BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

If you're okay with traffic / not going during rush hour, Main st. to Birmingham Bridge to Bigelow is the fastest. If not, LIberty to Millvale to Centre to whatever is much more relaxed.

My first thought was to ride to downtown and then ride Forbes ave up to Oakland, but I'm not sure how traffic that way would be around 7-8am.

I was hoping to avoid a huge hill climb in Lawrenceville so I don't wind up too sweaty by the time I get to Oakland.

Taking Forbes from downtown would be a nightmare, and you need to climb to get from Lawrenceville to Oakland in any case. If you're seeking to avoid sweat just take it slow or just walk it up the big hill. Then Liberty to Millvale to Neville or Devonshire to wherever will do the trick.

I go up Main st, walking because I'm out of shape, then over the Bloomfield bridge, Mains not too bad a hill, I can't get up it all the way yet but you probably could, Even walking up Main it's still better then the other options.

No need to take Forbes from downtown, there's the trails... but it is kind of roundabout and you still have to climb into Oakland.

I seem to remember 39th not being as bad as some of the other parts of the hill, but I don't go that way often. Then I take Liberty->Millvale since I'm a little wigged out by Bigelow...

the best way to go is to do the lawrenceville wiggle (splits the hill up), to friendship (from here on its all down hill), to milvale, to center, to neville, to whatever... i do this 4ish times a week... its not bad at all.

map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3437946

I'll give the lawrenceville wiggle a shot, I'll be coming from a bit more of the northern side of butler, so I might try starting up 46th st instead, and break up the hill in to a couple climbs.

i live at 49th and butler (maybe we're neighbors! come over if you need tools or parts or anything), i do 46th to 45th (on the sidewalk) to 44th sometimes when i have big loads... the wiggle only really helps if you're going the other way because you get that big rest on davidson... its still an idea though, might feel good.

you could also do the wiggle backwards to main street and go across the b-field bridge, but climbing the bridge is unnecessary hill, and much more dangerous.

you could also do the wiggle backwards

This "wiggle" thing is sounding more suggestive all the time. Do you need the Lawrenceville license plate to do it?

I would consider taking the Bloomfield Bridge from Oakland to L-ville, particularly if you travel when the traffic is light. I don't like riding the BB to Oakland.

Mick

Waiwaiwaiwaiwait Lawrenceville license plate?

It depends where you're going to and from, of course, but I like the Millvale Avenue Bridge--it's less of a speedway than the Bloomfield Bridge. Also, the route linked above on Gmap-pedometer is good, but I might take Liberty Avenue where it's convenient just for the presence of bike lanes and sharrows. I would also avoid Mathilda Street--it mostly just has stop signs, and that can be dicey making a left turn or going straight through on Liberty Avenue as shown on the map. Millvale Avenue has a traffic light at Liberty Avenue which I like since you don't have to wait for a break in traffic. I'm a pretty big fan of Millvale, I guess.

Definitely don't ride back into Oakland via Forbes. If you want/need to go via downtown, take the Jail Trail either to the Bates Street "exit" or all the way to the end and then up to Oakland from there through the park.

Here is the wiggle that I take as created by ieverhart. I would reccomend that to the end of the cemetery (you can ride through the st mary's) then get onto friendship, down milvale, get to center ave, and take neville to fifth.

this is from my "i dont want to ride in traffic that much anymore" standpoint.

i wouldn't take the Bloomfield Bridge but if you wanted extra adventure you can take it to bethoven road, go down through polish hill till you get to melwood, go through gold way, and end up cross the okay end of baum onto melwood and get to center ave/craig st that way.

Ooops. Obscure references R Us!

"Lawrenceville License Plate" is a term I first saw here (Blame Erok!)

You can see Jake Gyllenhaal shows his at about 4 minutes into this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwVD11REfA8

I'm not sure if it has to be "Stillers" or not...

i don't think there is any reason to consider taking the bloomfield bridge from that far up butler... its more hill, its kind of out of the way, and its more traffic.

From down by 53rd.

butler than up 46th or 44th, down Friendship right on Millvale, right on Centre, left on Neville on a bike is the quickest route to/from the craig st. / Cathedral area. (~25m to, ~15m from). To cmu's campus you can take Morewood from Millvale. To pitt's campus just make a right onto Bayard.

Depending on when you leave 44th has a ton of traffic on it. I've never done the cemetery cut through though.

Fwiw, to craig st.

Bus to (91a - 100): 30m

(94a - 71a): 30-40m

Bus from (54c - 91a): incredibly variable 20m - 50m

Car: 15 - 25m each way(most days)

i'd do aaron's route. once you're up in bloomfield, all your climbing is done, then it's a coast to oakland sot hat maybe you can cool down some

Alright, I think I got some good suggestions. I'll hopefully be moved in to the new place by april. I'm not quite so worried about the commute, it seems like it wont' be so bad. I have a shower at work, so worst case scenario, I can just pack some clothes to wear for the day.

mark's wiggle up 46th to 45th is what you'll need to do at night, when the cemetery is closed.

and i'll admit, when i rode a singlespeed for one or two days a few weeks ago, i realized that the wiggle was created out of necessity, not laziness. i wanted to wiggle, but pride kept me from it, even though no one but an unchained dog was watching me.

maybe i'm just weird but i don't like riding through the cemetary... even when it is open.

mark- we already know you're weird, but why not the cemetery?

Why not the cemetary? Dude, this is the zombie capital of the world...

seriously, the cemetery is the most peaceful ride most of us will find on any given day. that's the difference between riding in a sea of living dead and the traffic of the dead living.

I always ride in the cemetery when I'm going that way. I saw a fawn there once, nestled against a headstone trying to look invisible. Very peaceful. But the geese and the venison do make me wonder if the groundskeepers use pesticides/herbicides on the grass in there.

Also, ditto the friendship/millvale/centre/neville/fifth combo.

love walking through, hate riding through... can't explain it.

love walking through, hate riding through... can't explain it.

I may give the cemetery route for a change in scenery soon.

Why not the cemetary? Dude, this is the zombie capital of the world...

And this particular cemetery comes equipped with zombie sentry towers to watch for the first sign of outbreak.

I've had mixed feelings about riding through cemetaries, though I've come to grips with it.

Why the negative? For me 'cause it seems disrespectful, in a way that walking doesn't.

After a time, though, I realized that when I ride slower, read the gravestones, consider those that were and are now not, taking care to pay respect in my own mind, then it doesn't so much matter if someone seeing me thinks I am disrespecting the dead. Since I'm not. And what's a better way to be mindful of such a place than to be alive in it? And therefore bicycling...

I've watched fireworks from the tower pictured above.

There is a tunnel in basement from the house and chapel on the left to the basement of the bell tower.I think if the zombies came from anywhere it would be this tunnel. Kinda hard to see if you are up in the tower looking for them.

When I'm dead, I think I'll prefer the cyclists and runners and dog walkers to the goose crap on my head.

When I'm dead, I think I'll prefer to be a biker-eating zombie. Geese just don't do it for me.

see those slits the top level... those are for archers and sharp shooters... although i wasn't talking about this cemetary (i was talking about st mary's, which sits right beside this cemetary at the top of 45th) i never ride in this cemetary... if the zombies beat us to the sniper towers they'll definitely take over pittsburgh

if the zombies beat us to the sniper towers they'll definitely take over pittsburgh

Untrue...zombies are TERRIBLE shots.

I'm just glad the police didn't have to hold a bake sale to buy that zombiewagen (picture elsewhere). That's a rolling sniper tower, that is.

That IS why they got it, right? Surely it's not for intimidating the peasantry.

Mark: if the zombies beat us to the sniper towers they'll definitely take over pittsburgh

Reddan: Untrue...zombies are TERRIBLE shots.

I dunno. Have you ever tried to hit crow with a handgun?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9KdN307F94

Of course, Canadian dead people might be different...