I still ride the roads but i cycled on the canal and found it enjoyable

[Accy cyclist]

Three weeks ago i announced on CC after my latest hit the tarmac experience, that i was "retiring" from riding a road bike, I haven't quite stuck to it. I'm still riding on the roads but i bought myself a bike that can take 28mm tyres, right up to 37mm if i take the mudguards off. So i've been doing a bit of off road riding, the Leeds Liverpool canal tow path being my new found(after 17 years)choice of destination, The last time i rode a bike on the east Lancs stretch the surface was dodgy in many parts, and some parts still are but the majority is very good! Not only that but i've noticed a distinct lack of dog doo dahs, something i couldn't say 17 years ago. The dog walkers seem to have got the message!
Yesterday i saw a lad on a mountain bike coming off a path leading onto the canal so i thought i'd follow that path. It led me to a part of Blackburn i didn't know existed. I spoke to some nice folk on my ride and the ones walking the towpath thanked me in return as i gently pipped my horn as i approached them.to let them know i was there. The dodgy looking geese were a bit of a problem though as i sneaked past them while they were hissing at me. When i made it back to the busy main road i seemed to forget my cycling etiquette and went onto the pavement. Unfortunately i saw a policeman walking towards me. As i approached him i thought i'd mention why i was pavement cycling for my safety, but he seemed surprised i mentioned it and said "I'd do the same,this is a big wide pavement which is safer than the road. Fill your boots". I thought about sticking to the road when i got out of Blackburn but i went back onto the canal to enjoy my new found thing. Mudguards by the way take a bit of getting used to. I still flinch a bit when a stone is carried on the tyre to scrape against them!

 

[annedonnelly]

It's great exploring new paths you haven't used before, isn't it? Glad you're still enjoying your cycling even if you're not on the roads.

 

[HertzvanRental]

Three weeks ago i announced on CC after my latest hit the tarmac experience, that i was "retiring" from riding a road bike, I haven't quite stuck to it. I'm still riding on the roads but i bought myself a bike that can take 28mm tyres, right up to 37mm if i take the mudguards off. So i've been doing a bit of off road riding, the Leeds Liverpool canal tow path being my new found(after 17 years)choice of destination, The last time i rode a bike on the east Lancs stretch the surface was dodgy in many parts, and some parts still are but the majority is very good! Not only that but i've noticed a distinct lack of dog doo dahs, something i couldn't say 17 years ago. The dog walkers seem to have got the message!
Yesterday i saw a lad on a mountain bike coming off a path leading onto the canal so i thought i'd follow that path. It led me to a part of Blackburn i didn't know existed. I spoke to some nice folk on my ride and the ones walking the towpath thanked me in return as i gently pipped my horn as i approached them.to let them know i was there. The dodgy looking geese were a bit of a problem though as i sneaked past them while they were hissing at me. When i made it back to the busy main road i seemed to forget my cycling etiquette and went onto the pavement. Unfortunately i saw a policeman walking towards me. As i approached him i thought i'd mention why i was pavement cycling for my safety, but he seemed surprised i mentioned it and said "I'd do the same,this is a big wide pavement which is safer than the road. Fill your boots". I thought about sticking to the road when i got out of Blackburn but i went back onto the canal to enjoy my new found thing. Mudguards by the way take a bit of getting used to. I still flinch a bit when a stone is carried on the tyre to scrape against them!

Some years ago, I had a holiday on the Kennet and Avon canal. I can remember remarking on the number of people that were cycling on the tow-path and thinking that it was a nice way to start their working day.

 

[Katherine]

Good for you. Here's to many more of the same!!

 

[albion]

The north east has maybe a thousand + miles of waggonways that are now cycle track bridleways.
So you seldom need to hit a road if you wish.

Not the same in your neck of the woods?

 

[Salar]

Interesting,
I too have been looking at riding the canals recently, well the towpaths to be precise .

And........they are mostly flat.

Nearest to me of any length is the Mons & Brecon canal.

 

[Brandane]

Canal paths are great for cycling, as are the disused railway lines which have been taken over by Sustrans and given a tarmac surface. You can just relax and enjoy the ride, without having to mix it with the traffic. I can ride from my home in Ayrshire to Edinburgh (about 85 miles) and hardly see a car, apart from a short stretch in Glasgow city centre. There is a canal running all the way from Glasgow to Edinburgh via the Falkirk Wheel. The surface is a bit ropey in places, particularly east of Falkirk, but with the correct bike and tyres it's not a problem.
I only ride on main roads when there is no alternative. Reading all the posts on here about the "us and them" attitudes (of both drivers and cyclists) only serves to reinforce my decision to avoid road riding.

 

[matiz]

I used to go cyclo cross training for hours around the black country canals many years ago they were overgrown full of potholes with parts of the bank missing and the odd dead dog and shopping trolley dumped as well,I was amazed on my last visit how neat and tidy the paths and verges were and the amount of people walking ,and cycling ,It used to be almost deserted

 

[Globalti]

Las time I cycled along the Burnley Embankment, one of the seven wonders of the canal world, I came up behind a young chap standing in a strange posture facing away from me and two women walkers ahead of us doing a smart about-turn and heading away. It wasn't until I passed silently by him that my brain worked out that I'd sneaked up on someone in the act of exposing himself and that his position close to the edge would have made it easy for me to shove him into the water. Damn.

 

[robjh]

I often used to use the towpaths when I commuted into Leicester. It's obviously slower than the roads but made for a great journey to work (although the downside, like all cycle commuting, is that you know by 8.30 that the highlight of your day is over!). Luckily the surfaces were all either compacted gravel or (rather lumpy) tarmac, as I would have drawn the line at mud and wet grass with the 32mm road tyres I was then using.
I used to pass a few regular walkers on the journey but always slowed down and spoke politely and we got on fine.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I enjoyed it so much that i'm going to skive off work today and travel west along the canal. This could be the last sunny day this summer so i intend to enjoy it rather than climbing ladders all day. I'm thinking of heading towards the locks at Chorley then seeing where the paths take me. http://chorley.gov.uk/Documents/Parks and nature/Botany Bay Circular walk v1.pdf

 

[Salar]

Looks a nice ride.

I suppose in theory in that most canals join others it would be possible to ride quite a distance on the network of canal towpaths without going near a road.

 

[jowwy]

Interesting,
I too have been looking at riding the canals recently, well the towpaths to be precise .

And........they are mostly flat.

Nearest to me of any length is the Mons & Brecon canal.

How far are you from the mon and brec........thats my neck of the woods too

 

[Salar]

How far are you from the mon and brec........thats my neck of the woods too

Hi,

It's quite a distance as I'm out in west Wales, 48 miles, about an hours easy drive.

But its the nearest proper canal to me, the Neath & Tennant is closer but no way as picturesque.

 

[jowwy]

Hi,

It's quite a distance as I'm out in west Wales, 48 miles, about an hours easy drive.

But its the nearest proper canal to me, the Neath & Tennant is closer but no way as picturesque.

Im about 15mins away by bike in one direction and about 30mins in the other......can do 40miles from house and back without touching the road