New Tableview Cycle Lane and punctures!

[Tubehunter]

Is it just me or is it more common that those using the new cycle path between Tableview and Paarden Eiland are experiencing a serious increase in puncture frequency?? I've never had as many punctures since starting to use it than I have in 5 previous years combined of commuting to and fro. I have noticed the council workers maintaining the verges are out regularly with their grass trimming edge cutters that simply spray all the off cuts across the path whenever they do this, which seems to be every 2 weeks. Have flatted the last 3 work days in a row.

 

On a side note the lane would certainly been more useful if it had been tarred smoother. Grateful to have a respite from braving the traffic, but I know some dirt tracks that have fewer ribs in them. Makes pushing plus 40 kays in a howling SE tailwind home when you don't get a puncture a decidedly bumpy ride, even though it's on tar!

[Woofie]

They were chatting about it on another thread as well.

Time to go tubeless

[Wayne Booysen]

Fill up with sludge

[Wannabe]

Is it just me or is it more common that those using the new cycle path between Tableview and Paarden Eiland are experiencing a serious increase in puncture frequency?? I've never had as many punctures since starting to use it than I have in 5 previous years combined of commuting to and fro. I have noticed the council workers maintaining the verges are out regularly with their grass trimming edge cutters that simply spray all the off cuts across the path whenever they do this, which seems to be every 2 weeks. Have flatted the last 3 work days in a row.

 

On a side note the lane would certainly been more useful if it had been tarred smoother. Grateful to have a respite from braving the traffic, but I know some dirt tracks that have fewer ribs in them. Makes pushing plus 40 kays in a howling SE tailwind home when you don't get a puncture a decidedly bumpy ride, even though it's on tar!

 

"Duwweltjies" or "Devil thorns" get sprayed all over the road by these workers (its the time of the year when the seeds/thorns get rock hard in readiness for germinating)

Maybe someone who knows "someone" at the Council, can ask them to use a blower to blow all the debris of the road surface.

Long shot, I know. But they just completed the cycle path, maybe they will be open to the suggestion to prevent cyclist from using the roadway.

[tmstiles]

Good news for a change, just drove past a bakkie and a bunch of workers clearing the thorns up. The bakkie was totally full with all the plants. Looked like the guys were doing a pretty good job. Would have to get a close up look to be sure. This was opposite Milnerton High School

[Wannabe]

Good news for a change, just drove past a bakkie and a bunch of workers clearing the thorns up. The bakkie was totally full with all the plants. Looked like the guys were doing a pretty good job. Would have to get a close up look to be sure. This was opposite Milnerton High School

Thats why we are staying in the Western Cape. At least some kind of service delivery happening. .

[Wannabe]

Just read on FB that they are going to do the official opening of the route. Must be why it is being cleaned. Let's see if it gets cleaned in the future too.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Wannabe

[Bram_on_Madone]

I phoned the council last week and they promised to try and clear away the thorns - I specifically mentioned the stretch between Sunset Beach and Dolphin Beach. Took a spin past there on Saturday and the lane was clean as a whistle .

 

Woofie: btw let us know how your tubeless exploits go - considered it a while back, but read too many troubling comments on the internet about road tubeless.

[Guest Frail4Life]

Is it just me or is it more common that those using the new cycle path between Tableview and Paarden Eiland are experiencing a serious increase in puncture frequency?? I've never had as many punctures since starting to use it than I have in 5 previous years combined of commuting to and fro. I have noticed the council workers maintaining the verges are out regularly with their grass trimming edge cutters that simply spray all the off cuts across the path whenever they do this, which seems to be every 2 weeks. Have flatted the last 3 work days in a row.

 

On a side note the lane would certainly been more useful if it had been tarred smoother. Grateful to have a respite from braving the traffic, but I know some dirt tracks that have fewer ribs in them. Makes pushing plus 40 kays in a howling SE tailwind home when you don't get a puncture a decidedly bumpy ride, even though it's on tar!

 

Serves you Right, for riding a Road bike on the pavement with all the intersections. Might aswell use a MTB.

[Guest coenie]

I phoned the council last week and they promised to try and clear away the thorns - I specifically mentioned the stretch between Sunset Beach and Dolphin Beach. Took a spin past there on Saturday and the lane was clean as a whistle .

 

Woofie: btw let us know how your tubeless exploits go - considered it a while back, but read too many troubling comments on the internet about road tubeless.

HUH? Rode that on Sunday and the thorns are growing onto the path?

Edited January 31, 2011 by coenie

[Guest coenie]

Good news for a change, just drove past a bakkie and a bunch of workers clearing the thorns up. The bakkie was totally full with all the plants. Looked like the guys were doing a pretty good job. Would have to get a close up look to be sure. This was opposite Milnerton High School

Hmmm they cleaning up for the opening tom, and I am sure it will be last time you see them

[leet22]

They are busy clearing it today. Maybe just because of the opening tomorrow

[Memetic]

The relatively new bicycle lane that runs next to the Liesbeck river has a similar problem with Devil Thorns. I used to cycle from Claremont to the Black River Park center and on one occassion pulled out 7 thorns from my mountain bike tyres. Filling up with sludge reduced the number of road side punctures I had to do but still a pain.

 

Going to try out the new Tableview lane this weekend but I guess I will be using my sludge filled mountain bike rather than my road bike.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Memetic

[LeTurbo]

Welcome Memetic, congratulations on your first post! I do the same route, more or less. But I take that sliproad at Damelin, ride parallel to Liesbeeck and then round the corner, up to the T-junction and turn right. That comes through Obs the back way, more or less parallel with the railway. Nice quiet road and saves a lot of bother.

[Tubehunter]

This morning the route between Dolphin Beach and Sunset Beach had 5 broken bottles roughly 300m apart along the cycle path. Gotta wonder about the intellectual capacity of some members of society....

 

I work at River Park and only once used the Liesbeek Parkway cycle path to the same result Memetic. I commute from West Beach on average 4 days of the work week.

[trasver]

Hi all

 

Came across this when googling to see if anyone else is getting punctures on the cycle lane. We're at 13 now since we started using the cycle lane.

 

Was talking a member of staff in cycle lab and he was saying that they're having huge numbers of people complaining about punctures when using the cycle lane. He suggested using the road instead but that's a real pity.

 

My wife and I started cycling recently as we live right beside the lane but with so many punctures we've had to stop using the lane which has meant the amount of times we get out is becoming less and less :-(

 

Hopefully someone starts cleaning it soon...I read somewhere that once the buses start the company will be responsible for cleaning the cycle path but maybe that's wishful thinking!

 

Simon