If you could cycle exclusively on cycle tracks, would you?
- Thread starter Panscrank
- Start date
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bobzmyunkle
Senior Member
In the UK, generally no, the quality is poor. I did quite a lot of miles on cycles tracks in France last summer. Most of it was very pleasant, but they do tend to divert you round towns and especially villages, so you miss out on the character of the country (as well as bakeries).
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
No, not even in principle. They're great in and of themselves, *if* (very, very big if) well designed, constructed and maintained, but there are some experiences in cycling which require use of the roads - like climbing the Galibier, just for instance.
In practice, 95% of the British ones are utter shite, and to be avoided on convenience and safety grounds.
In practice, 95% of the British ones are utter shite, and to be avoided on convenience and safety grounds.
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
Probably not, as even the best cycle tracks IME tend to need you to ride slightly slower than you can on the road.
There are a few good ones around here, which I generally do use in preference to the roads they are near, but most of the roads I ride are ones that there would be no realistic possibility of adding cycle tracks to cover the same routes.
There are a few good ones around here, which I generally do use in preference to the roads they are near, but most of the roads I ride are ones that there would be no realistic possibility of adding cycle tracks to cover the same routes.
- Location
- Inside my skull
If you could drive exclusively on motorways would you…
Mburton1993
Über Member
- Location
- Stalybridge
Cycle tracks feel slower than a road ride, Swansea sea front for example, where there’s a cycle track and footpath side by side, you can’t really put your foot down.
For a casual ride, yeah they’re fine, but for getting somewhere or getting there quickly atleast, the road is preferable.
For a casual ride, yeah they’re fine, but for getting somewhere or getting there quickly atleast, the road is preferable.
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Have done dedicated cycle tracks in a number of countries but they don’t seem to follow the route of commuters to place of work or to towns and cities centres. Some are designed to go past the outskirts of town similar to velo routes of Europe and serve cyclists who are planning to tour on bikes. With the exception of the Dutch, dedicated cycle tracks appear to be recreational.
I guess it will be the roads for now.
I guess it will be the roads for now.
Problem is the sheer variety in standards. If they are all numbered with those that meet with the current specified standards being A routes and you had a letter for each below standard nature some would be way down the alphabet. No local cycle tracks would be an A, a recently constructed one might be a C and the main local NCN has a definite Z section.
oldwheels
Legendary Member
- Location
- Isle of Mull
We got a 4 mile stretch of “new road “ with a rough surface cycle track alongside. It is now just a wide verge covered in weeds. There are no cycle tracks where I live but I often cycle near Oban where there are mostly good tracks I use. There is a stretch on the A85 of a couple of miles with no track so they are not connected. There are some roads I use not heaving with tourist traffic but often they are again isolated with no safe connection.
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
I very nearly always ride exclusively on cycle paths. Doesn't give me a lot of route choice, but it does give me the ability to do up to 36-mile round trip with no more than half a mile of road work. Also, it's easily the flattest option. That's flattest, not flat...
The condition is very variable. From patches of smooth bliss to stretches of old granite 'railway', and two very cold tunnels full of cyclists and pedestrians with no lights.
The condition is very variable. From patches of smooth bliss to stretches of old granite 'railway', and two very cold tunnels full of cyclists and pedestrians with no lights.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
There are some great ones that I like to use. The Padiham Greenway for example...
Taken when @potsy (front, left) still came out on my forum rides!
That is a very good surface and gets me off some busy stretches of road, but it is very popular with walkers so care has to be taken to avoid them, and especially their dogs and small children.
Other paths are so bad that I won't go near them.
I would use good cycle paths all the time in towns and cities if they were available and I had to ride in those places. The thing is, I prefer to ride over remote hills and those are never going to be adequately criss-crossed by such paths, and nor should they be.
Taken when @potsy (front, left) still came out on my forum rides!
That is a very good surface and gets me off some busy stretches of road, but it is very popular with walkers so care has to be taken to avoid them, and especially their dogs and small children.
Other paths are so bad that I won't go near them.
I would use good cycle paths all the time in towns and cities if they were available and I had to ride in those places. The thing is, I prefer to ride over remote hills and those are never going to be adequately criss-crossed by such paths, and nor should they be.
