Royal Canal on a Road Bike

Mercian Pro

beauf wrote: »

I won't be near it either. Like to see a head cam of the route though.

No head cam I'm afraid.

a148pro

Saw it from the train recently and it looks great - hopefully not visited by the kind of anti social behaviour we've seen out on the Grand. Its quite rampy so will attract teenagers on bikes, which is good, as long as no-one acts the b*lix

beauf

It's an area you would generally need to have your wits about you especially outside of business hours. That won't have changed.

That said if it became popular it wouldn't be as isolated.

Mercian Pro

A few photos from this morning's exploratory spin. I took a video also but can't quite figure how to upload it.

beauf

Looks fantastic. I may have to take a morning off work to cycle to work, since I'm WFH for at least till the end the year.

I hope it pulls in a lot of cyclists commuting into the area. People might find while its longer its a far nicer cycle to work when you are off road for most of it.

raheny red

Breezer wrote: »

What’s this like after dark between Cross Guns and Maynooth, anyone know? Do you get the antisocial behaviour you get along the Grand Canal?

How would a hybrid with 35mm slick tyres fare on the deep sinking? I’d do that bit on the daylight leg, if I’m doing it.

I do Phibsborough to the 12th Lock 4 nights a week 10-10:30. Doing it nearly 18 months now and not one incident. At Broombridge you'll get a group of 35-50 year olds drinking. They're harmless.

Mercian Pro

Managed to create a speeded up version of my spin down and up the new section of Greenway.

https://youtu.be/9USumrDmyOQ

buffalo

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Managed to create a speeded up version of my spin down and up the new section of Greenway.

https://youtu.be/9USumrDmyOQ

Nice, thanks for that!

Bridge looks very narrow for a shared facility, or is just me? Won't take much to create conflict there.

beauf

buffalo wrote: »

Nice, thanks for that!

Bridge looks very narrow for a shared facility, or is just me? Won't take much to create conflict there.

Not sure. That really up to the people using it. Looks enough space to me. I'm only going by the video though.

Mercian Pro

buffalo wrote: »

Nice, thanks for that!

Bridge looks very narrow for a shared facility, or is just me? Won't take much to create conflict there.

A lot will depend on how busy it gets and the attitudes of those using it. Like most shared areas, unless there's a bit of give and take on both sides, there will be plenty of opportunities for conflict. I don't think widening it by a metre or so would really change that. It's a relatively short section of the overall 700 metre length.

KevRossi

Width is fine if people respect each other and don't start to assume that they have some automatic right of way on it. I was there about an hour after the downpour and the section nearest the Liffey end had some standing water on it, it's a different tar to the section nearest the railway bridge, whilst the new bridge has a gritted surface. Also the road crossing on North Strand is staggered sway from the direct route, which is very annoying.

I guess the big thing will be anti-social behaviour, hopefully the amount of users will sort that out. It's set up for recreational use; there's a dock and space to unload canoes etc. Plenty of open walls to graffiti, but there have been some good measures taken in the area to stop that. Like this.

Overall I like it a lot, it goes through an old industrial landscape and I'm into that sort of grittiness. I cycled from Phibsborough to the Liffey and with the exception of crossing Dorset St, it was all good.

Stark

I used to use the section from North strand to cycle to Phibsborough. With this new section open, the journey to Phibsborough will be a joy. I'll be able to do the entire route from my office to Phisborough on quite reasonable cycling infrastructure without having to "share the road" with traffic. Start on Lombard street contra flow, join segregated route at city quay, cross over samuel beckett (not the best bit as shared with walkers but still segregated), segregated lanes on Guild street joining to the Greenway.

Dorset street crossing is a bit hairy alright. Could really do with pedestrian crossing lights there.

KevRossi

Stark wrote: »

Dorset street crossing is a bit hairy alright. Could really do with pedestrian crossing lights there.

There are light on 3 sides, but it's a kerfuffle trying to get across. It leads to pedestrians and cyclists running through traffic. They need another crossing in line with the canal paths.

RurtBeynolds

Did I read it either that this 750m path cost 9 million?

Stark

9 million is the total cost for 7km worth of upgrade works afaik. I saw 96fm were incorrectly reporting it as the cost for phase 2. 1 million is the figure I've seen quoted for phase 2

Breezer

raheny red wrote: »

I do Phibsborough to the 12th Lock 4 nights a week 10-10:30. Doing it nearly 18 months now and not one incident. At Broombridge you'll get a group of 35-50 year olds drinking. They're harmless.

Thanks for that! Having done it as far as Maynooth in the daylight now, I wouldn’t be going beyond Castleknock station after dark, purely due to the surface. It gets a bit (in the Deep Sinking very) wild

matrim

Are there lights to cross north strand without having to go up to Ossary Road?

KevRossi

matrim wrote: »

Are there lights to cross north strand without having to go up to Ossary Road?

Yes, they are about 10m away from the main route. Not sure why they didn't line them up.

VonLuck

I know this phase is just complete, but does anyone know when the next phase will be starting?

bovis

VonLuck wrote: »

I know this phase is just complete, but does anyone know when the next phase will be starting?

Here's a good update from June by Clr Ray McAdam
https://raymcadam.com/2020/06/04/royalcanalgreenway-update-june-2020/

Peregrine

bovis wrote: »

Here's a good update from June by Clr Ray McAdam
https://raymcadam.com/2020/06/04/royalcanalgreenway-update-june-2020/

Unfortunately, it didn't go to tender in May 2020 as they previously said it would. It has been pushed back to Q4 2020. Construction could start 6-9 months after that and it would take almost 2 years for construction. So, as it stands, it should open around 3 years from now.

Sadly, the next phase is blighted by delays.

01Surveyor

Heading for Richmond Harbour (ish) from the Conference Centre tomorrow morning, Its 4 years since I last did this spin, whats new, anything I should know or be aware of??

Mercian Pro

01Surveyor wrote: »

Heading for Richmond Harbour (ish) from the Conference Centre tomorrow morning, Its 4 years since I last did this spin, whats new, anything I should know or be aware of??

I seem to remember that you've posted here before so I presume you're aware of the various sections that have been upgraded and those that haven't.

Otherwise, the Deep Sinking continues to get trickier so depending on your tyres and ability, you might want to detour around it. Enjoy the brand new Sheriff Street to North Strand stretch - you may end being the first to do the full route alongside the Canal if you include this and the Deep Sinking.

koutoubia

Myself and 5 others did Broombridge to Enfield return this morning.
On the way out we took on the deep sinking.
We didnt tackle it on the way back. Jumped off at St. Mochta's and stayed on the road back to where the cars were parked.
We had a great day.
Some of the 'surfaces' just beyond Clonsilla were a bit testing and I lost the front wheel and ended up in the grass on 3 occasions.
There was a lot of rain overnight and was very slippy. Unfotunatley on one those tumbles I lost my Garmin 1030 just across from Westmanstown Rugby Club.
Once we hit the 'gravel' we ticked along nicely and hit Enfield in no time.
I was on a road bike with 28mm Veloflex Vlaanderen tubulars with coped almost perfectly once we were on gravel.
The others ranged from 32's to 23's and we mostly stayed outta trouble.
We are gonna plan to get to Longford and canal it back as per Mercian Pro and his motley crew a while back.

01Surveyor

Due to sleeping in, and a b***h of a head wind my assault on the Royal failed miserably after just short of 120km. (Just short of Abbeyshrule) Having done the full trip twice previously in one day, I couldn't be bothered hanging around for a second day and took a lift home. Despite my dismal performance some of my experiences might be of use to others.

Ive done the Deep Sinking dozens of times usually at speed and in an Easterly Direction but heading West was a little unfamiliar, so I took a cautious approach. The DS was in as bad condition as I can remember, very slippery and overgrown, I had one excursion into the ditch when the front wheel caught a root, and many close shaves. I have 50 years of cycling experience and know the DS well, and it almost caught me out today. A combination of over inflated tyres, poor conditons, and general ineptitude are all I can offer by way of explantion - BE CAREFUL ON THE DS!


Its 4 years since I last did the trip to Richmond Harbour and I was astonished by the' improvement' of the tow path surfaces and, apart from parts of the route from Lock 12 to Maynooth, I reckon a hybrid may be the ideal bike, a full mountain bike, even with hard tyres and locked out suspension, is hard work on metaled surfaces..


4 years ago I struggled to manage an average speed of even 16kph, today my average was 18+kph into a headwind - at 68 its unlikely I've improved so the increased average is down to the improved surfaces, and therein lies the problem.


I found that the consistently good tow path surfaces became boring, particularly the tarmac and I found the lack of variety tedious . I cant help thinking that the RC trip has become a bit too pasteurised.


Cycling through some of the new grit gravel, as yet un-compacted, is hard work and cycling on the the high side, or close to the canal side of the tow path seems to offer the least resistance.


I cant see myself cycling the Royal again, and I think, I'll probably give the Grand another try instead, boring though stretches of it are. While the novelty of cycling the RC has clearly worn off for me, dont let me put others off, cycling the Royal Canal is a wonderful, if no longer unique, experience and infinitely better than cycling on busy roads.


Have fun.

PS. Previously I reckoned that 1km on the Royal towpath equalled = 1.5kms on the road. Given the extent of metaled surfasce now I reckon that the equivalent figure is now more like 1.33kms. This may be helpful in estimating how much you can accomplish in a day. Also a head wind is a killer, particularly on the long straight raised/unsheltered sections so watch the weather forecast and plan your trip accordingly

Weepsie

New section is excellent. Saves a little bit of time in the morning and probably on way back too, though I don't take canal home.

However, position of the lights on amien street is a bit rubbish. They're a bit over to the right of you're southbound so you've to kind of divert to get across as it's blocked off on the opposite side with raised beds

Effects

Little knackers already running amok. One girl, aged about ten, called me a f**cking c**t. Another threatened to stab me. Too young to carry out these threats, but a few more years, with those attitudes, and they'll be ready.
They presumed I was a Garda because I have a moustache, and started calling me a rat as well. Makes a change from hipster I guess.

I don't know who they think is going to moor a boat at the dock they have built there. I hate to say it, but can we not build these facilities somewhere better?

beauf

I was hoping for picture of the moustache tbh...

Effects

The cameras weren't even watching what these kids were doing, and they said they are only watched by the corpo anyway.

There's a gate that was locked on Saturday, that leads into one of the railway arches, is already broken into.

The place is also badly lit at night.

I'm not holding out much hope for this route, except at peak times.

Duckjob

Can see the little scrotes are already in training for their future excursions in and out of the criminal courts in a couple of years time. Depressing to see the mess Irish society has collapsed into.

I'll get in to try out the new stretch soon, though I cant see myself using it unless its a busy time with a good few people on it.

beauf wrote: »

I was hoping for picture of the moustache tbh...