over the next few days but you'll still need arm/leg warmers, gloves, cap and overshoes. A rain cape and/or gillet in you back pocket.

Looks like a job for Wiggle! Any brands you can recommend for cold weather stuff? All the stuff I have is very light. But I NEED to get out and ride while I'm in Ireland.

Thanks guys.

ford2600

Where's your West Cork base?

dancrowley

ford2600 wrote: »

Where's your West Cork base?

Ballineen/Enniskeane area. Are you in the vicinity? If you're in deepest, darkest West Cork, I can drive a bit, too

07Lapierre

dancrowley wrote: »

Looks like a job for Wiggle! Any brands you can recommend for cold weather stuff? All the stuff I have is very light. But I NEED to get out and ride while I'm in Ireland.

Thanks guys.

depends on your budget, but I like Santini. Dhb is a brand available on wiggle and usually get good reviews.

dancrowley

07Lapierre wrote: »

depends on your budget, but I like Santini. Dhb is a brand available on wiggle and usually get good reviews.

Cheers 07Lapierre. I've some Dhb stuff and it's pretty good. I won't be using the gear very much (7-10 days, max), so I reckon, price-wise, i should stick to Dhb. Santini do nice stuff, but it's a little saucier, right?

laurach

West Cork Cycling Club are based in Dunmanway, they head out for a spin every Sunday. Spins are usually 60 to 90K. Check them out on Facebook and I'm sure they would be delighted to have you along. There's also a cycling club in Bandon so between the two you should be able to get out with a few locals.

dancrowley

laurach wrote: »

West Cork Cycling Club are based in Dunmanway, they head out for a spin every Sunday. Spins are usually 60 to 90K. Check them out on Facebook and I'm sure they would be delighted to have you along. There's also a cycling club in Bandon so between the two you should be able to get out with a few locals.

Thanks laurach! I'll be in the area on the Sunday so I'll get in touch with them! Thanks for the advice!

laurach

No bother - if you aren't having any luck getting in touch with them on facebook send me a pm and I can forward direct contact details for one of the members.

smacl

Based in Sandyford gives you plenty of hilly options. The Sally gap / Military road is a usual favourite, but can be very exposed in cold and windy weather, and may be a bit of a shocker after Qatar. A more sheltered but still very lumpy route is Sandyford-Enniskerry-Old long hill-Back roads to Laragh. Something like this; http://bikeroutetoaster.com/BRTWebUI Once you get to Laragh you can come back over the Sallygap if weather is ok, back the same way, or back via Roundwood as a less hilly option. About 80k-90k either way and as many hills as you could shake a stick at.

Plenty of other short sharp options coming from Sandyford, and I'd tend to select a route based on weather, considering wind as well as temperature.

daragh_

dancrowley wrote: »

Would be great to ride with someone whilst there, too!

If you are are around Sandyford at the weekend give us a shout. We've spins on most Saturdays and Sundays.

There's also this crowd down the road who I hear are very nice.

07Lapierre

dancrowley wrote: »

Cheers 07Lapierre. I've some Dhb stuff and it's pretty good. I won't be using the gear very much (7-10 days, max), so I reckon, price-wise, i should stick to Dhb. Santini do nice stuff, but it's a little saucier, right?

Its not the most expensive out there, but I like the fit and quality...

http://www.prendas.co.uk/

blobbie

dancrowley wrote: »

.... bringing my bike with me ..... here, in Qatar.....

Are you flying with Qatar? If so, I flew with them last year and the following may be useful:

In economy you get 30kgs + extra 10kg free for bike when flying to/from Ireland so 40kg total. This is based on Qatar being the MSC - Most Significant Carrier ( http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/baggage.page )

If AL are the first leg out of Ireland on your return flight, they have a 23kg limit for bike boxes/bags. Not sure how rigorous they enforce this but try avoid a 32kg bike box/bag. I had a 24.5kg box and it was ok.

If flying AL, they have a limit on the number of bikes per flight. If you have a non AL ticket (e.g. Qatar ticket with AL codeshare) AL will not allow you reserve a space for your bike but they will tell you how many bike spaces are used/free on your flight. I don't think this will be an issue in March.


If not flying Qatar or AL, ignore all of the above.


Being March, be prepared for all types of weather.

dancrowley

laurach wrote: »

No bother - if you aren't having any luck getting in touch with them on facebook send me a pm and I can forward direct contact details for one of the members.

Hey laurach. Thanks for the advice. I've been in touch and they have responded, so I'll ride wtih them on Sunday 14th

smacl wrote: »

Based in Sandyford gives you plenty of hilly options. The Sally gap / Military road is a usual favourite, but can be very exposed in cold and windy weather, and may be a bit of a shocker after Qatar. A more sheltered but still very lumpy route is Sandyford-Enniskerry-Old long hill-Back roads to Laragh. Something like this; http://bikeroutetoaster.com/BRTWebUI Once you get to Laragh you can come back over the Sallygap if weather is ok, back the same way, or back via Roundwood as a less hilly option. About 80k-90k either way and as many hills as you could shake a stick at.

Plenty of other short sharp options coming from Sandyford, and I'd tend to select a route based on weather, considering wind as well as temperature.

I'll look into these, smacl. Thanks for taking the time to suggest these variants.

daragh_ wrote: »

If you are are around Sandyford at the weekend give us a shout. We've spins on most Saturdays and Sundays.

There's also this crowd down the road who I hear are very nice.

Hi daragh. On checking my calendar, I won't be in the Sandyford area on a weekend, but many thanks for the invite!

07Lapierre wrote: »

Its not the most expensive out there, but I like the fit and quality...

http://www.prendas.co.uk/

Cheers 07Lapierre. I think one of the lads out here gets stuff from them. Looks great!

blobbie wrote: »

Are you flying with Qatar?

.............

If not flying Qatar or AL, ignore all of the above.


Being March, be prepared for all types of weather.

Hey blobbie. I'll be flying with Etihad, but cheers And yeah... all types of weather... I'm used to either "hot" or "not so hot", really. Maybe i should just invoke Rule #5 with my clothing and carry a bidon full of some nice Barrys, eh? :P

miterreader

Rick doesn't even wonder why Carl is outside on his own? Little bit crazy that . enjoyed the episode over all.


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ahsan

on_the_nickel

dancrowley wrote: »

I'll be based in West Cork and..

Glandore, Union Hall, Lough Hyne, Mount Gabriel (near Schull) are close enough and beautiful places to cycle.

dancrowley

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Glandore, Union Hall, Lough Hyne, Mount Gabriel (near Schull) are close enough and beautiful places to cycle.

Just checked and its a tad shy of 100km for a round trip to Lough Hyne, via Glandore. Nice plan for a morning spin! Thanks!

outfox

dancrowley wrote: »

Hey laurach. Thanks for the advice. I've been in touch and they have responded, so I'll ride wtih them on Sunday 14th

Looking forward to seeing you
(Sunday 15th, by the way)

roverrules

miterreader wrote: »

Rick doesn't even wonder why Carl is outside on his own? Little bit crazy that . enjoyed the episode over all.


_________________
ahsan

Eh?

dancrowley

outfox wrote: »

Looking forward to seeing you
(Sunday 15th, by the way)

:eek: :pac:

Yeah, it is the 15th... my head is melted from all the dates and stuff I need to do while in country. Looking forward to getting some proper air into my lungs, that isn't filled with dust.

outfox

Make sure you get a photo of yourself wearing our club kit while riding in Qatar, and stick it up on FB:)

dancrowley

outfox wrote: »

Make sure you get a photo of yourself wearing our club kit while riding in Qatar, and stick it up on FB:)

Will do! Cheers for the assistance yesterday and for the great morning out. I need to spend more time out of the saddle methinks; this climbing lark is fun but hard work