what is a good track for beginners?

mongoose123 said:

Does anyone know a good track in Sydney for beginners to practice and ride??

Sydney's a big place

Where in Sydney?

I'll start with the obvious ones across the greater metro area.

Centennial Park (watch for the deadly, marauding training packs) 🙂

Bicentennial / Olympic Park (probably best if your a complete beginner)

Parramatta Park

Scotty

mongoose123 said:

Does anyone know a good track in Sydney for beginners to practice and ride??

Prospect Canal Cycleway

Prospect Creek shared path

Mike

mikeg said:

Prospect Canal Cycleway

Prospect Creek shared path

Mike

oooooooooo, thanks you guys, sorry about that, i forgot to narrow it down, but yeh, will go for olympic park for a try, is there traffic there though?

Another good one for beginners, especially kids is Timberall Park in Haberfield/Five Dock. It's next to Iron Cove and has a number of tracks. A large around the whole park, a small track, a tiny track with lots of intersections and turns for small kids to learn road rules and cycle skill, and finally a small dirt track for kids to jump around in. And when you have perfected it, ride the 10km bay run cycleway. Cycle/pedestrian traffic in Timberall Park is low. So in many ways it's better than Centennial Park where human on feet and wheel traffic is relatively high.

mongoose123 said:

oooooooooo, thanks you guys, sorry about that, i forgot to narrow it down, but yeh, will go for olympic park for a try, is there traffic there though?

Depends where you ride. They have several tracks with both road and cycle/pedestrian only sections. Go to their site -

http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/

You'll find a link to maps showing the cycle paths. Handy tip: if you're planning to drive there on a weekend and park in the grounds go early. From experience, it gets packed by 10.30am - 11.00am.

Just a caveat about Sydney Olympic Park - it has a lot of shared pathways, which means that unless you go riding there early in the morning, you will find yourself dodging pedestrians all over the place. Scary stuff.

The roadways are good, but because of the on road parking, you have to watch out for car doors.

Henley Marine Drive Rodd Point and Hawthrone Canal have a good Cycleway.

To find places to ride in Sydney you should buy Cycling around Sydney by Bruce Ashley.

Cycling is meant to be fun, not hard work

hi what area are you from and are you after a rideing partner

mongoose123 said:

Does anyone know a good track in Sydney for beginners to practice and ride??

bigkev said:

hi what area are you from and are you after a rideing partner

I llive on the Lower North Shore. Am always looking for cycling buddies from the Lower North Shore and the Northern Beaches to ride with on Sundays. I am not the fastest rider and don't have the latest bike.

Cycle instead of using the internet

I note that there are cycling clubs that has strict equipment and appearance requirements and then there are clubs that's more down to earth and promotes cycling to all comers. Maybe you can find a club locally that meets your need.

Aspergers said:

I llive on the Lower North Shore. Am always looking for cycling buddies from the Lower North Shore and the Northern Beaches to ride with on Sundays. I am not the fastest rider and don't have the latest bike.

Cycle instead of using the internet

You might want to check out BikeNorth

mongoose123 said:

oooooooooo, thanks you guys, sorry about that, i forgot to narrow it down, but yeh, will go for olympic park for a try, is there traffic there though?

If you mean road or pavement, the cooks river track is not too bad, you can ride pretty much from Homebush to Brighton le sands most offroad and through parks. Not so boring can be a busy on weekends but not super busy. about 50-60kms return

M7 From Bellavista/Old Windsor road all the way past Liverpool. about 40kms each way on dedicated bike/walk track and lit up at night too. I would suggest early morning or late afternoons quite open and exposed and would be hot in summer. Just a few zig zags under onramps. Otherwise a smooth ride and no cars. Riders and walkers are super friendly [img]cycling.net.ausmile.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Rockslayer said:

If you mean road or pavement, the cooks river track is not too bad, you can ride pretty much from Homebush to Brighton le sands most offroad and through parks. Not so boring can be a busy on weekends but not super busy. about 50-60kms return

M7 From Bellavista/Old Windsor road all the way past Liverpool. about 40kms each way on dedicated bike/walk track and lit up at night too. I would suggest early morning or late afternoons quite open and exposed and would be hot in summer. Just a few zig zags under onramps. Otherwise a smooth ride and no cars. Riders and walkers are super friendly [img]cycling.net.ausmile.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Are there speed restrictions on those paths? Is it practical to train on those paths going at 35km/h on the flats? Or are they only made for communter and recreational cyclists?

sogood said:

Are there speed restrictions on those paths? Is it practical to train on those paths going at 35km/h on the flats? Or are they only made for communter and recreational cyclists?

As far I know there are no restrictions on either and have done and seen ppl ride a a pace of 30kms plus on each.

Cooks is probably a little busier especially on weekends passing urban parks and fields. esp mid morning onwards.

M7 well i would try finish 9-9.30am at the latest or do a late afternoon/ night ride. two lanes probably measure 4metres across so quite easy for passing etc.. no intersections or lights to cross. Families, Kids, walkers/general users start to appear around 8-9am on weekends. I thought all the serious guys finish by this time anyways.
If all else fails or you want a late start or if it gets too busy you can enter the M7 motorway itself at many points and use the side lane. Which I noticed a few guys riding this option alongside the bike path.
There are quite a few sections that are less busy as they pass through non urban areas.
I geuss in short to answer your question at 35km/h av -M7 Bike Path is suitable and a big step away from Sydney streets, traffic and intersections,
Cooks river maybe for a very early start??
Answer to original post question both are suitable for beginners.
Hope that helps

Some extra info M7 thread