BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Name: Jun

Age: 33

Why I ride bikes: The freedom, the exhilaration from riding some smooth singletrack, the exercise and satisfaction I get from it.

Where: Bike commute from Oakland to Downtown, ride in Frick and Schenley for fun.

Advice: Do your research on how to prepare (routes, equipment) and ride defensively, ask around for tips from other cyclists. Look up all the local resources (FreeRide, local shops, etc.)

Pgh specific cycling: Access to singletrack only a few miles from my home, a quick commute to my job using an MUP.

i guess you want these posted in here? or pm'd. oh well here goes

Name: Eric

Age: 31

Why do you ride bicycles? Freedom, never have to wait or depend on anyone or anything to get me around

Where do you ride to? pretty much everywhere i need to go. which is pretty much everywhere in the city. I like to bike tour as well.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? Plan your route, and look confident. if you don't look like you know what you are doing, then drivers get scared and do things like honk at you.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? It's always the scenic route.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2307581593_ded1424c90.jpg

Thanks guys! Yeah just post them here.

Erok, I briefly talked to you last night down on Fifth, green fixed gear.

ahhhh! hello there! that was funny, huh?

Name: Justin

Age: 23

Why do you ride bicycles? because i like to

Where do you ride to? local places in oakland/squirrel hill

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? start with a cheap bike and learn to fix it. much better than jumping in to an expensive bike, not knowing wht to do if something goes wrong, and (if it's not for you) wasting your money

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? well i havent really cycled anywhere else.. so... everything, although i have notived an increasingly sized and cohesive cycling community

It was definitely something. Seeing that many college students chanting the national anthem was something I doubt I will ever see again.

Name: dave

Age: 28

Why do you ride bicycles? the freedom. it's sort of an escapism to just leave all your thoughts at home and jump on and go for a heart-pounding, knee-burning ride. i have a car, but i don't much like driving (read: finding parking), and the bike makes the city much smaller to me. also, i've seen tons of beautiful views around the city that i never knew existed cuz i had no reason to drive there (which is why it was a great place to bike).

Where do you ride to? i live in shadyside. most of my rides end up going downtown and back at some point, but i also really like biking in the north hills (fox chapel, indiana twp, reserve twp, shaler, etc.). i've been a bike commuter (to bloomfield) for six years, but now i work from home.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? get a bike that's best for your needs. don't get one that's not designed to last--go to a bike shop. on the roads, act like you belong there. don't ride too close to parked cars or curbs. and always know where the moving cars are (head on a swivel, they used to say in football).

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? the hills. it's a pretty unique city in its topography. it makes for some fun and challenging rides, and for some great views. also: the scenery. the greenery. it's not too often in other cities that you see turkeys five minutes from downtown. and pittsburgh is starting to come around to accepting bike commuters.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w163/nickolai7584/0718081557a.jpg

Name: Nick

Age: 24

Why do you ride bicycles? I ride for many reasons. The practical reasons are to save money on gas and parking, to exercise and to help the environment. I also ride for political reasons, when I am on my bike I feel I am also helping the cause for riding instead of driving...I feel I am on display to all the drivers out there that don’t ride or would never think of riding as a form of transport, I am out there to prove to drivers that riding must be viewed as a viable form of commuting. I also ride for the experience that one gets when you can see the city pass in front of you in full view, I always observe more things when riding instead of being cooped up in a car, I feel more closely in touch with the community and with local businesses and establishments, all in all I always feel great after I come home from a ride whether its 2 miles or 20 miles!

Where do you ride? Most often from Highland Park to Duquesne University...I like to ride the river trails as often as possible. Often times I will also ride around the Pittsburgh Zoo for enjoyment, it’s a nice scenic area and some good hills to climb. When I go on vacation I put my bike on a bike rack, I love to experience new areas to bike, the last cites I biked in on vacation was Buffalo,NY & Virginia Beach.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? Do not be afraid, if you ride fearless but cautiously the drivers will recognize your will to own your portion of the road...seek advice from as many bikers as you can, I would tell them to use the Bike-PGH forum to help themselves get around easier and learn the tricks as well as picking up a copy of a Bike-Pgh map, but most importantly I would tell them to never forget that however long it takes to get where your going, a biker can always be gratified by the fact that they traveled there by the power of their legs and will alone!! Also if you are biking to an area that you feel might take you up hills that are too steep for your comfort, do what I do, I log onto Google earth and find an alternative route that is less hilly, most often these alt. routes are longer but they will keep you moving along better...you can move the cursor along routes on Google earth and at the bottom of the screen in meters the elevation changes, if you notice a drastic elevation change you may not want to take that route if there are alt. more gradual routes close by. In referring to these hilly areas I am more speaking about the Pittsburgh Suburbs where hills are ubiquitous, if new riders find themselves in those areas.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? There are many ways to get to one place. There are many challenges, whether it is hills or bridges or narrow roads, Pittsburgh cycling always maintains a level of excitement that many cities cannot mimic because of Pittsburgh’s varied landscape from neighborhood to neighborhood. Right now I am also invigorated by watching as Pittsburgh becomes more and more bike friendly and bike savvy everyday!

Name: Andrew

Age:25

Why do you ride bicycles?

To save on gas and wear on the car / exercise / fun / exploring new places

Where do you ride to?

Work (highland park to Etna). I frequently ride to the oakland library. Many other short jaunts around town.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation?

Get a helmet and lights/ Get the new Pittsburgh bike map (I would give them my copy)

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically?

Narrow side streets, the compactness of the city, and the hills (sometimes)

Thanks guys, if anyone else could give me pictures that would be great.

Name: Edward LeRoy King-Smith

Age:27

Why do you ride bicycles? because they're fun and cheap.

Where do you ride to? wherever I need to sometimes to Oakland sometimes to Toronto.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? be confident and be careful.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? The hills, I also hate the hills.

Name: Brian Janaszek

Age: 36

Why do you ride bicycles?: Transportation, fun.

Where do you ride to?: From Morningside to the South Side every day, plus many, many recreational rides around and outside of the city.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? What Ted said. And, it's not about the bike.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? The hills, and the fact that I can be on single lane farm roads within five miles of my house.

Name: Sara Walfoort

Age: I can't post it - sorry. PM me if you need it for yor report.

Why do I ride: Partially because I always have. For recreation, I ride for the sense of freedom it provides. It's also hard to multi-task (for me at least) while on a bike. I bicycle commute on an occasional basis because of the freedom, exhileration, and outdoors time that it provides. I have a monthly bus pass, but choose to bike commute a couple days a week, schedule permitting. When I ride in by bike, I almost never need that first cup of coffee.

Where do I ride to: My bike commute is a 9 mile ride from Emsworth to downtown. Other than that, I don't ride as much as I should/would like, but it could be anywhere.

What advice would I give to soemone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? To not be afraid of the concept. Not everyone has to use their bike to the exclusion of other forms of transportation. We all started small, usually on a hand me down bike, riding up and down the sidewalks/streets of the neighborhood. It can still be that simple a process. All you really need to start (as a true beginner) is a reliable bike, a reasonable destination, and the willingness to take on the challenge. For some, the first step is as simple as a ride from Friendship to the library in East Liberty.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh, specifically: The encouragement to get off the main roads, and see the neighborhoods and business districts that make Pittsburgh the city that it is; the opportunity to ride in fog -- I hate the danger element, but love the surreal qualities it gives the city; finding new and awesome views of the rivers, or of the skyline, as the seasons change; and finally, being part of something that "not everyone does (unlike the midwest, where I grew up, and EVERYONE rode -- all year round.) For the record, I am very interested in making that last situation change in the Pittsburgh region.

Pictures anyone? If you want, we can meet up and take some.

Name: Stuart Strickland

Age: 50

Why do you ride bicycles? The family only has one car, and can't afford another set of wheels. With the June 2007 cutback in bus service, it's actually faster to get Downtown from the CCAC North area by bike rather than by bus.

Where do you ride to? Downtown, Oakland, SqHill about once a week; nearby library, church and grocery about twice a week.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? Hang out with some experienced cyclists to get a sense of the mindset you need in order to do it safely. I grew up in a motorcycle family, and both bicycled and motorcycled damn near everywhere as a kid, and just somehow knew all along how to assert myself in mixed traffic. Get lights, blinkies and a blaze orange vest, too. It gives you cred with drivers.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? It's not that big a town. You can cover half the county in just over an hour. As more buses get racks, there is less need to commit a large chunk of $10K/year to house and feed another two-ton tin can. It's such an inexpensive town to start with, so why waste that money?

(pic will follow in a later edit)

Name: Nathan Swartz

Age: 29

Why do you ride bicycles? Because they're fun, give me something to do with my son, and don't destroy the world. And they're faster than my normal transportation: feet.

Where do you ride to? Mostly just around the neighborhood, but sometimes further, like to Johnstown to visit friends/family for awhile.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? Be really confident and don't let yourself get squeezed off of the road. In fact, take up the whole lane if you need to, and don't let people yelling at you rile you up. Which is really hard, 'cause I have lots of road rage pent up inside of me.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? I like that it's still small enough that fellow riders almost always acknowledge you. It feels like a "club" or something. It's nice to belong.

Here's an image.

Anyone else?

Name: Dan Blumenfeld

Age: 32

Why do you ride bicycles?Good for my body, good for my soul, good for my country, good for my planet.

Where do you ride to?Around town (Brighton Heights to South Side is my commute), lots of riding in the North Hills, occasionally a jaunt to Ohio or Erie or something.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation?Be courteous, but be confident. Predictability won't ensure your safety, but it'll sure help in your interactions with other road users.

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically?The varied terrain, and the ability to go from city to country road in 20 minutes.

Name:Heather Hale

Age: 21

Why do you ride bicycles? Because I love it and it's a fun and free way to get where I need to go.

Where do you ride to? Work (south side) school (downtown) and just around town for fun.

What advice would you give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation? be confident! don't let the cars scare you. you have to be brave and show them bikes belong on the road too!

What do you love about cycling in Pittsburgh specifically? I love that there is a growing community of bicyclists in pgh, especially considering all the hills don't make it the most easily bike-able area in the world. There are some really nice trails that serve as commuter routes as well as a good place for recreational riders.

i just wanted to add this little bit for "advice [to] give someone new to bicycling as a form of transportation":

http://www.rivbike.com/article/misc/tips_for_happy_riding

grant petersen is a very innovative and opinionated bicycle maker, and while i don't agree with everything he says, i really like his views in general, and how much he has to offer to the average cyclist.

(the list i linked to is only the tip of the iceberg [and you can dig through the rest of his site], but it's a nice list of things to keep in mind for all of us, both old and new.)