nismosr

Hi All,

I'm browsing around Mapmyride.com and seen some good routes with some pretty good mileage. My question is to some rider/cyclist on the board with experience riding on some major roads in NJ. I've see routes that you need to ride along busy roads like RT 36. 35, 202, some part of 46 and some others that you guys know. How safe it is to be on these roads with cars/trucks?

Thank YOu

HenryL

Depends on where in the State you are riding these roads. 202 can be fine in portions of Morris County. Same for 46 way out west. RT 35 between Point Pleasant and Seaside is the only option. Rt 36 parallels the ocean from Sandy Hook to Long Branch and is also OK, but the rest of it is not bike friendly.

nismosr

I found this route on Mapmyride.com it was created by Arobinso. since I'm from Edison I could cut through New Brunswick and just follow the rest.

https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...wark/463498740

What do you guys think ?

HenryL

Alongside rt 36 the route doesn't seem to follow any roads??? There is a rail trail there but check that route carefully.

neilfein

I'm in Edison, we should ride sometime.

George Street in New Brunswick has a lot of parked cars north of the Livingston Ave intersection. Easton Ave is similar. Landing Lane from Easton until the bridge is pretty narrow and has a lot of heavy traffic, but the bridge itself is fine. Be careful on Stalton/ 529.

Lessee... Inman is on my commute, and it's good to ride on. Nice shoulders for most of it. 27 in Elizabeth is pretty dangerous, I'd avoid that.

nismosr

Hi Neil

Wanna try this route ? go down jersey shore and back to Edison?

neilfein

Cool. I'll be out of NJ for the next three weekends, but PM me.

I'm a traffic chicken. I'd try something like this instead:

https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...-New-Brunswick

You'd need to reroute for one way streets and such, but it's pretty much doable. The Newark stuff is all guesswork on my part.

But avoid 27 as much as possible, particularly in Elizabeth and Newark. Death, death, death!

nismosr

actually were not gonna start in Newark but Edison instead since were both from Edison. and Looking at your map .. we can avoid taking 36 if we stay on the Hudson Trail all the way - right ?

neilfein

Take a look: Edison to the NJ shore via Redbank. 44 miles. Then we need to find a way back.

geo8rge

RT 36. 35 You can ride from Newark to sandy hook avoiding 35(most) 36. I would suggest as you go purchase maps for each county and take roads that run parallel to 35 36. Henry Hudson starts in Matawan and goes to ave D altantic highlands.

chrisuletz

Route 36 is pretty good usually, has wide shoulders often. Henry Hudson Trail paralels it, but it's in quite a bad shape... it was OK when I had the hybrid, but with my new aluminum road bike it's an ordeal, too many bumps and cracks.

nismosr

You think its a good idea to take a road bike on the Henry Hudson ? my bike is Aluminum with Carbon seat stay ..

smyth

If you guys go a bit further there is a train station in Long Branch and as long as you aren't using it during peak hours and there is room they allow you to bring your bike on, the only bad part is if the cars happen to fill up you'll have to wait for the next train. generally though you should be fine, usually they're okay with it as long as you aren't going very far on the train. just try to plan it so you don't show up at the train station during rush hour or something

kyle

chrisuletz

Personally I wouldn't recommend it on the stretch that paralels R36 (same setup, aluminum w carbon seat stay and fork). The southern part, from Matawan to Freehold is much better though, you can go there. But if you have a _road_ bike, then go on the _road_ :-) I find it much better than the paved trails. Check njbikemap.com for routes.

neilfein

Hmm, a good point... njsmosr, what kind of bike do you have? I ride an MTB refitted as a commuter, so it's a decent road bike that can take light trails.

nismosr

I have a road bike with aluminum and carbon seat stay.It's actually my first road bike ..

zowie

Found this thread and wanted to say I rode the HHT parallel with 36 this spring on my road bike and it was well paved. They must have redone it.

I don't think 36 is that bad either. Yes, the traffic whizzes by, but most of it has a good shoulder and there are cyclists on it.

Jay H

Rt 36 doesn't seem that good west/north of Sandy Hook and once you get to Rt 36 in Atlantic Highlands, you can ride the bike path through Sea Girt, along the big rock ocean wall...


Rt 202 is not bad north of Oakland, NJ, and kind of heavily volumned below but is rideable if you are comfortable in traffic. North of Oakland if you avoid rush hour in the morning, the volume is not too bad, not much of a shoulder but people do ride it and I have... 202 is Morris is OK, though busy near Morristown.

Jay

tomg

rt 56 has both good and bad spots, rt 55 has good sholders, rt 49 is great (until joining with rt 130),there are places to avoid. rt 47, 322, and 30 also have places to AVOID!
rt 206 is cool until southern Trenton area and 347 into bellplaine area is good but the added rumblestrips invite trash/debrie and flats.
have you recently ridden rt 83 into cmch, or on rt 9?