Riding in Pittsburgh area ??

[Alan]

I am headed to the area for a new job. Will be working and living in the strip district during the week. Any thoughts on good clubs who ride in the city on week nights (when the weather is better etc)? Any thoughts on good spinning places nearby until spring really hits?

Feel free to pm me w thoughts. I have heard good things about riding in the area.

Alan

[rwsaunders]

Pm Keevhon and Sailorboy here on Paceline. Both have links to good clubs and both are strong riders. In terms of routes and other information, www.bikePittsburgh.org is a good place to start and a shop like Pittsburgh Pro Bikes in Squirrel Hill stays pretty connected to the community and bike related events in general.

[joosttx]

Is the 12 hills ride still going on out there?

[false_Aest]

No idea about riding but if you like beer:

Church Brew Works (up the street from the Strip)
and
The Sharp Edge.

Oh and take advantage of CMU's events - their music + theater program is quite good and (At least while i was there) the school put on some AWESOME rock shows.

[sailorboy]

Yea, not much right where you'll be living in terms of shops/clubs, but Bob is correct--stop into Pro Bikes in Squirell Hill and ask them about ongoing rides. It's been a while since I lived there but the quickest way to good riding will be through the east end, over in to fox chapel and go from there. If you're lucky you might even see rwsaunders himself in the flesh! That's where I ride whenever I'm there visiting family etc. If you're into mountain biking, try frick park for a couple quick loops in the city.

At Pro Bikes ask for Brett Rothmeyer. Super strong rider who has lived there his whole life. If he can't help you find some good group rides and routes, no one can. Tell him Sean E. sent you.

Pittsburgh has great terrain, but it is an old city and most roads don't have bike lanes and drivers not so friendly so do yourself a favor and avoid rush hours on busy roads if you can.

[keevon]

Wonderful city for riding. Living the Strip will give you tons of options for rides.

When I ride with a group, it's usually with the PMVC club on Sunday mornings out of Squirrel Hill. There's a pretty good year-round ride in Mt. Lebanon on Saturday mornings (Coffee Club ride). Not much on weekdays, but there used to be a small group that would kill themselves on hills leaving out of the East End. If that's your thing, I'll put you in contact with the ride leader.

PM me if you want to ride sometime - I would be happy to show you some good routes or introduce you to a group.

[xjahx]

Kindred Cycle, owned by Aaron Stein, is opening in the next few weeks in the strip. He is an awesome guy, former manager of Pro Bikes for the last few years, beer expert, races Cx and MTB, and now out on his own.

[sailorboy]

Kindred Cycle, owned by Aaron Stein, is opening in the next few weeks in the strip. He is an awesome guy, former manager of Pro Bikes for the last few years, beer expert, races Cx and MTB, and now out on his own.

very cool. Will have to stop in there next time I'm back.

[tiretrax]

bicycle riding in Pittsburgh
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSu2kczpRfCvIZE1oAVx_e-TkAKfaZfphgpsaSX94ztXi8oLShOow

[Alan]

I will be there in a few weeks and will look up some of these folks. Just hope the weather starts to get better.

Alan

[FGC]

Brett doesn't work at Pro Bikes. He's at Thick Bikes on the south side now.

Good to hear Aaron has his own thing going on.

Pittsburgh is great for riding, and pretty much everything else, except maybe for clearing snow.

There's a velodrome opening soon (we all hope): www.island200.com.

[v531xc]

Yup, Brett is at Thick Bikes now. Also a shop worth checking out, especially if you're into mountain biking and indoor park stuff.

I used to work at Iron City, which is a commuter-friendly shop that has a couple locations now. You have to check out Kraynick's. Gerry is a madman and has every part ever made stack up in his shop. Just ask if its load-bearing before moving anything. Here's a video of his shop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP9ZnmguwAQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

also, that_guy here on the forum is a great guy to get in touch with along with Keevon. PM me with any questions - more than happy to help! I miss the 'burgh, and I go back to visit and ride a few times a year including the Dirty Dozen.

-Varun