Good route from Derry to North Reading?

[Honclfibr]

Now that I have a streetbike again, I'd like to start taking it to work. Right now I'm commuting from Derry to North Reading, pretty much a straight shot on 93 from exit 4 in NH to exit 39 in MA but I'll be damned if I'm going to blast down the highway for 30-45 minutes.

Now, I know some good routes that would take me east of methuen, over up into haverhill/plaistow and home from there. Problem is we're talking a good hour and a half at least, maybe two to get home from there and I don't always have that kind of time to dally around.

What I'm looking for is a nice route that avoids the highway and endless streams of lights and can be done in 45 minutes to an hour without excessive speeding. Maybe something that takes me up in between lowell and methuen and hits the border around dracut? I can make my way around southern nh, it's the mass roads that I'm a bit fuzzy on, are there nice direct routes in the area that avoid the major congestion or is that just par for the course in MA?

[evile]

I know these roads well.

This:
Take 121 into Atkinson, get over to N Broadway in Haverhill. You'll cross over 495, take the next right, hop on 495 south and go down 2 exits to 125. Go down the 125 Connector, take a right on 125 south, turn left on Bradford Street. Work your way through N Andover on Great Pond, Marlbridge, go across 125 and get on Boston Street. This turns into Jenkins (bear left) and goes through Harold Parker State Forest (great mountain biking) and pops you out on 62 in N Reading. Nice roads! Check Google Earth and you'll see what I'm talking about.

You could always take 93s to 495n and get off at 125 to save a bit of time, or even go further south to 133.

This is part of my commute when I bike to work. If you see a guy on a yellow road bike with a red helmet, that's probably me, about halfway to Cambridge.

[Honclfibr]

Hmm, interesting...I'm familiar with some of those roads, grew up in atkinson...how long does it take you from the intersection of 111 and 121 to 62 in north reading? It's about 20 minutes to 111 from me, 30 if I take the nice roads...

Cambridge, hmm? That must be one hell of a commute! I refuse to commute inside 95, just gets too messy...

[evile]

Hmm, interesting...I'm familiar with some of those roads, grew up in atkinson...how long does it take you from the intersection of 111 and 121 to 62 in north reading?

I don't actually come that way, I start in Merrimac and ride through Groveland, Boxford, etc. I would guess that's around 1/2 hour on a motorcycle from 62 up to the MA/NH line. So 45 minutes from Derry isn't inconceivable. You just have to figure out where the pockets of traffic are, and try to route around them.

I carry a Garmin Edge 305 and upload the track into Google Earth to look for optimal routes

The whole commute to Cambridge takes me an hour and a half on a motorcycle and a little over 2 hours on a bicycle. If I take the car and drive right down 93, it's an hour and change. The extra time it takes to ride is time very well spent.

[Kham]

This turns into Jenkins (bear left) and goes through Harold Parker State Forest (great mountain biking) and pops you out on 62 in N Reading. Nice roads! Check Google Earth and you'll see what I'm talking about.

.

nice roads but not so nice being behind the old drivers most of the time. sometimes i took the highway just to help relieve the pressure.

[BLaZNKrON]

I know a nice route, my shop is off exit 39 concord st and I live in methuen. Problem is I don't know the names of the back roads. Pretty much 125 though into Wilmington, then your first set of lights after the forest and 28 exits you bang a left, follow that road and that will bring you to 62. Go straight @ that light and you will follow another road and come to a stop sign. Turn right @ the stop sign, and follow that road past the school on your right, end of that road is a light and you can take a left or right onto concord st.

[sanfelice]

or even go further south to 133.

133 SUCKS at rush hour, though. I've only gone in my car, but the back-ups are shitty.

[evile]

or even go further south to 133.

133 SUCKS at rush hour, though. I've only gone in my car, but the back-ups are shitty.

That's whay you get a dual sport and rip up some lawns