Cooks river Cycleway

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Fri May 11, 2012 11:19 am

I need to get from the east to Strathfiled on Saturday morning - I have planned out a route that will give me about 50ks there - watch kids sport - ride back.
The easiest (meaning simplest) route seems to be Cooks River Cycleway but the guidebook suggests its difficult to maintain speed on the path - i want to average about 23-25 km/h.
Any thoughts on whether this is doable on the cycleway? I need to be in Strathfield by 8am.
Cheers for the input.
Image

User avatar
Strawburger
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 pm
Location: Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Strawburger » Fri May 11, 2012 11:47 am

depending on how fit you are you can maintain just above your normal cruising speed for chunks of it. I usually get from Dulwich Hill to homebush in just on 1/2 hr using the path - averaging 25km/hr (stops at intersections/red lights inclusive)
n=10 (2013 & 2004 roads,2010 track,2x 2009 foldups,1990 hybrid,1992 trainer,2007 rental,1970's step through,1980's zeus)

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Fri May 11, 2012 11:54 am

so its not necessarily for dawdling along
Image

User avatar
Strawburger
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 pm
Location: Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Strawburger » Fri May 11, 2012 12:02 pm

at that time of morning you may encounter the odd walker or dog owner but generally you can get some speed up if you have it. I had 8 stops in my last trip at the same time on a saturday and so as long as you ride safely you shouldn't have a problem with 25km/hr (if you can manage that currently)
n=10 (2013 & 2004 roads,2010 track,2x 2009 foldups,1990 hybrid,1992 trainer,2007 rental,1970's step through,1980's zeus)

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Fri May 11, 2012 12:07 pm

Thanks for your help....whether I can manage it or not will depend on my "mood": the impression the book gave was that it was so winding that you wouldn't be able to maintain your pace.
Image

User avatar
queequeg
Posts: 6477
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:09 am

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby queequeg » Fri May 11, 2012 1:13 pm

It's a pretty flat course, though some sections are a bit bumpy.

Also, watch out for the Canterbury Rd Underpass. You'll know it when you see it!
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Fri May 11, 2012 1:26 pm

Is that the low one? they mentioned that!
Image

User avatar
Strawburger
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 pm
Location: Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Strawburger » Fri May 11, 2012 2:11 pm

... and narrow to boot!
n=10 (2013 & 2004 roads,2010 track,2x 2009 foldups,1990 hybrid,1992 trainer,2007 rental,1970's step through,1980's zeus)

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Fri May 11, 2012 2:15 pm

thanks for the tip
Image

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Sat May 12, 2012 6:34 pm

You call that an underpass???????? You'd be safer riding blindfolded straight out onto Canterbury Road.
apart from that: what a great track!!!!
Its fantastic being away from the cars for most of it - I loved it.
Image

User avatar
recumbenteer
Posts: 636
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:36 pm
Location: Fairfield 2165

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby recumbenteer » Sat May 12, 2012 6:46 pm

yeh.... THAT underpass!!.... obviously recumbent trikes :wink: weren't considered in its construction LOL :P

... gotta run the gauntlet crossing Canterbury Rd :shock:

:mrgreen:

Come to think of it..... 'bent trike riders... yeh..we're a breed of our own.....Sooooo
where's OUR special dispensation LOL :twisted:
Trisled Rotovelo Mk 2
Rotovelo Across Australia

User avatar
queequeg
Posts: 6477
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:09 am

Cooks river Cycleway

Postby queequeg » Sat May 12, 2012 9:05 pm

Stickybeak wrote:You call that an underpass???????? You'd be safer riding blindfolded straight out onto Canterbury Road.
See, I told you that you would know it when you saw it :-)
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

AndrewBurns
Posts: 996
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:36 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby AndrewBurns » Sat May 12, 2012 10:25 pm

I especially like the half exposed pipe sticking out there, it's not enough that it's absurdly low and narrow but they couldn't even keep the ground flat and smooth under there :P

I have no problems keeping around 30kph on the cooks river path when commuting, average is lower because of road crossings but it's fairly wide and direct.
Image

User avatar
find_bruce
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10559
Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 8:42 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby find_bruce » Sun May 13, 2012 1:29 pm

Scary thing is that some kind soul has bent the railing out a bit to give you some more room. Made me glad that I had cut my bars down so they were 480mm wide
Image

User avatar
mikesbytes
Super Mod
Super Mod
Posts: 22143
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:42 pm
Location: Tempe, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby mikesbytes » Sun May 13, 2012 2:37 pm

When the path is clear, you can get a good pace on it, but when there's traffic, you need to ride slower

http://app.strava.com/rides/8230814#150819746
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

User avatar
wombatK
Posts: 5612
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:08 pm
Location: Yagoona, AU

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby wombatK » Sun May 13, 2012 3:07 pm

find_bruce wrote:Scary thing is that some kind soul has bent the railing out a bit to give you some more room. Made me glad that I had cut my bars down so they were 480mm wide
Image
You've got around 20 km of good quality shared path, and this ridiculous choking point. It's not just the width - the height is problematic for taller peeps - even without the pipe intrusion.

In terms of bang for your buck, I couldn't think of a better way to spend cycling infrastructure dollars.
WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

Nobody
Posts: 10304
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:10 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Nobody » Sun May 13, 2012 3:16 pm

find_bruce wrote:Scary thing is that some kind soul has bent the railing out a bit to give you some more room. Made me glad that I had cut my bars down so they were 480mm wide
Image
I believe it is ~85cm wide at the top. I can get through there with 68cm bars on the MTB, so it's just perception that it's very narrow.

AndrewBurns
Posts: 996
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:36 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby AndrewBurns » Sun May 13, 2012 3:52 pm

680mm bars :shock: my road bike bars are 400mm and even then it feels a bit squeezy, I always unclip a foot for the first bit just in case.
Image

User avatar
Strawburger
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 pm
Location: Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Strawburger » Mon May 14, 2012 8:21 am

mikesbytes wrote:When the path is clear, you can get a good pace on it, but when there's traffic, you need to ride slower

http://app.strava.com/rides/8230814#150819746
Sounds like a challenge there Mike!
n=10 (2013 & 2004 roads,2010 track,2x 2009 foldups,1990 hybrid,1992 trainer,2007 rental,1970's step through,1980's zeus)

fenn_paddler
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:33 am

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby fenn_paddler » Mon May 14, 2012 9:08 am

It's a shared use path. I think anything over 28 kmh is foolhardy (and that speed only on the open straights).

It's pretty common to come upon three abreast walkers around blind corners. If you treat it like a race it'll eventually end badly - even if you don't hit someone, it pisses off the other path users to see cyclists tearing along a narrow path. Much as I see on the bay run on a regular basis.

Nobody
Posts: 10304
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:10 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Nobody » Mon May 14, 2012 9:46 am

fenn_paddler wrote:It's a shared use path. I think anything over 28 kmh is foolhardy (and that speed only on the open straights).

It's pretty common to come upon three abreast walkers around blind corners. If you treat it like a race it'll eventually end badly - even if you don't hit someone, it pisses off the other path users to see cyclists tearing along a narrow path. Much as I see on the bay run on a regular basis.
I agree with the warning. However, it depends on the day of the week, the time of day and the part of the path. There are many blind corners and you need to know where they are. It is obviously foolhardy to go fast on a path you don't know well. As for three abreast walkers, that's just rude on a narrow, shared, two way path. But then there are often grass areas to pass if necessary. Another problem is two abreast recreational MTBs taking up most of the path width.

User avatar
Strawburger
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 pm
Location: Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Strawburger » Mon May 14, 2012 11:00 am

Sorry guys, i forgot to add the :wink: I ride that path regularly, i know how much foot traffic there is. My comment was tongue in cheek
n=10 (2013 & 2004 roads,2010 track,2x 2009 foldups,1990 hybrid,1992 trainer,2007 rental,1970's step through,1980's zeus)

Stickybeak
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby Stickybeak » Mon May 14, 2012 8:03 pm

I had a bit better look at it - I liked the path so much I did it on Sunday early: I realise there is a river flowing past, its tidal and half of Sydney drains into it so it may weel be prone to a risk of flooding - not that I can remember Canterbury Road ever being at risk of being cut from flooding.
Allowing for all that surely it would cost very little to drop the path a little and make it wider - or even just to make it wider: if that were solved it would be hard to fault the track. I hope its well used by commuters.
I wish there were more like it.
Its connection with Homebush is a bit iffy but the Strathfield streets between the 2 would be perfect for cycle lanes so I'm a bit bemused at their absence: i think bike riders are still seen by most as the enemy.
Image

User avatar
wombatK
Posts: 5612
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:08 pm
Location: Yagoona, AU

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby wombatK » Mon May 14, 2012 10:13 pm

Stickybeak wrote:I had a bit better look at it - I liked the path so much I did it on Sunday early: I realise there is a river flowing past, its tidal and half of Sydney drains into it so it may weel be prone to a risk of flooding - not that I can remember Canterbury Road ever being at risk of being cut from flooding.
Allowing for all that surely it would cost very little to drop the path a little and make it wider - or even just to make it wider: if that were solved it would be hard to fault the track.
I can remember that Canterbury Rd has been flooded on very rare occasions - not due to the river rising, but rather drains being blocked on the road. In our recent very heavy rain, the floodwaters came nowhere near to the pathway level. Dropping it 30 cm or so and installing some Al decking over the river, like that on the Parramatta River at Melrose Park, would give a pretty good result.

You're right about the Strathfield end. Some improvements there would be easy to achieve. One I'd like to see is to replace the chicanes on the M4 overpass bridge with something that's not nigh on impossible to get through without scraping your derailleur's against the posts.

Cheers
WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

User avatar
queequeg
Posts: 6477
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:09 am

Re: Cooks river Cycleway

Postby queequeg » Mon May 14, 2012 10:27 pm

Stickybeak wrote:I had a bit better look at it - I liked the path so much I did it on Sunday early: I realise there is a river flowing past, its tidal and half of Sydney drains into it so it may weel be prone to a risk of flooding - not that I can remember Canterbury Road ever being at risk of being cut from flooding.
The underpass at Tempe (under the rail bridge) is prone to Tidal flooding. You don't really want to be riding your bike through all that salt water, especially in a King Tide!

Image

Image
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Majestic-12 [Bot]