A or B?

GetUpThatHill

Hi All.

I'm not exactly new to cycling but until last year it was more always done at a more leisurely pace. I've been taking things a bit more seriously since last summer and I'm now starting to up my game and look for ways to get better.

I have a few different routes that I use depending on mood, weather, time and of course legs. Distance is only worth counting if its flat. I get as much out of a short hilly routes as I do out of longer flat routes. They both hurt like hell!!

My question to all out there who care to answer is this. What do you prefer, A roads or B roads? The reason I ask is because I live in a small town surrounded by B roads. I often go out and only ever cycle on them but today I finished with a quick 6 miles on an A road. I found it easier, although a lot busier with other traffic. In my opinion, B roads are twistier but are they hillier? (Is there even such a word?) Should it be easier to cycle on an A road or did I put the wrong liquid in my water bottle?

Any views, opinions or comments would be welcome.

Mikey41

B roads for sure, I avoid A roads, particularly busy ones. B roads can be hillier but not always.

ForumNewbie

Preferably neither if I can avoid them. Country roads are best, B roads next best thing. Worst kind of A roads are busy dual carriageways when two vehicles think they can squeeze past you at the same time.

ShutUpLegs

There was a poster on here who raced up and down dual carriageways to improve his speed.

I don't know whether he is still alive.

lotus49

The only flat roads round here are A roads but I don't like them. They are rarely as pretty and cars frequently drive very quickly and don't give cyclists as much space as you'd like.

The surface is usually better on A roads but that's the only positive thing I can think of in their favour.

Mikey41

ForumNewbie wrote:

Preferably neither if I can avoid them. Country roads are best, B roads next best thing. Worst kind of A roads are busy dual carriageways when two vehicles think they can squeeze past you at the same time.

Country roads are the best, don't see much traffic on them.

TommyB61

+1 for country roads. I avoid A rods whenever possible.

wishitwasallflat

A roads only when its been icy and I am worried about my usual country roads that don't get gritted - even then I only pick certain A roads that I know are not too busy and go outside of rush hour. I have one route that includes about 3 miles of A 66 very busy dual carriageway get quite a nice draft off the artics going past at 60-70 but its not worth it :shock:

Gizmodo

wishitwasallflat wrote:

A roads only when its been icy and I am worried about my usual country roads that don't get gritted - even then I only pick certain A roads that I know are not too busy and go outside of rush hour.

+1

danlikesbikes

Prefer country roads, though quite a few of the B roads I find myself on are quite enough too. A roads as a last resort but some are less used and safer, but we have some that I doubt I would drive my car on having seen some of the driving taking place on them.

slowbike

A roads can be fine for getting going - there's lots of different types of A roads - some are pretty much motorways and others are far quieter and narrower. B roads can be just as busy as well ...

A lot of A roads or larger B roads are fine if you're working on training specifics - ie cadence or intervals - or if you're just trying to do a "fast" run ... but they're not as relaxing as the country roads/smaller B roads. Because the traffic flow is more linear you can open up the taps and let the ride flow - entering corners with confidence and only really needing to worry about what is coming up behind you - whereas the narrow Bs and country roads needs more concentration on what is coming the otherway, corners are often blind - affecting the speed you can enter them at as well as the inevitable spot the pothole game ...

Personally, unless I'm trying to get somewhere quickly time I only use larger roads to get to a point where I can turn off to smaller roads - especially if I'm riding with someone else as on the smaller roads we can ride more side by side and have a conversation!

Guanajuato

Depends a lot on the roads. Some of the A roads round Kendal are great - the A6 up to Shap and the Lyth Valley road (A5086?) are lovely - generally good surfaces, wide, no sharp bends and pretty quiet. Most people going north/south use the M6 instead of the A6. And most people staying the the Lake District are completely unaware of the route from Levens that avoids getting snarled up through Ings & Windermere. I wouldn't dream of going on some of the main roads into the lakes - fast, narrow and bendy with far too many tourists. I want to head up Kirkstone pass, but I really don't trust the motorists.

Some B roads are a nightmare - far too narrow but rather busy. The worst are the ones that are just wide enough for a car in each direction, because drivers tend to try and overtake irrespective of the cyclist or the car coming the other way.

Some country lanes a great, but many haven't seen maintenance since they were first surfaced, little more than farm tracks. The Sustrans route from Carnforth to Kendal is a joke, particularly around Milnthorpe. Steep descents, middle 2 foot of road is grass. Barely a cars width overall. The hawthorn & nettle hedges are invariably overgrown and the 3" of tarmac available is generally falling apart or covered with cow or horse shit.

That said, I do tend to stick to the unclassified roads most as they are least busy. I found one road that runs from Brigsteer to Levens Bridge thats nicely surfaced and generally flat - I think its on the Tour de Staveley route. It has a humpack bridge that I misjudged how sharply it rose and dropped on my first ride and ended up airborne, which was a little interesting. I used to deliberately do that on the humpback bridge near Chatsworth house when I was younger and rather more fearless (stupid!).

Dual Carriageways - Just NO! Too dangerous as you'll be given no room, buffeted about by slipstreams and crossing the sliproads is suicide.