Cycling down tramlines

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Bman

Guru
Location
Herts.
Just how wide are these gaps!? I can imagine a road bike having problems but what about a MTB with 1.95 (or fatter) tyres?
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
buddha said:
A poor excuse for a cycle lane follows the tram lines just past East Croydon (south london) clicky. At this point you feel relatively safe riding between the curb and the tram line.
A little further ahead is a tram stop. See the tiny gap between the tram line and the high kerb of the stop! clicky.

I once (stupidly) got my tyres 'stuck' in the track groove here but somehow managed to side bunny hop out of it:biggrin: I've seen a few come off here trying to cross the tram line to avoid the narrow gap.

I know that area very well, and you can fit through the gap quite eaisly between the paltform and the tram line, although it can be heary and i wouldn't pedal.

If you look ahead, you can see it coming, and take a steep enough attack at the track that you will have no issues. just as long as there are no cars/buses/trams behind you.

or as mentioned by others, just bunny hop.

I've only notiched this to be a problem with skinner tyres, as i have many occasions gone along the tram lines on my mtb with no issue.
 

buddha

Veteran
gaz said:
I know that area very well, and you can fit through the gap quite eaisly between the paltform and the tram line, although it can be heary and i wouldn't pedal.

If you look ahead, you can see it coming, and take a steep enough attack at the track that you will have no issues. just as long as there are no cars/buses/trams behind you.

or as mentioned by others, just bunny hop.

I've only notiched this to be a problem with skinner tyres, as i have many occasions gone along the tram lines on my mtb with no issue.

Yep my tyres at the time were 23mm. It was the first time I had gone down there, going too fast:rolleyes:, raining and I had panniers bursting with shopping! - you get the idea. I learnt my lesson.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
magnatom said:
I spent most of the holiday in Shropshire and the surrounding area which was very nice. Quite impressed with the Midlands Safari Park!

Not sure if that is the same as the West Midlands Safari park ... but my kids went there whilst on camp and really enjoyed themselves apart from the fact one of them lost her watch. Once she was home from camp we rang the Park and spoke to a lovely man who said they would see if it was in their lost property. Thought that would be the last we would hear, but 4 hours later he rang back to say it was there and he would pop it in the post. So it has left a good impression on me.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
buddha said:
A poor excuse for a cycle lane follows the tram lines just past East Croydon (south london) clicky. At this point you feel relatively safe riding between the curb and the tram line.
A little further ahead is a tram stop. See the tiny gap between the tram line and the high kerb of the stop! clicky.

I once (stupidly) got my tyres 'stuck' in the track groove here but somehow managed to side bunny hop out of it:biggrin: I've seen a few come off here trying to cross the tram line to avoid the narrow gap.
Seconded. Taking a club run down Addiscombe Road was not one of our smarter moves....
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
I cycle near tram lines routinely. Whichever side of the lines you cycle the real problem is the raised platform stations as this pinches the road (as described above on other tram systems). Unfortunately the tram has pinched some of the best routes in the city so it is pretty much unavoidable missing them if you want sensible routes to places. The hazards are not so much the tram lines themselves but the poorly cast concrete.
 

Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
When i ride to work, i have to ride along some, and ive rode along them many times before.
Its fine, i will ride in the centre of the lines if i need.
Only problem i had one time was when the lines were wet and i lent in abit too hard(90 degree turn into the road work is on) and felt the front wheel slip slightly, but other then that its fine.
Ive seen someone on a mountain bike fall over on them before, too shallow angle.
Ive seen someone on another mountainbike pretty much run along them, and there be no real problem.
I think im bound to fall off one time into work, i try and take the sharpest angle i can, coming out of a road, and crossing the lines, i do at pretty much 90 degree to then quickly turn the bars and lean over, so i run by the side of them. Bound to get the turn wrong one time and turn on the lines and go over.
 

bonj2

Guest
on a road bike you can get to the other side of them by doing a little 'shimmy' with your hips - do it quickly and you don't have to slow down much or take it wide.
I have come off on them before, the first bike i had about 4 years ago xx( that was going across them at a very shallow angle without knowing the dangers...and getting the front wheel stuck.
My mtb can just blunder along them parallel, or at as shallow an angle as I like, wonder why that is...
 
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