BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You might want to peek at the Shadyside-Mt Lebanon thread http://localhost/mb/topic/shadyside-to-mt-lebanon-how-to-get-there-from-here/#post-281413

There are a couple of different ways to do it. Might also be worth calling W. Liberty Cycles as a lot of those guys ride into and out of the city. Or email me at chris at jbvcoaching dot com and I'll put you in touch with the owner's fiance. (not sure if you are male or female) Anyways, when I ride from Mt Lebo I go down W Liberty (feel free to substitute Pioneer Ave) up Southern (or Boggs) down McArdle over Smithfield Bridge That's obviously pretty broad strokes. Let me download my ride yesterday where I went into the city and I'll post it here. If I were going to reverse that I might just take the T and ride from the nearest stop. W Liberty is dependent on the time of day and Pioneer is not something you want to ride up at all.

Yeah, there are quite a few of us on the boards who commute from the South Hills and would be glad to help. It would help to know which routes you've already considered and what your objections to them are.

I'm a 3 or 4 days per week commuter from Mt. Lebo. Washington Rd/West Liberty Avenue to the light before the Tubes, up Warrington Avenue, down Arlington, across the Smithfield St Bridge, then down to the Point and up the trail into the Strip. I leave Mt. Lebo at 6:30 am, and find that traffic at that hour is reasonable. My return trip takes me up Sycamore, but that's a pride/trying to stay young thing for me. Arlington or McArdle are both good as well. I go down Southern Ave to Boggs to the Warrington Ave intersection with Rt 51. Then up West Liberty Avenue to Lebo. In the middle of the right lane, and for the majority of my rides, no problems. Every once in a while, a motorist forgets the law, or tries to make his own version, but most drivers are courteous and give me room. If you'd like to ride in with me one day, let me know. I have some flexibility in my start time.

I take almost the same route that AJ does at 7:30 and traffic is usually pretty reasonable at that hour, too. Though the recent return of school buses to the roads has complicated things a bit.

ajbooth wrote:trying to stay young thing

It won't work. Trust me, I know.

Mick wrote:

ajbooth wrote:trying to stay young thing

It won’t work. Trust me, I know.

But you never rode Suffolk 3-4 time a week for a significant amount of time... :)

http://www.strava.com/activities/78487133 This is me riding into town today. I don't like Arlington due to the tracks but to each their own.

Chris Mayhew wrote:This is me riding into town today. I don’t like Arlington due to the tracks but to each their own.

No, this is you showing off your King of the Mountain! : ) I don't mind Arlington--I ride between the tracks, and I'm usually in the 25-30 mph range, so cars very seldom push me from behind. Of course, I'm also riding a 29er, not a road bike, which helps with confidence near the edges.

I'd sooner challenge the Port Authority cops in the Wabash Tunnel than deal with the legal-but-scary-as-all-hell tracks on Arlington. The worst the cops can do is arrest me. The damn tracks can kill me.

Thanks for all of the tips! When I lived in the East End I took Penn all the way in but West Liberty seemed a bit more intense. Good to know that you all are riding it regularly. I love hills so up & down Mt. Wash. sounds like a good challenge. Chris, thanks for the map, I think I'll follow your route; I'd like to avoid Arlington too. Happy riding!

Another idea is Brookline Blvd to the east end, go down the Jacob St steps, and rack the bike on a South Busway bus from the Central stop. Carrying a bike back up 153 steps is a character builder, but chances are pretty good you won't meet a car there.