City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:04 pm

Me and a couple of friends are planning to do this ride on Saturday on our fixed's.

We figure we can get all the way to Willunga (from Marion) on the Southern Expressway bike path, which is great, except our destination isn't Willunga. Is there a turn off before Mclaren Vale that heads towards the coast or Is it easier going to Willunga then down to Aldinga?

Basically we just need to get to Port Road / Quinliven Road in Aldinga Beach without going on South Road / Old Coach Road or Aldinga Road / Biscay Road (although this isn't that bad).

Suggestions?
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

alex
Posts: 1000
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:12 am

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby alex » Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:15 pm

not really

the best way would be expressway to mclaren vale then to willunga then take biscay road or one of the ones that runs along side it basically all the way to the coast, then ride along the esplanade

going via mclaren vale and willunga will only add maybe 10-15km anyway and will be much better than the alternatives

even better would be belair/clarendon/kangarilla to mclaren vale but that will smash you pretty bad on a fixed gear
if i get killed while out on my bike i dont want a 'memorial ride' by random punters i have never met.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:17 pm

Chanks bro.

Once we're in Aldinga, we'll go straight down to the esplanade and go from there. Nicer ride too.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

alex
Posts: 1000
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:12 am

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby alex » Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:22 pm

the road 1 block north of biscay looks like it would have less traffic, could be a terrible surface though - whenever ive been down that way ive just gone along biscay, ride straight and in single file and youll be fine bro

but def go via mclaren vale and willunga, loads of good places you could stop for lunch or a brew
if i get killed while out on my bike i dont want a 'memorial ride' by random punters i have never met.

User avatar
Clydesdale Scot
Posts: 2254
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:55 pm
Location: Adelaide, SA

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Clydesdale Scot » Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:54 pm

route suggestion here
has the elevation profile
keeps to the Veloway for as long as possible then low traffic roads. These roads are fine as long as you keep to the left and ride single file
the McLaren Vale to Willunga Rd is narrow and the cars then to speed along there. If you want to do it then there is the Shiraz Trail, a bike path from McLaren Vale to Willunga which is in the middle of the vines.

We ride to McLaren Vale each Sun, avoiding the Veloway due to the glass, down Lonsdale Highway then along the coast, back through Clarendon, with gears and brakes. Rarely do we have an issue with cars.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:24 am

Thanks for the route. I'm a bit apprehensive of doing Commercial Road (especially at Moana South) and Old Coach Road, purely because of the hills along there, that and the fact there's no real shoulder and I think it's 80 (or 100) k's along there.

I reckon we'll do the Veloway / wine path to Willunga, then Biscay Road, Aldinga Beach Road and then the Esplanade. My parents will have some beer and a BBQ waiting at Silver Sands. Good times.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
SeanB
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 5:40 pm
Location: S Adelaide, SA

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby SeanB » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:53 pm

You'll be adding quite a distance by going via Willunga.

Commercial road shouldn't be any problems - has bike lanes - but its continuation (old coach) is a bit on the dodgy side. Having said that, cars shouldn't have any trouble passing you safely enough and it's not that long of a stretch of road so it's the way i would go.

or you could bugger aldinga off and only go as far as moana.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:41 am

SeanB wrote: or you could bugger aldinga off and only go as far as moana.
Verbs & Nouns wrote: My parents will have some beer and a BBQ waiting at Silver Sands. Good times.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby MichaelB » Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:32 pm

Once again, there has been some reports of fishing line tied across the veloway at the southern end.

This comes direct from a copper (interested in cycling) who was at a briefing recently.

Take care.

There are some true meatheads out there.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:50 pm

Thanks for the heads up (or should that be the heads down). :?

I heard about that a while ago and didn't know if it was still happening.

Has anyone ridden the Veloway in the last few days?
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby MichaelB » Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:04 pm

No. Last time was late last year.

You first. :D

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:27 pm

I'll send Adam down first... :wink:

Image
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
Biffidus
Posts: 766
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:20 pm
Location: RADelaide

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Biffidus » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:27 pm

Brakeless down the Veloway? That would be dangerous enough without the fishing line!

DansAvanti
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:09 pm
Location: South Adelaide

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby DansAvanti » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:30 pm

Verbs & Nouns wrote:Thanks for the heads up (or should that be the heads down). :?

I heard about that a while ago and didn't know if it was still happening.

Has anyone ridden the Veloway in the last few days?

I rode up from the northern end to Majors rd last night - no lines there. There is heaps of cycle traffic on the veloway, you would have to be pretty unlucky to get caught out i reckon. The consequences are bad if you do though!

I figure if you are not the first one up in the morning, you are probably safe.

Dan

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:15 am

Biffidus wrote:Brakeless down the Veloway? That would be dangerous enough without the fishing line!
We’re all pretty used to riding brakeless.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:43 am

So we did the veloway to Mclaren Vale > Willunga > Aldinga Beach (Silver Sands). That took about 3.5 hours, maybe 4 hours, with a few stops. Three of us had to walk about 500 metres of the initial climb from Darlington (I knew I shouldn’t have stopped to take photos, therefore losing my momentum). We stopped at Noarlunga, and Mclaren Vale for a quick drink / snack.

On the way back we did Bowering Hill Road (which runs parallel Old Coach Road from Aldinga Beach). This is a back way to Maslins beach, and we only had to deal with Old Coach Road for a small part, which was fine. Once we got to Moana South / Heights, and bombed that massive hill, it was pretty straight forward. Commerical road is fine. This took just over an hour from Silver Sands to Noarlunga.

Five of us piked, and caught the train home from Noarlunga. Adam manned up and rode home, almost beating us back to the city. He said that he had to walk down part of the final descent into Darlington, it was too dangerous brakeless.

All up, I reckon from my house there and back, I rode about 100k’s.

Next time, I reckon I'll do the veloway to Noarlunga, then Commercial Road / Old Coach Road to Aldinga. Going via Mclaren Vale and Willunga added an extra hour or so.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

brettjames
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:53 pm

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby brettjames » Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:40 pm

Rode right past you guys at about Seaford on my way to Willunga Hill.

About 6 of you right ?

I was the one who came tearing up behind you on the Colnago thinking "these guys are MAD"!!!! :lol:

Looked like a fun, social and chanllenging ride indeed!!!
COLNAGO 2008 CLX - CAMPAG RECORD ROLLING ON ZIPP 404's

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Mon Feb 08, 2010 5:08 pm

brettjames wrote:Rode right past you guys at about Seaford on my way to Willunga Hill.

About 6 of you right ?

I was the one who came tearing up behind you on the Colnago thinking "these guys are MAD"!!!! :lol:

Looked like a fun, social and chanllenging ride indeed!!!
Haha, yep, that was us. And yeah, there were six of us.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:31 pm

If anyone is interested, I have some pics here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/verbsandnouns/
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
SeanB
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 5:40 pm
Location: S Adelaide, SA

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby SeanB » Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:15 pm

Hey, I saw your fixie peloton too. About 10:30 just as you had come over the top of the hill at the start of the veloway.

Great effort on a fixed gear bike.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:45 am

Thanks!
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby MichaelB » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:15 am

What gearing were most of you riding ?

I've done the Expressway on 45/88 SS (braked) and that was pretty good. Brakeless fixed is a bit too hairy for me to contemplate.

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:28 am

I was on 49x17 (~77.8”), the others were higher (47x14 or ~90”) or lower (42x16 or ~70”). Adam, who was on the tallest gear, did the whole ride there and back.

There were only a few spots where we really had to use brakes (or skid), one of them was near Old Reynella where there’s a descent and sharp right turn into a tunnel.
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby MichaelB » Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:29 pm

My 45/18 with the 28C tyres rounds out to about 67" and is useable for most (have to coast some parts).

Once it gets past about 8% for any length, it's too much for me. Have managed Mt Lofty and Belair Rd with this gearing, and the Veloway is pretty good as well.

47/14 is just nuts up hills though :shock:

User avatar
Verbs & Nouns
Posts: 778
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 am
Location: Australia, South

Re: City to Silver Sands (Aldinga Beach).

Postby Verbs & Nouns » Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:18 pm

Yeah, 47x14 is crazy. He didn’t get off once either.

It was geared down from his usual 50x14!

I love it how it was on a PK Ripper too..

Image
Ten Grand wrote:Goddamnit baby, this is soul... What's wrong with you?

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users