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Avonworth area cycling

Hi all, I moved to Emsworth this past winter and have been starting to get my cycling legs and exploring the area. I’ve come across Roosevelt Road and have been using that as a training hill.  Has anyone taken Roosevelt all the way from Emsworth over to the other side of mount nebo road?   What kind of a ride is this? Is it a pretty decent climb all the way or are there down hills as well?  Any good loops from Roosevelt back to emsworth without going back down Roosevelt? Also, if I wanted to say go to the bike shop in West view, are there any less hilly ways then going up Perrysville Avenue/Ben Avon Heights Road/ Gass Road? Looking for some good summer cycling ideas in this area or even something that would link me to the trails near the casino, etc.  i’m interested in training some hills this summer.  I come from the east of the city where I was happy with Greenfield Ave., Hazelwood Avenue, etc. Thank you for your thoughts
italianblend
2018-05-22 18:51:52
the north boros arent bad for riding ohio twp is not bike friendly
pbear250
2018-05-24 11:39:26
I haven't ridden that way much, but you're not getting any other responses, so... Roosevelt to Mt. Nebo is a bit of a slog, as you know, but it's a nice descent coming back. There's a handy Sheetz at Mt. Nebo & 79. That's on a steep, busy hill that is pretty unpleasant in either direction. Beyond that, I've taken Nicholson inbound from Wexford-Bayne which was lots of rollers and high-speed traffic, so it wasn't very pleasant, either. My favorite route is Magee-Audubon-Little Sewickley, which has some hills, but is mostly quiet backwoods. I've always taken it inbound, tho, IIRC. That was where I came across a huge cheezball spill one day. My heatmap says I've taken Red Mud Hollow, but I don't remember it. Big Sewickley & Warrendale-Bayne are doable, tho not especially pleasant IIRC. Ditto Camp Horne. Sorry that's vague. I stopped riding out there when the Center Ave Bridge was closed, and have only been out once since it reopened (looping Mickey's Rocks Bridge, Neville Island, Sewickley Bridge, Little Sewickley, Roosevelt, Church/Cali/Lincoln). If you find interesting roads/routes, repost 'em here.
ornoth
2018-05-24 13:55:40
To this:  "...Also, if I wanted to say go to the bike shop in West view, are there any less hilly ways then going up Perrysville Avenue/Ben Avon Heights Road/ Gass Road?..." Might I suggest:  "Try the bike shop in Coraopolis?" Just kidding, mostly. As for routes after Roosevelt, Nicholson is not bad (very similar to Roosevelt.)  Or, if you can make your way to the bottom parts of Mt. Nebo (near I-279) McAleer/McDevitt will take you up to Blueberry Park.  You can return via Nicholson/Roosevelt. But mostly, you get Roosevelt, heading northbound.
swalfoort
2018-05-30 14:51:14
Ok I have been training Roosevelt and yesterday I did the following loop: Roosevelt>Crawford>Grandview>Joseph’s lane>Ben Avon Heights Road>Perrysville>back to emsworth It was a pretty good loop and about 1230 ft elevation. Took me about an hour. Grandview was pretty steep. According to strava it’s 13% and seemed like the steepest I’ve ever tried. I had to walk up the last half. That’s my next goal. I enjoyed this loop all accept for the giant eagle/ Home Depot traffic, but seems like that’s the only option to get back to emsworth at that point. Ben Avon Heights Road was not as bad as I thought it would be. Cars were generally courteous and gave me plenty of space passing. The only issue I had was descending Joseph’s lane (and yes I took the lane) a car passed me into oncoming traffic. I was just surprised because I generally don’t get passed on a downhill if I take the lane. If anyone is out this way give grand view a try! It’s short but darn steep!
italianblend
2018-06-03 19:15:03
Hello Italianblend! Just now came across this post.  I live in Ben Avon.  I don't have the nerve/desire to ride some the roads you do and I generally minimize pavement or high traffic pavement on my neighborhood rides.  What has been your experience with drivers here this summer? You may have discovered these by now, but here are some alternatives. From the end of Emsworth park, you can take a nice gravel climb up to the paintball park and old dixmont cemetery - will put you out onto Roosevelt at the top of the hill. My preferred way up to Ben Avon Heights is Church>Walnut>Cambridge.  The road is closed at the start of Cambridge so car traffic is virtually zero. Another good ride is make your way down to Riverview Park and take a loop around the park (pavement or dirt) and then ride back up to Emsworth.  Take care!  
sturgma
2018-08-23 09:35:10
This is the loop I used to ride on weekends when I lived in the North Hills (about 40 miles round trip). You could easily modify it to start from Ben Avon. The Starbucks in Sewickley is a nice half-way watering hole. Mt. Nebo is tough but rewarding. If you start early on a Sunday the traffic is usually light. https://www.runtastic.com/en/routes/old-pen-to-sewickley (Hope the link works)
rainbow-dog
2018-08-24 15:22:49