Commuting Maynooth to Dublin City Centre

sharper

Hi all,

Apologies for the basic questions, I have searched but everything seems to be a bit in flux when it comes to cycling these days.

I'm thinking of commuting by bike from Maynooth to the city centre. I'd never have considered such a thing but I learned about e-bikes recently and those seem to open up a lot of options. I'm not an experienced cyclist and haven't been on a bike for a long while.

1. What's the best route? I see that the canal greenway is getting a lot of work done on it but I can't tell if that means it would suitable for commuting? My main worry is safety, I really dislike the idea of cycling down a motorway and even with bus lanes there are (what appear to me) to be a fair few scary sections.

2. What would be the most appropriate type of bike? Even within e-bikes there are a lot of variants.

3. How long can I expect it to take?

Alternatively is this really something an inexperienced cyclist should even consider?

Gerry

I don't know if the greenway is a great option for you. It might be ok in early morning but in the evening it's tough going - full of neer do Wells drinking cans and generally taking it over. Also you have a bit of a detour on both ends to use it.
Basic route is leixlip then n4. There is a pedestrian crossing you can take to cross m50. Eastbound is fine, youve a cycle lane and a buslane. Westbound not so great, no bus lane for most of it and the liffey valley turn off is tough to negotiate
Your alternative is carton, back of Intel, right to pass fort lucan, strawberry beds. You csn take in a bit of the park as well which is a bonus. There a few sharp hills on it going westbound, and the speed ramps by anglers rest need care but on the e bike the hills will not be a problem.

I'm not sure about specific ebikes.
Timewise it should be under an hour.

ED E

sharper wrote: »

2. What would be the most appropriate type of bike? Even within e-bikes there are a lot of variants.

Whats your budget?


Starting off Id do the run four saturdays in a row to get used to the route and get your road craft up.

sharper

Thanks guys, I'll look into those routes in more detail. I had thought there might be pedestrians using the greenway but can drinkers hadn't occurred to me! The liffe valley turn off is definitely one spot I've noticed that I wouldn't enjoy on a bike.

ED E wrote: »

Whats your budget?


Starting off Id do the run four saturdays in a row to get used to the route and get your road craft up.

I don't particularly mind the one-off cost of anything here http://www.greenaer.ie/commuter-e-bikes/ It's just hard to tell why I'd want one over the other. The one's in halfords are mostly cheaper again http://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes

dubjay

i got a bosch mid drive e bike from airton road 6 weeks ago and i havent got off the bike since.spend as much as you can if your going to be using it for your main transport. the one i got is a overvolt 400

Seaswimmer

Where are you going in town.

I sometimes work in Leixlip and go to/from Deansgrange. Route is into the canal, up canal to Kilmainham, out by CIE works Inchicore, through Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard/ Coldcut Road, Liffey Valley, Lomans Road and out to N4 at Woodies in Lucan.

That route avoids city Centre/Quays and the M50 junction on the N4 but it depends exactly where in the City centre you are going.

Weepsie

I recently did this as an experiment. Went around the back of Carton House on to Dunboyne, Clonee, Blanch Village, onto the Canal then at 12th lock and into town.

I did this mid morning though. Some of those roads would be busy earlier. It was about 30 km from The University to the IFSC.

Bloggsie

I do this commute 2 or 3 times a week, it takes me 65-75 mins on the way in and 70-80 mins on the way home, its about 29 kms for my commute door to door.

I head towards Dunboyne and take the turn over towards Leixlip Confey, on then towards Porterstown and then you can either go right towards the strawberry beds past Fort Lucan or left towards Castleknock past Westmanstown.

You then enter the Phoenix Park by the Farmleigh entrance or the entrance at Mt. Sackville school, through and out onto parkgate st and down the quays.

Wishbone Ash

sharper wrote: »

I really dislike the idea of cycling down a motorway and even with bus lanes....

It would also be illegal!

(I presume you mean the N4 dual carriageway?)

sharper

Thanks all! I'll check out those routes too. I'm going right into the CC, O'Connell Street area. The google maps suggestions aren't the best.

dubjay wrote: »

i got a bosch mid drive e bike from airton road 6 weeks ago and i havent got off the bike since.spend as much as you can if your going to be using it for your main transport. the one i got is a overvolt 400

I look at it the same way, whatever I get I'll be stuck with it for a while so I might as well get the best I can. The overvolt 400 looks great.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It would also be illegal!

(I presume you mean the N4 dual carriageway?)

Sorry yes, I don't plan in featuring on any AA roadwatch updates anytime soon!

Annie get your Run

Weepsie wrote: »

I recently did this as an experiment. Went around the back of Carton House on to Dunboyne, Clonee, Blanch Village, onto the Canal then at 12th lock and into town.

I did this mid morning though. Some of those roads would be busy earlier. It was about 30 km from The University to the IFSC.

If you go from Clonee to Ongar, Clonsilla, Castleknock & through the park it's not that busy even at rush hour (it's busy for cars for grand on the bike) and a bit shorter I too I think.

Nanoc

I do this a couple of times a week to Mespil road. I head out by carton, into leixlip out onto N4, then straight in. Turn off at island bridge then straight in. 27k takes just under the hour (I try to go all out as a training session)

On a nice day it beats the train/bus hands down. When you're tired and it's windy on the way home sometimes it's torture.

Bloggsie

Nanoc wrote: »

I do this a couple of times a week to Mespil road. I head out by carton, into leixlip out onto N4, then straight in. Turn off at island bridge then straight in. 27k takes just under the hour (I try to go all out as a training session)

On a nice day it beats the train/bus hands down. When you're tired and it's windy on the way home sometimes it's torture.

I agree on the head wind going home, it can be a biacth!

sharper

The pain side of things is where I hope an ebike makes all the difference. I used to walk 5km each way to work so I know that feeling of getting to the end of the day and really just wanting to go home easily.

boardbeer

sharper wrote: »

Sorry yes, I don't plan in featuring on any AA roadwatch updates anytime soon!

What do you base that on? I've been cycling Maynooth to Dublin that route daily for ten years, and the only incident I've had was a car pulling out across me from Ralph Sq in Leixlip - much safer on a wide, straight bike/bus lane.

Gerry

Just to be really clear - it's completely legal to cycle the n4 dual carriageway. Its safer eastbound as there is a buslane which you are allowed use. Yes there are safety issues at junctions, but if you want to, you can mitigate these by taking each exit and then rejoining.

sharper

boardbeer wrote: »

What do you base that on? I've been cycling Maynooth to Dublin that route daily for ten years, and the only incident I've had was a car pulling out across me from Ralph Sq in Leixlip - much safer on a wide, straight bike/bus lane.

Gerry wrote: »

Just to be really clear - it's completely legal to cycle the n4 dual carriageway. Its safer eastbound as there is a buslane which you are allowed use. Yes there are safety issues at junctions, but if you want to, you can mitigate these by taking each exit and then rejoining.

I mean that I'm not planning on cycling on any motorways - when I used the word originally I was thinking of the N4. By AA roadwatch I'm thinking of the updates recently along the lines of "There's a pedestrian/dog on the m50"