I'm looking for some tough climbs yet safe (low-traffic / off-road) for training in town.
Any idea? Thanks!
What type of bike are you on?
cross or mountain, you could just go to frick park
and climb the social climb all the way up, make the left and take it to the soccer fields. Probably a 5
or 6 minute climb.
On road with no traffic is rare, especially "in town". I would say riverview has the 5 minute climb in it that is really traffic free, and you can do the loop. good times.
"low traffic" is a very relative term.
+1 for Riverview. Plus you can do Spring Garden Run to get there, another fine climb, though not low traffic.
You could also just go up and down Welsh Way 
Sycamore isn't bad, either, depending on your definition of low traffic.
bjanzanek have you ever ridden up
mclure - woods run - riverview?
There is 1 light in the way, but it is like a 3 mile
climb from the corner of beaver + mucclure at like 3
or 4 percent, getting steeper in riverview.
other favorites:
Hoffman out of milvlale (starts as stanton) 1+ mile
epic cant believe im in the city climb to the dump
Middle road (3+ miles not super steady but good)
"kirkwood" out of sharpsburg (1 mile steady) huge
shoulder little traffic.
Spring hill is also always good like brian said.
Brighton's not a bad climb, but probably only a couple of miles and the grade is pretty mellow. Noblestown also isn't too bad. It's probably 2 or 3 miles and also pretty mellow. I still hate Steevo for taking me on Hoffman to cap off a 40 mile ride.
Here's a variation on steevo's McClure-->Woods Run--> Riverview suggestion:
Pick up McClure off Beaver, but stay left up the hill to continue on McClure, instead of bearing right onto Woods Run. At the top of the hill, right on Davis and straight until you cross a (closed to automotive traffic) bridge into Riverview Park. This lets you trade the long gradual climb up Woods Run for a shorter, steeper climb up McClure, with a bit less traffic.
While you're in the neighborhood, check out Schimmer St. off Brighton Rd, just a couple of blocks from the Brighton Rd/Woods Run intersection. Guaranteed to be low traffic. Trust me on this.
If you're willing to deal with a bit of distance (~10 miles) and traffic to get there, Logan's Ferry out of New Kensington really cannot be beat. Really long, with varying gradient, and very, very little traffic. Plus it brings you to Sardis Road, which is one of finer ridge roads around.
Plum/Hunter Road out of Verona is also pretty classic.
EDIT: oops, New Ken, not McKeesport.
Dan I am sure you have ridden up there, but there
is also a sick climb if you go straight instead of
turning into riverview where there are HORSES!!!
there are like stables or something at the top.
pretty sick.
Stables up near the top? I didn't know, actually. Sweet. I knew there was a stable down in the valley; most apathetic horses I've ever seen.
Actually, that reminds me. Another good Riverview approach is to come up by the stables and the dump (Westborn St off Brighton Rd, then back along Grand/Kilbuck) and take the switch-backy broken-pavement climb up to the top of the park circuit by the playground. Nice climb, and doable on road tires, but watch for busted glass and gravel.
What kind of tough?
If you're at the bottom of the social climb in Frick looking up, to the left at the corner of the hill there is an uphill. It's cleanable if it's dry out.
The hill underneath the Forbes avenue overpass in Frick next to the dog park is always dry enough to complete.
Those hills are steep but they don't settle into your legs making them burn though.
I second the social climb to the left to the dog park, and from panther hollow lake to the intersection of schenley dr/blvd of the allies as better for that. Add the stone chute that goes up to the left in Schenley if you want to add a cherry to that sundae.
Also in Schenley, the hill between the golf course and cmu starting from the fountain to the stop sign is pretty good. Takes about 2 minutes up and 3ish back down if you make it a loop. It's not "tough", but has a wide shoulder; plus cars and the raccoons expect you there at all times.
Also not "tough" but steady, safe and in the city are Beechwood Blvd and Stanton Ave.
Bigelow St, a right turn as you head up Greenfield.
Greenleaf, off the West End Circle, which heads up to Mt. Washington.
Like Mayhew said, Bigelow is a great climb with no traffic on it.
You could climb up forward ave from the bottom at Frick to Beachwood.
On a mtn bike the social climb is good too, the trail is called "Falls Ravine" if you are in the park, you could climb the Iron Grate. Actually just go for a mtn bike ride anywhere in frick.
there are a bunch of nice hills north of the city that are a bit trafficky to get to, but once you're there, it's dead quiet. one such loop that i like is go up middle from route 8, take that for maybe five miles, make a left on elfinwild (and enjoy the 50mph downhill), cross route 8 and continue on elfinwild (which can get a few cars, if i remember correctly). take a left on mt. royal (which definitely has cars, but i think a decent enough shoulder to feel safe on). take that to wetzel, on the right, and that to wible run. that'll take you down near millvale, where you'll cross evergreen and head up geyer. if you want to make it truly fun, you can add two dirty dozen hills at the start.
this is just a bunch of fun, middle-of-nowhere, mile-to-mile-and-a-half hills, with lots of ups and downs.
If you climb Elfinwild from route 8 to Middle Road, it's generally very quiet. You can approach via Mt Royal, which is okay, as far as suburban roads go. (It's too bad it's not quieter, since it's an awesome roller coaster of a road.)
Marzolf Rd off Little Pine Creek Rd is a great one.
