roads to avoid

magicbastarder

cycled the road from the roundabout north of the airport, past the boot inn, to the st margarets roundabout. already had about 50k under me at that point and the last thing i needed was the pounding my ass got on that stretch of road. won't be using that route again. though the headwind along the runway may have played a part in the unpleasantness, if i'm to be honest...

also, the stretch of road from nutstown cross on the R130, which joins the R130 again halfway between garristown and oldtown is another which is really badly surfaced.

any other examples?

KingBrian2

Avoid like the plague Dame Street until the Luas works are completed and cycling lane at Dollymount heading to Sutton. Diggers have taken over the roads.

Beasty

The Old N1 just north of the 5 Roads/Hedgestown. However the road is ropey in many places all the way from Blakes X to the Balbriggan South M1 intersection. Seems they really don't care about resurfacing that stretch of road as the Motorway takes all the through traffic off it

There are a few more minor roads around where I am, but I expect them to be way down the priority lists

crosstownk

The road by the Boot Inn and control tower is in bits. I cycle it regularly as an extension to my commute home if the weather is good. Just past the ATC entrance it really goes to shít but the trade off is that it's relatively free from traffic. If the wind is westerly (most of the time) I take the right to Dunbro Lane rather than suffer the wind in the open plain of the airport. Although Dunbro Lane has sections of loose gravel, not much but again, no traffic.

Oh, and Gardiner Street southbound - bone shaker stuff.

Wishbone Ash

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Avoid like the plague Dame Street until the Luas works are completed ....

I presume you mean Dawson Street? (There are no Luas works on Dame Street).

Beasty wrote: »

The Old N1 just north of the 5 Roads/Hedgestown. ...

Yes, horrible surface since it lost it's 'National Primary Route' status circa 2003.

retalivity

The N2 from motorway roundabout/coolboy to ashbourne is going the same way

magicbastarder

the funny thing is the stretch from coolquay northwards was only recently resurfaced; and it's by far the worst stretch on that road.

timbel

Ratoath to Skryne road. Horrible surface.

Wishbone Ash

Sorrell Hill (between Lacken and Ballysmuttan) is tough going on a road bike. I have only done it three times, the last time as part of the boards.ie Evil Ride. I'm probable biased but huge potholes, sheep that aren't in the slighest bit interested in moving aside for a cyclist, falling darkness, rain, wind and attempting to eat a Yorkie Bar whilst simultaneously trying to recharge a Garmin on the go are my last memories of it and the main reason I cut my losses and headed for home.

crosstownk

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Sorrell Hill (between Lacken and Ballysmuttan) is tough going on a road bike.

Agreed but the section from Lacken to Ballynultagh Gap, while rough, is a damn sight better than the descent back to Ballysmuttan - that section of road is simply broken.

Probably best to keep to Spanish roads.

KingBrian2

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I presume you mean Dawson Street? (There are no Luas works on Dame Street).

Of course there are. Outside the Bank of Ireland turning the corner onto Westmoreland Street.

Carawaystick

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Of course there are. Outside the Bank of Ireland turning the corner onto Westmoreland Street.

That's college green, not Dame st

KingBrian2

Carawaystick wrote: »

That's college green, not Dame st

Sure it's next to it.

irishrover99

Nutgrove avenue and rathgar avenue. Both going east. Both are horrible roads and you have traffic up your backside trying to squeeze by you while you have to cycle on man hole covers. Nutgrove has half a cycle lane which also rubbish. Rathgar avenue is barely big enough for cars even without all the cars parked on it which usually makes it a one lane road.

I'll also add the north road in the Phoenix park to the list. Love the park but always avoid that way if I can

steamengine

Clontarf Road just past Dollymount Avenue in the Howth direction - surface is extremely rough. It's not great anywhere in the vicinity of the present roadworks but I would consider the above mentioned spot as dangerous for cyclists at even moderate speeds.

smacl

magicbastarder wrote: »

already had about 50k under me at that point and the last thing i needed was the pounding my ass got on that stretch of road

Much simpler solution. New bike. CX or gravel. 37mm tyres. Not quite the right thread but bargain stainless steel CdF here at £1500. You know you want to.

magicbastarder

a friend of mine has a genesis, i've always liked them.

Chuchote

Leinster Road - you have to cycle in the centre most of the way due to patches with broken seams at their sides, and potholes.

Colonel Panic

The Luas works from College Green up to O'Connell St are fine on bikes. There's a bottleneck just at BoI, and the lane layout changes from time to time at O'Connell bridge, but it's not something to avoid, just take it handy and don't try to filter busses just because.

Chuchote

Colonel Panic wrote: »

The Luas works from College Green up to O'Connell St are fine on bikes. There's a bottleneck just at BoI, and the lane layout changes from time to time at O'Connell bridge, but it's not something to avoid, just take it handy and don't try to filter busses just because.

I would always get off and walk the pavement at that part at College Green since a bus tried to filter me. A very unsafe place to be trapped by a bus.

dxhound2005

From the point of view of rough surfaces, the worst ones that I go on are in the North. Especially around Camlough and Culloville. In saying that, the best surface is a stretch around Forkhill, which was resurfaced for the Giro. I haven't been on the Ardee to Kells road for a while but there used to be some very rough stretches.

Traffic wise, I avoid main roads on weekdays as much as possible and stay on country roads, because of the lorries. Not many lorries on Saturdays or Sundays. Of course you are likely to meet an oil tanker in the most unlikely of places around these parts.

Chuchote

There's a nasty little stretch from the end of the triangle park in Harold's Cross past the Hospice too - a series of badly-maintained patches over manholes. You have to cycle like an alligator there, left-right-right-left…

Mercian Pro

irishrover99 wrote: »

I'll also add the north road in the Phoenix park to the list. Love the park but always avoid that way if I can

Good surface on the cycle path alongside part of the North Road from near the Hole in the Wall to Chesterfield Avenue. Wouldn't rate the rest of it too badly either.

2RockMountain

Herbert Park Road - poshest part of the city, and the road is like an obstacle course - must be all the Range Rovers churning it up.

nilhg

If you come out of Dunlavin heading for Hollywood, there's a left turn you can take to bring you back across to Ballymore and that stretch is the worst surface I know of in my normal range.

Traffic wise I dread the Naas-Sallins-Clane stretch, even at times when you think it shouldn't be too bad there always seems to be one idiot driver on it.

magicbastarder

cycled through ranelagh today for the first time in years. is the cycle lane there ever clear? i appreciate it's a sunday, and i think parking is allowed, but i don't ever remember seeing the inbound side of the main stretch free of parked cars.

Wishbone Ash

dxhound2005 wrote: »

... I haven't been on the Ardee to Kells road for a while but there used to be some very rough stretches....

Now that brings back memories. I haven't been on that road since the 1980's and it was awful then.

tomasrojo

2RockMountain wrote: »

Herbert Park Road - poshest part of the city, and the road is like an obstacle course - must be all the Range Rovers churning it up.

A lof of that roads in that general vicinity are really smashed up. Clyde Road (to a much lesser extent) and Raglan Road too, for example. They've been like that for years. Not sure what's going on.

Chuchote

2RockMountain wrote: »

Herbert Park Road - poshest part of the city, and the road is like an obstacle course - must be all the Range Rovers churning it up.

There's a nice little cycling/walking run between Roly's in Ballsbridge and Bective club in Donnybrook, though, which takes you right off any road along the other side of the park by the river.

Commotion Ocean

I was actually considering cycling to work. I need to shed a big belly :P and the exercise is great. This would take me on the R139. I heard bad things about this from a colleague.
Is there any truth to this or is he exaggerating?

It's the road that goes from Bewley's Hotel along by St. Michael's House and the Traveller's Site and up as far as the Hilton is anyone knows it.

magicbastarder

i haven't cycled it, but it's a bit of a weird 'not a dual carriageway' dual carriageway.