Having gone mildly insane from dropping the wife at work and then enduring up to an hour sat in the car every morning for the last six months I've decided I need to commute from her work place to mine.
However, the main roads are nothing short of a total **** so I was wondering if any of yous happen to ride a similar route and could advise of the best way to go?!
Ta
I used to do this but have moved now.
Went beacheif abbey lane. Sneak along the FP through the wood next to railway. Past Sainsburys/aldi turn right by archer lane beer stop. Follow marked cycle route past virgin gym etc and on into town.
Used to be quicker than the car most of the time.
Thanks Ian, was the hill utter hell on the way back? It's looks horrible coming up Chesterfield road!
I've not done much cycling of any type for about a year :-/
you'll soon get fit.
I live in Crookes and commuted just a mile or so, but coming back up the hill was a first a pain, then a challenge, then a pleasure as I got fitter.
Chesterfield road Heeley to Norton isn't as bad as it looks, FYI. The first bit is a drag but it's pretty steady. You get a rest through Woodseats then the final crank up the steep bit alongside Graves Park is quite short and sharp in the scheme of things. Where they exist, the bus lanes make it a bit more pleasant also.
Not saying it's nothing - it'll utterly kill and demoralise you for the first few weeks, but after that you'll be flying up, enjoying your new found fitness.
And luckily as it's all downhill on the way in, you shouldn't be a sweaty mess upon arrival at work. You can shower as soon as you get home.
(Of course I say all this in the hope that you won't be planning to do it on a Giant Reign.)
Best way home would be up Abbeydale road to totley, yes you've gone further than necessary, then up into the woods at the back of totley rise shops and climb steadily but off road all the way to the top of the golf course having crossed twentywell road near the top. Much more fun than chesterfield road.
It's four and a half miles. You could almost walk it in an hour.
You guys are really wedded to your cars aren't you?
Have you tried googlemaps and clicking on the bicycle route?
I always avoided chesterfield rd and used the marked bike path between London rd (turns off at the rude shipyard/Dhanistha's ) and wood seats rd. the only hill is beauchief abbey lane. Which does drag a bit but you're so close to hone by then.
I used to live on the downhill side of Westwick crescent so could ride into the back garden!
Chesterfield Rd isn't that bad and there is room for cars to overtake without running you off the road unlike Hutcliffe Wood or Bocking Lane. You don't need to be superfit and it will get you fitter very quickly. At rush hour the bike is faster than a car, especially on the way in.
Cheers guys,
So.. How long do you reckon it'd take for a (currently) non cyclist who runs once a week to plod from the city centre back up t'hill to greenhill then?
I know it's not far but I don't want to add too much time to my travelling as I already have to drive the wife to work before I' be cycling and afterwards in the evening..
(Oh and I'm not on a reign anymore - choice of a tracer or cheap hybrid!)
How long do you reckon it'd take
To a *total newbie* cyclist on a suitable hybrid choosing the Chezzy Road route, the estimate I'd offer would be something along the lines of:
First time: 40 minutes, will feel like an eternity in granny ring hell.
After one month: 20 minutes, will feel like 5.
🙂 well I'm not a total newbie - more that I haven't ridden much for a good couple of years.
I ran 4 miles in the snow today but my running fitness seems somehow different to my cycling fitness!
eh?
I used to do walkley side of Sheffield to Chesterfield via Chestefield rd in 50 minutes....
I used to do walkley side of Sheffield to Chesterfield via Chestefield rd in 50 minutes....
Half an hour more to get from Walkey to Chesterfield sounds about right - I reckon that's about doable for me too, but I'd still set aside 20 minutes if you told me I had to get from Sheffield town centre to Greenhill.
Not a regular route for me, so happy to be corrected.
I'd allow 20 mins in 45 mins back for the first few runs and sure you'll soon have it down to sub 15 and sub 30 after a few weeks. Kind of assuming a reasonably sensible bike and not a DH rig!
I prefer the bigger roads with the bus lanes like Chesterfield Road to some of the smaller ones as there is more space for cars to pass