Cobbles

[D-Rider]

Living in Edinburgh too, I share your pain. I usually avoid them too (its part of my reasoning behind using Dundas St) but when there's no choice I like to use the stand up approach too.

My original plan when I started cycle commuting was to head right through the New Town to avoid traffic as much as possible. After a few days on the cobbles I've started heading right up to Queen Street (one of the main routes through the city centre, for non-Edinburgers) and along that way. That's worked out well since my confidence in traffic has greatly increased and it's quicker too.

Can't avoid them totally without a bigger detour, unfortunately.

 

[gavintc]

I did the Tour of Flanders last year and while, you get inured to them on a sportive, I would not recommend the tactics we ended up using which was; go as fast as possible, hold the handlebars very lightly and just press on. It worked for a specific purpose, but like you when moving around Edinburgh, I find myself heading for the smoother tarmac.

 

[goo_mason]

The first and last thing I hit on my daily commute is the cobbles along the Shore in Leith. I find that the faster I'm going, the easier the rattling is to cope with.

However, it's always a nighmare turning off to the flat as the spot is narrowed by parked vehicles, someone's always revving right up my @rse and the entrance I'm turning into is usually 99% blocked by an inconsiderate parker. Just to add to that, there's usually a double-decker bus approaching and forcing me off to the left rather than sitting in the middle of the road to turn off right.

Worse still is when it's been wet - trying to bang across cobbles with big dips in the road whilst attempting to signal and avoid the buses is near suicidal !!

 

[sazzaa]

I'm struggling with a cobbled downhill road on my commute home, feel like my wrists are shattering no matter what speed I go at...

 

[Cold]

When I worked in Edinburgh I struggled to walk on some of the cobbled streets they were so slippy can't imagine cycling on them.

 

[HLaB]

Living in Edinburgh too, I share your pain. I usually avoid them too (its part of my reasoning behind using Dundas St) but when there's no choice I like to use the stand up approach too.

How time flies, I'm no longer living in Edinburgh and have did the Tour of Flanders (tea total long route last year and and the medium route after a few sherries this year) make Edinburgh cobbles seem smooth.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I cycled the Royal Mile today ... twice, once down, once up: glad I live in Glasgow

 

[Shut Up Legs]

My tip for going up this one is... get off and walk! My tip for coming down this one is... also get off and walk! That's unfortunate because it happens to be part of the Pennine Cycleway!

We have cobbles of that exact type in Banana Alley at the north bank of the Yarra next to the Melbourne CBD. I have to ride my touring/commuting bike over it every day when riding to or from work:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.8200039,144.9624416,236m/data=!3m1!1e3
I don't know if it was there in Melbourne's early days, or whether some city planner just thought it was a good idea .

 

[HLaB]

The Google car's not been brave enough to go up these cobbles yet, I could only find a photos of the flatter bit.

Its steeper round the bend but this pic is before the cobbles were reinstated.

I did find this good shot though

 

[BSRU]

For some reason, two recent traffic calming installations have included cobbles, not very pleasant when trying to negotiate them especially in the wet.

 

[Leaway2]

<Pedant> On a point of order the square blocks are actually setts, cobbles are the large round stones as you would find on a beach </pedant>

 

[HLaB]

<Pedant> On a point of order the square blocks are actually setts, cobbles are the large round stones as you would find on a beach </pedant>

The ones I pictured certainly arent square blocks, large round stones (aka cobbles) is a better description for them

 

[Leaway2]

The ones I pictured certainly arent square blocks, large round stones (aka cobbles) is a better description for them

They certainly are cobbles, setts are square or oblong as pictured in some of the earlier posts.

 

[Hip Priest]

I once rode down a steep cobbled descent (The Side in Newcastle, if you're interest) in the wet, and used my rear brake to slow down.

Guess what happened next!