BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I second everything you said. Even road hazards were really well marked. We got done with the metric century around 11:45 and it was pretty dead. I am pretty sure it was because of the rain. I had a great time. Well done. I guess I liked how the route kept looping close to or through downtown/south side, now that I think of it. That gave people an easy way out.

I enjoyed the route and I thought all the volunteers were great. I found the routes well marked and did not even need my queue sheet.

I was a little disappointed with many novice cyclists who took the left lane on two lane roads when it was not necessary. I also saw one person going side to side and had headphones on, this could have potentially been dangerous. I think this would be a great way to educate new cyclist and maybe include some bike safety and rules of the road in the entry packet.

Overall though great experience and I hope this gives a positive view of cyclists in Pittsburgh.

I am very happy with the sighs and the road markings. In fact I have no complaints. I had a blast.

Thanks Bike Pittsburgh.

One thing I liked about the CDCP ride was the attempt to educate about architecture. Also like learning about Pittsburgh in Tag-o-Rama. Some attempt to point out interesting things on next years ride would be nice.

i loved every soaking moment of it. i was drenched all the way back to my ancestors by the time we got downtown, but when it's 80° out, that isn't much of a problem (unless you wear glasses, like i do).

we did the 30ish mile option, and it was great. i forgot how much fun mount troy road is, though my one friend didn't really think so, ha.

the route marking was superb. the only thing i had trouble finding was the registration tent. i also really liked those bike ride signs, and the "four feet please" ones too.

Always enjoy pedal pgh -- in fact bike fest is my favorite time of year in pgh!

I did see lots of cyclists doing some crazy stuff. Not wearing helmets, headphones, passing right, running lights/stop signs (not slowing and going when it was clear, but just going through full speed). Saw a pack almost t-boned at 7th st and Ft Duq Blvd. Maybe some saftey info on the back of the pre-printed bib numbers next year might help to educate riders?

Also a lot of people missed the Highland Park rest stop. Better signage would probably do the trick.

Thank you bike pgh. It's so great to have an organization in place that works to make the city a better place to ride for all of us.

Oh, and peaches. mmmmmmmm

There was a rest stop in Highland Park?

mrs. marvelous and myself won a $20 gift card from Trek at the Highland Park rest stop.

he probably drove by too fast?

Hahaha your gonna get me yelled at again.

This was awesome! I did the city tour and had a blast getting soaked.

@bryboy: I think the rain most definitely scared people away from sticking around at the finish line festival. Also, I heard that the scheduled BMX show could not happen because of the rain. Had it been a sunny day, I think the festival would have been awesomely crowded with riders, more walk-in riders from the morning (especially families & kiddos) and random passerby/people who didn't do the ride but wanted to take part in the festivities.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for sunshine next year!

Yeah that was the point where there were two signs pointing in opposite directions. They did say in sharpie to do a loop around highland park for the rest stop.

For peeps who didn't see the Highland Park rest stop: did you go all the way around the park circle before heading down the hill to the right? If you turned right before rounding the entire circle like you were supposed to, you would have missed it.

The stop was marked with gigantic flags as well.

I was there around 10a and several vendors said traffic had been low and they weren't sure how long they were going to stick around.

while i missed it too, apparently, th Highland Park stop was on the loop of the metric century, so those of us on the 25 completed bypassed it.

onr minute im crankning towards thge zoo, 20 min later im looking @ sq. hill & wondering how i missed the stop.

lack of communicatin ftl.

i blame OTB fot typos. they kept serving me

I missed two rest stops apparently. Schenley Park and Bike Heaven. Whoops!

I loved the Ukrainian flags everywhere! (JK).

I had a fabulous day. I just have unbelievable thoughts and experiences from the day. Did the 63. Loved riding in the rain, I don't know that I would have finished the South Hills bit on a normal August day.

Helped a bunch of people with little issues, flats, chain drops, junk like that. Nice people.

Favorite - I was stopped at the light at the end of Friendship park as a few people streamed through the light. An older guy in a little Honda Civic very nicely asked me out the window "are they really allowed to go through lights like that?" So me being in a great mood, and honest, said "not really. But we have a lot of new people and they'll eventually get it". He gave me a thumbs up and said "have a good day!" So he nicely followed the bikes, two blocks later, hung a left, and a police car flipped on it's lights. He had ever so slightly rolled the stop. Thinking for a fraction of a second, I turned around and went up the side street. Rolled up beside the po car and told the officer, who looked like a recent HS graduate, "sir, I don't know what he did, but he was going really easy on the bikes, so...you know?" Cop said "I think you just saved his day". Said later to the guy and got back on the route.

Also awesome job BikePgh! and all the volunteers!

This was my first Pedal PGH and I really enjoyed it. +1 on the peaches!! very yummy. I cant thing of anything I would complain about. The rain was a bit of downer especially afterward when i stopped at primantis for a sandwich and left frozen from the AC.

all joking aside I loved the route and was able to make it thru the 30ish mile ride without a hitch. Even going up liberty (I still don't like hills) was made doable by all the people I had around me.

Im trying to think of something that they could of done to make it better. but my only complaints were things that were out of their hands. (weather)

I can't wait until the next one.

One of the things I just remembered was riding thru friendship when a lady yelled out to us. "BE CAREFUL!! PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE AROUND HERE!!!!"

That is an awesome cop story!

I helped someone too . I saw a lady on the bridge using her foot to stop as I was passing. Turned out her breaks were bad. I adjusted them for her and advised her to get new break pads at the end of the ride. I have no idea how they got like this, but they weren't even close to touching the wheel rims. Of course, she was very appreciative. I'm just glad she didn't get hurt, or wasn't going down a hill.

+100: seemed that there were more feed / water stops, nice mostly low traffic route (the 63 mile option had about 5000 ft climb w/some leg burn in Mt. Washington), pre-registration bib pick up definitely helped w/congestion at the start, hazard markings in paint, good route signage (also liked the Caution: Bike Ride & 4 ft please signs), the cones on Liberty between 28th and 34th.

-1: Brownsville Rd, Metropolitan St flat carnage zone (I saw about 4 others pinch flat while my kid fixed his), no food at the finish unless you were VIP. I know the food at the end would be a huge expense but would gladly pay cash to vendors for that option & didn't see anything obvious.

A+ for the transition of the ride to its new keepers

I believe there was supposed to be food vendors.when i was there at 11 im pretty sure i saw some some. I didnt stick around cause of the rain. Im thinking vendors did the same

A lot of people got flats.

Ok so was there really 5000+ feet of climbing? My knees say so.

If there had been food at the finish festival I would not have have a delightful conversation at OTB with a woman from D.C. who had come up by herself for Pedal Pgh.

I behaved. Grumble grumble.

First off, kudos to BikePgh for complete and awesome ownership of the event. Great century route. Two flats myself, but spirits not dampened.

A big thanks to those who planned, volunteered, and to those who pedaled. It was a little disappointing that so few people hung around afterward, but with the weather as wet as it was it’s understandable that people would want to go home.

My favorite line today was when we stopped at the red light before Turning onto liberty. there was a nice cop directing traffic. When we passed her she stated "I didn't think cyclist stopped at red lights."

The guys at the hipster store don’t tell you fixies don’t stop. So I will. Fixies don’t stop. Stop sign? Fixie don’t care. Car coming turning in front of you at a three-way stop? Fixie laugh. Want Chipotle? Nope. Fixie want protein powder/beet/purple carrot/bee pollen juice and won’t stop till he gets it. Fixie has a mind of his own.

stefb, is it possible to actually stop when one's jeans are that tight, one's flannel is that "vintage", and ones glasses are that hornrimmed?

or does one simply expect the universe to simple cease revolving and yeild to avoid spilling oue's PBR can?

had a great time today.

my partner emma was really pushing to do the metric century, so we did it. started right at 7am. rain started right as we were going thru downtown on our way to troy hill. the rain didn't let up until we were on the hazelwood trail. pretty sure it was sleeting at a couple points along the way.

i've never done a pedal pgh before so i don't have anything to compare it too, but overall thought the signage, the break stations, and general organization was great.

got hiccups in mt washington. made the rest of the ride a little bit annoying, but didn't stop me.

talked with scott when we rolled into the southside works. sounds like after the rains came and kept up a lot of the food vendors and other stuff for the party called it a day early.

peaches were great.

got to meet Pearmask.

There were WAY too many people running stop signs and red light without even looking. I called one guy out and his response was "I READ THE PAPER EVERY MORNING I KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE". I called out another guy and his response was "I GOTTA GET MY WORKOUT IN".

Fuck. I'm pissed off again.

Fixie don't care FTW.

You guys are all just too slow. Finish line was jamming until about 9:45 (when the rain hit). If you'd have gotten there earlier...

One thing that would help - the parking garage at Sidney and 26th had an exit that opened onto the course. it wasn't entirely clear inside the garage how to exit from part of it (in a car) without entering the course. Ahem. I'm likely the only loser who failed at that, ironic b/c I had just spent 4 hours helping direct traffic away from the closed streets. sigh.

The energy was awesome. I'm really looking forward to next year (and actually getting to ride!)

Well, this day didn't quite go the way I expected. I was all set to do the 63 mi, even left the parking lot at 6:30am (didn't see anyone I could recognize).

Somehow I ended up on what seemed to be the 25 mi ride; I think it had to do with following the crowd after crossing the Smithfield Bridge (who went straight). Or maybe the routes were stacked. Whatever; should have read the sheet more carefully. Anyway, I had been really looking forward to the bit north of downtown.

Like joeframbach I ended up getting annoyed at my fellow riders. These people simply bombed through red lights and stop signs, blowing past (silly) me who had stopped. I didn't get it. Was this some horde of weekend roadies who had descended from the suburbs? Then at some point I began to reflect on how much the route felt like a typical commute... Eventually it passed within a block of my house. Home!

5000 ft climb more or less. I had to use the "elevation correction" setting on garmin connect to adjust the -1% grade readings I was getting on climbs from the device on stuff like 18th St & Beltzhoover. Barometric altimeter not so good in a many hours long downpour, but one would think gps would override. My family had 3 planetbike superflashes on the ride today and every one keeps turning on & off with a mind of their own not to mention the malfunctions during the ride. Not waterproof.

I can't complain much about the riders that I crossed paths with - most groups that I encountered stopped at signs & reds & waited for the light cycle to pause between reds before clicking back in. Most drivers were also ok with an exception here & there. There was an abundance of old and young douchebaggers gunning out of side streets onto lower Carson in front of people, so if you ride there often be wary.

It was funny that when we stopped at lights and stop signs, we caught right back up to and passed those who didn't stop. We did blow some stop signs when there was no sign of vehicular traffic, I do admit.

@pbeaver- no idea!

@ quizbot mrs. marvelous had the same problem with her super flash, not waterproof.

This was awesome! Never done it before -- now I want to do it every year.

The only sketchy part of the metric century was the Glenwood Bridge -- the only part where cars passed at ridiculous speeds. Someone suggested blocking off a lane, but I'm not sure that would be possible there.

It was kind of lonely toward the end, probably due to my rather late start... my sleepy brain re-did the math this morning and convinced me I could start later and still be back in time for lunch.

@steeld55- on my way to the ride today, I saw a cop at the intersection of liberty and grant just go through two red lights without any lights and without any urgency. Just didn't feel like sitting at red lights.

As someone who hasn't lived in here very long. Pittsburgh seems to have an unusually high number of stop signs. Almost every intersection in Sq Hill.

The ones with white trim are optional

Very well executed, Bike PGH! I liked the 25-mile route a lot. Well scouted and well marked. We hadn't ridden in Pedal Pittsburgh in a number of years, so I can't remember the old routes.

I, too, was quite annoyed with the people who ignored the red lights. After a while, when one would roll through and call out "Clear" to fellow riders, I started calling out "Red!"

I wonder if many of those people are not regular city riders. To them it was perhaps a route and a workout. I kept thinking, "Tomorrow morning a cyclist is going to commute through this intersection, and you just gave the haters another reason to hate."

I was kind of disappointed at the Bicycle Heaven stop. Granola had not been cupped, tent had not been setup, no separate trash / compost (or even a bag in the garbage can), no indication on where to get free water (I used the hose that had to be turned on with a wrench). It was kind of a bummer when all the other stops seemed so well prepared.

I especially like that the highland park stop had cut the oranges up in to quarters.

I started out at 6:30 to do the Metric Century, but was so wet and miserable by mile 40 (downtown, on the way back from the North Shore) that I went straight to the finish and called it a day.

I thought the route was very well designed and marked.

I like the change in the route from previous years.

I too was disappointed in the Bicycle Heaven stop. The free water was in buckets, sitting in the middle of the parking lot. Having to submerge a water bottle in an open bucket to fill it was enough of a turn off to make me purchase water inside.

Great job Bike Pittsburgh! As Arnold would say, "I'll be back."

I like that they incorporated the new hazelwood trail, I didn't like how slushy it was due to the rain.

Had I not been blindly following the arrows, I probably would have skipped this and rode 2nd ave and saved myself a lot of work cleaning crud off my fancy road bike.

It really wouldn't have been an issue had the weather been nice.

My wife and I turned around after looking at the radar and seeing no end in sight and the possibility of hail. We had lunch outside at Double Wide Grill then went to the finish line to have a couple beers and check out the vendors but we started shivering so we left.

Carson St looked like a dead zone. It would be great to incorporate the neighborhood and turn Carson St into a block party for everyone and not just those of us with bikes. I understand it's PEDAL Pittsburgh, but something like that would go a long way to mend the animosity people seem to have towards "cyclists."

Wow. Right now it's 9am on Monday and it's 71 degrees. Today will be mostly sunny in the low 80s, light and variable winds.

Grrrrrrr!

I'm in the minority here, but I enjoyed the rain.

Of course, I also knew it was raining so I headed out in rain gear.

Another scene that sticks strongly in my mind (warning - people under 40 or so may find this completely unremarkable and that's a good thing): I rolled into the Bicycle Heaven stop after a particularly deluge-y section, riders were getting few and far between. Among those there were 3 women in their late 40's/early 50's. They were in good shape, in lycra, but more of the generic fitness variety than cycling specific, bare shouldered T-backs, no rain jackets, unperturbed. Right in the age range that they may have had husbands or kids somewhere but not there and not then, just them. I took just a quick stop for a breather. Heard a guy ask the women if they were going on to the Mt. Washington bit and one replied "yeah (intonation that you can't hear on the internet being "uh, why would we not?"). I headed out at the same time they did. They were all strong, but one seemed seriously experienced, rolled out into the rain without the faintest wobble, clipped in her Sidi's and accelerated out with slow smooth strokes. Racer form. These three cruised out down Beaver Ave in formation like 3 cruising Orca's. Strong.

My unscientific perception is that the M/F split of riders who stuck out the weather and rode is wonderfully heavy on the F.

I didn't (much) mind the rain, but I sincerely regretted not fitting the fenders back on the bike the day before. (And my brakes decided to start issuing mere suggestions to slow, rather than commands, whilst descending Glass Run. That was a little unnerving.)

With ya Dan. I've never ridden down Glass Run, only driven. That was interesting. Oddly the worse problem I had was trying to stop at the light at the bottom. Almost sailed right thru.

definitely didn't mind the rain. preferred being drenched in rain rather than sweat. was grateful that i had put fenders on, meaning i was mostly drenched in clean rain from the sky and not from the road. also escaped relatively clean from the hazelwood trail.

My 40 y.o. Universal sidepull brakes with generic Dick's brake pads on alum rims worked fine all day. Although they did lock up the back wheel on a couple of pavement surfaces. Still failing to see how disks with even greater ability to exceed the grip of the tire on the road would be preferable. I did limit it to about 30 mph on Glass Run though.

Fenders are the shiznit. Many people still riding were admiring mine.

(edit - now that I think of it though, my dear old Rocinante deserves a full head to toe tear down, cleaning, and re-grease after Sunday.)

I was (and still am) baffled as to why my braking went to poop on Glass Run and subsequently. Same combo as I've used for years: aluminum rims, Avid levers, V-brakes shod with Koolstop salmon pads and adjusted for a bit of toe-in.

I had replaced the front pads a few days prior, but the problem was equally bad with the untouched rear brake as well.

I wonder if the rims became somehow contaminated with something mildly oily, as the levers weren't bottoming out...the wheels just kept turning (a lot) faster than they should.

Count me as another seriously disappointed in riders blowing through stops and lights yesterday, both for their own safety and the inevitable blowback, which is already starting on the comments to the PG's new editorial today http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/danger-ahead-something-must-be-done-to-stop-bike-fatalities-647790/

As for the ride itself, I had a fantastic time--drenched in rain instead of sweat was fabulous--up until about Schenley Plaza, by which point I was so wet and cold I just wanted to go home. Had thought about doing the Troy/Observatory Hills loop if not Mount Washington, but between the cold and the noises my brakes were making (and the deceleration they weren't making), I decided against it. Maybe next weekend.

Fixie recumbent.

Oh, another exciting thing I saw: a lady on an... elliptical tricycle? I don't know what to call it, I think it had three wheels, but it had lever handles and big flat pedals and no seat. She seemed to be moving just slightly more forward than side to side, I don't know how she'd manage in traffic, but the movement reminded me of a bird or a fish playing on the wind. Really neat to see.

stefb - I didn't think hipsters had enough facial hair to ride reclined?

Saw a guy on a standing bicycle something like an elliptical trainer for cross-country skiing. Maybe that's the same thing you saw, but I only noticed two wheels. I saw the same thing on the GAP. I'm sure there are arguments for why it's a good idea, but to me it seems to combine high wind resistance with standing.

Edit: @reddan (below) Elliptigo sounds right. Seems like a really stupid idea.

@stef: Not for me, thanks, at least not for riding up Mt Washington. I like my knees just the way they are.

@ejwme: Was it a Trikke? I've seen a couple of those around town, as well as a couple of the Elliptigo thingies.

it looked more like the streetstrider

They sell those in Skymall! (I love Skymall.)

File under: products that elicit amusement at the bike industry trade show. You guys have answered the question, "Who buys those things?" (Unless the riders were some of the same eternally perky PR people we see at said trade show, hired to ride in PP...)

The event was nicely done; everyone involved should be proud of the accomplishment. I can't imagine what it took to accomplish the car-free section; hopefully it was easier than what I'd guess.

As for the stand-up elliptical contraptions, not even Steve McQueen or Evel Knievel could make one of those things cool.

I think the one I saw was a street strider, I don't doubt others were out as well.

I don't care if it was PR, or if it's practical. She (the rider) was having a blast (the grin I saw couldn't be bought), and I think it looked really neat to see.

Sometimes humans do things for the beauty and entertainment of it - we've got enough spare time as a species that almost anything is possible.

on a completely unrelated note: I think it would be AWESOME to turn Carson into a giant block party, with the biking down the middle, but how would pedestrians cross the street safely? It could be awkward, but I guess if the go-fast-roadie types left earlier (people aren't going to a block party at 7AM), and the remainder could be persuaded to pay attention, it might be doable. I love the idea

I don't care if it was PR, or if it's practical. She (the rider) was having a blast (the grin I saw couldn't be bought), and I think it looked really neat to see.

Well then it's a good thing!

I guess that's one way for people to do bike-type things if they just can't stand any bike saddle.

How long are they allowed to leave up the signs marking the rout from Sunday’s ride? I love the multiple signs at the intersection of Virginia and Wyoming on Mt. Washington. I ride up Wyoming at least 7 times a week and without failing someone will yell something nasty at me. But since they went up last week not one comment!

My favorite what-the-heck-is-that moment: What I'm pretty sure was a tandem recumbent that I passed somewhere along the way (Squirrel Hill, maybe?). Not that it was that weird--especially compared to a mobile elliptical!--but I'd certainly never seen it before.

Bill Boyle works for the Allegheny County Health Department. Wonder what they would think about his comments.

I stopped riding Pedal Pittsburgh a few years ago, frustrated at riding in a large group of idiot riders blowing through red lights, now knowing to hold their line, etc. I tried to educate as much as possible, but then just figured I would prefer not to ride than to spend 25 miles doing that.

I thought that this year's rolling start would help that situation, and maybe it did. But, the downside was, the start/finish line was a "non-event."

I volunteered in the morning and left about noon. Where there could have been a lot of celebrating and having fun mingling, there were small clumps of cyclists (not minding the rain for the most part), but little energy. That was too bad.

Maybe there was too much of a roll to the start? I'd like to see people starting off and returning to the start/finish in groups of 20 and 25, not 2 and 5.

Just my impression, based on what I saw over 3-4 hours at the start/finish line.

@brybot it was nice talking to you @ the Troy Hill rest stop, hope you had a nice climb.

will there be a surveymonkey post ride survey?

enjoyed the ride, did the metric but I blew off the last leg coming off of Hot Metal that directed me to go left on Water St. part of my normal loop and I already had 66 or so down. didn't get cold until I stopped @ the festival.

Re; cyclist behavior, I ride how I ride, follow the law (mostly), I don't worry myself about other's behavior. Also I am not a cop, for any number of reasons. More cyclists have been killed riding "safely" and "legally" than by riding recklessly and illegally, so, on paper, that would seem to be the better approach (this is not really my belief but just tossing a hand grenade).

re; the finish line festival, I was strongly in favor of such a thing. I would love to finish my ride and hang around socializing after. As I was climbing up through Carrick I was thinking "there'd better be a beer left for me". There was not Thank goodness for OTB.

The weather certainly didn't help.

"Energy" is an extremely difficult thing to conjure intentionally. Although many times beer seems to be involved, refer to the turnout at "Keg rides". Crazy.

Vendors come to events like this hoping for some return, because it is an investment of time and money for them. If there are simply too few people to make it worthwhile for them, they have no reason to stay.

Maybe it's just too difficult to get recreational cyclists to change the notion of the ride as the event - to - the event is the event. i.e., I finish the ride, I am done, I go. Sport cyclists are not looking for a party with a ride attached. Or as someone else overheard, "I gotta get my workaht in!". I have no good answer at this time.

I think the weather dampened the party (ha). I rushed home rather than socializing because my friend showed me the radar and it looked like impending t-storms rather than just steady rain and I had ridden to the ride start.

It's sad to see most of the effort that Bike Pgh put into getting Birmingham Bridge and a section of Carson St blocked to cars get washed away by the rain (I assume it scared away thousands of novice riders).

What went well: publicity of the event, easy registration procedure. The food at the rest stops had minimal or no packaging, and was healthy. Good peaches! The signs and cue sheets were mostly good.

What didn't go well: my son missed the Highland Park rest stop, which was signed very poorly: you need a sign in advance of a fork that says "FORK AHEAD". And then at the fork maybe "1ST TIME: GO LEFT, REST STOP" and also "2ND TIME: GO RIGHT". There was writing on one of the signs at the fork, but not very legible - I don't think it mentioned a rest stop. My son got all the way to Northumberland before he realized that something had gone wrong, and biked back 5 miles or so join us after we left the rest stop! The cue sheet misleadingly spoke of the loop AFTER mention of the rest stop!

Bike Pgh should print up and hand out MAPS of the route in addition to the cue sheets.

Rest stop at Penn Brewery was easy to miss.

The flagman at Mairdale and Wood Run Rd in Riverview Park didn't do much: just stood there under his umbrella. More helpful would have been to gesture & yell to us whether to go through the intersection ("CLEAR!") or stop ("STOP!").

The old rest stop in Riverview Park (in past years) was a good location - people enjoy resting at the top of a hill.

Bicycle Heaven did not have a good water supply system: people were dipping water bottles in a big communal tub of water to fill their water bottles - not very sanitary; reminiscent of the third world. Or we could have waited in the long line for the restroom, I guess. Entrance to Bicycle Heaven was not well marked (marked only by flags).

Bicycle Heaven (or near there) is where I got a flat tire. In the shop at Bicycle Heaven, the people were friendly, but their shop seemed ill-prepared - it took the person there minutes to find tire irons and a pump.

To reduce flat tires during Pedal Pittsburgh, would it be possible to get a street sweeper to drive the ENTIRE route, including rest stops, the day before the ride?

I heard a rider on the route complaining about feeling unsafe on Carson St.

The food at the end was a joke: more rest stop food: peaches, oranges, and water, and it was a huge letdown for those of us who have done Pedal Pittsburgh before and had been anticipating a good meal at the end at the end of the ride. The wrong time to learn only that the tent and the only good "free" food was for VIPs! Dismantling of the tables was premature (was done just as the rain was stopping!) and made those arriving afterward feel unwelcome. Something that would have helped keep people from leaving the "Festival" when the rain came is a tent (or a parking garage with a roof).

In some future year, when the Hazelwood Trail is extended to connect with the Duck Hollow Trail, it would be great to see Pedal Pittsburgh bike up Nine Mile Run and Frick Park's Tranquil Trail!

Note: more comments about Pedal Pittsburgh by others here, also: http://www.showclix.com/event/232747

In my case the rain killed any chance of riding only because I didn't think it would be a good idea to have my 20 month old in the rain. If it was just me and not my wife and kid, I would have been out. I'm sure others probably had the same issue.

I stopped after I finished around noon. The place was dead. I saw 3 food vendors (plenty of free snacks still). Many shops and vendors offering/advertising test rides. Very sparse crowd. Part of the problem was that after I stopped and cooled down, I became chilly and cold. Not fun, so I left. I imagine many people felt the same way.

One of the comments from Showclix,

The city is making enough money on people registering for the ride. I think next year if there is no food then you are not going to get a turn out like you did this year and all the other ones as well.

Oof. Wonder where they got the idea that the city runs this.

Seems most of the complaints are due to the weather and that the rest stops sucked. Can't do anything about the weather but rest stops have to be good. The last time I did this ride the rest stops sucked as well. Seems like an easy thing to learn from.

So aside from my other wacky stories, practical matters:

Some of the comments on the event page were kind of odd, but maybe telling; One person was under the perception that the City paid for the event? So maybe the key is that next time it be stressed that the event is a fund-RAISER for BikePgh, not a service in and of itself. Distinction.

Turns out people will do crazy things for a t-shirt. I get how daffy that is and I totally get the logic behind not doing t-shirts, but maybe in the future just do friggin t-shirts. People are illogical.

Food at the finish; - it seems like it would be a huge additional amount of work to add that to the event, especially with volunteers only, keep it hot or cold and safe to eat. I didn't particularly miss it. But it would be nice to have somebody like OTB and other local vendors set up a grille and sell food and beer right there. People seem to be ok with paying for $10 hot sausage sandwiches at the Arts Fest and such.

Snack; the peaches were good. Granola, meh. I think maybe many "normal" people just expect something in a wrapper. Get Heinz or the Iggle to donate something in wrappers. Easy.

I thought the signage was great. Little glitch at Highland Park. Live and learn.

There was some comment about the route being different. ? I don't know how to address that. Some parts were the same as other years other parts were different. Uh, OK.

Other thoughts will undoubtedly continue to come forth.

Last year I worked the water station in Highland Park and we had rice crispy treats and some other junk-type snacks which we ran out of very quickly. But even before we ran out people were like, “is this all you have?” I’m not sure how you please everyone, but I prefer the fresh fruit.

Hey Bryan,

This is Phil, from yesterday. Enjoyed talking with you during the Metric Century ride and reading your thoughts on here.

I agree that the finish line festival was kind of a bummer. While I had VIP access since I volunteered, I don't think I would have been too happy if I had paid. By the time I got to the finish line yesterday around 2:05, almost all of the food was gone, and the masseurs seemed to have all bolted. I didn't see any of the non-VIP stuff either, such as the beer, BMX stunts, or photo booth.

As others have mentioned, though, the peaches were good. I also liked the granola at the Mt. Washington rest stop.

I really enjoyed the ride overall and most of the route. The rain was an added bonus at times, keeping the ride nice and cool.

Suggested improvements, besides the festival itself:

- better signage and more frequent reassurance markers throughout

- better routing toward the end than the Glenwood Bridge and all those highway ramps leading up to it (where someone could have easily gotten killed...I luckily just got honked at)

- better signage to the rest stops (there were 3 of them that I didn't even see)

- placement of a rest stop on top of Troy Hill rather than below it (where there was only 4 miles of separation between the Schenley Plaza rest stop)

They designed and produced Pedal Pittsburgh jerseys and shorts for sale, which was nice -- I disagree with offering "free" shirts to everyone who registers for the ride. Personally I have enough free shirts from various races; if I want quality apparel I'll pay for it.

@edmonds - The lack of food in wrappers was probably intentional... thus the presence from zero waste pittsburgh, the compost containers, compostable granola cups, fresh fruit.

Benzo Yeah I'm totally on board with that, just saying I'm not sure the concept is mainstreamed just yet. So if the goal is to get a larger percentage of the general population on bikes, concentrate on that, don't hit them with too many new concepts at once.

I'm not really quite sure how people missed the signage or what was so confusing about it. It all seemed pretty clear to me. I guess I wasn't riding with a group, so the only thing I was concentrating on was the ride. I had no problem finding any of the rest stops, and never veered off course. I didn't look at my cue sheet once... and yeah, you had a reference if you got lost. I'm sure bike-pgh had free maps available if you didn't know where you were going (at least at the start).

I missed a bunch of signs. I think they should be put up higher next year.

I really enjoyed the 63 mile ride and it being on a Sunday and being surrounded by a few thousand cyclist it felt fairly safe. I was wondering how safe would you guys feel doing this route solo. I am considering doing the route again alone and on a weekday, what do you think?

I did the northern loop by myself on Thursday afternoon to mark the hazzards - totally event free. Not one a-hat driver until I hit the South Hills. Go for it! it's a nice ride.

Parts of the ride were new to me parts were places i have only been once or twice but i was never off course found both food stations. I did 25 mile route

I did the majority of the ride solo anyway on Sunday thanks to my casual, I like to think, civilized, approach to departure times. No problems. On a weekday, use common sense, stay away from areas like Beaver Ave, the transition to Smithfield St bridge, and the Glenwood bridge, at rush hours.

This was my first group ride and I rode most of it alone on the traffic free trail route. When it started raining, I waited under a bridge for a bit, covered my saddle, and decided to keep on riding. By the time I was fully drenched and my shoes were sloshing, I figured I couldn't get any wetter and became determined to ride the whole route.

I had a great time riding through puddles and seeing all the happy cyclists riding in the rain. Riders yelled out compliments about my vintage bike and folks asked if I was okay when I stopped to take pics.

I also had a brake failure (salmon cool stops on steel rims) and was lucky to have fallen instead of ending up the river. A cyclist stopped to see if I was okay and helped check out my bike. I normally wrench my bikes myself but it was nice to have the help of a gentleman. Between being a little embarrassed and my jaw vibrating, I can't remember if I thanked him, so big thanks go to the kind cyclist for his assistance - and his jokes.

When I arrived at the festival, I locked up my bike and circled the tents. I wandered up to a tent full of people and a bouncer nicely told me I could sit in the tent to get out of the rain but not eat any of the food, which kinda kept me from investigating other tents. I'm strict with my food and didn't feel like sausage or cupcakes, so I decided it was time to go. My lips were blue and I was shivering when I departed. (I don't know why I was so cold, but I was chilled to the bone. I'm definitely adding rain gear to my kit.)

As a newb, I rode this as a personal achievement, not for a workout, and I'm glad I did.

other people have already pretty much covered what i would have said, but i'll just add/reiterate a few things:

-i was frustrated with the behavior of some other cyclists (light-running and so forth, passing me too close, being unpredictable, etc.) but that's nothing unique to this event.

-mpm and i did miss a turn somehow and thus got to climb back up a bonus portion of mt washington, and we also missed the bicycle heaven rest stop entirely (not sure how that happened), but otherwise i thought the signage was quite good

-it would be nice if the rest stops and the food at the finish were available a bit longer for people doing the metric century at a leisurely pace.

-some parts of the route towards the end, including the part phillipwu mentioned around the glenwood bridge, made me a bit nervous. it was ultimately fine, but i do wonder if there's any way to make it safer.

-i was honestly really glad it rained. my bike was filthy at the end, and so was i, but that was definitely preferable to the heat we had on saturday. (i will admit i was kinda terrified of some of those descents in the rain, but i'm just paranoid.)

-really minor: it could be nice to label something like "distance to next rest stop." partly to help people make decisions about whether to stop at every one, and partly because there was at least one that we just never found at all.

-drivers were mostly very courteous and patient. i was pleasantly surprised. it got iffy towards the end (don't know if that was the time of day or the area or what), but otherwise i had very little trouble.

-met hardtravelin because we recognized each other's bikes from the message board. it was nice to meet you and a few others who i hadn't met in real life.

-regardless of whether some of what i said sounds like complaining, i had a ton of fun. the last third of it was definitely type 2 fun, but fun nonetheless.

Holy cow jillianfinn welcome to the board and glad you're ok. Hit the introductions thread when you get a chance.

In my opinion this event was very poorly organized. I completed the Century ride. I was not impressed last year, but this year was a new low. I will not try this again ever.

Among the annoyances:

- No bottled water at rest stops. They only had garden hoses connected to spigots, and the water had a horrible taste from the plastic hoses. At one stop, all they had was water in buckets! A real insult.

- The only food at the stops consisted of oranges, bananas, peaches, and little bits of granolas in paper cups. I expect more for $30.

- The course was very poorly chosen. It went through run-down neighbourhoods that most people normally try to avoid. Pittsburgh has some very nice neighbourhoods and some nice bike trails, why didn't we go there? Also the majority of the course was on busy roads with a lot of traffic and was not safe at all. We even had to ride across dangerous highways a number of times, things I would normally never do when riding on my own. Finally, there were a lot of very steep hills that had sharp turns right at the bottom of the hill, which was extremely dangerous for a group ride. The whole thing was crazy dangerous and I would never recommend that anyone attempts this with their kids. Sooner or later someone will get killed. I've ridden a lot in cities, but never on such dangerous roads for such a long time.

- The turnout is too small to make you feel like you are participating in an organized activity. After an hour everybody was spread out, and I ended up alone in the traffic by myself for the rest of the ride. I can do that on my own, I don't need to pay $30 to ride in heavy traffic by myself! If you can't get the critical mass needed to make the event work, plan a smaller event.

- The finish was a non-event and very disappointing: no food, no activities. A nice tent with tables and seats was reserved for some sort of elitist group of VIPs who had paid extra for their tickets, but the lay people were left to their own devices.

One positive thing: the volunteers at the start/finish and at the rest stops were all very nice and doing a great job at making the best of the situation.

If the organizers can't get their act together they should let someone else do the job. This whole thing just looks like a big scam the way it is right now. If you want an idea of what a well organized event looks like, look at the annual Montreal bike ride, with 25,000 participants, all on closed streets ( http://www.veloquebec.info/en/feria/The-Tour-de-Ile-de-Montreal ). Or just look at how any marathon is organized, including in Pittsburgh. There is no reason why this event needs to be so poorly organized.

If you want to enjoy riding through Pittsburgh do yourself a favour and just get some friends together and do your own bike tour. It will be safer, more pleasant, and you won't get ripped off.

perhaps it felt "poorly organized" because this was Bike-PGH's first year running the event? That's not to say that the folks there are bad at organizing things, just that this was the first time they'd run this event.

Thank you Bike Pittsburgh for haveing a stop at Bicycle Heaven,,,First time for us and all n all a good turn out,,yes the tent went out with the wind and it rained, the sun came out after the last rider,but i think it was great meeting all the bikers,,,cant wait till next year and we are ready to make it even better,,thank you,,great job,,,

I didn't go, but was the price $30? Sorry, that is too much. This event should be more about introducing cycling and encouraging cycling, not having a fee of $30. Wow. I think $10 or $15 and maybe even $20 would be the top, but not $30.

My organized ride days are probably over. I am a commuter and ride a bike most everywhere, so the fee thing isn't really going to happen.

Glad they have it, but I think they should rethink the price.

hcurtis, if you're willing to support bicycle manufacturers and component makers with your high priced bicycle, would you also be willing to support BikePGH?

This ride had a segment completely closed to car traffic. I'm imagining that cost money and also allowed completely novice cyclists who would normally be afraid of the roads to ride on them. I think that's in line with your goals of introducing and encouraging cycling, which is pretty much all BikePGH does.

Wow you guys are cheapskates. And whiners. If you want something, you have to pay for it. And why complain when the money goes towards an organization that is going to make things better for cyclists? This is the first year that there were car-free roads. Even if it was a few miles, it was better than it was in previous years, where there were NO closed roads to cyclists. The course was actually similar to the previous course. The roads have always been "high traffic roads"... Btw, there is no such thing in Pittsburgh as high traffic roads on a sunday morning. If bike-pgh really wanted to screw you, they would have taken you on the roads that were part of the squirrel hill tunnel detour. Eric, you need to man the fuck up. As someone who rides through the city on a consistent basis, alone or with a group, i found this route mostly relaxing. You need to ride more and in more places. one last thing: when the streets are so clogged with inexperienced riders, as it was on the5 boros tour when I did it, it was scary. I am glad that there weren't 30k other riders out there, Cause then we would have to listen to you complain about that.

Yeah you guys, you totally should have come up with a 63 mile route around Pgh that didn't go through any not-nice neighborhoods (by my judgement), moderately busy roads (by my judgement), or terrible hills (gasp).

Then in your first year of managing the event, make it comparable to an event in a world class city with a population of several million people put on by an organization that's been working at it for 40 years with an operating budget 10 times what yours is.

Then right after that, for my birthday I'd like a sparkly magic unicorn that sings Morrisey tunes and poops white chocolate macadamia nut Clif bars.

Also I'd like a free T-shirt. For $30.

Waa, waa, waa. Thank you come again.

Thanks, stefb & edmonds59 for speaking up. Personally, I try not to complain when someone else scouts a great route for me, puts up directional signs, makes sure that ride marshals and police are on hand to keep people safe, and hands me fresh fruit when I'm getting tired.

I'm not sure where I rode that was "run-down neighborhoods that most people normally try to avoid." I rode the 25-mile route, and I thought we took in an interesting mix of neighborhoods.

My husband and I set out together around 6:45 a.m. We eventually parted ways at Grant Street, as he set out for the metric century. Given our timing, I wound up at the festival kind of early, and he wound up there kind of late. We both missed the festival part. Know what? That was our doing, not the fault of the planners.

+1 Edmonds. Personally, I want my pets to start pooping M&Ms

It costs money to close the bridge and Carson St. and pay for the police to control the closed intersections. I like the direction the event is going and think it will continue to grow when more streets are closed and more families come out!

I was a VIP. Know how I got the super fancy access to the lovely chairs, tent, and bagels and fruit? I woke my ass up at 4AM to volunteer to help the event run ok. You could have done the same, and volunteering is FREE (and came with a sweet t-shirt which is my new favorite). I think I got the best deal ever, and plan on volunteering every year from now on.

63 miles of closed road charity bike RIDE would be something completely different from 26 miles of rolling closures for a foot RACE. Also, the trails were part of the route, just not the one you were on.

I think edmonds and others covered the rest.

I don't think anybody's attempting to quell dissenters or punish feedback, but constructive criticism mandates recognition of the intent of the ride. It sounds like the REAL complaint in all that is that the nature of the ride is not as clear as it could be. I'm not sure how to improve upon it, but giving people numbers like in a race would tend to make me think it was a race as well. A block party type atmosphere on Carson would help dispel that a little, I think.

semi-related note: drinking out of a communal bucket is also not sanitary (take it from a gal who's had dysentery) - to be green AND clean, cooler dispenser things that you can refill water bottles at are a better idea. People who organize little league type things may be able to help figure that out in an inexpensive way.

For all the complainers: A little bird told me BikePGH is going to use the $30 they so wantonly took from you to use cloud seeders next year, ensuring a rain free ride.

"...but giving people numbers like in a race would tend to make me think it was a race as well."

Holy cow EJ, your ability to see through things is like a mental razor, seriously.

So, maybe bag the numbers, give everybody a t-shirt instead, and that's your pass? Print a checklist of the rest stops or sights on the shirt that volunteers could sharpie-marker off as you stop. I dunno, thoughts.

Regarding numbers; I just did a Fondo in MA last month. They simply had paper bracelets like you'd get at any of the local museums. Seemed to work well.

Or give people a pass/badge, and rest stops could mark the card like a coffe card or sandwich shop card. Maybe the pass/badge could double as a bumper sticker (markings on the peel-away back, or something).

But how many times did people have to turn away rogue cyclists from rest stops? Pedestrians are easy - no bike, no oranges. I'd be wary of solving a problem that doesn't exist.

edited to add - I like the paper bracelet idea better. Oh, or you could give people tickets, one color for every stop (but then people could lose the tickets, so bracelets is a much better idea).

What you need is a bank to sponsor it.

See MB Financial Bank Bike The Drive (Chicago) or TD Bank Five Boro Tour. They squander away your money, you might as well reap some benefits from it.

rice rocket, that's not entirely the worst idea - what about a local bank or credit union, like Tri-boro, or S&T or something? They do lots of stuff for the community, and have a diverse customer base (all local or with local ties). I'm not saying give it up entirely to the bank, but bringing in more local businesses to participate/help would only benefit the businesses AND the riders. Cyclists need non-cycling goods and services too.

I have two close friends who rode Sunday. Both said they had a great time, minus the weather. I wish I could have made it, maybe next year.

"hcurtis, if you're willing to support bicycle manufacturers and component makers with your high priced bicycle, would you also be willing to support BikePGH?"

I have no problem supporting BikePGH at all, but I just think they would get more people if the number was $20. As far as complaining about food and other things, I think that is pretty silly in a way. Someone whining about no prepackaged food for example. Goodness, that is a step in the right direction, so we are obviously not polluting more than we already do. Also, "bottled water was mentioned". THANK YOU to whoever said NO to that dumb crap that should be outlawed.

Anyway, I had to work, so I could go anyway. Last time I did it I rode the 60 mile or whatever it was and got lost. Ended up doing well over 80 since i rode to the ride. It was fun and I miss some group rides, even though so many cyclists are really... well not very good at keeping a line or really anything, but that is okay. It is fun and the more people cycling the better.

I believe they were actually passing out Bike Pittsburgh bottles at the first rest stop in Highland Park; you could take one and refill it at that stop or any others.

Careful with shouting down the people that didn't like the ride -- I think most people's opinions towards the $30 they spent on this ride is determined by whether they know and love Bike Pittsburgh or not. If people live in the city and regularly commute here, they appreciate all the hard work Bike Pittsburgh has done in putting in bike facilities in the area, and don't begrudge them a perceived high fee for the ride. If people are coming from the suburbs and don't regularly bike around here, they might not be as inclined to see their $30 ride fee as a donation and might think they didn't get their money's worth when the finish line festival wasn't what they were expecting.

Bike Pittsburgh can take the criticism and learn from it to provide a better experience next year.

By the way I was not whining as some people have mentioned. I was expressing my dissatisfaction toward a service that I paid for.

I think this is why the opinions about this event vary so much, from raving admmiration to deep aggravation: from the point of view of the organizers and those who agree with them, the goal of the event is to raise funds. Therefore it is logical to minimize the expenses and provide very few services to the participants. From the point of view of the participants the goal is to enjoy a day of riding, but we feel scammed because we are getting basically nothing in return for our money.

I personally think that a fundraiser should be just that, a fundraiser, where you ask people for donations. A sporting event should be a sporting event and it should be designed for the benefit of the participants, not for the benefit of Bike PGH.

I don't begrudge constructive criticism, I try to provide some myself. But when someones monologue begins "I'm never doing this ride again" then degrades into straight-up unrealistic expectations, I'm less inclined to view it as constructive.

As a regular ol' non-elitist lay person, I found the neighborhoods the route went through to be quite pleasant and welcoming. In fact, exploring parts of the city I've never seen was a highlight of the ride.

But anyway, the sporting event/fundraiser dichotomy is a good point. Thus perhaps some corporate sponsors could help out, by providing some more amenities while allowing BikePGH to keep overhead low and still gain some funds.

I guess I dont understand what you people are complaining about. I paid my money to bike PGH knowing it was a fundraiser. It was the kick off for bikefest. I thought the hydration stations were great (I went to the highland park and oakland one) I had a great time minus the rain, and next year i will gladly hand over my 30 bucks or whatever to do it again.

Ok, I'm seeing another possible source of misunderstanding. There is one camp in the cycling community (global, not specific to Bike Pgh) that believes biking needs to be viewed less as a sporting event and more of just something you do everyday, like drinking coffee, or putting on pants. I'm not qualified to attempt to tackle that one here. But that disconnect is out there for the solving.

Personally, I would happily pay an extra $5 for some mass-quantity food of reasonable quality at the end of the ride. That was the only thing that stood out for me as lacking, compared to previous years. I could care less about a t-shirt or water bottle.

I enjoyed the route (the metric); got to see a few unfamiliar parts of the city, which was one of my main goals for the ride.

The Glass Run->885->Glenwood Bridge interchange seemed a bit rough for less-experienced riders, but I suspect that was due to the lack of the GAP connector through Keystone...if the connector was done, a simple Glass Run->Baldwin Rd->South Side Trail routing would have been used instead.

Constructive criticism is good, IMO. Even better is volunteering to help with next year's planning and event management, if there are aspects that one disliked this year.

"I personally think that a fundraiser should be just that, a fundraiser, where you ask people for donations"

I've learned firsthand that asking for donations can only get you so far - The best and most fun fundraisers I've been to or put on myself have been similar in concept to Pedal PGH: an event with an entry fee that engages the people who benefit from our existence, and includes a few amenities for attendees that aren't the main attraction. When you do something like that, you get a much better turnout and much happier people.

I personally think that a fundraiser should be just that, a fundraiser, where you ask people for donations. A sporting event should be a sporting event and it should be designed for the benefit of the participants, not for the benefit of Bike PGH.

MS150, Tour De Cure, Mon Valley Century, etc are each fundraisers that you pay money to be a part of. Pedal Pittsburgh is no different.

You mentioned "Tour de l'Île de Montréal" earlier and I think that's where the event is going but it won't happen overnight. It costs a lot of money and requires political will to make something that big happen.

edmonds, the "sporting event" vs. "fundraiser" dichotomy was what I was getting at poorly, and I still think that's the root cause of most of the criticism. For a sporting event, I can see serious issues with the way it was held. For a charity fun-ride, it's epic. The difference is expectation management.

I've also been thinking about the finish line party (weather aside). Maybe it would help for a distinct start time for the party - like have it be a lunch party from noon to 2PM. You finish early, go for a toodle around the south side on your own. You finish late, you know what to expect. Maybe in combination with local food trucks or businesses or whatever. Or a breakfast party before the ride. Or both. I don't know.

The weather I think hurt it a lot, but I could see expectations being a little clearer with a set time. It could also help distinguish it from a race, since clearly the goal would be for everybody to finish at the same time.

And no, the distinction is not "participants" vs. "organizers". There are a lot of people commenting positively who just rode it, didn't volunteer, and don't work for BPGH. So claiming to speak for all participants and slamming the support (or lack thereof) isn't quite so reasonable as one would think. But there's little way to tell that from our screen names and bboard participation, esp. as a bboard newb.

The finish line festival wasn't some big secret. The schedule was also included in multiple emails sent before the event as well.

Sunday, Aug 5 - Pedal PGH

5:30am-12pm: Welcome Tent is open to pick up your number or for day-of registration

6am-1:30pm: E. Carson St and Birmingham Bridge closed to cars

6am-7am: Suggested Metric Century start

7am-8:30am: Suggested City Tour start

9am-12pm: Suggested Car Free start

11am-3pm: Finish Line Festival

**Maybe it would help for a distinct start time for the party - like have it be a lunch party from noon to 2PM. You finish early, go for a toodle around the south side on your own. You finish late, you know what to expect.**

I think this is a really good idea both for the participants and the vendors. I like it a lot better than a hard start time which leads to crowded roads filled with weavers trying to get to the front.

ah. not being registered as a participant, I didn't get those emails. I chalk it up to the rain then, which IIRC was pretty bad then.

Ok, done being apologist then.

I rode the 25-mile and loved almost all of it. I enjoyed the route a few years ago that went up Beechwood and down Greenfield, but I'm not sure how much I would've enjoyed it this weekend with how well my brakes were doing in all that wet (not very).

I definitely heard a lot of people around me referring to it as a race, even the ones riding casually. Really not sure how to combat that.

> I guess I dont understand what you people are complaining about. I paid my money to bike PGH knowing it was a fundraiser. It was the kick off for bikefest. I thought the hydration stations were great (I went to the highland park and oakland one) I had a great time minus the rain, and next year i will gladly hand over my 30 bucks or whatever to do it again.

Exactly. Some of the signage could've been better, some of the maps could've been clearer, but things like the event timings and the purpose and construction of the event seem to be largely down to "people don't read". And I really have no idea how you fix that.

My wife plans events for her company all of the time, nothing this big but pretty large. The suggestions she gets are usually things that are already in all of the materials. It's just that no one reads or tries to find out.

I hope the organizers of Pedal Pittsburgh realize that when lots of people have comments about something that means they care about it and want to make it better. It would be a lot worse if people said nothing and just didn't show up next year.

The website was not so great on a phone -- the small screen made the places where you click fall behind the image.

I did the 25 mile ride and so didn't see any of the rest stops, unless there were ones I missed. In which case they should have been marked better.

It would be nice to emphasize that Pedal Pittsburgh is one day when we attain a critical mass and so have to start following rules we would follow if lots of people biked all the time, like stopping at red lights, at least pausing at stop signs, etc. I know a lot of people would ignore this anyway but it would be good to at least say it.

Due to the three flat tires I got on Sunday (shard of glass I picked up near Bicycle Heaven, I think) I skipped Mt Washington, shortening the 63 mile route to about 40.

Wondering what I had missed, yesterday (Monday) I rode the Mt Washington route (the route signs were still up). The weather was great! The views from St Martin St were very nice. It was scenic and low-traffic (except for Brownsville Rd & the Glenwood Bridge). I enjoyed visiting the poorer neighborhoods (Mt. Oliver, for example). The locals seemed friendlier there. Pittsburghers need to get around and see all the neighborhoods more often.

When good bicycle connections are built between the GAP, across the Glenwood Bridge, connecting to the Duck Hollow Trail phase 2 of the Hazelwood Trail, a lot of route options will open up.

About the food: I prefer peaches, a bin of granola and large water jugs from which I can refill my water bottle to bottled water and prepackaged granola bars and peanut butter crackers. But more variety in the rest stop food would have been nice. Does it have to be the same granola each time? Serving the same food at the finish line "festival" was a big mistake - how about a little variety: bananas, watermelon, grapes, peanuts?

If Bike Pgh can somehow encourage residents along the route to do things for riders, that would be wonderful. The lemonade stand (free!) on Mt Troy Rd was great again, this year!

More thoughts: when Bike Pgh publicized the ride, the message I heard was:

Some roads will be closed, fewer route options.

What they didn't say (yes, I read their emails), which they should have, to manage expectations:

Pedal Pittsburgh lost money in recent years; we're operating this as a fundraiser. This year: no t-shirts, and no nice lunch at the end, unless you pay extra.

This was my first Pedal Pgh so I had nothing to compare it to and I was more than willing to donate the entrance fee to Bike Pgh as I'm a daily commuter in the city and really want the organization to continue the great work they do, however, I felt the ride could have been a great opportunity to build a stronger sense of community for the members of Bike Pgh. Like a lot of people mentioned, the staggered start times felt more lonely than liberating. I was really looking forward to a party on two wheels -- the same kind of feeling you get at the start of a 5k race when you're sandwiched in the middle of a huge crowd of other runners. I would have loved a blocked off Carson street block party. I certainly would have parked my bike and gotten off to meander through some of the shops. I think engaging a lot of the business owners in some of the major neighborhoods we rode through like the north side would have been great. How about some street fairs, side walk sales, and more opportunities to get off your bike and check out a neighborhood? More rest/snack stops hopefully would have provided more opportunities for people to meet each other. Pedal Pgh is one of the few events where members get a chance to find out who else is a member of Bike Pgh. Maybe we need some sort of very obvious identification so we can spot each other in public.

I understand that there are big differences between the goals of pedal Pittsburgh and events like the Pittsburgh marathon but it sounds like some folks are expecting amenities similar to what you find at the marathon. It seems obvious but...

I paid $80 for the marathon.

I paid $30 for pedal Pittsburgh.

Exactly. Not to mention the marathon has a full time staff. It's just not a fair comparison.

Just curious here... what's the philosophy behind the staggered start?

all I know is that I sure don't want to be anywhere but my bed at 6am... waking up at 6:20 and arriving by 7 was good for me, doing the metric century. Roadies tend to prefer the asscrack of dawn for riding more than I do, there is way less traffic and it doesn't get in the way of plans later in the day. I would have preferred to start at 11:00am. However, when someone puts on an event this big I'm willing to compromise a bit.

The staggered start might have to do with the length of the different routes and trying to have everyone finnish around the same time. Just a guess.

I really enjoyed the ride, have no complaints and look forward to next year. I liked the staggered start for two reasons.

First it allowed people to start as early or late as they wanted to based on how fast they ride. For example, 25 miles might take between 1.5ish and 3-4+ hours to complete depending on the rider, and by starting at a time of their choosing each rider could decide how long they wanted to sleep and when to arrive at the festival.

Second, by staggering the start people were less likely to treat the ride as a sort of race. Given that the route was open to traffic, that there were stop signs/lights and the array of bike handling skills, treating the ride as a race would not be very safe. The staggered start nicely made it difficult to approach the event with competitive ambitions.

I guess I am in the disappointed camp. I had several issues...

1.) I have ridden Pedal Pgh probably 1/2 half dozen times. The lack amenities compared to the previous years was very stark to me. No meal, etc. In all fairness I didn't go to a rest stop so I can not speak to that. I was with my wife and kids... we didn't go very far. We stayed on the trails.

2.) I do a fair amount of charity events. These range from bike rides, to runs to triathlons. They all give out swag. The T-Shirt is a staple. Coupons are good too. Most events cost $30 or less.

3.) Practically speaking I think swag is necessary. The reason it is necessary is that these events need to build loyalty. If a participant feels like they helped a good cause and is appreciated with a stylish shirt, free protein bar, etc. they will be back next year. You might not be able to capture all my money this year toward your cause, but I will be back next year and the year after that. Everyone knows customer loyalty is key to success in a business (and charity event). After spending $100 I have 5 bib numbers and some safety pins to remember the event.

4.) If done right you shouldn't have to worry about how to maximize the return on the $100 my family spent. That is why I have so many mini advertisements on all my free shirts. You solicit sponsors, sponsors pay for stuff so that you can fully realize the admission fees. The swag, lunches, etc. are ether donated or highly discounted by sponsors.

5.) My initial experience with Pedal Pgh this year started off being nickled and dimed. I actually had to pay extra fees to sign up online. I suspect a fair amount of revenue was lost for this reason. I bet more than a few people waited to register the day of because of the extra expense, but never came because of the weather forecast. With a more friendly registration, that revenue would also be captured. I am still not sure why it cost me an extra 8% to register online. My poor online experience was followed up by no swag, no lunch, and no shelter like every other Pedal Pgh year. But I did see shelter and food... For a mere $400 more than the $100 I already donated, my family and I could have been dry(er).

6.) I do not buy the “but the streets were closed with cops at intersections value argument”. Most of the other events I have participated all do the same thing. When was the last time you ran a 5k or a 10k on open roads? The amount of closed streets really only amounted to 5Kish unless I missed something.

7.) I have to admit, the free beer was a nice touch (I think it was free, sorry if it wasn't).

I am a big Bike Pgh fan and a member. I do not want to obsess about T-Shirts and swag (I know I am), but these things are done for practical reasons. Wether it was through disorganization or a conscious decision, I think Bike Pgh missed an opportunity to continue to build long term revenue with this year's event. Maybe that is unfair of me to say. I look forward to seeing a more practical approach to the event next year.

That was a very fair, well reasoned, and whine-free presentation of opinion. I commend you.

Maybe bike Pittsburgh could make shirts on reused/cast-off shirts that would have been shredded otherwise to meet the shirt demands but still keep the environmental footprint small. Stef and I have a friend who's company specializes in this. And used to live in Pittsburgh.

http://www.stayvocal.com/

I disagree.

1. You did a short ride on the trails. Why sign up at all? You're saying you just paid for a shirt, a meal, and coupons. Any ride-related complaints from you are irrelevant.

2. Same here. I have so many shirts, I gave most away to goodwill and I still have too many. The main sponsor of this ride was an organization dedicated to minimizing waste.

3. I've done this ride a few times in the past, and every year I bike to the event. The last thing I want is a bag of crap with no place to put it.

4. The event was sponsored via booths at the party.

5. Members were charged $1.25 fee on top of a $25.50 ticket, nonmembers $1.25 on top of a $30.00 ticket. I'm not sure where you're getting that "8%" rate from. I'm sure with all the other events you do, you've used Active.com? They charge $6+ for signups. That is outrageous. $1.25 is nothing, considering the credit card merchant themselves charges 3% for the transaction (industry standard fees).

6. All those other events you've ran with closed streets also have to pay to have the streets closed. There's no exception.

Joe,

Wow, I think you totally do not get my point.

My opinion is very much relevant. It is my opinion and fond memories of previous rides that made me want to take my entire family to Pedal Pittsburgh this year. I have always had a good time at the event but I have previously done the longer rides with friends.

1. Why did I sign up at all? Because Bike Pgh is an organization I want to support with my money and based on past experiences I thought Pedal Pgh was an event that my wife and three kids would enjoy. I am not an idiot, I know I can and I do ride the trails for free. I donated $100 this year based on the much better experience I had in the past for $30. My experience from the past keep me donating year after year. This year at a much higher rate than I did to Pedal Pittsburgh in the past. Oh I forgot... I brought along another family based on my previous experience. Thats another $75 (Did I mention what they thought.... maybe for another time).

2. I am not afraid to admit it, I actual like getting T-shirts. I wear them and sometimes they are even conversation starters. I am not making this up... I actually found out about Pedal Pgh based on a T-Shirt someone else was wearing. So it makes me feel good and it is a walking billboard for future attendees. So conservatively one guy in a pedal pittsburgh T-Shirt got me interested ($30x5), which if I recall correctly, I introduced Pedal Pittsburgh to at least 3 riding buddies ($30x3), I then brought myself and my family this year ($100) and another family($75). So based off of one T-Shirt ~$415 in revenue was generated. Not a bad investment even if someone else picks the T-Shirt up at Goodwill. It might even be a cooler conversation if next year's shirt was made out of recycled material.

3. I didn't realize the main sponsor was an organization dedicated to waste reduction. Probably because I didn't see their name printed on my T-Shirt or anything else I received. I get the minimum waste thing, but what about all the swag that was given out for Bike to Work day? That was kind of wasteful wasn't it? But it served a purpose... I talked to many a coworker about this great organization called Bike Pittsburgh that put allot of effort into promoting the event. What Bike Pittsburgh is, what they are trying to do, look at this cool map and socks... Maybe you should try to ride to work too.

4. As far as the extra fees, you are probably right. For some reason I remember the number being $2.50... that must have been 2 Adults X 1.25. That said, I have signed up for 2 running races and 4 triathlons this year, none of them had transaction fees. Again, I am not an idiot... I do know that using a credit card has a hidden cost. But it is hidden. Explicitly extra registration fees plus explicitly paying extra for lunch and paying extra for a T-Shirt all starts to add up in ones mind (sometimes incorrectly).

My point is... There is an underlying cost to putting on these events. It costs money to amass sponsors, print shirts, close streets and supply food. Almost all organizations see this as a cost of doing business for these types of events. In my opinion to be successful with these types of events you need to reach out to do the standard things. They are standard things because other events have discovered they serve a purpose and work to build loyalty.

Ok, I am done commenting on this topic forever. I could probably go on trying to counter everyone's arguments. Not sure that would serve a useful purpose. I assume the organizers are reading this... I understand they worked very hard and I thank them for the hard work that they put into the event. Just take my opinion for what you think it is worth.

Whatever.

1. I had no problem with the price. And it's a good cause that directly benefits city bikers.

2. The 25-miler (which I go stuck on) was poorly laid out; it was pretty much all commuter routes. Blech. Pittsburgh is so much more interesting than that. But if you've never biked in the city before, it should have been a treat.

3. "bad neighborhoods"? Please. Let's you and I go on a ride together sometime...

4. I had a good time.

First time participant in Pedal PGH. I'm not much of a road rider - I generally ride trails. I neither work nor live in the city, so I'm not as familiar with all the roads as many of you are. My only constructive criticism for Bike-PGH is signs. Yes, there were lots of them and yes, most were excellent. I ended up riding a mutant route though. I started out following signs on my own and when a large group showed up I followed along with them for a bit. Because signs were placed in both directions on the routes (I was told this was so vehicle traffic would know what the bikes were doing) the group made a left when we should have gone straight and I followed without question. I believe the turn was meant for a different segment of the ride approaching from the opposite direction. Perhaps color coding the arrows would have helped. I didn't figure this mistake out until after I finished riding. Like I said - not that familiar with city roads. The cue sheets wouldn't help me since I would have needed to stop and get out reading glasses at each intersection to figure out where I was supposed to go. That being said, I didn't mind riding the "wrong" route. I was still able to get back and enjoyed the ride.

Other than that, there was one place at Riverview Park where the sign was just wrong. It clearly showed a left turn going onto a very bad trail in the park when the correct direction was straight ahead on the road. I was not the only one that went wrong here. Ran into a couple of others doing the same thing and some walkers said they'd seen a lot of people doing it. It was a steep trail that was just nasty and eventually we decided that it just HAD to be wrong and reversed.

Overall, I'd give Bike -PGH an A for effort. I'm sure they probably learned a lot on their first effort. I heard a lot of complaints at the finish about the food/t-shirt issues, but I felt it had all been clearly explained in the description of the event and emails prior. There was never any promise of SWAG or food. I was pleasantly surprised with the fruit at the rest stops. I have to strongly agree about the water buckets and open box of granola (with nothing available to scoop it with-not even a paper cup) being unsanitary and a very bad idea though.

I organized my thoughts into a blog post. Have high hopes for the future of my favorite ride, but definitely felt a little let down this year http://jamespanderson.tumblr.com/post/28976047121/my-thoughts-about-the-first-year-of-bikepgh-doing-pedal

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We're taking it all in, evaluating everything form start to finish, and promise to come out with an even better event next year. You are being heard and we are making adjustments.

Thanks to all of you who've been understanding. We did the best we could with little time and no money from previous years to put towards it. We came in to save the event because its previous owners didn't want it anymore and we thought it was important to keep going and we thought we could improve upon it. We had only 8 months to organize the event from the time we closed on it. In those 8 months we purchased the event, hired an event coordinator, wrote grants to support the ride, hired a consultant to help with logistics, got a new website up, put in 5-6 months of meetings and planning with the City, PennDOT, Citiparks, Special Events committee, met with sponsors, came up with routes, got the course signed, potholes marked and filled, organized 150 volunteers, food vendors, and entertainment. It was no small feat. This is not to say we can't make Pedal PGH better, this is to say we tried our very best.

Be on the lookout for a survey that will be sent out to all participants in the next couple of weeks.

I did it first time and wanted to do 65 miles but as soon rain started I quit it and ended up with 31 or 32 miles (my bike computer is not waterproof and reset itself shortly after I got to my car). Since I volunteered on Saturday I got VIP pass. No complaints in regards of route or marks. Never got lost. Made two stop at rest stops (Highland park 5-7 minutes and Schenley plaza just to say hello to some fellow riders -- 1 minute). Would go again.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/cycling-rudeness-648380/

She ends with "I know the code." ???

We've definitely been hearing from multiple sources that there were pockets of riders riding 4-6 abreast, and riding dangerously at intersections. While I think we did a decent job making sure all pre-registered riders were linked to the rules of the road, we could do a better job for folks signing up day-of. That still won't solve everything. Not sure what will except for more marshalls telling people the rules.

"know the code" is a catchphrase used at ski resorts to educate skiers on basic safety and etiquette on the slopes. It's a stretch to compare it to cycling on the road. I'm not certain about where she's going with that but those signs are hard to miss at some resorts, especially in places where you would expect to find beginners. Maybe blasting the participants with safety and etiquette information like ski resorts do would help???

I had the feeling that a good number of riders saw the roads merely as their route for the day, not city streets that many of us share with cars on a regular basis. It's similar to drivers who see certain neighborhoods as their clever shortcut, rather than a place where people actually live. In general, that attitude does not inspire people to obey the rules.

In fact, when stopped at the red light before turning onto ELB, my husband and I were mocked by a group that pulled up behind us. A little while later I heard one ask his buddy, "Is this East Liberty?"

Thanks for explaining "know the code." I had no idea what it meant.

EDIT: "Mocked" is perhaps misleading. They talked rather loudly about people who stop for red lights and how it's not really necessary. Oddly, they stopped. We deliberately slowed down to let them pass us on Hamilton, and that's when one asked about being in East Liberty.

Hate to have to say this, but the folks I witnessed most blatantly disregarding the rules; taking up BOTH lanes; and basically doing whatever they wanted to were not the ones that didn't "know the code". Based on their equipment, dress and speed these offenders were well aware of the rules and chose to ignore them. There isn't anything Bike PGH could have done to educate them.

I participated in my 1st Pedal Pittsburgh this year and have no previous events to compare it to. I have decided based on my experience, I will not attend next year. I attended with a group of riders all first time participants from the Northern Suburbs. We made our decision to attend based on recommendations of others which had previously attended. I would have made a $10 donation to Ride Pgh for setting up the route markers and ridden the course without signing up in hindsight. There has already been talk of a similar ride, for the recreational riders, to take place in and around north park in the coming years. While I am not a racer type nor a commuter but rather a recreational rider, I know I will be staying in the suburbs should that event materialize. I was mistaken in thinking this was a organized ride (EVENT), where based on most of the comments it was a mass commute.

Methinks @mxracer617 doth protest too much.

It was not a mass commute, though much of the route did (more-or-less) follow commuter ways. Oddly, commuters tend to converge on pleasantly bikable routes. Folks like @mxracer617 might actually enjoy checking it out; at least use it as an oppotunity to explore proven city bikeways. Don't listen to us locals complain (yes, going up Penn is more pleasant than Liberty, but so what?)

Given that our collective feedback will be considered, I expect that next year's routes will be more reflective thereof.

I've biked the northern suburbs in an organized ride (e.g. last year's WPW picnic metric century). It was fun, but in a different way. I got to see places I had never seen before, and even got to mark time at a railway crossing! My only complaint would be the crappy snacks at the rest stops (not unique: the Mon Valley event is not exactly a gastronomic delight either; what is with that?). [Addition: The Tour da Montour people do understanding how to handle victuals; other should learn from them.]

Consider me a local who does not hold to the Liberty complaint. Going up Liberty has consistently been more pleasant to me than going up Penn over the 6 years I've been commuting to and fro from down there. I think the Liberty white stripe actually helps. Penn is sketchy w/ lack of friendly paint, narrower, and steeper.

mxracer617, thanks for your input.

Would it be possible to clarify exactly what expectations on the ride were not met for you, for the organizers?

I'm not at all clear on what you mean by "mass commute". It seems to be carrying a bit of a negative connotation (though in my mind if Pittsburgh actually did become some huge mass bike commute that would be a tremendously good thing).

Slightly OT: If we had a ride at Bike Fest called "mass commute" I bet of ton of people would show up for it. I would. I love commuting on my bike. We could visit several popular workplaces and the bike-friendly garages/ parking areas.

Oops. Mary's fault here. Accidentally logged in as Nate. I deleted the text I wrote, but I don't know how to delete the post entirely.

Logging in as Mary now ...

Writes mxracer617, "I would have made a $10 donation to Ride Pgh for setting up the route markers and ridden the course without signing up in hindsight."

I assume you mean Bike Pittsburgh, not Ride Pittsburgh.

And do you really think that's ok? Is it ok I meander over to the start of the Great Race and run the course without having paid to register? Or just send the organizers some random amount of money that I choose?

Participate or not, that's your choice. But if you're going to take part, do it honestly.

I still did not get complains about route markers. I did not any problems with them.

So far the only legit complain is from nick about them being to low.

But the signs didn't seem to be too high for the recumbent riders....

Periscope.

Hm-m, Dan, if you add a snorkel than you can ride under water too. Not very deep but ...

I feel like it's been posted before, but can someone post the route to the 63 mile ride? I'd like to try it at some point. I'm trying to build up stamina for longer rides, and I think riding that route about once per month would be a huge help with this.

I am sure someone tracked it with a gps. i can recall where it goes other than mt washington, since i am unfamiliar with the area. i have previous pedal pgh routes memorized.

[edit: pbeaver posted the real route, never mind]

It's a tough route (that 85-mile three state ride yesterday was a lot easier for me). I need a rematch with Mt. Washington.

Mr. Marv and I wanted to ride it a few times again as well. We should all get together and do that sometime soon!

also available in an alternate software format:

63: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/102704407

25: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/121198549 (for the slightly less ambitious.)

while i'm up for the city loop, i think the metric is a bit out of my reach until i get a set of roadier tires. (maybe some 1.5s instead of my 2s)

i wonder what it would be like to split the 2 routs, then could do the front or back halves. city loop for a mellow ride & the hillier route for the climbs.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1535416 -- I've created it based on BikePGH cue sheet with intention to ride it but I stopped as soon as rain hit the ground.

thanks!