[Closed] Leeds - Liverpool canal

Stan, me and a few mates are doing this at the end of august.

think we are staying in barnoldswick.

havve fun.

You are doing it the right way.

Should be doable in daylight in one day at this time of year.

Touring or MTB would be best, with semi slicks (or something a bit thin and knobbly if heavy rain ahead of and during the ride)

I was planning to do same weekend but have postponed until later.

Tell us how you get on.

MTB and some sections are narrow and even grassy around the 15 mile mark.

Do it online first
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/ll3.htm

You wouldn't want to do these on a road bike
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/ll80a.htm

Enjoy

If youve still got the bike after Maghaul then youve done well.

LOL.

The path has recently been tied up from Lpool to Netherton.

Also strange how shoping trolleys dont float, numerous attempts seem to have been made to make them, but they still sink.

project - Member
If youve still got the bike after Maghaul then youve done well.

Come on that's a bit unfair...... Aintree maybe but not Maghull 😉

I'd go MTB too, I ride often from Leeds to Saltaire on a rigid hybrid and that's a pain in the backside.

CX bike would be best for speed. However if you watch some thing like the Paris-Roubaix then a road bike will absolutey be fine.

I used to cycle from Saltaire - Leeds and back quite alot on an MTB and craved a road bike as an MTB hardtail with 70mm travel and slicks was just over kill.

The most important bit of kit you need for the whole ride is a bell! Some sections get quite busy and you will need to use a bell quite alot.

Whatever bike you go for, get some fatter tyres on it. Hopefully some with grip. There are a variety of sections that hsve some deep mud on them, miles of it. Just like any canal bank really. If it gets sloppy you'll get sick of pushing after a short while.

a road bike will absolutey be fine.

Did it in March 2010 in a (long!) day with some friends and no, a road bike was (and probably is) not an option. The biblical rain for the first 6 hours didn't help.

I was on a rigid Salsa Moto Rapido, running tubeless 2.1" Ralphs at quite low pressure and only just had enough traction. A couple of mates had semi slicks on and were constantly taking tumbles, one getting bruised to the point where he had to bail (he nearly made it too 🙁 it was at Bingley)

And yes, a bell is a smart move. Air horn klaxon possibly even better 😉

craigxxl - Member
I'd go MTB too, I ride often from Leeds to Saltaire on a rigid hybrid and that's a pain in the backside.

The Moto Rapido was fine run rigid, although that was with carbon forks and its seatstays are also carbon, so a fair bit of comfort built in from the flex.

Lightweight as possible, for sure - it's a long ride. Tubeless also turned out to be a good move, as two of the guys got multiple flats on some of the sections.

a road bike will absolutey be fine.

Only if it has been bone dry for a month and even then your backside will take a hammering.

I live in Skipton and often use the towpath. There are miles of unsurfaced sections that turn to slop after a bit of rain. No way would I want to do it on my roadbike.

 

thanks for the advice - its appreciated.

We are now looking at cyclocross as best compromise with MTB to fall back on if the weather has been/is sh@t.

cx, 27mm tyres, 120psi. WIll get you to from Liverpool to Bingley IME.

Junkyard, (and anyone else)

I see you used a Singlespeed. i am doing it 12 August and was thinking of using a single speed. Any recomendations of gear ratio's I was thinking something like 42 x16 is that too high? or should I just go with gears? I can easily fit 1x9 or 3x9 options if SS is not the way to go.

We are doing the Liverpool Leeds canal this Sunday 24th in one day in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Will let you know after the event whats best to use.
http://www.justgiving.com/liverpooltoleedsride

Is there any advantage to doing the route Liverpool to Leeds instead of Leeds to Liverpool or is just a logistics solution?

Sturider
Will you need any roadside(canalside)assistance on Sunday as you will be passing our door near Barnoldswick? Details in profile.
stAn-Bad Brains. I would reconsider your bike choice if I were you. Lots of the towpath is still original (as it shoud be), grass in the dry but mud in the wet.
I was along there last night and in sections it is deep mud. I would suggest an MTB. However, same as above, if you need assistance when passing by do call.

Ayup Stan lad, I'm still hoping to be able to join you on this ride. I've done from Methley to 5 rise locks and back 3 times in last month or so (once with 'anotherstan' - bit slow that lad 😉 ) and I will certainly be doing it on mountain bike. it's pretty bumpy in places and when I did it last Saturday with my son Ben in monsoon conditions anything other than a mtb would have been asking for trouble!
PS I certainly won't get a pass for 2 days (Mary in hosp at mo)but as I say will try and be there.
SteveB

I've done it twice in a day, once in winter solo and once in summer with a mate. First thing is, its a lot rougher than you think and at a 128 miles a lot further. The section from Bingley to Skipton is bad, its heavily rutted and progress can be painfully slow. If its been raining for a week or so then mud will be your biggest problem. I came off 3 times in the space of 20 miles and was lucky not to end up in the canal. Going through the built up areas the toe paths tend to be good, but in the remote bits expect long grass with a very narrow line through it or mud and more mud. I've done it on a rigid singlespeed and a geared hardtail, if I was doing it again I'd go with the hardtail. Tyres are critical, if the weathers been bad prior to the ride you'll want someething with plenty of grip, if its been dry semi slicks are fine, though a bit of volume will make for a more comfortable ride. I have only done it Leeds to Liverpool, doing it in this direction gets the roughest sections out the way while you are still fairly fresh. The Liverpool end isnt as scary as people are making out and over the last 10 miles the toepath is very fast.In the dry I made it in just over 11 1/2 hours with lunch and a late pub stop, but the winter trip was close to 15 hours with the last 6 in total darkness. Its a great day out and you feel like youve achieved something at the end of it. Hoping to do it again this year, but will definately leave it for after a prolonged dry spell.

I did it on hardtail singlespeed 32:18 over 2 days and stopped in Burnley overnight in some really cheap nasty hotel.
It was quite fun but wouldn't do it again as it does become a bit of a chore and there are a lot less places to get food and water than you would think!
However a great feeling when you get to the first lock you go down rather than up !

Just a further thought, avoid weekends in the fishing season. I regularly ride sections between Liverpool & Wigan and some days there are just mile after mile of fishing competitions, they get really pissed off having to move their poles for bikers and making progress 20 yards at a time is no fun at all.

Right well f@@k that then we are now doing Liverpool - Leeds on the TPT on cyclo cross bikes/tyres - and probably washing itdown withbeer where ever we go

did almost half the route as a training/ test ride. leeds to Burnley. It had rained the day before and was greasy/muddy. I did it on a full suss with proper knobblles and it was hard work in places.

I think on the day I will use a hardtail with narrow lightly knobbed tyres.

We did it 11 hours 20 mins and 43 secs. To be honest some of the team could have done it quicker.

I went for single speed 32/16 and was constantly wishing for a different gear, too low on the tarmac and too high on the muddy grass, not the best choice. As it had been raining I used proper knobblies too but for much of it a set of tyres with minimum tread would have been better. The cobbles were particularly slippery.

Having said all that I enjoyed the day and was glad to have achieved it

From the End of the gasworks at Silsden right through to leeds most of the towpath is hard packed.
I regularly ride from Rodley through to Skipton on the cross bike. Even when it's wet in winter the semi knobbly cross tyres are fine as long as you slow down a bit on the rooty uneven grassed sections.
The area around Silsden is particularly nasty in the wet.
I'd opt for the cross bike every time. They're designed to be used in slippy gloopy mud, lighter than the mountain bike and much faster on the hard packed sections.

Just watch out for wet paving slabs around locks, the ones at Hirstwood in Saltaire are notorious for having folks slide off in the rain.

Where did you waste the 43 seconds???