canal towpaths

gunnie

when is the best time of year to ride along canal towpaths to avoid punctures

supersonic

I'd say winter as less chance of the local oiks leaving smashed cider bottles on the path.

jairaj

Also best to ride before they trim the brambles. Around me they seem to do that end of spring and the path is littered with thorns. Not fun.

borntobemild

depends on the vegetation .

If there's blackthorn or hawthorn hedges bordering a narrow towpath it's best not to bother.

Otherwise get slime inner tubes.

ride_whenever

They're always covered in broken glass. The drunks will sit there all year round.

Go tubeless.

Northwind

Just make sure you have a licence and obey the waterways code

jono986

Northwind wrote:

Just make sure you have a licence and obey the waterways code

Yes because if you don't the authorities have the right to confiscate your bike :shock:

stumpyjon

And don't ride over fishermens rods, seems to really upset them for some reason. Weird really as they do seem to deliberately leave them across the path :roll:

sparrowlegs78

Don't need a permit forthe leeds/ liverpool canal ...just been for a look on British waterways site and it's all open to cyclists ...good job coz I ride on there often
Caz xx

stubs

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

Don't need a permit forthe leeds/ liverpool canal ...just been for a look on British waterways site and it's all open to cyclists ...good job coz I ride on there often
Caz xx

You can just download the permit print it and fill it in yourself. I had the great pleasure of some miserable get on the Llangollen canal shouting at me "effing cyclist your not allowed on the path" I stopped rooted round in my rucksack for my permit showed it to him and had the great pleasure of watching his jaw drop. A very small victory I admit but it made my morning Only took about 3 years of carrying the stupid thing before I got the chance to use it.

sparrowlegs78

Yeyyyyy good on ya.....bet that put the wind up the old windbag
Caz xx

cubik

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

Don't need a permit forthe leeds/ liverpool canal ...just been for a look on British waterways site and it's all open to cyclists ...good job coz I ride on there often
Caz xx

Sorry to correct you but you do need a permit, and not all of the canal is open to cyclists

http://www.waterscape.com/canals-and-rivers/leeds-and-liverpool-canal/cycling


c.

sparrowlegs78

Blackburb council don't know that ..it's a cycle route through Blackburn...doesn't surprise me though, Blackburn council can't even built roads right lol
Caz xx

cubik

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

Blackburb council don't know that ..it's a cycle route through Blackburn...doesn't surprise me though, Blackburn council can't even built roads right lol
Caz xx

They build the roads OK, it's when they pedestrianise streets that have no shops on them and change the direction of all the one way streets that the problems start!

c.

sparrowlegs78

Are you a local?..you seem to know the hell hole a bit too well lol
Caz xx

Briggo

You have to download a totally free permit, print it off and fill it in yourself to enable you to ride on a canal path?

No wonder this country is going to sh*t.

CanalRider

I ride the canals quite a lot.

Winter bad points, dark, slippy mud, ice, pot holes full of water.

Summer bad points: glass, drunks, motorcyclists, fishermen with 30' poles, dogs, me, overgrowth, barriers.

Non of the above should stop you.

As regards the Waterways permit. I have carried one for 3 years. I do not know why. I long to be asked to produce it by some jobs worth. A complete waste of time and effort on everyones part.

cubik

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

Are you a local?..you seem to know the hell hole a bit too well lol
Caz xx

Yep - I'm from good old B'Burn. I've lived near and cycled the canal for years so I know it quite well.

c.

sparrowlegs78

cubik wrote:

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

Are you a local?..you seem to know the hell hole a bit too well lol
Caz xx

Yep - I'm from good old B'Burn. I've lived near and cycled the canal for years so I know it quite well.

c.

I've probs seen you about then
Caz xx

bails87

Briggo wrote:

You have to download a totally free permit, print it off and fill it in yourself to enable you to ride on a canal path?

It is pointless. I could fill one out saying my name was Mickey Mouse and I lived on the moon, or I could be honest and there'd be no difference in the outcome. Quite why that's needed is really beyond me.

Flynny2010

I ride canal towpaths everyday on my commute to work and you don't need a licence, you just have to follow a code of cobduct which states, walkers have right of way and you must not ride aggresively!

bails87

Flynny2010 wrote:

I ride canal towpaths everyday on my commute to work and you don't need a licence, you just have to follow a code of cobduct which states, walkers have right of way and you must not ride aggresively!

You do need a permit, except in London.

Flynny2010

bails87 wrote:

Flynny2010 wrote:

I ride canal towpaths everyday on my commute to work and you don't need a licence, you just have to follow a code of cobduct which states, walkers have right of way and you must not ride aggresively!

You do need a permit, except in London.

Not according to the new signs the council have put up. But might aswell print one and fill it out for what it takes

cheers

Richard

jasterixstrange

moving slightly back to topic ... a mate and I went down the rochdale canal a few weeks back and managed to puncture 4 out of 4 tubes!

the return journey was ... erm well let's just say slow!

so now is clearly a bad time to ride canals!

bails87

Flynny2010 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Flynny2010 wrote:

I ride canal towpaths everyday on my commute to work and you don't need a licence, you just have to follow a code of cobduct which states, walkers have right of way and you must not ride aggresively!

You do need a permit, except in London.

Not according to the new signs the council have put up. But might aswell print one and fill it out for what it takes

cheers

Richard

From what sparrowlegs was saying, there does seem to be a real set of mixed messages from 'the powers that be' about it.

I once got about 6 punctures in 100 yards or so on the towpath. I was tempted to throw my bike in the canal after that!

.blitz

bails87 wrote:

I was tempted to throw my bike in the canal after that!

Hardtail?

bails87

.blitz wrote:

bails87 wrote:

I was tempted to throw my bike in the canal after that!

Hardtail?

Yep.

Now if I'd had FS then it would have been a big enough burly rig to have taken the impact of riding over the bark chippings and I wouldn't have got any punctures

.blitz

Can't take too many chances with chippings. Those level sections of gravel can be tricky as well

bails87

.blitz wrote:

Can't take too many chances with chippings. Those level sections of gravel can be tricky as well

Too right, and those bumpy bricks they use to help people grip while opening locks are both rad and gnarly.

Although, saying that, with all the locks between home and Lapworth, there are probably about a dozen 6 foot drops to flat I could take if I wanted to.

clodhoppa74

used to ride the leeds/liverpool on a daily. never been asked for any permit or anything, and it's part of the yorkshire cycleway.... confusing.

bails87

clodhoppa74
Bits of the canal I ride on are supposed to be 'non-cycling' but one of the British Waterways guys came out of the office at the junction and started talking to me when I'd stopped for a drink/snack.

He just asked where I'd ridden from, where I was going etc. I thought he was going to tell me off, but then said he was jealous because he had to work, and to have a good ride. 8)

I'd propped my bike up against a no cycling sign too :oops:

He really didn't seem to care though. So few people seem to know about the permit, and there's so much confusion, that you'd be extremely unlucky to have a member of the public call you on it. And if British Waterways ask where it is, just play dumb. Although there's no reason not to have one as it's totally free I guess.