BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Are you thinking of long downhill runs where you can really go fast? Or long, uninterrupted flats where you can do a time trial type of effort? 18th street can be fun, or west liberty from Dormont to the liberty tunnels, if traffic and stoplights cooperate. The GAP from homestead out to Mckeesport and beyond doesn't usually have a whole lot of traffic. I'd think that would be a good place to test your legs and your aero position. I'm planning to go for a long ride on the Montour and panhandle trails this fall some time. I want to see what kind of pace I can maintain on fairly flat ground for 100 miles. When I've been on the Montour there has always been some traffic, but it's never been too bad. These are not uncommon routes, but they are the places I know. If you're trying to come up with good road routes away from the city, I can't be of much help. Most of my riding is either commuting through town, or family rides on the bike trails.    

I routinely ride McKnight Road inbound starting at Perrymont Road in McCandless. Right lane, take the lane, cede it to nobody, and ride like hell. I regularly hit 27-33 mph, my biggest problem having to stop or slow for traffic lights. This is actually a decent place to bike, until you get to the southern peel-off for Babcock Blvd, then it instantly becomes dangerous to be in the lane. Traffic speeds at that bridge can top 75 mph, so I will try to get to that bridge sidewalk if I can. But I myself am on the top side of 30 mph on that descent, and you have to come to a full stop and dismount to get on the bridge sidewalk. Made all the more difficult by the car invariably waiting to pull out. Stay on the shoulder until past the I-279 on ramp, then get back in the lane and go back to cranking like hell the rest of the way into town. Again, take the lane, giving zero fucks to anyone behind you. (I’m looking at you, Darlene Harris.)

Beaver Ave/Chateau St. on the North Side: Flat and plenty of room to ride fast, particularly between the Port Authority maintenance facility and ALCOSAN. Neville Rd. on Neville Island: currently, the Fleming Park bridge on the south side of the island is closed, so there's less traffic going through the island. There is still considerable truck traffic during the day, but it dies down after 4-5 pm and you feel like you have the entire road for yourself.

It's complicated to get to at the moment, but Nevil Island is straight, table-top flat and mostly empty bike lanes;  and head winds!

Time trialing on mixed-use bike paths like GAP or Montour is generally uncool. Toatally agree with Beaver & Neville Island. Irvine and River Ave might qualify as similar but shorter runs. Depending on your need, the bike oval might work too. For a longer stretch, I'd consider Freeport Road between Aspinwall and Tarentum, then up/down Days Run and Little Deer Creek, which are mostly gentle climbs/descents. All YMMV (except for the bit about time trialling on bike paths).

Time trialing on mixed-use bike paths like GAP or Montour is generally uncool.

I get that. I'm not an MUP racer. If there are other people within sight or if sight lines are limited, I ride at an appropriate pace for those conditions. If there's no one around and I can see far enough ahead (which is often the case on the section of the GAP I mentioned or on many parts of the Montour Trail.) I will push my pace which, to be honest, is still not all that fast. I completely agree that it's not cool to blast past unsuspecting pedestrians/joggers/slow cyclists on a mixed use path.

Thanks for the suggestions!!

You could do laps at the oval on washington blvd?

I can hit nearly 30 MPH on Panther Hollow Rd. heading west from Bartlett St. https://youtu.be/DTGqnFB6cP4?t=1302 Also, Library Rd. from No. 5980 to Clifton Rd., Bethel Park https://youtu.be/kkMHxWLXDGA?t=2716

Industry Rd in McKeesport, which parallels the GAP is pretty good for sprinting; but go on Sundays when it's empty. A nice chunk, with a break in the middle, is Beaver, past the stadiums, onto River then crossing the 31st (for that little extra grunt at the end).

With beaver and river watch the potholes on beaver, especially down by alcosan/dqe. And avoid the swastika changed to a box on a support beam under the 65 bridge on beaver Ave outbound. (One day I may just black spray paint over the whole thing so it's just a black blob) And on River watch for the deadly train tracks.

I always thought swastikas are much improved when transformed into flowers (but I'm ok that if you're not all that artistic you just make some geometric form incorporating squares... at least you did something). Besides, I thought it was the {city|county|state}'s responsibility to deal with this kind of public-property vandalism. Time for (at least one) 311? I do agree with an earlier suggestion that the River rail crossing could be dealt with using a bag of cement. There's no need to do the whole thing, just a bike width on either side. And some spray-paint markings to guide bikers to them. But hey, it could also be a 311.

Would gluing a pool noodle or four into the slots by those tracks do any good? Choose a couple that are bright pink or yellow, and you could see where to aim.