Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

ShaunRoos
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:57 pm

Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby ShaunRoos » Sun Apr 09, 2017 7:04 pm

Hi everyone!

Anyone commuting from Lower North Shore to Bella Vista? Aiming for my first one soon and want to know if I can go with someone to know the best route to take. I see I can travel on the M2 Motorway... :shock:

I also see that most of the road is fairly open...

jubaeg
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:51 am

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby jubaeg » Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:07 pm

Its going to be a bit of an ordeal. Reason being that until the Northconnex works are finished, you can no longer take the M2 any further West than Pennant Hills rd [PHR]. So once the road works are done, then yes, it should be fairly straight forward to take the M2 to the first M7 exit then basically straight and you'll intersect Norwest.

However that's sometime in the future.

Currently once you get to PHR, then you could take the official route left and then through North Rocks etc until you either return to the M2, or join up at Old Windsor rd - this is the official M2 detour and its available in a few places - its a bit of a hike though as there is a fair bit of elevation change.

Alternatively, you could go right at PHR and then take Aiken rd, then Taylor then right through Cranebrook and Crane rd then wind through Castle Hill or Baulkham hills - fair bit of elevation change and a lot of back streets this route as well.

So the short answer is that its doable but its going to take a while to find the optimum route.

ShaunRoos
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:57 pm

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby ShaunRoos » Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:54 pm

jubaeg wrote:Its going to be a bit of an ordeal. Reason being that until the Northconnex works are finished, you can no longer take the M2 any further West than Pennant Hills rd [PHR]. So once the road works are done, then yes, it should be fairly straight forward to take the M2 to the first M7 exit then basically straight and you'll intersect Norwest.

However that's sometime in the future.

Currently once you get to PHR, then you could take the official route left and then through North Rocks etc until you either return to the M2, or join up at Old Windsor rd - this is the official M2 detour and its available in a few places - its a bit of a hike though as there is a fair bit of elevation change.

Alternatively, you could go right at PHR and then take Aiken rd, then Taylor then right through Cranebrook and Crane rd then wind through Castle Hill or Baulkham hills - fair bit of elevation change and a lot of back streets this route as well.

So the short answer is that its doable but its going to take a while to find the optimum route.
Thank you for the quick reply...will start exploring on Google Maps again with your directions! :-)

jubaeg
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:51 am

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby jubaeg » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:22 pm

Also worthwhile exploring Strava for routes - they have a heatmap function in their labs section where you can see the most common routes.

There is also the RMS cycleway finder: http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/bicycle ... index.html

OpenStreetMaps: http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/5 ... 3&layers=C

Will send you a DM with some of my routes.

ShaunRoos
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:57 pm

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby ShaunRoos » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:30 pm

jubaeg wrote:Also worthwhile exploring Strava for routes - they have a heatmap function in their labs section where you can see the most common routes.

There is also the RMS cycleway finder: http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/bicycle ... index.html

OpenStreetMaps: http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/5 ... 3&layers=C

Will send you a DM with some of my routes.
Appreciate it!

Got a new job in Bella Vista so would like to commute a few times...still very new with the routes that way.

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SheikYerbouti
Posts: 545
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:47 am

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby SheikYerbouti » Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:22 pm

Hi, I go from Naremburn to Plumpton once every couple of weeks.
I take the Epping Rd Cycleway north to the M2, along the M2, the !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! 12km detour, then down the M7 cycleway.
I've ridden to the in laws at Parsonage Rd many times.
Happy to share routes, or if schedules match up, meet and ride together to show you the way.

caneye
Posts: 1155
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:32 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby caneye » Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:16 pm

i've seen 1 or 2 riders consistently commuting on Barclay Rd-Renown Rd. i'm not sure if they ride in traffic or on the narrow footpath though. that section will avoid the North Rocks-Northmead detour and have you rejoining M2 at the Windsor Rd interchange.
but it's not for the faint-hearted :D

ShaunRoos
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:57 pm

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby ShaunRoos » Sun Apr 23, 2017 12:19 pm

Thanks for the replies guys!

Found an AWESOME route, very very little traffic plus a wide shoulder for bikes. There is a section or two that has a few cars but other than that it is a breeze. I can share my Strava ride with you...

https://www.strava.com/activities/950871251

jubaeg
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:51 am

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby jubaeg » Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:42 pm

Very good. I prefer to go up PHR to Oratava rather than Aiken, as there is virtually no one on Oratava, whereas Aiken is busy and I don't like the vibe at the roundabout.

I'd also suggest avoiding Showground at the moment as its still a construction zone (I avoid it anyway, so I may be out of date). What I do is keep going straight at the Crane and Old Northern lights and go all the way down to the RSL. Potter along through the RSL carpark and there is an open gate (it opens at 5AM and has always been open when I need it to be open) that takes you out to Brittania rd then a short left then right into Kathleen ave, then left into Belvedere Ave. About 3/4 of the way along Belvedere there is a wide path on the right that links you to the Showground and Carrington lights.

ShaunRoos
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:57 pm

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby ShaunRoos » Sat Apr 29, 2017 5:30 pm

jubaeg wrote:Very good. I prefer to go up PHR to Oratava rather than Aiken, as there is virtually no one on Oratava, whereas Aiken is busy and I don't like the vibe at the roundabout.

I'd also suggest avoiding Showground at the moment as its still a construction zone (I avoid it anyway, so I may be out of date). What I do is keep going straight at the Crane and Old Northern lights and go all the way down to the RSL. Potter along through the RSL carpark and there is an open gate (it opens at 5AM and has always been open when I need it to be open) that takes you out to Brittania rd then a short left then right into Kathleen ave, then left into Belvedere Ave. About 3/4 of the way along Belvedere there is a wide path on the right that links you to the Showground and Carrington lights.
Thanks for the heads-up! Will try it!! :-)

cdc
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 12:59 pm

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby cdc » Tue May 30, 2017 1:09 pm

Hi Shaun,

How's it going with that commute?

Im contemplating a similiar commute from Lindfield to Bella Vista á few days a week (or more if I can do it fast!!!).

I did a partial trial commute on Saturday to see what it would be like on the M2 and just went as far as PHR. Not especially pleasant with the trucks, but bearable (I think).

Am just wondering how long its taking for you to do this commute. I assume you're a fairly serious cyclist to contemplate this.

Also, I did the commute on a hybrid MTB as I wasnt sure of quality of M2 shoulder. I observed a lot of gravel, with bolts, glass and all sorts of plastics and so forth on the shoulder so am not especially confident of taking my Roadbike with very skinny slick tires....how do you find cycling on the surface?

Regards
Craig

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Leethal
Posts: 89
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:24 pm
Location: Waitara, NSW

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby Leethal » Wed May 31, 2017 9:06 am

cdc wrote:...I did a partial trial commute on Saturday to see what it would be like on the M2 and just went as far as PHR. Not especially pleasant with the trucks, but bearable (I think).

IMO the M2 is far safer, no parked cars in the bike lane etc, then the current North Rocks Rd bypass fiasco. I'll bet none of the planners who thought this was acceptable has ridden it either way in peak hour traffic.
cdc wrote:...Also, I did the commute on a hybrid MTB as I wasnt sure of quality of M2 shoulder. I observed a lot of gravel, with bolts, glass and all sorts of plastics and so forth on the shoulder so am not especially confident of taking my Roadbike with very skinny slick tires....how do you find cycling on the surface?

I've ridden my roadie and CX along the M2 many times (back before they put in above mentioned bypass), and never had a flat, but you do have to keep your eye on the road for the odd string of wire, bolts etc.
Road: S-Works Tarmac SL5 eTap
CX: Trek Boone 9, Ultegra mechanical
MTB: Yeti ASRc, XTR Di2

caneye
Posts: 1155
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:32 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Commute buddy from Chatswood to Bella Vista

Postby caneye » Wed May 31, 2017 12:19 pm

truth be told, M2-PHR is the easy part of the commute to Bella Vista.
after PHR, all hell breaks loose on North Rocks Road. Ok, it's not that bad but it is certainly a challenge in weekday peak hour traffic. the cycling "lane" on North Rocks Road is useless. you are safer just taking the lane. west-bound is bearable as it's a gradual 5km descent but becareful of car doors. it gets messy and dicey when you get to the bottom of North Rocks Rd (intersection with Church St). there's usually a lengthy jam in the morning and you are forced to take the shared path (again, watch for cars going in/out of the workshops, etc ..).
eastbound is a steady climb and you also have public buses plying the route the whole day.

i still commute on the M2 daily. you just have to be prepared with spare tubes. in my 11000kms of riding last year, all my punctures were on the M2. radial wires are the worse. it's especially bad after a few days of wet weather. yes, it takes a while to get used to the trucks but i reckon it's heap safer than North Rocks Road. the only part of the M2 that i really really really dislike is the OFF-ramps - especially when you get indecisive drivers exiting at the last minute with no indicators, or deciding to merge back into traffic halfway through the offramp. :evil:

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