The Tyne and Wear Commuter Thread

jomoj

Commute by bike in the Tyne & Wear area? Then this thread is for you to share your routes, tips, stories, rants and general crack about pedalling to work and back in the north east.

dhope

I'm sure there are other threads about Tyre Wear, just buy Durano Plus' and lets get back to talking about London.

jomoj

So to kick off, I ride most days from Monkseaton to Newcastle via Battle Hill, Wallsend and then along the river, which is between 11 and 12 miles depending on which route I take.

Usually ride a cyclocross bike which is perfect for mixing up the roads, tracks and waggonways. I’ve been commuting by bike in Newcastle for the last 8 years or so, prior to that I lived in London and used to ride into and across central London regularly. Though it has it’s thrills, I know where I prefer!

Favourite things – being able to do most of the ride off road if I want, riding along the Tyne on a still day, not having to get the Metro.
Least favourite – broken Lambrini bottles on the bike path, dodging stag and hen dos on the Quayside, howling westerlies that funnel up the tyne valley

cyclingprop

jomoj wrote:

Usually ride a cyclocross bike

You have a cape right?

Allez Mark

Commuting from Sunniside to the Team Valley. 4 miles downhill in the morning and back up in the evening. Riding a Spesh Allez 2009.

rubertoe

is tyne and wear a new suburb of London?

veronese68

rubertoe wrote:

is tyne and wear a new suburb of London?

Norf London innit.

jomoj

It's well norf of London, d'you get me? If its not on yer a to z, get on the Holloway Road and keep going for about 250 miles.

bluefinch

North Shields to Jesmond, a very flat 7.5 miles, five days a week (in theory! - don't mind getting wet coming home but usually try to avoid getting wet on the way in) but only since February. On an Edinburgh Bicycle Co own label 8-speed hybrid, great value at £240 in their end-of-line sale. Did it a couple of times on an upright 3-speed before that but this is much more fun so I do it a lot more. No showers at work so I don't thrash it but four months in it takes about 35mins. Work unusual hours so usually going in about 1130am and coming home about 10pm, which I think makes it easier with traffic and (more importantly) pedestrians on the shared coast road path. If you drive to work work starts when you get in the car, if you cycle work starts when you get off the bike.

jejv

Veronese68 wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

is tyne and wear a new suburb of London?

Norf London innit.

Not new. But definitely part of London. That's why it has NE postcodes.
North East. Innit.

I used to live in NE3.

mudcow007

as soon as i seen this thread i thought of.....this

jomoj

well you'll be pleased to know that, just like there's a ferry across the mersey, there is also sometimes fog on the Tyne. However Mr Gascoigne's assertion that it is entirely his property is open to debate.

Long_Time_Lurker

Tynemouth to the the A1 (near the airport).
Up the coast road, then right at the Wills Building, up past the DSS/freeman, down the back of South Gosforth golf club (running parallel to the Great North Road), and and then up Brunton Lane.
Approx 12 miles, in 50mins, riding a Cube Ltd SL mtb.

On weekends, I'll be found on a Waggonways around the coast, or heading around Morpeth. Have the odd trip to Hamsterly and Chopwell once in a while.

chrishumes

chapel park to the newcastle business park, sometimes diverting up through newburn/wylam etc to lengthen the route....

king_jeffers

Alreet! My commute takes me from Wesk Monkseaton to South Gosforth via sunny Shiremoor, Holystone, Great Lime Road then through Westmoor to South Gosforth. Quite a short ride, about 6.5 miles each way. Bit longer since I got a road bike as I can't take the short cuts (dirt tracks etc)! Tend to go back through Benton, love it when its busy and I can nip in and out of the traffic.... Recently hooked up to Strava and found loads of segments in the area :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Although I'm not very fast

Weekend runs normally go out along the coast, took in Blyth last weekend. Setting my sights on the dizzy heights of Morpeth this weekend... whoop!

jomoj

Just got hooked on strava too and have been plumbing in a few segments from my commuter routes and uploading some old rides to see if I can get on any leader boards. Very addictive. I'm going to set a few new ones around Whitley Bay and the coast this weekend so keep an eye on the map.

Initialised

Reformed Londoner living in Newcastle.

Commute is Outer West - Team Valley mostly Via Scotswood Road where I try to keep up with people on proper bikes with drops and that, then over the Redhuegh Bridge and down Askew road where I can be seen fist pumping on the days I manage to trip the 30 sign. I regularly add a 10ish mile loop out to Wylam in the morning and have been known to come home via Consett. I've also taken to riding the hills to the West of Team Valley during lunch breaks (not getting as high/far as Sunniside yet).

Steed is an old and scratched Giant Boulder ALU Lite, from the days when bikes like that were sold as mountain bikes, before being classified as Hybrid which I've turned it into with a 48T big ring, slicks. I'll probably go for a CX bike fairly soon as I can't seem to break 18mph average.

iirc we came 21st in Cycling Cities last week. The main problem I see is too many roads that are not really wide enough for two lanes of cars but are set up like that anyway. Scotswood Road between Condercum and Redheugh should be cited as a national example of how bike infrastructure should be if they'd only change the lights so they were give way for bikes or have longer and more escape to the 'nodder lane' via kerb drops sections on the approach.

jomoj

Yes, Scotswood road is a good example of what you can do if you factor bike lanes into new road building - or widening in this case - but that approach is few and far between sadly. I usually use the NCN72 / Hadrians route along the river which is not bad really if you can avoid the glass. Will also take detours out to Wylam or towards Stamfordham on the way home when time allows, got to make the most of the light evenings.

Initialised

In my opinion how Scotswood Road has been done should become law for all new road building projects. A decent sized 'on road' bike lane, generous ASLs, a nodder lane on each pavement which serves as a detour around traffic lights. Shame they recently messed up the cycle lane at the junction at Condercum Road with the addition of a ridiculous traffic island.

@jomoj So what do you ride?

Initialised

Veronese68 wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

is tyne and wear a new suburb of London?

Norf London innit.

No but Washington and Sunderland are both suburbs of Newcastle ;-)

EKE_38BPM

Initialised wrote:

Reformed Londoner living in Newcastle.

Splitter!

Twostage

South side of the Tyne for the first part of the journey - riding mill, stocksfield, ryton. Then across the scottswood bridge to scottswood road, down by the river then up past the law courts.
I used to go north of the Tyne but the track between Wylam and Newburn was rattling my bike (and me) to bits.
Strava user also which means I approach some sections of the commute with dread, particularly runhead bank going up from Blaydon to Ryton. I went for it last week and got held up at the pedestrian crossing at the top :evil: :evil: :evil:

RAK1963

Wylam - Newcastle here. Sustrans 72 and then Scotswood Road.
It must be one of the better commutes in the UK.
3200 miles doing it last year, don't think I'll go past that this year as my left knee has decided to resemble a Blow fish - tendinitis apparently.

Alinshearah

RAK1963 wrote:

Wylam - Newcastle here. Sustrans 72 and then Scotswood Road.
It must be one of the better commutes in the UK.
3200 miles doing it last year, don't think I'll go past that this year as my left knee has decided to resemble a Blow fish - tendinitis apparently.

Same route, but with a little bit extra on the end along the Quayside and then up to Shields road. Great ride scaring the deer in Newburn and the suicide bunnys along Close House. And the vast majority of it not on road.

chrishumes

alot of people seem to be doing 'my' route of wylam/scotswood road way.....working on the business park, theres loads of after work rides available, ie up and along the tyne on the cycle routes, up and over the derwent walk, and up to wylam and beyond and around stamfordham.

im pretty fresh to the road bike (and to commuting), but if anyone fancied some nighttime rides starting from town/business park and to these places maybe give me a shout on pm??

i know theres cycling clubs, but based gosforth/pont i think...

Initialised

RAK1963 wrote:

Wylam - Newcastle here. Sustrans 72 and then Scotswood Road.
It must be one of the better commutes in the UK.

Definitely, Scotswood Road is how cycling infrastructure should be done, when you get lucky with the lights and wind it's a blast and the off road cycle routes in the area are pretty good.

jomoj

It sounds like I probably pass quite a few of you going the other way to and from the business park - usually try and make eye contact for a nod but sometimes I'm just thinking about getting home / the first coffee of the day so apologies if I've passed you and looked blank!

Agree about the nice routes out west to Wylam, that would really set me up for the day being able to ride in from there. TBH it's not that bad coming through the east end of Newcastle, just a bit more... urban. Had some minor grief from yoofs loitering about on the cycle track but nothing more than kids being little gobsh*tes.

@Chrishume - I've been meaning to do an extended ride home one evening, now that we're in peak evening daylight time (or near to) so I'll post up here if I get round to it.

I'm also going to set a couple of strava hill climbs up Water st and Dunn st if you fancy a challenge + there are these 2 to have a go at.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1484199
http://app.strava.com/segments/1484360

Initialised

@Chrishume, @jomoj. @Twostage; We could meet at the Business Park 5:45-6ish any night next (working) week. I suggest Scotswood Road, over the bridge, join route 14 to Consett via Rowlands Gill and back via the A691 descent through Shotley Bridge then A694 and split off according to destination, diverting through Chopwell Woods is always a possibility, it's more MTB territory but should be OK if it hasn't rained for a few days and there's a Strava down the Red Grade Powerline trail.

Get the Scotswood Road Peloton back on track.

Twostage

jomoj wrote:

I'm also going to set a couple of strava hill climbs up Water st and Dunn st if you fancy a challenge + there are these 2 to have a go at.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1484199
http://app.strava.com/segments/1484360

I appear to be 4th and 3rd

Now I know they are there I'll have to give it some welly - watch out Peds and fishermen :twisted:

Twostage

Initialised wrote:

@Chrishume, @jomoj. @Twostage; We could meet at the Business Park 5:45-6ish any night next (working) week. I suggest Scotswood Road, over the bridge, join route 14 to Consett via Rowlands Gill and back via the A691 descent through Shotley Bridge then A694 and split off according to destination, diverting through Chopwell Woods is always a possibility, it's more MTB territory but should be OK if it hasn't rained for a few days and there's a Strava down the Red Grade Powerline trail.

Get the Scotswood Road Peloton back on track.

Sounds good to me. It is effectively an alternative commute as Shotley Bridge is nearly home so I'd split around there. I'll look up route 14.

Initialised

14 runs up the Derwent River from the mouth (where it joins Keelman's Way) towards Consett, Lanchester and Durham.

@ The Strava segments: not on my usual route (I cross the Redheugh) so I might have to divert