BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

@Pierce: If you come up to Brighton Heights, you can hit Jack Stack pool off Benton and the spray fountain at Marmaduke Park. A nice two-fer.

Rough itinerary: http://goo.gl/maps/XS1BV Leave Friendship Park at 12:45 Arrive at Ammon at 1:15 Leave Ammon at 1:45 --- Arrive at Market Square at 2:15pm (lunch) Leave Market Square at 2:45 --- Arrive at Marmaduke Spraypark at 3:30 Leave Marmaduke Spraypark at 3:45 --- Arrive at Jack Stack at 4:00 Leave Jack Stack at 4:30 --- Arrive at Sue Murray at 5:00 (three slides) Leave Sue Murray at 5:30 --- End at the point fountains?

The Pool Ride is an annual favorite. It's good to see someone is carrying the torch again this year. Would you object changing the ride name to something more descriptive than "Bike Tour". I'm afraid it might get lost in the 100 plus events. I know people are looking forward to it.

@Lou F Hmm, I totally botched the BikeFest entry form. (late at night) Could it be edited to read: Event Title: "Pool Tour" "With a love of swimming, we tour the Citiparks Outdoor Pools across the city! This year’s stops include Ammon, Marmaduke Spray Park, Jack Stack and Sue Murray, with a food break in between at Market Square. More information can be found on the BikePGH forums: http://localhost/mb/topic/pool-tour-sunday-august-18th-2013/#post-279326 $4 is required for a daily pool pass, which will allow entrance at all the stops." I'd be up for a catchier name, (although I am one for nostalgia,) if one is presented to me I also just emailed Angela to see if she could update it, since she already contacted me about something else in relation to the listing

P.S. If anybody on the forums is planning on attending, I'd love the company and the addition of some other strong riders will familiarity of the route I think we've had mechanical issues in years past that required people to break off, stop and assist

Pierce wrote:This year’s stops include Ammon, Marmaduke Spray Park, Jack Stack and Sue Murray, with a food break in between at Market Square.

Could you give some clues as to where these pools are? Google only telles where Ammon (Hill district, Bedford AVE and (no BS) Memory lane) and Sue Murray (northside, stockton and Cedar)

Hey Mick, if you click on the Google link in my second post, it lists all the destinations Also, just did a forum search to confirm this is the 4th pool tour! (Fifth if you count the winter pool tour) Man, that makes me feel old The locations are basically, Hill District, Brighton Heights (Marmaduke and Jack Stack), North Shore P.P.S. If anybody knows Caitlin's contact info, could you forward all this information to her or tell her to check the forums. I literally ran into her on the street so to speak, and it appears like the PM system is broken. She may not be able to attend to other obligations, but I'd at least like her to know the details

Pierce wrote:Also, just did a forum search to confirm this is the 4th pool tour! (Fifth if you count the winter pool tour) Man, that makes me feel old

Perspective, dude. Makes me feel young. ; ) I forwarded a link to this thread (and your email address) to Caitlin.

You know, I think I first met you on the Pool Tour One of your panniers fell off going down Greenfield Ave

@Pierce the event should be edited by the end of the day. If you see it hasn't please let me know. Two other guys were interested in leading a pool ride to so I told them to contact you here.

Pierce! I am so glad I ran into you the other night. Thanks so much for continuing the Bikefest Pool Tour 2013--is this the 4th or 5th one?? I hope to join you and I appreciate the all-new pool visit itinerary!! Also spray parks are the BEST and I fondly recall our visit to the Troy Hill Spray Park a few years ago, that was so fun. Hopefully I can get my act together for a winter tour this year too, and maybe someone we know will be able to get us into CMU or JCC.... :)

Yeah me and Frank Knoll are willing to help organize/lead this tour. Maybe the best way to keep in touch with us is via email (revdomslu@gmail.com & astonishedboy@gmail.com) Cool that we're hitting up some off the beaten path pools that I've never been to, so not sure how helpful I'll be with the route, but your map looks good so far. Maybe wrap up after hours at the north side fountain steps by the river and stadiums? Anyways, let us know what else we can do to help, Steve

Yeah, hitting the north side fountains at the end is on my mind, although I didn't put it on the route because it's so close All we need now is for the word to get around and people to show up. Last year was our smallest turnout, but still decent. I'd like to get more this year Also glad everybody is up for hitting the previously-unvisited pools, and I threw in Sue Murray for nostalgia, the slides, and because the water should probably be the warmest at the end of the day there

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfbh5N7aMwY

I can throw together a facebook event page for to help spread the word that way.

Excellent idea Rev, perhaps I'll do the same on G+

This looks like fun! Not sure I'm quite up to the challenge though. I'm being passed by guys on road bikes going down Greenfield and by the occasional jogger going uphill - and when I got a flat today I *walked* my bike to REI to have it fixed :-) Also, what do you guys do with these open-jaw rides? Put your bikes on a bus? I guess I could strap my Mini Cooper to the side of my bike and leave it at Friendship Park for the return trip, cutting off at least a few of these additional miles ...

I'm not sure Greenfield Ave is the best judge of ability to go on the pool tour :P Roadies probably go way too fast for Greenfield Ave and it can be a long uphill (I used to live by St Rosalia's) If you regularly ride your bike, you'd probably be fine, and if you got a flat, somebody could pull over to help you with it I'm not sure what you mean by "open-jaw" === For those who haven't attended years past, I'd like to mention that some activities such as sharks and minnows (I can't resist calling this game something like turtles and seaweed or maybe light and plankton) and simultaneous cannonballing

Pierce wrote:I’m not sure what you mean by “open-jaw”

From context I thought they meant "not a closed loop".

monika wrote:Also, what do you guys do with these open-jaw rides? Put your bikes on a bus? I guess I could strap my Mini Cooper to the side of my bike and leave it at Friendship Park for the return trip, cutting off at least a few of these additional miles …

Not familiar with this ride (and probably won't be there for it this year, either), but in general a few people usually ride together back to wherever it started; some who drive to the event will park at the destination and ride to the start, rather than the reverse; and the rest pair off to ride home or to their next destination together (or just ride off alone in their own time). Putting your bike on the bus to get home or back to the start is certainly a more than valid way to finish a ride--and you can get a 54 from about three blocks from the North Side Pool to about two blocks from Friendship Park.

oops, double post

I plan to be there. I don't think I've been to any of these pools... Actually, I'm not sure I've been swimming in a pool since the last pool ride I was on two years ago.

this seems fun, but i'll be down in southern wv.

Open jaw: meant non-loop. I think I'll just take the car to friendship park and bike back there after. If it turns out I can't keep up with a bunch of guys half my age on road bikes, I can always split after lunch. Cannonballs, sharks & minnows: so the plan is to get kicked out of each pool before moving on ;-)

I'll be going to this, so there will be a slow person involved. Continents drift past me when I climb hills.

Mick wrote:

Continents drift past me when I climb hills.

Continental draft?

You should cut back on the gin and tectonics.

reddan wrote:Continental draft?

Continental draft: 1. Movement of air mass caused by continental drift; 2. Fine beer age of which is measured not in days but in microns of continental drift where it has been prepared.

So, I'm finally putting the Facebook page together for this pool Tour and a couple questions/notes that come to mind: 1. Can we put the full route schedule, inc times, pool names, addresses and 'hoods and link to the map and fb page in the bikefest google calendar description, so folks don't necessarily have to come to this potentially confusing and wordy msg board. 2. Can we also recommend that folks bring any extra season passes they may have? 3. Any specific reason for the food stop in the middle and why market sq, perhaps to be near the ppg fountains? Just cutting into some valuable pool time which is limited 1-5:45pm and some of the restaurants seemed closed on Sunday though I'd imagine primantis And the burritos bros chains will be open. We could always stop somewhere after the pools are closed if folks are hungry. 4. Do we want to have a rain date incase of bad weather? Perhaps the following Saturday aug 24. Here is the link to the fb event page https://www.facebook.com/events/347672185366494/ Sorry for the lack of detail and grammar on both this post and the fb page, I'm typing on a friends infernal iPad touch screen. I will up date both sometime this afternoon when I can get to a decent keyboard at the library. Let me know what y'all think, Steve

Whatever you want to do on Facebook is fine with me Food stop is precedent, plus I like eating No rain date, but weather is showing sunny and 80 degrees Bring sun lotion === The drinks will be on the rocks

Rev Dom Slu wrote: Here is the link to the fb event page https://www.facebook.com/events/347672185366494/

Just FYI: This link brings me to my event page, with no mention of any bike Pgh or bikefest events.

I've made it to 3 pool bike tours! However, I have a very hectic Saturday and might choose to take it easy Sunday :( we'll see

I am an average paced rider in pretty okay shape... is this a ride I should be able to survive? I've never done this ride before.

I wasn't asking for permission for Facebook, those were suggestions to improve the BikeFest google calendar listing for the pool tour to make it as straightforward and easy to figure out without having to dig through the this confusing forum to find pertinent info. Making it as simple and easy to figure out as possible will ensure that more folks will be there. fyi, I've updated the facebook event page, check it out and rsvp, if you would: https://www.facebook.com/events/347672185366494/# Would y'all be adverse to updating the Google Calendar entry to something along the lines of the following, unless there is some kind of word limit on the text entry box. I'll go ahead and send it to Bike-Pgh so they can update the calendar if that's cool with you. "It's time again for a highlight of many a summer of yore, the annual bicycle tour of select Pittsburgh City Pools, as part of BikePgh's two week long annual BikeFest. What better way way to cool off after climbing countless rolling hills then a dive into the crystal clear cool water, and perhaps some back flips pool games such as sharks 'n minnows. And invite all your friends, the more, the merrier... The lowdown, tentative schedule & route: http://goo.gl/maps/XS1BV Meet at Friendship Park (corner of Friendship and Millvale Aves.) around 12:30, leave by 12:45 -- Arrive at Ammon Pool (2217 Bedford Avenue, Hill District 15219) at 1:15 - 1:45 pm — Arrive at Market Square (Forbes Ave & Market St, Downtown) at 2:15 - 2:45 pm (lunch & play in PPG place fountain) -- Arrive at Marmaduke Spraypark (3927 Oswald Ave, Brighton Heights, 15212) at 3:30 - 3:45pm — Arrive at Jack Stack Pool (600 Brighton Woods Road, Brighton Heights 15212) at 4:00 - 4:30pm — Arrive at Sue Murray Pool ( 301 Cedar Ave, Northside, 15212) at 5:00 - 5:30 pm (three slides) -- Possible wrap up at the step fountains on the North Shore trail near PNC ball park and/or Point State Park fountain downtown, and then following up with food and/or pints at a local establishment if anybody is interested. There's a Buccos afternoon game that'll be wrapping up around then, so it should be lively. Bring your annual pool passes (and any extra that you may have to share), or you can buy a $4 daily pool pass that cover all stops. More info about the city pools can be found here: http://pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks/swimming-home More information and discussion about the ride can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/347672185366494/# http://localhost/mb/topic/pool-tour-sunday-august-18th-2013/#post-280506 "

It's not cool with me. I'm running this ride and there's a lot you're changing in the listing that is merely a reflection of your own lexicon preferences, but not any different in substance The route itinerary is listed three posts down from the top and the post is linked (actually linked to Reddan's post, so the itinerary is one post down) in the calendar listing. How is that confusing? Bringing extra pool passes is a good idea, which I forgot

@J.Str. "I am an average paced rider in pretty okay shape… is this a ride I should be able to survive? I’ve never done this ride before." Yes, it's a relaxed paced ride. We may even had a kid riding along with us

ah, ah boss, I thought you wanted some help organizing and running the ride but I guess not. I was just trying to make it clearer at first glance where and what folks were getting in to. Saying Ammon, Jack Stack, Marmaduke, and Sue Ellen stops means absolutely nothing to most folks, and I just figured it would be helpful to put the addresses, neighborhoods, and tentative schedule directly into the Google calendar listing, so folks glancing at the BikeFest calendar can immediately see the schedule and get an idea for the stop locations without having to click a couple different links (map and message board). Adding more information in the Google calendar, which seems to be the main information source for BikeFest, would never be a bad thing. Why not make it as clear and straight forward as possible? You can leave all the rest of the text out, I don't really care about that, I'd just like to see a more detailed schedule in the calendar.

Yeah, I agree, the addresses are nice I had been viewing the calendar in Firefox with some plugins, which restricted the calendar to a small box that was hard to read much of anything In my unrestricted IE, the calendar is a lot easier to read, and so addresses make more sense That being said, I'm trusting that if people are interested enough to ride, they can click on two links (the post to the itinerary, and the linked map) The only other ride that I know of that suggests people join mid-ride is Flock of Cycles, and the itinerary isn't posted on their BikeFest calendar either (although that might be accidental) I think this is being over-thinked. People show up, we ride to pools. It's worked the last three years.

I agree, just trying to make it as accessible as possible to maximize turnout, cause the more the merrier!

Yippee! I'll be there! I feel like between this ride and the undies ride, I will feel over dressed when I ride to work after Bikefest.

This is happening still, right? We are lacking sunshine. :(

Of course! We might get a little rain, but it's still warm out. High 77

Was checking the route today and this year's route is abit too hilly and long for my still healing ankle injury :/ next time

You could join us at the North Shore pool around 5pm, aka Three Slides We'll probably go to the fountain after that too Heading off now myself!

not sure if this info will make the to the ride leaders in time, but if there was an intention to visit the allegheny center "misting poles/fountain". there seems to be an event going on at the childrens center, so keep an eye out for rampaging munchkins.

Soooo fun! Thanks everyone! I posted photos and a video to the facebook page, but will have to wait to get it here until I get to work Tuesday! Great day. My face even got a little pink!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3f8dnpkbsnz7bzc/Mb0cXiFR-D This was great. Thanks for talking me into going on. That first hill really was the worst!

Thanks for coming everybody I was sorry we missed some regulars this year, but was pleased to see some new faces to make up for it The other images are publicly available on the Facebook posting: https://www.facebook.com/events/347672185366494/# Thanks for putting them up!