BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

For a similar feel in terms of grade, length and twistiness to Forward, go up Herron Ave from Liberty Ave, through Polish Hill until you get to Bigelow Blvd. Since it is not advisable to "take Bigelow" on a bike, you can either head back down Herron or go across Bigelow and continue climbing up Herron, then making a left on Webster to climb some more, right on Orion and then left on Milwaukee to finally reach the water reservoir, which I think is the highest point in the city between the Allegheny and Monongahela. For some good times in the North Side, go up Chestnut/Itin in Spring Hill, which then becomes Rhine, which becomes Buente. Then head down Brahm St. and make a right on East St, which is a long but steady climb along 279. The road eventually crosses 279 and continues up into Observatory Hill. Hazelwood Ave is fine, btw. The first third or so is double-digit gradients, or close to that. But it lets off afterwards and is a steady climb. Definitely longer than Forward, and about as long as the full length of Greenfield. The latter though has a respite in the middle, whereas Hazelwood does not.

Oh, and since you are in the vicinity of Greenfield, do this one: Start going up Greenfield Ave from Second Ave/Irvine St. Before you get to the intersection with the Swinburne Bridge, make a very sharp right onto Sylvan Ave. This eventually turns into Bigelow St. Follow it all the way up (there's dip in the middle, and then some cobbles!). The climbing stops once you reach Lydia St. This is a very low traffic alternative to doing the full length of Greenfield Ave, though it is a harder climb.

I live north, so for me, making it up Federal Street was always a challenge. It's a 345-foot vertical climb in about 3/4 mile, with a peak gradient of about 13% at one point. When I first tried it, I couldn't make it up at all. With repetition and dogged determination, I finally got to where I could make it if I stopped a half dozen times. More practice: Down to two stops. More practice: Made it up without stopping at all. More practice: Yeah, I noticed I was going slower there for a while. Still working at it.

Thanks guys. I tried hazelwood today and got it!  First part is rough but it steadies nicely. Seemed like I was at my cardiac limit by the top but recovered quickly. I will definately try greenfield/ bigelow. How bad is that water reservoir climb? Sounds intriguing. Also, any news on dirty dozen? Also, any way to check gradients online?

YMMV on all of these. I'm still new to town and working on my hill legs. These all have varying length / steepness. I find Stanton good from either side. Flowers/Tesla is DD#13, right next to Hazelwood. Tesla is short but kicks up laffably. Much easier, but I often do Phipps -> Overlook -> Bartlett -> Serpentine. Continuing past Commercial to Braddock, I'd do Jones -> Yost -> Brinton, which has some kick. Combine that with an eastbound climb up Columbia. That's a good 'un! Centre Ave behind Pitt's a little bit of a haul. Mairdale by Riverview is a kick in the teeth. Oh and Greenleaf. Pretty long and steep. It feels so good when you stop! All the DD hills, of course. Masochists' delight.

One more route to check out in the Greenfield/Hazelwood neighborhood: Johntson/Imogene. Be sure to continue on to Saline and up to Beechwood. Sylvan/Bigelow is definitely a climb. If you do Tesla, consider getting there by way of Ampere just because, you know.  

Strava segments (assuming they are setup correctly) are a good way to know what to expect before you do a climb. For example, here's the segment on the water reservoir climb I mentioned earlier: https://www.strava.com/segments/11698637 For Greenfield/Bigelow St: https://www.strava.com/segments/10940140 Full East St in the North Side: https://www.strava.com/segments/3798413

Shaler street on the back side of Mt Washington is nice. And Greentree road is just around the corner which isn't all that tough, but hey, your in the neighborhood.

I typically don't go out of my way to climb, most of my miles of late have been commuter/utility miles.  When I have to, I "like" Lothrop going to the Pitt Dental School coming off Fifth.  Negley coming up from Wilkins is "fun".  DD hills are fun, I cleaned all of them until Canton, then my legs indicated to me that they had enough fun for one day.

Ok! Today I tried the greenfield/sylvan/bigelow climb. I liked it so much, I went down hazelwood and looped around and did it again.  Got this unexpected view: thank you for that suggestion. On to the next challenge! Just so I'm not deluding myself, these hills are not anywhere near the difficulty of the dirty dozen, correct?  

When you're starting up Bigelow, go to the end of Forrester for another version of that view.

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!!! I love climbing up Herron. I love Stanton both ways. JZ, coming up Lothrop from Fifth is TOUGH because you're turning into it at approximately zero mph! It's been a minute since I was up there via bici! I have to confess to feeling a big rush of pride, reading an interview with Lael Wilcox after her TransAm race win, in which she said the Rockies were easy, because they were long gentle climbs, but that the mountains in the eastern US were really tough. They are! (We are!)

I was biking with a friend from [almost dead level] Rockville MD one day recently, going up Forward from Tilbury to Beechwood. Grades like that are almost irrelevant to those of us who have been here a while. She had to get off and walk the bike. StreetView

This one is also in the general vicinity of where you (apparently) ride. It's right in the middle of Swissvale. Roslyn-Milligan-Patterson-Lloyd https://www.strava.com/segments/9316303 Again, starts steep, eases off a bit in the middle, and gets steep again And yeah, the Dirty Dozen climbs are in their own category, usually because of their extreme grade (Canton, Rialto) or because they are relentlessly steep (Suffolk, Logan, etc). Some of the climbs we've mentioned have very steep sections (the first quarter or so of Greenleaf comes to mind) but they are more manageable

I enjoy climbing from Tranquil Trail, up Falls Ravine, to Riverview Ext. Trail.  There are also some fun climbs in the Slag Heaps and one techy one coming up off of Riverview Trail that is fun.

Bigelow is a great way up from 2nd ave! Classic with some bricks thrown in to boot! South: William st going up mt washington is ridiculous. Green leaf from the west end was once a dd hill but deemed too easy. Sterling on the Southside. Kearns out of west end is fun because it is a ghost road. North: When we used to ride in cold rain, we would just do loops around troy hill/spring hill/observatory hill to get a lot of climbing in. The cemetery on top of spring hill is great and has an amazing view. from road next to 279 -Vista- switchback LEFT onto goehring right onto kaiser (no other option)- left onto liester - cemetery entrance on the left. Homer street going from spring garden to spring hill. Hoffman out of millVale up to troy hill. Spring garden - left on williams up to north view heights Buena vista out of war streets (brutal cobbles) Ill think of some more.  

Up to the Fineview Overlook via Federal-Mercy-Letsche-Belleau-Belleau-Belleau (some nasty switchbacks in there), up to Meadville, which is actually downhill to the overlook, would give you a mild workout. Roughly here

I grew up riding in northern Ohio. I used to have to ride 10 or 15 miles to get TO a decent climb. I miss that.

Ok! Today I did Herron from Liberty all the way to the water reservoir!  It was a good ride!     West Penn Hospital (I think??)     Immaculate Heart of Mary Church! (Will try to go inside next time)   Water Thingy!     Can someone identify the dome in the background/right?   ok! On to the next challenge!!!

I believe that's Rodef Shalom Temple on 5th ave.

Yep, that dome's Rodef Shalom. And the brick complex in the middle of your east-facing photo is indeed West Penn Hospital.

Rodef and Soldiers and Sailors designed by same architect.  You can tell by the similar domes. And both designs stolen from Italy.

Ok! Resurrecting this thread after a year. Getting back into climbing shape on my heavy26" hybrid. I could really use a lighter bike. Actually I have an old schwinn tempo from the 80s my dad gave me but wheels seem super thin I'm afraid to get a flat. Anyway, how difficult is it to get up to mt. Washington? I've never attempted it. Is there a gradual climb up there or is it all petty steep? Any recommended routes?

Here's a simple route that, I believe, minimizes climbing difficulty. Others may have better suggestions. Up 18th At the top, R on Mt Oliver L on Warrington R on Beltzhoover (->Bailey->Boggs) R on Wyoming L on Virginia R on Maple There's lots of ways to add more climbing to this. For example, turn R before Beltzhoover and head to the park.

I think the easiest climb is to go up McArdle road (I use the sidewalk going up).  Ahlir's route is ok, but you actually climb more vertical feet since Warrington is somewhat downhill before hitting Beltzhoover.

Hi All, Last week, I tried to get to Mt. Washington and I crashed on the trolley rails on warrington Ave.  I guess it was a rookie mistake but I've learned my lesson about trolley tracks. I did like the climb up 18th street, so I'm going to approach the same way: 18th>Monestary, St. Martin>Warrington - but this time I will cut up Allen St. and head toward grandview park. I've never been to Grandview Park - can you bike through it toward Mt. Washington?

You can bike through grandview, however I would only do it on 35mm tires or wider. I typically ride through on my mountain bike or cyclocross bike.

I will cut up Allen St. and head toward grandview park.

This is the route Pedal Pittsburgh's Mt Washington extension usually takes.  There's a paved path that runs directly through the park from the end of Allen St to the curve where Beltzhoover becomes Bailey.  I've never had a problem doing it on smaller tires than @Benzo recommends, though, and there's certainly plenty of folks who ride this route on skinny-tire bikes.... Be careful at the exit of the park, however—the driveway down to Beltzhoover/Bailey is short but quite steep, and the curb cut is more of a suggestion.

For larger tires I meant specifically on the trails through Grandview, not pavement. You can definitely shortcut through the park on the paved paths from Allen St to Bailey Ave. My trail route usually was usually Starting / Ending from williams street/bigby field to Roanoke street or vice versa.

Ok thanks all - I made it via grandview park.  Got a little confused on mount washington.  I ended up taking Wyoming, Virginia, and Kearsarge Street to Grandview. Descending, I took Grandview, Wyoming, Sycamore.  The descent was a bit steep (and rough asphalt) for my tastes.  Maybe it was because I just picked my bike up today and felt a little weird (just readjusting to new tire and setup).  But I think I will find another way down.