commuting route + mods

[rebound101]

Hi all,

just wondering if anyone knows a quick and easy commuting route from coorooparoo to southbank in Brissy? im looking to ride my bike to work and google maps isnt the best to use.....also im looking to add a few things to my giant cross city 2 like panniers and mud guards if anyone has any suggestions on the best sorrta ones to use and also what are the biggest/widest tyres i can use on my bike??

sorry for all the questions but i am a newbie...


thanks again guys ride safe

[Crawf]

This route.

[rebound101]

thanks crawf....shouldve added i work on Grey st so ill be heading that way....does anyone travel along vulture or stanley st at all??? just looking fro the quickest/easiest route as im not too fit atm, hence buying my bike LOL

[briztoon]

Hey rebound101, the route Crawf put up is the easiest and safest way to ride down to South Bank. Ride down Old Cleveland Road to the Freeway underpass at Stones Corner then jump on the bike path that takes you all the way to South Bank. You can then ride through South Bank to which ever part of Grey Street you need. The bike route next to the Freeway is a pretty good, short ride.

Personally, I'd want to stay away from Vulture Street and Stanley Streets during Peak Hour traffic.

Why do you want wide tyres on your bike? My understanding is the wider the tyre, the slower the ride. The Cross City is a flat bar road bike, so I do not know if the forks will be wide enough to accommodate mountain bike style tyres.

As for modifications to your bike, not being very diy myself, I tend to visit my LFS and talk to them about anything I would like done. I know there are two Giant dealerships on this side of town, one at Norman Park on Wynnum Road and one at Camp Hill on Old Cleveland Road.

Hope you have some cold weather riding gear, it's starting to get cold of a morning.

[Abby]

Yep, +1 to Crawfs route. I used that many times when I commuted to the CBD.

Only possible safe alternative is using Main Ave - Deshon St - Logan Rd - Stanley St. But definitely don't join Stanley St until you reach Planet Cycles (at the 'Gabba 5-ways intersection of Logan/Stanley/Ipswich Rds). You can ride onroad bikelanes from there to Southbank.

Try both if you like, and work out which you are most comfortable with.

Also re: biggest/widest tyres. If you are using the bike for commuting, then don't worry so much about 'wide' tyres. Just go for 'slicks', as they'll be better on the bitumen that knobby mountain bike-style tyres. And don't pump then up too hard, or your teeth will fall out from all the jarring...

Most of all - enjoy the cycle-commuting! Once you settle into the routine, you'll realise how much more fun it is than the car or bus...

[Crawf]

Your bike appears to be spec'd with 32mm tyres, personally I wouldn't go any bigger, that's a good width for comfort/load & speed.
For mudguards look at SKS Chromoplastic P45's, lightweight and durable.
Panniers - someone else can probably recommend.

[chisel]

If coming from down near Cavendish and Stanley, as I assume he is based on request to use Stanley, shouldn't he use the bikeway along Norman Ck from the Cav+Stanley intersection up to Stones Corner then join up with normal route from there? (I don't usually ride to/from Coorparoo but rode there this evening and using that path was fine)
If you're not fit or confident I wouldn't be using Old Cleveland Rd just yet - not if there's an alternative. Same for Stanley or other major roads.

[Abby]

Personally, I only ride down Cavendish Rd to Stanley St (ie. section between Old Cleveland & Stanley) very early in the morning. Otherwise, I find it a bit too hairy. No shoulder , and lots of cars keen to get to work (or, more realistically, the next traffic jam...).

Old Cleveland Rd, from Cav Rd to Main Avenue, is much better (IMHO). You obviously still need to be alert as its a main road. But the left lane width is much greater, and as its an established cycle-commute route, there is other cycle traffic along there to keep motorists generally more aware...

[rebound101]

AWESOME!!! thanks for the replys guys. I was just looking "as the crow flys" on Google maps and though a direct route would be easier. However i do agree that the bike way is better....just really hate that switchback uphill at south bank and just gotta get used to skinnier tyres as im used to MTB tyres...

thanks again guys ride safe!!!

[BigBadWOLF]

Wow thanks for this amazing tip.. im new to brissie and just did my first commute into city.. Googlemaps gave to so many options but this was the best.. Old Cleveland Rd then the M3 Cycleway..

brisbane commutes beat sydney anyday..

[ValleyForge]

Welcome to the humidity!

Best routing I've found is on bikeroutetoaster. Use the openstreetmap option and prefer bikeways.