A friend of mine lives in Franklin Park and I was thinking about biking there next time I visit him. Google maps bike mapping tool gave me the route linked below. There are 3 different route options, not sure which one would be best. Anyone have any pointers? Stu, I'm hoping you can help since this is your stomping grounds 
Anyone know the status of the Northside bike lanes? I'd like to try those out.
Check with Stu. He recently posted about the three options he has to his home which is off Perry Highway, not all that far from Franklin Park. Some longer, some flatter, but all vetted by a person who rides the routes A LOT and knows the local roads very well.
North Side bike lanes? There are sharrows on Brighton, I can verify that.
I pulled the line over back onto California, all the way over to Roosevelt to Mt Nebo to McAleer to Rochester, etc. It added time and distance, 20.8 miles and 2 hours and 28 minutes.
I only chose this because I've ridden on most of these roads b/c they are close to home. Roosevelt has a long hill, McAleer has a short hill but a bit of grade (but could be avoided by adding more distance and going out Nicholson).
Once again, may not be the best route but an alternative. Though I have ridden Perry Hwy but that was with a group.
No serious objections to the route. There is one sticky area that you can't do much about, and that is Pine Creek Road from Perry Hwy to Meinert. It's a narrow two-lane road that was intended to carry 1/10 the traffic it handles. There is a really narrow bridge immediately west of Perry; take the lane there, and expect horns.
The suggested route suggests jumping off Perry a couple of times. Don't bother. Perry itself is a fairly pleasant ride from Highland (in West View) to Highland (in McCandless), though it does get rather busy at times. One negative, there is no shoulder, just a tall curb, north of the Green Belt (3 Degree Road, Sewickley-Oakmont Road).
Watch for a couple of drain grates which have shifted sideways just enough to grab a road tire between Pines Plaza and CCAC.
Coming down the hill to Pine Creek, it is actually easier, and safer, to keep to the right and take the right-hand peel-off, then a left at the end of the peel-off, instead of getting in the left lane for the left turn. Traffic speeds coming down the hill here are high, 50+, and nobody is expecting a bicycle in the left lane.
One alternative early in the route. Instead of McClure / Antrim / Kalorama / Rankin / California, try McClure / Antrim / Fleming / Termon / California.
Using the back-alley between Lakewood and Jamaica in West View is a nice touch. Make sure you use Street View to memorize the exact spot to peel off Center to get to the back-alley that gets you to that back-alley. Slide into that niche between the bush and the building.
"Slide into that niche between the bush and the building." Ha! That is what you call "local knowledge".
That's our Stu!
Since it looks like this will be a road ride for the most part, you can skip the North Shore Trail if you want. Take one of the Three Sisters Bridges from downtown to the North Side. At North Avenue, turn left to Brighton. Right on Brighton. After less than a mile (and a very small hill), left onto California. Follow California to Brighton Heights Road/Extension. Right there will take you back to California/Lincoln near the Pittsburgh/Bellevue line.
I actually prefer that route to the trail to McClure to California route.
@Spiritmonger - I got instructions from Google similar to the start of this for antoher trip.
When you go up Antrim it says "Turn right on Kalorama Way"? The sign for that alley says something different. No biggie, just gave me some moments of unnecessary uncertainty. No reason not to take Antrim up to California.
Kalorama is a back-alley. Fleming is a quiet neighborhood street. California is a heavily traveled main drag. Antrim is a climb from bottom to top; you get to Fleming first. Your call.
If you want short, you can take the 6th or 7th St Bridges, go around Allegheny Ctr, and straight up Federal St, about a 350-foot climb in a half a mile, then gentle rolling hills the rest of the way.
If you want flat, get over to the NShore Trail, go upstream, wiggle through Millvale, to Babcock Blvd. My method is to go through Northway Car Wash at the corner of 3 Degree Rd (NOTE: Stay off 3 Degree Rd! Horrid!), and follow a gravel/mud trail for about 3/4 mile. Jump a small stream (involves descending and climbing an 8-foot rocky embankment), puts you on Perrymont. Take a left, 0.25 mile later, right onto Perry. This also takes you right past my house. PM me & let me know when you're coming & I'll ride with you a while.
Do not take the alleyway between Jamaica and Lakewood. It ices over extremely badly in the winter, it's very steep and residents aren't looking for cyclists going down it.
Stu, you are the anti-"You can't get there from here..."
My preference in getting from Center to Highland is actually Columbia. It's a steep hill, but short, wider than the other streets, and better maintained than some of them. (For eye candy, there is sometimes a vintage 1958 Chevy station wagon parked along there, visible on SV.)
Awesome guys, thanks for the info/suggestions! Stu, I'll be in touch.
