Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:38 pm

Had a great ride today - I wonder what the locals think about us cyclist occasionally slowing traffic down on the narrow twisty roads. Most of them are very conscious of us and do take a wide berth when overtaking but i can't help thinking they wish we weren't there.....they have to avoid us and also watch out for oncoming traffic.

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby il padrone » Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:14 am

Public roads are for...... the public.
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:51 pm

Machoman121 wrote:Had a great ride today - I wonder what the locals think about us cyclist occasionally slowing traffic down on the narrow twisty roads. Most of them are very conscious of us and do take a wide berth when overtaking but i can't help thinking they wish we weren't there.....they have to avoid us and also watch out for oncoming traffic.
As one of the locals, I have to say that most people I speak to here are neither here nor there about the presence of cyclists, it's just part of where we live and it doesn't really make that big a difference. The drive up from the city Sunday drivers are a far bigger menace on the Dandenongs roads than cyclists as they hold up traffic and are generally oblivious to everything around them whilst driving at 30kph.

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:55 pm

BJL wrote:
djw47 wrote:
antigee wrote:.......and a downhill approach to one of those vehicle tyre ripping sticky up spike things!
That appears to have been removed in the past couple of weeks, not sure if permanently or not though.
I made a complaint to BNV regarding this following an accident up there early in 2013(long story). The result is that they now keep a couple of the spikes down but from what I've seen, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't and in any case, it's far from a satisfactory solution. I rarely ride to Skyhigh anymore as a result of this. They haven't heard the last of this yet.
The entire row of spikes has now been gone for a couple of months. Perhaps they took your advice, although I'm pretty certain Skyhigh is privately owned and the descent towards the spikes is signposted as a 5kph speed limit, so I'm not sure whether your complaints would make much difference.

BJL
Posts: 644
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:45 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby BJL » Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:42 pm

I don't know the actual arrangements but I believe that SkyHigh is leased. I was told that the exit road was the responsibility of Parks Victoria. BNV did send me an email at one stage saying they had a meeting with Parks Victoria and they'd bring this up. Soon afterwards, I noted that they had kept several spikes down but as previously mentioned, not always. There's more to this but I'd prefer to go through the correct channels.

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:22 pm

Went to Skyhigh today - the spikes are definitely gone - they have been removed. Going down Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd heading towards Montrose was a blast - the descent was not too steep as Mountain Highway.

danny the boy
Posts: 602
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:34 am
Location: Mordialloc

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby danny the boy » Wed Dec 24, 2014 8:30 am

There was always enough gap on the left hand side so that you didn't have to ride over the spikes. I can see what the result will be for somebody making a big deal over poor riding skills, all bikes will be banned from entering. :(

User avatar
cyclotaur
Posts: 1782
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:36 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby cyclotaur » Wed Dec 24, 2014 11:49 am

I often exit out the in-gate anyway. The one-way system is only there to stop motor vehicles getting in without paying.
2023 Target: 9.500kms/100,000m
My old blog - A bit of fun :)
"Riding, not racing...completing, not competing"

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:57 pm

rodneycc wrote:Depends how long you have. You can spend about the whole day up there if you wanted to. But the quickest round trip through the Dandenongs is up the 1 in 20 at the Basin to Sassafras then left into the tourist rd through olinda and Mt Dandenong. If you are feeling fresh you can detour to the sky high observatory up ridge rd or just go straight through continuing along the tourist rd through Kalorama and back down to Montrose to Canterbury Rd along either Liverpool rd or Colchester rd ( which is safer) back to Mountain hwy and up to the Basin again. Usually takes 1hr - 1hr 15min and I'm nowhere near fit. I live nearby so its become my regular haunt recently. Im always at the bottom in strava for the 1 in 20 as a very average climber but there are some very hot times up there..

Edit: coming back along Canterbury rd down the big straight hill you can hit a little bump thats hard to see. I wind up ready to go down at 80km and that bump gets me sometimes and throws you a bit so be careful there. Ive nearly come a cropper a couple of times.
I'll give Colchester Rd a try - I went through Liverpool road last saturday morning and I thought it was a touch too busy and I felt a bit 'exposed' - roads were slightly narrow too i think on Liverpool. That bump on Canterbury - exactly where is it?

User avatar
rodneycc
Posts: 2879
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: Melbourne Eastern Suburbs, Victoria

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby rodneycc » Sat Dec 27, 2014 12:07 am

Just as you start to go down the big long stretch out of Montrose (where you can actually go faster than the windy hills decents I find). I can reach speeds of up to 80kms/hr along that bit. The fastest section I ever usually go on the right day.

But yeah colchester rd is the way to go I think. Its recently been painted with a green bike lane for a bit of it ( must use some toxic paint because that stuff stinks when new!)
2013 BMC TM SLR01;2013/14 Bianchi Inf CV
2013 Lynskey Helix;2013 XACD Ti Di2
2013 Giant TCR Adv SL1;2014 Giant Defy Adv SL

BJL
Posts: 644
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:45 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby BJL » Sat Dec 27, 2014 12:15 pm

Machoman121 wrote:
rodneycc wrote:
Edit: coming back along Canterbury rd down the big straight hill you can hit a little bump thats hard to see. I wind up ready to go down at 80km and that bump gets me sometimes and throws you a bit so be careful there. Ive nearly come a cropper a couple of times.
I'll give Colchester Rd a try - I went through Liverpool road last saturday morning and I thought it was a touch too busy and I felt a bit 'exposed' - roads were slightly narrow too i think on Liverpool. That bump on Canterbury - exactly where is it?
The bump I think he's talking about is right at the bottom of the steep section of the hill just past the last house on the left. I usually ride slow at the top of the hill until the road is quiet and claim the lane down the hill.

Colchester Rd is a much better road to ride than Liverpool Rd. There's a bike lane for some of the distance. I don't like Mountain Hwy from the Colchester Rd roundabout, so after the bike lane finishes and crossing a small bridge (Dandenong Creek trail goes underneath the road here), I usually take the next street on the left which brings you out on Mountain Hwy a little further up.
danny the boy wrote:There was always enough gap on the left hand side so that you didn't have to ride over the spikes. I can see what the result will be for somebody making a big deal over poor riding skills, all bikes will be banned from entering. :(
I hope that wasn't aimed at me. The spikes weren't the cause of my little incident. The exit Rd being resurfaced at the time without any warning signage (I admit I don't have the best eyesight but the surface looked okay until I was on it), which left a thick layer of loose material on top combined with 38kph (I was only rolling) on 23mm tyres was my undoing. A few of my mountain biking friends would probably have been okay but I'm not a mountain biker. It was the lack of signage that bothered me, along with the rude attitude from the staff at Skyhigh saying it was my fault. The spike strip was only mentioned as a further possible hazard which the idiot staff said I should stop and carry my bike over. I'll do that when motorists have to push their cars over it. But it's gone now so that's that.
cyclotaur wrote:I often exit out the in-gate anyway. The one-way system is only there to stop motor vehicles getting in without paying.
The reason for all the fuss was that after my incident, I started doing this but after copping abuse from the staff at the gate, I'd had enough so stopped for a chat. They didn't give a !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! that I ended up at hospital getting X-rays and had crap dug out of my hands (brand new gloves ruined). It turns out that cyclists riding out the entrance is dangerous for a number of reasons, namely the high speed that some cyclists travel at, all the cars who decide they won't pay the toll and turn around, and in particular, the buses that cut the blind corner.

I have lived locally for my entire life. The road in and out of Skyhigh has always been one way to my knowledge. The reason for the spike strips was to prevent idiots driving up there late at night after the entrance gate was locked as the place was being vandalised. I believe several methods were tried over the years before the spike strips were installed.

Danny - I realise that making too much of a fuss might cause future problems for cyclists. Whilst it cost me a couple of hundred dollars to repair my bike and replace clothing, etc, I did not ask for any compensation in my submission to BNV. All I asked for was a solution to the issue. Skyhigh claims that since the roadworks are now finished, the surface is in good condition. Since they still have not bothered to sweep the remaining loose material from the road, I'd say the road is poor for cycling. The only clean part of the road is the wheel tracks. I'm angry that they are too lazy too bother cleaning the road properly.

Since this thread, it appears the spike strip has been dealt with so I guess someone might actually be reading this. SO, the proper solution is to fix the top 50m of Observatory Rd and provide a properly marked bike lane to allow cyclists to exit from the entrance gate. Having a marked bike lane would give the buses a guide of where they can drive without dangerously cutting the corner. Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.

Sorry for the long post but I feel the need to defend my actions as it was not solely down to 'poor riding skills' and I also don't think that I should refrain from raising safety issues for fear of being banned from certain areas.

Uncle Just
Posts: 800
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:54 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Uncle Just » Sat Dec 27, 2014 1:38 pm

Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.
Well who knew. Like Cyclotaur I've often returned the way I came in and never had any issue with the staff. But all along they've been seething! I was always careful to avoid cars coming up near the gate and proceed slowly for the first 50 metres before gravity took over. Tomorrow morning I'll look over at the gate, where I often get a friendly wave and nod as I enter, to see how they react as I leave.

User avatar
rodneycc
Posts: 2879
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: Melbourne Eastern Suburbs, Victoria

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby rodneycc » Sat Dec 27, 2014 1:45 pm

BJL wrote:
Machoman121 wrote:
rodneycc wrote:
Edit: coming back along Canterbury rd down the big straight hill you can hit a little bump thats hard to see. I wind up ready to go down at 80km and that bump gets me sometimes and throws you a bit so be careful there. Ive nearly come a cropper a couple of times.
I'll give Colchester Rd a try - I went through Liverpool road last saturday morning and I thought it was a touch too busy and I felt a bit 'exposed' - roads were slightly narrow too i think on Liverpool. That bump on Canterbury - exactly where is it?
The bump I think he's talking about is right at the bottom of the steep section of the hill just past the last house on the left. I usually ride slow at the top of the hill until the road is quiet and claim the lane down the hill.

Colchester Rd is a much better road to ride than Liverpool Rd. There's a bike lane for some of the distance. I don't like Mountain Hwy from the Colchester Rd roundabout, so after the bike lane finishes and crossing a small bridge (Dandenong Creek trail goes underneath the road here), I usually take the next street on the left which brings you out on Mountain Hwy a little further up.
danny the boy wrote:There was always enough gap on the left hand side so that you didn't have to ride over the spikes. I can see what the result will be for somebody making a big deal over poor riding skills, all bikes will be banned from entering. :(
I hope that wasn't aimed at me. The spikes weren't the cause of my little incident. The exit Rd being resurfaced at the time without any warning signage (I admit I don't have the best eyesight but the surface looked okay until I was on it), which left a thick layer of loose material on top combined with 38kph (I was only rolling) on 23mm tyres was my undoing. A few of my mountain biking friends would probably have been okay but I'm not a mountain biker. It was the lack of signage that bothered me, along with the rude attitude from the staff at Skyhigh saying it was my fault. The spike strip was only mentioned as a further possible hazard which the idiot staff said I should stop and carry my bike over. I'll do that when motorists have to push their cars over it. But it's gone now so that's that.
cyclotaur wrote:I often exit out the in-gate anyway. The one-way system is only there to stop motor vehicles getting in without paying.
The reason for all the fuss was that after my incident, I started doing this but after copping abuse from the staff at the gate, I'd had enough so stopped for a chat. They didn't give a !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! that I ended up at hospital getting X-rays and had crap dug out of my hands (brand new gloves ruined). It turns out that cyclists riding out the entrance is dangerous for a number of reasons, namely the high speed that some cyclists travel at, all the cars who decide they won't pay the toll and turn around, and in particular, the buses that cut the blind corner.

I have lived locally for my entire life. The road in and out of Skyhigh has always been one way to my knowledge. The reason for the spike strips was to prevent idiots driving up there late at night after the entrance gate was locked as the place was being vandalised. I believe several methods were tried over the years before the spike strips were installed.

Danny - I realise that making too much of a fuss might cause future problems for cyclists. Whilst it cost me a couple of hundred dollars to repair my bike and replace clothing, etc, I did not ask for any compensation in my submission to BNV. All I asked for was a solution to the issue. Skyhigh claims that since the roadworks are now finished, the surface is in good condition. Since they still have not bothered to sweep the remaining loose material from the road, I'd say the road is poor for cycling. The only clean part of the road is the wheel tracks. I'm angry that they are too lazy too bother cleaning the road properly.

Since this thread, it appears the spike strip has been dealt with so I guess someone might actually be reading this. SO, the proper solution is to fix the top 50m of Observatory Rd and provide a properly marked bike lane to allow cyclists to exit from the entrance gate. Having a marked bike lane would give the buses a guide of where they can drive without dangerously cutting the corner. Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.

Sorry for the long post but I feel the need to defend my actions as it was not solely down to 'poor riding skills' and I also don't think that I should refrain from raising safety issues for fear of being banned from certain areas.
Yeah Beresford Drv off colchester a good cut through Rd on the way back from doing the loop. That's my preferred way also.
2013 BMC TM SLR01;2013/14 Bianchi Inf CV
2013 Lynskey Helix;2013 XACD Ti Di2
2013 Giant TCR Adv SL1;2014 Giant Defy Adv SL

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Sat Dec 27, 2014 6:41 pm

Ah...I see Beresford Drive on the map - yes sounds like a great way to turn left towards The Basin again. Thanks.

Wifey wanted to to go to Miss Marples Tearoom at Sassfras today - had to wait 2 hours before we got a table due to the holiday crowd - there were busses and cars all over. I nearly rode there today but for some reason couldn't get up in the morning properly - I also had an inkling that the place would be crawling with cars/visitors. Wifey wasn't happy at all that these are my Dandenong cycling routes in the narrow roads......I tried to convince her that it's actually safer - you won't find drivers texting while making the turns!!! She wasn't convinced.

BJL
Posts: 644
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:45 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby BJL » Sun Dec 28, 2014 8:22 pm

Uncle Just wrote:
Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.
Well who knew. Like Cyclotaur I've often returned the way I came in and never had any issue with the staff. But all along they've been seething! I was always careful to avoid cars coming up near the gate and proceed slowly for the first 50 metres before gravity took over. Tomorrow morning I'll look over at the gate, where I often get a friendly wave and nod as I enter, to see how they react as I leave.
Say what you want. I'm telling it from my experience and I was with a group of friends the day I copped abuse so there's plenty of witnesses to it. The she devil at the gate wouldn't even listen to our concerns regarding the exit road.

I'm fully aware that other staff might might not care what you do. I guess I've been unlucky lately as it's the she devil who's been there the last couple of times I've visited the place. BUT, it only takes one bad experience to put a downer on the whole place for someone. You might be fine with it. I'm not.
Besides, it's been mentioned that raising an issue over this might affect cyclists access to the place in future, but what about you riding out the entrance gate? It's one way. It only takes one incident for management to pull cyclists up on that and ban us from there anyway. You might be careful, you can't guarantee that everyone else is.

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:26 pm

I rode on new year morning - and it was fantastic - very few cars around (probably cause everything is closed). I'll be riding every new year day from now onwards.

I also wish to thank you guys for recommending Colchester and Beresford roads - Colchester was definitely less busier (seemingly safer) than my 1st choice of Liverpool road when i first ventured down to Montrose. And Beresford was a nice run through too with only local traffic (if any). These 2 roads (Colchester / Beresford) are definitely the preferred and 'safer' options.

User avatar
Strydz
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:32 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Strydz » Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:12 am

Uncle Just wrote:
Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.
Well who knew. Like Cyclotaur I've often returned the way I came in and never had any issue with the staff. But all along they've been seething! I was always careful to avoid cars coming up near the gate and proceed slowly for the first 50 metres before gravity took over. Tomorrow morning I'll look over at the gate, where I often get a friendly wave and nod as I enter, to see how they react as I leave.
I go to Sky High all the time I always use the actual exit, unless you are being an idiot it is perfectly safe, I have used it in absolutely horrid conditions and haven't had trouble. The entry gate shouldn't be used unless as a group you guys want cyclists banned from entering Sky High.
1983-Batavus Professional-Reynolds 531c
1990-Flanders-Columbus SLX
2014-Giant TCR SL

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Sat Jan 03, 2015 8:58 pm

Yes - i agree with Strydz. I think the skyhigh personnel was angry because the cyclist who turned back and went down - went against traffic - I believe the Skyhigh staff was trying to maintain safety - it's a one way traffic route - the last thing a car expects as it travels a one way lane is to see a cyclist coming at him/her.

User avatar
cyclotaur
Posts: 1782
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:36 pm

Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby cyclotaur » Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:12 pm

I'd better qualify my original comment. On weekends when there are staff on the gate and plenty of visitors I leave via the exit. The times I've exited the entrance it has been quiet and there's never been an issue - probably midweek rides.
2023 Target: 9.500kms/100,000m
My old blog - A bit of fun :)
"Riding, not racing...completing, not competing"

Machoman121
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby Machoman121 » Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:59 pm

We cyclists have always requested that we get the same respect as car drivers - It can be difficult to comply as we are so nimble and 'small' compared to a proper vehicle but it's better for the impression. On Beach Rd for example, i'm sure all the drivers and their passengers are impressed seeing cyclists obeying the lights so they don't have to worry about the odd cyclist coming out of nowhere/everywhere......i'm sure they think if you want us to respect you please comply likewise.....what's the saying - when in Rome, Do as the Romans do...So to earn the respects of everyone it's better we just simply follow the rules and expectations.

Back to the exit - the exit does have a rather steep decline and so you do want to be very careful - there's also some patch of gravel somewhere if i remember correctly too. But at least the spikes are gone - it would be a nightmare trying to get across the spikes on road bikes.

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:12 am

Strydz wrote:
Uncle Just wrote:
Having a bike lane will also reduce the amount of angst between cyclists and the staff at Skyhigh. Regardless of what you might think, the staff there do not like cyclists riding out the entrance gate.
Well who knew. Like Cyclotaur I've often returned the way I came in and never had any issue with the staff. But all along they've been seething! I was always careful to avoid cars coming up near the gate and proceed slowly for the first 50 metres before gravity took over. Tomorrow morning I'll look over at the gate, where I often get a friendly wave and nod as I enter, to see how they react as I leave.
I go to Sky High all the time I always use the actual exit, unless you are being an idiot it is perfectly safe, I have used it in absolutely horrid conditions and haven't had trouble. The entry gate shouldn't be used unless as a group you guys want cyclists banned from entering Sky High.

Couldn't agree more, I go up to Skyhigh at least once a week and have never had any problem or seen any kind of issue with the road surfaces at any time: even when the spikes were there, there was a decent sized space on the left for bikes to use. The staff are generally friendly and acknowledge you when you enter - I have never had any of them indicate any frustration with cyclists. I genuinely don't understand why anyone would need to cycle in and out the same gate though, as you say, the exit is a perfectly good road in even the worst conditions - the only time I've had to go back down the "entry" road is when the gates at Skyhigh are closed (ie very early in the morning). I can't fathom how the guy complaining could have come such a cropper unless he was going hell for leather down the exit road on a bike that wasn't up for the job - it's a reasonably steep descent but certainly no worse than many others in the area.

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:14 am

cyclotaur wrote:I'd better qualify my original comment. On weekends when there are staff on the gate and plenty of visitors I leave via the exit. The times I've exited the entrance it has been quiet and there's never been an issue - probably midweek rides.
Why though? Why not stick to the correct (and perfectly safe) exit route? Cyclists don't need any more reason to be disliked by the general public without people deliberately not following basic road rules.

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:16 am

Machoman121 wrote:We cyclists have always requested that we get the same respect as car drivers - It can be difficult to comply as we are so nimble and 'small' compared to a proper vehicle but it's better for the impression. On Beach Rd for example, i'm sure all the drivers and their passengers are impressed seeing cyclists obeying the lights so they don't have to worry about the odd cyclist coming out of nowhere/everywhere......i'm sure they think if you want us to respect you please comply likewise.....what's the saying - when in Rome, Do as the Romans do...So to earn the respects of everyone it's better we just simply follow the rules and expectations.

Back to the exit - the exit does have a rather steep decline and so you do want to be very careful - there's also some patch of gravel somewhere if i remember correctly too. But at least the spikes are gone - it would be a nightmare trying to get across the spikes on road bikes.
There was always a space on the left of the spikes for bikes to get past them so the spikes are (or were) no reason not to follow the correct route out.

BJL
Posts: 644
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:45 pm

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby BJL » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:44 am

djw47 wrote: I can't fathom how the guy complaining could have come such a cropper unless he was going hell for leather down the exit road on a bike that wasn't up for the job - it's a reasonably steep descent but certainly no worse than many others in the area.
I don't understand why people can't read the thread properly if you're going to comment.

So I'll reiterate:
BJL wrote:
The spikes weren't the cause of my little incident. The exit Rd being resurfaced at the time without any warning signage (I admit I don't have the best eyesight but the surface looked okay until I was on it), which left a thick layer of loose material on top combined with 38kph (I was only rolling) on 23mm tyres was my undoing. A few of my mountain biking friends would probably have been okay but I'm not a mountain biker. It was the lack of signage that bothered me, along with the rude attitude from the staff at Skyhigh saying it was my fault. The spike strip was only mentioned as a further possible hazard which the idiot staff said I should stop and carry my bike over. I'll do that when motorists have to push their cars over it. But it's gone now so that's that.
The conditions were hardly typical and I was not being careless. The bike is well up to the task and I'm a competent rider. I do the 7 peaks every year and most of my riding is done in the hills. All they had to do was put a sing up warning of the roadworks and loose surface and this would have been avoided.

But back to the entrance gate, the only reason I started going out that way was because of the roadworks on the exit road. I'm far from the only rider who rides out the entrance gate. The reason why the staff member was frustrated that day was because another group of cyclists left Skyhigh via the entrance a few moments before my group and was almost hit by a car. I understand their frustration but my point of view is that cyclists go out the entrance because it's easier to get back to Olinda that way. I also think Observatory Rd is a far safer (and nicer) descent. Ridge Rd from the exit Rd to Observatory Rd isn't exactly in the best of condition either as well as being a blind corner often used by tourists not looking for cyclists because they are too busy looking for Skyhigh.

While I'm at it, I may as well mention that IMHO the entire tourist road from Kalorama oval to Olinda should be ripped up and rebuilt. For a tourist area, IMHO, it's a shambles.

If you all think that I'm too much trouble, fine, I'll drop it. I don't go to Skyhigh anymore anyway. I was thinking of improving things for everyone else. I'll be refraining from raising any further safety issues in the Dandenongs (or anywhere else for that matter) as I don't want to be labeled a bloody idiotic, careless maniac of a rider on a POS bike.

OP, sorry for highjacking your thread. I won't be discussing this any further on this thread.

djw47
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:57 am
Location: The Dandenongs

Re: Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

Postby djw47 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:20 pm

BJL wrote:
djw47 wrote: I can't fathom how the guy complaining could have come such a cropper unless he was going hell for leather down the exit road on a bike that wasn't up for the job - it's a reasonably steep descent but certainly no worse than many others in the area.
I don't understand why people can't read the thread properly if you're going to comment.

So I'll reiterate:
BJL wrote:
The spikes weren't the cause of my little incident. The exit Rd being resurfaced at the time without any warning signage (I admit I don't have the best eyesight but the surface looked okay until I was on it), which left a thick layer of loose material on top combined with 38kph (I was only rolling) on 23mm tyres was my undoing. A few of my mountain biking friends would probably have been okay but I'm not a mountain biker. It was the lack of signage that bothered me, along with the rude attitude from the staff at Skyhigh saying it was my fault. The spike strip was only mentioned as a further possible hazard which the idiot staff said I should stop and carry my bike over. I'll do that when motorists have to push their cars over it. But it's gone now so that's that.
The conditions were hardly typical and I was not being careless. The bike is well up to the task and I'm a competent rider. I do the 7 peaks every year and most of my riding is done in the hills. All they had to do was put a sing up warning of the roadworks and loose surface and this would have been avoided.

But back to the entrance gate, the only reason I started going out that way was because of the roadworks on the exit road. I'm far from the only rider who rides out the entrance gate. The reason why the staff member was frustrated that day was because another group of cyclists left Skyhigh via the entrance a few moments before my group and was almost hit by a car. I understand their frustration but my point of view is that cyclists go out the entrance because it's easier to get back to Olinda that way. I also think Observatory Rd is a far safer (and nicer) descent. Ridge Rd from the exit Rd to Observatory Rd isn't exactly in the best of condition either as well as being a blind corner often used by tourists not looking for cyclists because they are too busy looking for Skyhigh.

While I'm at it, I may as well mention that IMHO the entire tourist road from Kalorama oval to Olinda should be ripped up and rebuilt. For a tourist area, IMHO, it's a shambles.

If you all think that I'm too much trouble, fine, I'll drop it. I don't go to Skyhigh anymore anyway. I was thinking of improving things for everyone else. I'll be refraining from raising any further safety issues in the Dandenongs (or anywhere else for that matter) as I don't want to be labeled a bloody idiotic, careless maniac of a rider on a POS bike.

OP, sorry for highjacking your thread. I won't be discussing this any further on this thread.
38kph (I was only rolling)
There's your problem right there, you were going too fast on a steep hill. I'm pretty certain there's also a speed limit sign on that descent that states not to exceed 10kph. At the end of the day, it sounds like you had an unlucky accident, it happens, and it's not always worth looking for blame.
another group of cyclists left Skyhigh via the entrance a few moments before my group and was almost hit by a car
It's kind of silly to say you only use the entrance as an exit because the exit is dangerous and then write this. No wonder the car park dude was frustrated if you witnessed a near accident then proceeded to do exactly the same thing.
cyclists go out the entrance because it's easier to get back to Olinda that way
You do realise that there's no more that about 200 metres between the entrance and the exit turnoffs don't you? I doubt many of the cyclists who make it as far as Skyhigh are going to be bothered by that additional 200m cycle back to Olinda.
While I'm at it, I may as well mention that IMHO the entire tourist road from Kalorama oval to Olinda should be ripped up and rebuilt. For a tourist area, IMHO, it's a shambles.
How do you propose they do that? It's actually a residential area which happens to be popular with tourists. It's also a steep mountain in the middle of a forest so I'm not sure how you'd suggest rebuilding it without destroying it's appeal: Part of the reason it attracts tourists is that it's exactly the way it is. The road surface was absolutely fine in both directions when I rode up and down there on Saturday (apart from one rough section on the descent at Fiveways).

Not intending to offend with my comments, I just have a passion for cycling in this area and it annoys me when people see fit to put at risk the goodwill cyclists generally have amongst the locals by ignoring the rules or looking to pass the blame for their own misfortune onto others. The people who run Skyhigh are kind enough to allow cyclists in for free - if we start complaining about their facilities and ignoring their rules they could either start charging entry or ban bikes completely.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users