BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Hi That Guy, welcome to Pittsburgh! A good place to start is the Bike Pittsburgh Events Calendar.

Good luck.

after you're done with that, this very forum regularly announces various group rides.

Unfortunately there are not that many group rides around here. Another lovely quirk of Pittsburgh.

Check out the Team Caffiene (and decaf) rides out of Tazza d'Oro. There's a Sunday ride from Pro Bike 8a (sharp) in Squirrel Hill as well. (email me on that one for details chris at jbv coaching dot com)

There has also been a ride from the Coffee Tree cafe in Shadyside on Wednesday evenings. Here's the info:

When: Meet at 6, ride at 615

Where: 5524 Walnut Street (Coffee Tree Roasters)

Ride info: A-B/ 3 (one grade 4 up Penn) /21mi http://wpwbikeclub.org/RideClassifications.asp

This will be a fairly fast ride, comparable to the front pack of the decaf rides. Interval starts and regroup points are indicated on the cue sheet.

I will try to keep the group together through the streets, but this is not a no-drop ride.

Cue sheets will be available, and is attached. Better map at http://beta.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19112290/ (ignore the elevation, it's broken)

Helmets req'd, blinkys suggested, headphones discouraged

Ride goes rain or shine (but the weather looks like it will be gorgeous)

This is not an official club ride, just some folks getting together. You are responsible for yourself and your equipment.

The Team Caf/Decaf folks have a Yahoo group--you may want to join that to keep abreast of the various rides that are offered.

The Western PA Wheelmen website would also be a good source of info, though many of their rides start/finish in suburbia.

Sometimes I ride out to N Park from the East End to pick up a Wheelman ride. Not too familiar with the South Hills rides but the North Park rides are great.

http://wpwbikeclub.org/

Pittsburgh Major Taylor Club has a ride calendar.

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=bhwoods%40gmail.com&ctz%3B=America%2FNew_York&gsessionid=w3e6NlBQj0_AZGzE6oT8RQ

Brian, do you know who organizes the CTR ride in Shadyside? I'd like to put that on our calendar complete with contact info. Also do people refer to it as the Coffee Tree Roasters Ride or is it called something else? Thanks!

Any of these good for group ride beginners? I realized during the tourdecure that I really had no experience in etiquette of group riding, but had a lot of fun (and learned a great deal) being around other cyclists.

I did Team DeCaf Tuesday, and except for the heat, it was very do-able - about 20 miles, with just the ascents up to the West End Overlook to contend with.

Nice bunch of people, broke into three groups about 1/3 of the way into it, which was just fine. Seems like a pretty painless way to get the etiquette, and a good ride during the week.

scott:

http://www.humanvortextraining.com/events.php

that is the coffee tree rides

It actually looks like it's a different ride, maybe. The one that gets posted to the Team Caffeine list runs on Wednesday, and the one on the HVT calendar is Tuesday.

Looking at the mail from this week, the fellow who organizes (Alastair Firth) actually sent the message to info_at_bike-pgh_dot_org, so check that out.

John Strait, who organizes the Team Decaf rides, sometimes posts here. From what I've heard from him, the groups on Tuesdays separate according ability, so if you're a relative group riding newbie, I suspect this ride would be a great place to start.

Flock of Cycles is a great way to get into the group vibe. Fun, mellow, street laws-abiding, and not terribly challenging. Also a good introduction to biking all over the city - trails, shortcuts, etc

@thatguy: what level of riding are you looking for?

Like Sarah said, check out http://www.wpwbikeclub.org there are several group rides.

Team Decaf Weekend (my ride group) leaves from Tazza D'oro every other weekend. Ride dates, maps and descriptions are posted here - http://www.direct-axis.net/team_decaf/

Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.

Thanks everyone!

I'd say I'm looking for fast-ish competitive "training" type rides.

I'll definitely check out the Caffeine rides. I've been looking for a great espresso bar too!

'fast-ish' Trek of Robinson Monday night rides are worth checking out.

FOC is definitely the opposite of a training ride...unless you are training to become a vegetarian...

heeeeeyyyyy. in my prime a few years ago, this vegetarian rode really fast

The Tuesday night Wheelman ride out at North Park is fast.

I think there is a ride that leaves from Pro Bikes. You might want to call them and ask about it.

Hey guys,

I just found this forum, sorry. I'm actually leaving for Boston, so I won't be running the Wednesday CTR rides anymore That said, there certainly seems to be a demand for a fast ride in the city, and the rides over the last several weeks have been pretty successful. If anyone feels up to leading it, I know it would be appreciated.

-Alastair

Here's my two cents on the rides I've done in PGH:

Monday at Trek in Robinson 6pm

Good ride, pack usually splits by pace. Low traffic roads, rolling terrain, good pace up front. The guys from the shop who come on the ride know their way around and it's got a good atmosphere. From Oakland the G2 bus takes you almost all the way there, bit of a ride but worth it. No cue sheets/no drop. Outside of city (obviously)

Decaf - Tuesday at Tazza in Highland Park. 615pm

Great ride, all different pace groups. Well organized with cue sheets and usually a big group.

Front group always splits off and hoofs it. Cue sheets/no drop. Stays in city

Wednesday at the OTB in Southside - 630pm

Only went on this once and it rained so we turned back. Seems like a more mildly paced ride though. No cue/no drop (the week I went)

Wednesday at CTR Shadyside - 615pm

I was running this as a fixed route around Beechwood/Schenley/Panther Hollow/Jail Trail/River Ave/Penn Ave. Was a ton of fun with fast riders pacelining the trails and River Ave. Cue sheet/drop seems to be the only way to run a ride this fast when it's open to all. Stays in city. Needs a new leader

Caffeine Ride at Tazza in Highland Park - 6pm

Ride may or may not happen on any given week (announced to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teamcaffeine/ ). Reasonably fast pace, but focus is on the hills. Great ride if you're in shape for it, but no cue sheets and drop yourself means you should probably go with a friend or GPS the first time. Goes outside of city.

Critical Mass by the dinosaur in Oakland. Last Fri of every month at 530pm.

This is weird. Sometimes I've gone on this and it was great. Big pack of bikers moving slowly seeing the sights and generally making you feel empowered on a bike. They always hold lights, but it usually works OK because everyone stays together. The lack of leadership/route/coordination/marshal can make this terrifying though. Last time I went the group took up multiple lanes and was repeatedly dangerous to the point where I no longer felt comfortable and left the group. No drop/no cue. Usually doesn't leave until at least 6.

Resources:

http://bike-pgh.org/events/calendar/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teamcaffeine/

http://groups.google.com/group/pitt-roadies

http://groups.google.com/group/cmu-roadies

Last but not least

RIDE TONIGHT @ CTR 615 sharp.

Yay! One more ride! Joe and I are going to go do something similar to the Wednesday CTR ride tonight (July 30). Fast, some reasonable hills, inside the city, probably a paceline or two. Feel free to join us. Drop yourself, maybe cue?

Funny bonus which you might have already seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvFokICvrfQ&feature=player_embedded

Fridays are busy. All of the following are at the dinosaur:

Last Fridays, 6p: Critical Mass.

First Fridays, midnight: Midnight mass. Fast and hills.

2nd Last Fridays, 6p: Flock of Cycles. Slow and easy, good for learning group riding.

2nd Fridays, late but a bit earlier maybe 10p: Flock All Night.

Many/most of these have Facebook pages.

Bumping this up the thread....

Is there going to be a "Midnight Mass" ride this week?

Nick said at the last Flock Party that it was the last regular Flock ride for the year, so I don't think there's a Midnight Flock this week. There's a strong possibility I'm wrong though, I'm wrong often enough.