BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Hi Erin,

It sounds doable to me - I've ridden from Oakland to Shaler and back using the 62nd street bridge, and cutting through morningside, but I think it'll depend too on where you're at physically. How do you feel about hills? Have you been on a bike before? What kind of condition are you in now as far as your health goes, strength, endurance, that sort of thing?

Is that section of trail under the 32nd st bridge open yet? I haven't looked at it in at least a year when it was gravel.

I'm okay physically--I'm a runner. I was thinking I would have until the end of March to really get in good enough shape to do it regularly. The hills aren't a problem--it seems like good cross-training! I haven't been on a bike for about 3-4 years, but that was just around campus.

10 miles is totally doable, even if you're not so used to a bike... Practice. Gear. Lights. Prepare. You can totally do this

Don't forget the rack n roll might still get you part of the way - if you can get downtown, you could ride the jail trail to oakland. Or while you're working out the kinks, find a place that has cheap or free all day parking a few miles away (like half way or so), and drive your bike to that location, park, bike the rest of the way.

you've got tons of options if you include racknroll, bits of walking, even (I know, I know,) a little driving - the trick is seeing them. Calling Stu? Stuuuuuuuuuu... ALMKLM too, I think he lives over there, and I know there's more regulars over there, I just can't put places to handles right now...

until they show up, maybe take a gander at the commuter guide on here (resources section), and I've found interesting help on commutebybike.com they have a Commute 101 series with interesting stuff on it (though not Pgh specific).

Good luck!

To make things a little easier you might want to try driving to Highland Park and taking the bus or riding from there.

Any favorite bike shops? I'm thinking about a hybrid/commuter bike? Thoughts?

I think it's very feasible. Not sure what part of Shaler you live in, but I used to take Mt Royal Blvd into Etna, then cross the 62nd St bridge, then you could go a couple of different routes from there, Morningside wouldn't be too bad

How comfortable do you think you'll be cycling alongside traffic? I think getting some experience in that way will be helpful.

Can anybody recommend a good shop to get a bike fitting? If you know what size bike you need, then you could probably hit up Craigslist and get something used for cheap. If you like it, you can get something pricier down the road

I'll definitely want to practice in traffic as much I can. I live on the other side of Route 8, the Middle Road side, so Mt. Royal would be a little silly for me.

now is a pretty good time to buy a bike. there are plenty of last year's models priced to sell (for example, i saw a $500 bike for $350).

i wouldn't give too much thought to the brand of the bike, and if it were my call, i would go with what i believe people are calling a "fitness hybrid". basically, a hybrid with 700c wheels, moderately wide (32-38mm) slick tires, no suspension, and a slightly more aggressive posture than, say, a cruiser or comfort bike.

there's a ton of advice anyone can give for specifics, but you probably don't need it. just make sure you get fenders and lights! this can't be overemphasized.

for shops, i don't have any personal favorites (besides kraynick's, but he doesn't sell full bikes). i would just say shop around. find a shop you're comfortable with, a bike that feels just right, and a price you can afford.

I have a Trek Navigator "comfort/hybrid bike" that I like a lot and ride 7-8 miles each way to work on. It's about 10 yrs old now. I bought it at the Ambridge Bikeshop. Now there are 2 Trek stores in town. REI has bikes, too. For me the biggest pain when I bought the bike was finding a shop with sales people who would listen and discuss the options rather than sterotyping or outright ignoring me based on gender/age/style. I was fortunate that my little brother was able to help me out narrowing the selection. He used to own a bike shop & is a very kind and patient dude and gave me great advice RE options in my price range.

I've been pretty happy with REI and Performance Bikes in terms of bike bling & service. I've had mixed experiences at some of the other stores, but I know there's others here who love 'em.

[edit] p.s. come on some of the group rides with Flock of Cycles. that's a nice way to practice being out on the streets. The Commuting 101 guide is great. You can download it elsewhere on this web site. That helped me A LOT. Also the bicycle map.

You should go to as many bike shops as possible. I like Thick Bikes on 17th St in the South Side. Chris will help with finding the correct size bike you need. Once you find out the size that best suits you also check out craigslist you might find a good deal on something used.

Someone on this board once commented on spending a little less money on your first bike, but spending more on your accessories (lights, fenders, clothing, rack, etc.). I think this is good advice.

I agree with that. If I find that I like it and it works out, I'd be willing to spend more money on it.

Agree with above: you don't need a badass bike right away so much as you need the essential gear, especially if you're riding in the cold (good wool base layers, balaclava, decent gloves, good lights and a good bag, or fenders and panniers).

As far as bike shops go, I got a new cyclocross bike last night at Iron City and they were ultra helpful. They swapped out the stock stem with a shorter one for free to help the bike fit better, and gave me a really good deal. I think I might be biased though, it's the first bike I've actually purchased at a shop and not through Craigslist, or built up myself, and I knew exactly what frame size I needed.

As ejwme says, Practice. Gear. Lights. Prepare. You can totally do this

You want good fenders on your bike.

Gear: rain gear. Cold weather gear (look up "turduckin" in another thread), even in March.

Lights, front and rear. You want bright lights, but please dont' do the "point-a-bright-blinking-point-source-directly-into-driver's-eyes" thing.

FENDERS.

You probably want a very low lowest gear. 22 teeth front and 32 teeth back is extreme, but appropriate, followed by a 2nd gear that isn't a huge jump higher.

When I came back from DC, (665 miles over two weeks) a bike sales dweeb told me that a 28F/32R gearing would be just fine: "As soon as you get in shape."

A good fitting bike.

Marko and the others are right about starting with a less expensive bike (it will make a fine backup bike sometime). On the other hand, getting a good fit and good gear ratios are urgent priorities.

Much better to have well-fitted, nicely geared trash bike with lights and fenders, than a poorly-fitted "road" bike for the price of a used car.

Really good FENDERS. A front fender that wraps down far enough that it starts to curve towrds the front again - and a mudflap extendign that. Not some silly 15 inch cantilevered thing.

If I were to prepare for a 20-mile round trip by doing long Sunday rides, I would work those long rides up to 50-60 miles. You don't want to exhausted when you get to work- or when you get home.

PRACTICE. Ride in traffic. The worst traffic you can find on the weekends may be relatively mild compared with rush hour -if your working hours are standard.

Did I mention fenders? Fenders are your friends whenever it rains - and it always rains.

@Erin - You obviously came to the right place. These are the best people in the world... especially the Vikings among them.

And the Flockists, tie-fighters, hipsters, lycra-clad freaks. All good people.

Commuters, weekenders, whatever-you-call-bearded-glass-wearing-dudes-on-recumbents...

whatever-you-call-bearded-glass-wearing-dudes-on-recumbents...

"M'lord" generally suffices.

@Erin: lots of good advice already. I'd add "dress in layers", "wool is your friend", and "try alternate routes before you NEED to".

Oh, yeah...and practice tire/tube repair in the comfort of your home, so doing it in a cold drizzle isn't quite so traumatic an experience.

[Edited to add:] Mirrors may be helpful, depending on how well you can see behind yourself whilst riding.

And have fun...commuting in this city can be a blast.

whatever-you-call-bearded-glass-wearing-dudes-on-recumbents...

You forgot sandals, too.

Anywho, I commuted from M-side to Allison Park for 18 months. Your ride will give you a good workout, at least. There are lots of little options to avoid the worst of the hills, too.

John's suggestion is a good one--parking in HP or Morningside is not permit-based, and even at rush hour, I suspect you can get pretty easily from Shaler. Get comfortable with the (relatively) flat commute, then work in the trek from your house.

The 62nd Street Bridge isn't horrible, though you do approach the bridge from Etna in the left hand lane. Generally, traffic isn't bad, though, so it's not hard to merge over. I reckon that will be the hairiest spot.

So much helpful advice! You guys are great! I'm thinking of checking out Iron City tonight after work.

For a 10 mile ride from Shaler to Oakland, there is going to be a decent amount of climbing and descending, so even if you get a very utilitarian bike, you're going to want it to be fairly light and have good gearing.

Back in December, I needed a bike for my son and I to the GAPCANDO trail this summer, and we didn't have anything that was just right. So I found an old Specialized Rockhopper rigid frame mountain bike on CL for $20, went over it completely, new tires, cables, rack, fenders, put another $100 into it, and I think it's awesome. I think it compares favorably to a $1,500 touring specific bike. Though part of my exercise WAS to see how cheaply I could do it.

Would you have any interest in borrowing a bike and coming on a Flock ride, maybe the black & gold ride? It might be good to try riding around town with a group, and check out other peoples rides. I think I am doing the ride on the 6th, and I have numerous bikes to lend.

That would be really great. I was actually just looking for info about the Flock rides. Also, I love the idea of building up an older bike but I have zero clue how to do it.

You might want to check out the nearest local bike store (LBS in board-speak). You could also ask about them here. The closer to your home you shop the better.

Not to get too personal, but what's your leg inseam length?

check out thick as well if you are on a budget, chris usually has at least a few used bikes in the shop. other good bike shops that are fairly convenient to your location, shadyside trek on center ave, dirty harry's in verona, scholl's in westview. my wife and i also have plenty of extra bikes if you want to borrow one for the flock ride on the 6th. we are in morningside so you could park at our house and ride to oakland with us too.

flock on facebook

Haha. I think about 32in

Dirty Harry's just across the river from you in Verona is where I got the best ever fitting (ok, it's the only place I tried for a fitting, and my experience was awesome). They put me on every bike in the store to try and figure out the right mix of lengths and angles and all kinds of things I don't know about. I ended up buying a standard bike (second I tried, it just felt perfect) but I learned a lot about my assumptions and preferences (turns out I did not actually know what I wanted, which really shouldn't have surprised me).

Whatever bike you get - make sure it's comfortable to you. It could be The Fastest (or best at hills, or whatever)Bike, but if it's too small or large, it will be agony. Worst part is, you may not even know it hurts until months later you try something that *does* fit.

Yay!

I just got a great deal on a awesome hybrid style bike at Thick last week. It seems the winter is the best time to buy a left over model from the year before.

Cool. If you wanted to borrow a bike I definitely have something you could use, heightwise. Or use one of cburches, doesn't matter.

Another thing to keep in mind, if your bike is spending it's day parked outside in Oakland, or might need to be left overnight in an emergency, "new and shiney" is not going to be the best of all options.

"new and shiney" is not going to be the best of all options.

So also make sure you get a good sturdy U-lock and chain.

+1 on the accessories. I would add riding goggles with a warm tint for the rain/snow/dark. Inner wicking layer, middle warm layer (fleece/wool) and outer weather resistant shell. Layer up or down for cold or heat. Go with light/bright/reflective colors so you stick out in low-light situations.

For eye protection, I use $8 roofers safety glasses from home depot. I think someone else here recommended them, too. They have UV protection.

"Not to get too personal, but what's your leg inseam length?"

The new: "so, do you come here often?"

Ha, ha! I thought that was a lot safer than "PBH".

@edmunds - you can build up to that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ41U9qOjx8

Now, now, none of that.

i was a runner before i started to bicycle and when i did start, i had a very easy time. i was better at hills and faster overall than i am now that i have quit running.

welcome, and i hope everything goes well for you and that we see you soon on a group ride.

freeride

Though not open until March 8th, there is an opportunity to volunteer this Saturday:

"Hope you are enjoying your winter...

In preparation for moving later this year, Free Ride is doing an inventory. We intend to document every bike and frame, starting with whole bikes this Saturday the 29th from 11am to 4pm.

We'll be using the shop computer, but if someone has a laptop with Excel or Numbers or the Open Office Equivalent or whatever that might lessen running back and forth. Absent that, we'll use paper and pencil. People might work in pairs, one examining and the other recording. Will and Carmen have come up with a basic system to use.

There are a lot of bikes. We could make use of a few people. It's also supposed to be a heat wave Saturday in the mid-30s so the shop should be pretty pleasant.

Get to know the bikes in the shop!

Discover your EAB!

Earn volunteer hours in the off season!

Feel free to bring food or lunch for yourself or to share, cookies, pie, chips, whatever; of course no food is OK too! Please note there is no drinkable water in the shop now, though there's a tea kettle and tea if you bring a bottle with water and a mug.

Feel free to contact if you think you might attend, or just stop in.

See you Saturday or sometime soon..."

I know there are a couple of essentially "good to go" suitable rides for your size available for purchase. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but they are decent.

Though I realize you are a runner, let me quote SB:

"A cyclist who is out of cycling shape from being off a bicycle for a few months or more, will start out strong, but the legs will tire rapidly. When the legs tire, the rider sits harder on the saddle, and that's when the trouble starts. Many saddle complaints are actually traceable to fatigue caused by starting out the season with a longer ride than you are ready for.

If it has been several months or more since you rode a bicycle regularly, you can expect to be sore if you ride any serious distance.

If you are coming off of a layoff of months or years, start with very short rides, maybe a mile or two, no more. Only gradually should you increase your ride distance. This may seem frustrating, but it does take a while to re-accustom your derrière to cycling. Anybody in decent shape can hop on a bike and ride 15-20 miles, but you'll be a wreck afterwards if you haven't accustomed your body to cycling first." from http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Anyone have an opinion on the Trek 7.2 FX? I checked out Iron City and Trek last night. At Trek, I think the guy (who spent over an hour with me answering questions and switching out components!) finally decided I need a women's large (19in) or a slightly tweaked men's large (20in). Women's medium was way too small, men's medium (17.5in?) was still small (I'm long), and the men's large was better but I barely had clearance over the top rail. He had to switch out the stem to help my reach a little too. Does this make sense? If I go into a store and they ask me about sizes should I say 19? And should I limit myself to women's frames?

**Sorry for all the crazy questions

@fungicyclist--Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering where I should start distance-wise. I definitely remember the soreness...yowch.

I think how the geometry of the bike fits your body is more important than what gender the frame is marketed to. They do try to make the women's bikes a different geometry, but we are not all proportioned the same. I am yer basic female commuter, not a long distance person (yet). I've had to try a few different seats to find the right one (hint: find one that matches your sit bones and worry less about seat padding). I'm also still working on finding the right handlebar posture. Upright is better for me so far: I have to be cautious of hand numbness, but everyone's different. On some other threads here there's mention of a sports clinic at UPMC where you can have a really specialized bike fitting, which I'm thinking about doing soon due to some mild but growing upper middle back pain.

Not the most direct route, but a good beginner skills development route (f you have access to a car), would be to drive your bike to the Millvale Riverfront Park (where you'd park for free), pick up the trail into town there, then connect through downtown by taking the pedestrian bridge near the Stadium to Point State Park, First Avenue to PNC Firstside. Then pick up the Eliza Furnace Trail, then Junction Hollow up to the area behind Hillman. Only one hill, the only traffic on First Avenue (moderate pretty much all the time) and the stretch from the Eliza Furnace Trail into Oakland. You could shorten it by cutting directly through downtown (Grant Street) as you become more comfortable riding in traffic.

If you found someone who was able to spend some time with you fitting, that's huge.

The Trek looks like a good bike for your purposes, and it has mounting points for racks and fenders so you can set it up right.

Womens frame versus mens doesn't matter much, just depends on your personal proportions.

You should keep some clearance at the top tube, for riding around the city, you want to be able to put a foot down frequently without dinging yourself.

I'm going to be a bit snarky here, but if you go into a bike shop and they ask you what size frame you need, red flag.

Also want to re-iterate someone elses excellent point, when you start out drive and park in, say, Bloomfield or something and ride in from there for a few weeks, then a little farther out, and so on. If you try and do the whole distance at once, you are likely to become disheartened.

And these are not crazy questions, so don't worry. Someone will surely let you know when they think the questions get crazy.

Hi Erin,

As a woman of approx your height (I think), I want to tell you that yes, that makes sense.

We generally have longer legs and shorter torsos than men of the same height, so if you get on a men's bike (made for a man of your height), you have further forward to reach to get to the handlebars.

Last time I was bike shopping (initially for a road bike) I ended up buying a cross bike instead and just putting road tires on it, for this same reason - the road bikes had top tubes (from the seat to the handlebars) that were too long for me once I had the right height. (I could have bought a women's bike, but everything I was finding at the time was either pink or had flowers painted on it. Not quite my style.)

What pseudacris said about geometry of the bike.

If I do need to figure out if a bike is a possibility for me, I measure the top tube and compare it to the length of a similar bike that I know fits me.* You can easily adjust the seat height (within a range anyway) but that horizontal distance is more fixed. (Not entirely, since you know you can change the stem, but it's nice not to have to.)

*Not a guarantee, but a decent starting place.

I should add that I don't walk around with a tape measurer in good bike shops. They seem to have people who can look at you and gauge pretty well what kind of size you should be looking at. I'm thinking more about used bikes, or a frame hanging at FreeRide (in that case I'd do more measurements. incl seat tube.) or if you're talking to someone online about coming to look at a bike they're selling, but they don't know much about sizes. You can ask them to do measurements.

One other thought. I'm not sure if the women's 19 fit you or not, but I think if you're trying a particular model and one size is too small and the next is too big and the other gender is just off in some other way, that's a good reason to try a different make/model. There are enough differences, just between brands, that it's worth trying different bikes, keeping that perfect fit as your first priority.

Anyone have an opinion on the Trek 7.2 FX?

i took my sister shopping for a bike over the summer and this is what she settled on. she loves it so far. when i suggested a "fitness hybrid", this is about the bike i had in mind. i can't compare it easily to other brands, and i'm sure there are plenty of things similar, but it's a nice bike, and would suit your needs well, i think.

Swalfoort (who btw is also female, you're getting a lot of good feminine input on this thread) had a good suggestion, using a car to get across the "mount" of Mount Royal.

There are varying schools of thought about riding along the train tracks from 62SB to 40SB. Kindasorta illegal but routinely done. Most of the time they will neither notice nor care, and IMHO it's a helluvalot safer than dealing with street traffic.

My usual path to Oakland is to pedal into Millvale along Babcock, cross the 40th Street Bridge, straight up 40th, L onto Liberty, R onto Bloomfield Bridge, L onto Bigelow, and then one or the other fork at the Bigelow/Craig split, depending on which end of Oakland I'm headed for.

Getting *to* 40SB is a moving target right now because of all the construction. The last time I went through there, just after New Year's, there was a really nice bike lane to take you up towards the bridge, but it disappears 100 yards short of the bridge itself. One lane is going 40, the other 60, and they don't give a [bleep] about cyclists. *Almost* good enough, but not good enough for me.

Some other suggestions:

* The front fender should have a good mudflap.

* Blinky on helmet, blinky on your back collar, blinky on your seat post. YOU WANT TO BE YELLING AT THE TRAFFIC BEHIND YOU: "HEY YOU, YEAH YOU! I'M IN FRONT OF YOU AND GOING ONLY 12 MPH SO SLOW THE HELL DOWN!" That is to say, the lights are doing the yelling for you. Your job is to smile and wave.

* Add reflective tape to the blinky collection.

* The dimmest blinky should be blinking, the brightest on steady.

+1 on using bus bike racks. That's Port Authority #5502 in my pic, right there. I could talk your ear off about buses, as several people on this board can attest.

fyi, they aren't plowing, salting or otherwise maintaining the rr access road right now. and they are barely driving on it. don't plan on riding it without knobby tires until spring. the snow is pretty deep on it.

The Giant Dash is similar to the Trek 7.2 you mentioned as is the Specialized Vita (womens) and Sirus (mens, but only difference is paint color and saddle, I *think*).

also the fuji absolute:

http://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/absolute_3_0

You will still have the 93 bus weekdays, which will get you from 40SB into Oakland. Fewer of them, but does get you up the hill on 40th & most of the rest of the way. Catch on Butler by 41st St. Only the Saturday 93 is getting cut.

just wanted to say that this:

I think how the geometry of the bike fits your body is more important than what gender the frame is marketed to.

is the truest statement ever. My mom got me a department store bike for christmas in 09, and it was too small. as much as I raised the seat and handlebars, it was still the least comfortable and most painful (when I was done riding, my back ached) thing in the world.

Definitely make sure the bike you buy is comfortable for you to be spending extended periods of time on. The wrong bike can ruin bicycling.

For your consideration, a pair of articles on bike sizing you might want to peruse:

1. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html

B. http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_fit/choosing_a_frame_size

2. http://surlybikes.com/blog/spew/spew_bike_fit/

If pressed to suggest just one, I'd read "B", as it's the only one that's "R" rated, and I'm unabashedly old school.

Seriously, give freeride "freeridepgh.org" some consideration in your bike acquisition.

On the topic of of sizing and fitting, can anyone recommend an LBS that has someone on staff with genuine fitting expertise? This also means someone who will not blow you off once they decide that you're not a "roadie" and therefore not really worth their time? Or worse, try to hard-sell you some expensive but inappropriate bike.

Do mention names of individuals who you feel might be helpful.

I'm thinking about checking this one out:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/2182136995.html

What should I keep in mind concerning fit?

Anyone have an opinion on the Trek 7.2 FX?

I have a Trek 7.3 FX (very similar) and I LOVE it. I ride it to school every day, do errands, and did the CANDOGAP trail from D.C. in August on it. It is a big frame (25") which is perfect for me (6'4") and a huge improvement for me from my previous bike, where I had my seat post extended all the way out. I can't advise you on too many specifics, but a good fit is important.

Your Craigslist bike there appears not, at first glance, to be fenders-capable--to the extent that's an issue.

@Ahlir- Glen at Big Bang will put you on the trainer and make sure everything is adjusted just so. He didn't blow me off at all, even after I came 4 separate times to test and retest the same bikes.

The craigslist bike looks like it can accept fenders and racks. The one thing I noticed is that the person selling it states it’s a 2006 model and provides a link to bikapeda. When you look at the link the bike does not match the 2006 color options . It looks more like it’s a 2005…according to bikapedia.

I think West Liberty Cycles used to have a guy who could do professional set up and they charged a set up fee. It’s kind of like getting fitted for a suit. They measure the length of your arms and legs and then put you on a trainer to set up and test the fit. Someone mentioned UPMC. They used to have a cycling clinic once a year that came with an evaluation and professional set up.

It wouldn't hurt to check out the CL bike. Since it has road bars and not flat like the Trek you looked at, that's the big difference, and you would need to decide if you can live with that. That's trickier to change than you might think, but possible.

It says it's a large, so just go by your experience at the Trek store, and make sure it's not too big.

If you don't like it or it doesn't feel right don't hesitate to walk away, $350 is not a screaming deal, and they say it's "firm". CL is funny.

This CL add is from a bike flipper…after it sits for a week or so with no interest you will see the price come down.

while you may end up going with a bike from Free Ride or CL, I would ride some more bikes at the shops first to make sure you know what feels comfortable to you regarding fit and handlebars and all that.

+1 tabby

+2 tabby, there are bikes similar to this in price, etc. on CL all the time. It's better to find out what you 'want' rather than 'what's for sale'.

(edit) used bikes are great if it's the size and style that you want. I actually prefer used, just don't buy a bike 'cause it was on sale, or available through CL or whatever.