BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I'm already registered with U.S. Steel, since I work for them. Last year we had about a dozen people riding.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/joe.frambach

I didn't go the last couple for some reason...gotta do it this year. I see there are lots of options for the overnight stay, are people planning on camping or getting rooms?

we usually camped. camping was awesome because you still dont have to carry all your stuff on the ride... they bring it all for you.

Am I misunderstanding, or are we talking about setting up a bike-pgh team for this?

Tentatively I'm in. I'll go with the campers, too. Keep me in the loop!

Camping, every year, no question. I usually squeeze in a bivy sack so I can wake up and have breakfast in my gullet in 5 minutes.

either setting up a bike pgh team or going with an established team if thick bikes does it again.

personally i think we should totally have a bike pgh team but i dont want to divide up the group.

Keep me posted, my father has ms and I really need to do this.

Thick has their team set up:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=13002&team_id=178442

I'd recommend joining this one if you're on the fence about teams.

Uh...so what's thick bikes?

It's the LBS in the South Side, near 15th/Carson. Quality shop.

Thick I know what is. But what is LBS?

This is going to sound pretty weak, but, I have avoided these kind of fund raiser rides because I despise hitting people up for money. Don't you have to raise money to ride these things? How does that work?

LBS is a TLA. Local Bike Shop.

The MS150 "requires" a $250 minimum donation, plus $40 or so to sign up. If you join a larger team, you might get more help from other members to reach the goal.

youd be shocked at how easy it is to raise the $250. You just put the word out to a few folks and your family and it's done.

i'll be riding on the thick team again. am i reading the registration info right - if we need to get carted back to pgh to our cars on sunday the registration fee is 50 bucks?

errr 55 bucks that is...

what?? really? that's f'd I think we should email the woman that keeps sending us emails to join about how that is prohibitive

Also if you want to register since Thick is already on I would say just register with Thick Bikes! they are awesome.

huh. it seems like there are all these options, like you can ride and not stay at the university, but get back to cranberry with your bike, ride and not stay and not get back to cranberry, ride and camp and get back to cranberry, etc.

what did you guys do last year? was it like this? usually its either 1) camp 2)stay in dorm with stay in dorm costing more

Is thick bikes welcoming to random folks they don't know? And folks who can definitely do the trip, but probably not competitively?

In the past, transportation back to your starting location was always part of the deal. This is just weird.

Has anyone talked to Erok or Scott about a BikePGH Team? I would be into a sweet Bike PGH jersey...

@ alinilam: I'm sure the Thick team would be happy to have you, and just about anyone else. The ride is not competetive at all. Once you find your pace you'll gravitate towards others (Thick team or otherwise) with a similar pace and before you know it you've covered 75-80 miles. Plus the camping is a great time and a chance to meet alot of other local bikey folks. I'll be there and I encourage anyone who has never done it to give it a try. It's easier than you think.

John, did you ride with Thick last year?

sure did Nick. good times, good times...

I didn't ride on the Thick team, but I sure jumped in their congo line for a dozen miles or so.

I'll be riding thick again this year, I registered for the 2010 ride back at the reception in august. This transport thing you're all talking about is news to me, though.

alnilam: Thick takes anyone, and the MS150 is strictly non-competitive. You'll get taken off the road if they catch you racing.

I can race so secretly no-one even knows. Ninja racing.

join thick! we love company and we have riders of pretty much every ability level, from people doing the century option on day one fixed to people that barely beat the sag wagon in (and for them finishing the ride alone is a huge accomplishment and we are all always REALLY proud of them). even if you dont join our team, DO THE RIDE!!! and stop by our tent to hang out at the overnight, we always have tons of food and drinks.

btw im going to be designing another monster jersey for thick this year.

I'm already on a team, but the Thick jerseys last year were pretty decent. I might be in for one this year. I'll just pretend to be on the team.

i've been on thick bikes or whatever team chris from thick has called itself for the past 3 years. it's always fun. and i read that they aren't going to have a bunch of climbing to start out with so that should be encouraging to people who are worried that they can't do it. i have gotten one of my friends to start working out at his gym so that he can get in shape to do this ride in june.

those hills in the beginning last year! good morning legs!

join thick!

it would be cool to have a bike pgh team at some point with sweet bike pgh jerseys, but thick has all that covered, and is awesome, and is welcoming, and you probably already know Chris in some way

(did you drink any pbr at the bikefest party? did you see others with 'wizard sticks'?). Two years ago we combined the Thick Bikes-D.O.R.C-Bike Pgh teams for the ride so we could unite ourselves. Last year Thick Bikes had sweet jerseys that made me sadder I didn't ride.

Also the ride is NOT COMPETITIVE at all. It's fun! All paces and skill levels are welcome. But get a pair of riding shorts if you don't have them . Your butt will thank you.

I spoke to chris yesterday and decided to join the Thick team. Just have to register and hit people up for pledges now.

Speaking of Thick-DORC, you should Chris to see the special, limited edition Thick-DORC Pirtae Bike spokecards.

Hint: NSFW

special, limited edition Thick-DORC Pirtae Bike spokecards

It has something to do with the administrative districts of the capitol of Estonia?

Maybe I'll drop by the actual Thick shop to say hi. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna end up doing this ride. I know I can, I'm just glad to hear it's not competitive.

Road bikes okay?

road bikes are the way to go. touring style would be the most comfy (too bad all i have is a ss/fixie now, time to get back in shape!) but any road bike will do. if you have a mountain bike, do yourself a favor and get some skinny, slick tires for it.

Everyone should ride it on a MTB with big fat knobbies at least once.

preferably a full suspension mongoose with soft tires and a granny saddle...

There's also the dude who finished on a unicycle last year.

There's also the dude who finished on a unicycle last year.

Buck, on this board, I believe.

dont forget the rusty chain. i hear that is the true experience.

also, let's not forget this guy:

and make sure to work at least 27 hrs. in the 48 hrs. previous to the ride like I did last year. it's truly a transcendent experience...

So you guys want to stay up all night in Edinboro? I'll bring a bucket of coffee grounds.

After careful consideration, and mostly establishing I might in fact be crazy, I think I would like to do this ride. The MS website though seems a little sparse on details, and I get nervous about trying out new things without knowing what to expect.

There's a route from somewhere near-ish Pittsburgh, and then it goes up to Erie. There are rest stops, and police directing traffic so we don't get run over.

But I hear something about teams, and something about camping, and I just don't actually know how this event would look for the participants. Can someone who's done it before give me a play by play?

Wake up. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Eat. Eat. Sleep. Wake up. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Ride 15 miles. Eat. Eat. Eat.

This MS ride sounds delicious. If I want to do this, then I have to practice eating without napping afterwards. The biking seems secondary.

@nochasingiguanas - it's been a while since I've done it so some details may have changed. I remember being pretty nervous my first time (it didn't help that the friends who were going to ride with me bailed), but it's really very low key and a lot of fun. I remember having random conversations with people along the way - with 1500 riders there's going to be people going at your pace regardless of what that is.

I haven't ridden on a team before but I think it's just a social/fundraising thing - as others have said it is definitely not a race.

The starting line is in Moraine which is ~40mi north of the city. Basically you just show up in the morning and start riding, it's like joe said. There are rest stops every 15 miles or so with food/drink and restrooms. There is traffic on the roads, but most of the intersections are blocked off (it used to be a motorcycle club that did this, not the cops, not sure if that's still the case).

You ride about half the distance each day, and stay overnight at Edinboro, you can either pay for a dorm room or camp. I've always gotten a room, but if you will camp they will transport your gear. At the end, you jump into Lake Erie, get something to eat, and catch a bus back to the starting line.

Do it! It's fun!

How do we get to Moraine? Can you...bike there easily?

We would love to sponsor this team this year. I'll get a designer on making some T-shirts for it. Sorry we can't afford jerseys.

How do we get to Moraine? Can you...bike there easily?

we usually set up a carpooling caravan from Thick for everyone that can't or doesn't want to drive out to the starting point. Since the Thick van is also a sag wagon, it works out pretty well and there is always transport back to the shop after you get dropped back off at the starting point at the end of the ride.

Since the start is at Moraine, there's camping up around there, seems like some ambitious souls could could ride up from town on Friday and amp it up into a 3 day thing. eh?

I was thinking that too. Do you want to? I'm in.

Since the start is at Moraine, there's camping up around there, seems like some ambitious souls could could ride up from town on Friday and amp it up into a 3 day thing. eh?

That strikes me as a good idea.

Would anyone be into hanging out in Erie and then biking back? That could come close to making it a week-long trip.

The idea of taking a "bike trip" where you go as far in motor vehicles as you ride sticks in my throat something awful. It's beyond the rational objections with me, I think.

Mick

The idea of taking a "bike trip" where you go as far in motor vehicles as you ride sticks in my throat something awful. It's beyond the rational objections with me, I think.

I think it's worth it, based on my own anecdotal evidence. The MS150 was what introduced me to cycling a few years ago, and now the bike is my primary mode of transportation. A few wasted gallons of gas back then is now saving me quite a bit.

I'm sort of with you Mick, I like to ride out my door whenever possible, and I'm sure not going to defend petroleum. But if one person, who only rides the MS once a year, sees people on bikes on the road commuting, and gives them a little more leeway on the road because now they can relate, that's a fair trade for some oil.

Anyone interested in making it a round trip? Im looking inot renting a cabin on the lake for a couple days, then biking back. There will be a least sleeping bag space for anyone interested.

I didn't mean to get judgmental about the event. I know it does a lot for biking - and for MS, too.

Mick

I can't afford the time away from work, so I'm out.

I've committed to doing this with the ex-dcsg, now "champions" team again this year.

Ditto the comments about it being on-competitive, except for the idiot in the pickup truck who just HAD to honk at me and then pass on the double solid during the long, slow, stop-and-go single-file 3mph slog through Moraine SP. Apparently, the three empty car lengths in front of me offended him. Then he pissed off the parking lot guy by not parking in the right place, and so he didn't actually beat me to the registration desk after all.

Just proves that being a cyclist is no sure guarantee against being an ass.

I do like the idea of staying over and biking back, though I can't commit to that yet.

A few questions for past MS150 riders. Does the group ride together or get strung out over the course? What's the average speed? What percentage of riders choose 100&50 vs. 75&75? Are you obligated to stop at all the rest stops or can you skip one (or more) if you're not feeling like stopping at that moment? Thanks!

it gets pretty strung out overall but there is always a group nearby to ride with. the ride is just too big for either of these conditions to not occur.

i'd say average spped is anywhere between 10 and 25 mph on day one and 15-30 on day two (day two is a much easier ride).

there is no 100/50 option or 75/75 option. day one is either about 80 miles or 100 miles if you choose the century and day two is always 70 miles no matter what. the century option is an extra 20 mile loop tacked on to the end of day one's course, everyone winds up at the same overnight spot.

you can skip every single rest stop or stop for an hour at every single one, its up to you. i'd recommend a happy medium between the two.

The first rest stop is very shortly after the start, around mile 12 or 15. I think it's for people who realized they forgot something like air or water.

I recommend skipping the first stop since it's always PACKED and not really worth the hassle.

Heres hoping I don't mess up my knee 60 miles into day 1 and have to pedal with one leg again.

Don't think I'm riding with clips this year.

I've been broke to register, but donation checks are in a drawer... did I read correctly that registration ends April 5th? (or what's the deadline?)

Just want to know if I should rush to the bank and what have you in the AM to take care of it all. Really looking forward to this, as well as Tour De Cure.

There's a discount for registering before 5/1.