Riding is Always Better With Friends!
For many, bike riding is better with company and it’s also the best way to make new friends, learn new routes, build new skills, and push yourself to try new things. There are group rides for almost every style of bike riding, so it’s important to find the group that hosts the kind of rides that you want to be on. To set riders up for success, we’ve sorted some of our favorite group rides in Pittsburgh by their style. This is not an exhaustive list, so if we’ve missed a ride that we should know about, submit it to our Events Calendar and email the link to us at education@bikepgh.org.
Note: These rides are being shared for educational purposes only, BikePGH does not take responsibility for the actions of the organizers or participants on non-BikePGH organized rides. Dates and times of rides are subject to change, so reach out to ride organizers for up-to-date information.
Casual City Rides
Bike Type: Any
Casual city rides are just that, social group rides around the city at a casual, conversational pace (around 10 mph on average.) These rides are “no drop” meaning the ride will wait up for the slowest riders. Any bike that can keep up with the group is good here. Bonus points if it has room for speakers, snacks, and cold or hot beverages.
Rides to Try:
Give Up Super Casual Ride
The irreverently named “Trash Bag Cycling Club” encourages riders to ask themselves “why are we doing this again?” and to challenge themselves personally to not give up when the going gets hard.
Meets: Time and location vary
Distance: 10-20 miles
Average Pace: varies
Find Out More: www.instagram.com/giveup.pgh
Coffee Outside PGH
A weekly Sunday morning ride to make and drink coffee and hang out with friends. Routes may be on pavement or some gravel but at a casual pace.
Meets: Sundays, 8:30 am. Location varies.
Distance: 5-10 miles
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More:
POGOH Community Ambassador Rides
POGOH, Pittsburgh’s bike share organization, holds regular casual rides with its community ambassadors. They meet at various locations, but are all chill fun.
Meets: Time and location vary
Distance: 5-10 miles
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More:
PMTCC Slow Roll
Major Taylor was once the fastest man in the world, but Pittsburgh’s Major Taylor Cycling Club, (PMTCC) named after the groundbreaking black cyclist, also holds a slow roll which is casually paced and inclusive of all riders.
Meets: 6:15 pm on the Last Monday of every month at 6375 Penn Avenue.
Distance: 5-10 miles
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More:
Party Rides
Bike Type: Any
Party Rides are large group rides that move at a slow to casual pace with the purpose of raising awareness of social issues, creating strength in numbers, building cyclist solidarity, or just to have a giant rolling party!
Rides to Try:
PGH Critical Mass
Critical Mass rides have been held in cities and towns across the globe since 1992 to bring cyclists together to demonstrate both strength and safety in numbers. Pittsburgh’s Critical Mass continues that tradition and is an avowedly pro-queer, po-trans, antiracist, and antifascist community.
Meets: 6:00 pm the second Friday of every month at Friendship Park.
Distance: 5-10 miles
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More: www.instagram.com/pgh_critical_mass
Pittsburgh Underwear Ride
This massive clothing-optional party ride encourages positive body image and cycling advocacy. It usually ends with a rockin’ afterparty!
Meets: 8:00 pm the last Thursday of every month at 46th and Butler St.
Distance: 5-10 miles
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More: www.instagram.com/pittsburghunderwearride
Road Rides
Bike Type: Road Bikes, Gravel Bikes, Cyclocross Bikes
Road rides are the traditional training ground for aspiring road cyclists. They may feature higher average speeds, longer distances, and tough climbs. Groups may use tactics like drafting and pacelining to increase speed and efficiency. Some rides may drop slower riders who can’t keep up with the pack. Self-sufficiency is vital on these rides.
Rides to Try:
Team Decaf Rides
Longstanding Tuesday night road rides in Pittsburgh.
Meets: 6:00 pm Tuesday nights at Tazza D’Oro Coffeeshop, 125 N. Highland Ave, Highland Park, PA
Distance: 15-20 miles
Average Pace: 15 mph+
Find Out More: wpabikeclub.com/events
Sweetwater Bikes Thursday Road Ride
Weekly no-drop road ride from their shop in Ambridge from April through October.
Meets: 6:15 pm Thursday nights at Sweetwater Bikes, 518 Merchant St. Ambridge, PA 15003
Distance: 20-25 miles
Average Pace: 12-15 mph+
Find Out More:
https://www.instagram.com/sweetwaterbikes/
East End Cycling Club Speedy Saturday
Speedy Saturday is a fast road ride led by local racers and aspiring racers. You may, possibly will, get dropped, but don’t take it personally.
Meets: Varies
Distance: 40+ miles
Average Pace: 15 mph+
Find Out More: www.facebook.com/groups/149892305062076/events
PMTCC Wednesday Rides
Weekly longer distance road ride from PMTCC. No drop rides with a sweep.
Meets: 6:30 pm on Wednesdays at 27th Street at Tunnel Blvd on Southside. Across from REI.
Distance: 17-22 miles
Average Pace: 10-15 mph
Find Out More:
Trek Bicycle Robinson Sunday Rides
Longstanding Sunday morning road ride starting from the Trek store in Robinson.
Meets: 9:30 am Sundays at Trek Robinson 6514 Steubenville Pike, Pittsburgh, PA
Distance: 20-40 miles
Average Pace: 10-15 mph
Find Out More: www.facebook.com/paul.kopko.1
Mountain Bike Rides
Bike Type: Mountain Bikes
Mountain bikes enable you to ride on singletrack trails and just about anything else. Bring one to a mountain bike ride to take in the joys of off-road riding!
Rides to Try:
3ROC Unison Frick Rides
These Thursday night rides sample the best single track trails in Frick Park and adjacent systems with a friendly crew. Rides go from late May through late October.
Meets: 6 pm on Thursdays at 3 Rivers Outdoor Company 1130 S Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Distance: 10-15 miles
Average Pace: 10-15 mph
Find Out More:
- 3riversoutdoor.com/blogs/events/weekly-mountain-bike-ride-in-frick-park
- www.instagram.com/3roc_unison_thurs_mtb_rides
High-Speed Dirt (HSD)
Large mountain bike club that has lots of weekly outings to various trails.
Meets: Varies
Distance: Varies
Average Pace: Varies
Find Out More:
Mixed Surface/ Gravel Rides
Bike Type: Gravel, Cyclocross, Hybrid, Mountain Bikes
These rides go off-the-beaten path and can feature anything from pavement to dirt, gravel, railroad ballast, and singletrack. A great place to see what you can do with a new gravel bike.
Unison MXT Monday Rides
These Monday night rides are “No Drop, All Gnar” and, although they like to spice up the pace, will wait and provide a sweep to make sure everyone is having a good time.
Meets: 6 pm on Mondays at Unison Bike Lab, 42 S 4th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Distance: 15-25 miles
Average Pace: 10-15 mph
Find Out More:
www.instagram.com/unisonbikelab
Bike Polo
Bike Type: Polo Bike, typically a converted single-speed with wide bars and low-gearing.
More of a pick-up sport than a ride. It is often played on street hockey or basketball courts. Polo is a unique test of skill and coordination that can be very addicting.
Pittsburgh Bike Polo
Join them on Sundays and Tuesdays for pick-up matches. Players are often happy to lend their bikes and mallets for others to try the sport.
Meets: Sunday 12-5 pm, Tuesdays 5:30 pm to dusk at the court at Four Mile Run Rd. and Boundary St.
Distance: n/a
Average Pace: less than 5 mph
Find Out More: www.instagram.com/pghbikepolo/?hl=en
Affinity Group Rides
Bike Type: Any
Affinity group rides are meant to make space for certain groups who may be underrepresented by the often white-male-dominated cycling community. Please be aware of who these rides are intended for.
WMNBikePGH Rides
BikePGH’s Women & Non-Binary program (WMNBikePGH) was created to break down barriers to bicycling and increase the representation of people who have historically marginalized gender identities. The program is inclusive of trans and cis women, intersex people, non-binary, genderqueer, agender and gender variant folks, as well as those whose gender identity falls outside of the dominant conceptions of gender. WMNBikePGH hosts an annual, summit, meet-ups, and multiple rides over the year.
Meets: Varies
Distance: Varies
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More:
Venture Outdoors Women & NonBinary Mountain Bike Rides & Clinics
Learn effective riding skills and techniques to improve your riding experience within the support of a women and nonbinary riders-only group. This is a beginner-level mountain bike ride, but some previous experience and comfort riding a bike is necessary for this outing. We will start with reviewing bike fit and practicing some basic bike handling skills and then riders will have the opportunity for an inclusive, no-drop ride pace where we will take some stops to practice on a couple of features within the Frick Park trail system, always challenge by choice.
The clinic will wrap-up with some cold seltzer waters and snacks and an opportunity to hang out.
We welcome riders ages 15 and up and center women, nonbinary, trans male, and gender variant mountain bikers.
Meets: Varies
Distance: Varies
Average Pace: 10 mph or less
Find Out More:
Did We Forget Anyone?
Do you know a good ride we forgot to mention? Let us know by emailing education@bikepgh.org! Also, feel free to visit our Events Calendar to find out more about rides in the city, and to submit your own!
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