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Why isn't there a "Bridge Pedal" Pittsburgh?

Over the weekend I was perusing a cycling magazine, and saw an news article about the "BridgePedal 2009" in Portland, OR.... why isn't there one in Pittsburgh too? We have tons of bridges in here! And while I don't know what kind of bridges they have in there, I sure think we have some pretty ones here. I know that we already have the one thru BikePgh, but... I don't know... it seems like a nifty idea, specially if a good number of people participate on it, it could bring some attention to the city-drivers to share the bridges more too.....


Just wondering.... my 2cents I guess


bikeygirl
2010-04-05 21:29:55

I rode over 4 of them on Friday. 31st St, Roberto Clemente, Smithfield St., & Hot Metal. Sounds like a good idea and fun ride.


icemanbb
2010-04-05 21:50:04

I think this would be a good idea.


It would be easy to make a 20 mile ride that hits 10 to 20 bridges. It should have river bridges and inland creek bridges too.


igo
2010-04-05 21:52:14

Yeah, don't forget inland bridges like those in and around Schenley and Frick Parks, not to forget bridges over the various other hollows and ravines around the area.


On the note of bridges I think it's unfortunate that the South Side and Duck Hollow Trails both "cul-de-sac" basically right in the vicinity of the Glenwood Bridge. If only there were switchbacks/other access to make use of sidewalks already on the Glenwood Bridge to connect those two trails...


impala26
2010-04-05 22:06:42

Personally, I think it would attract PLENTY of people young & old.... being able to 'safely' in-masses bike through some of the bridges in the city would be a huge turn-on, I think.... plus friendly too. Maybe to start small, it could focus mainly on the central bridges & the river trails.... and perhaps end with a little 'arts & bike-related' gear/food/fair at the end..... events like this need a beginning & an end so that everyone can get to hangout and perhaps increase the camaraderie & bike-freindliness....


Some bridges fo' shizzle to have...


40th st -

31th st -

16th st -

9th st - Rachel Carson

7th st -warhol

6th st - clemente

Forth Duquesne

West End

Fort Pitt (THAT ONE WOULD BE FUN & A SIGHT TO SEE!)

Smithfield

Liberty

10th st

Birmingham

Hot Metal


That's 14 bridges.... Ending at either Lawrenceville

or Southside Works / REI... there would be plenty of space/

shops / gathering places to celebrate afterwards.


It could start in Lawrenceville, ending in Southside Works for glorious beer too afterwards!


bikeygirl
2010-04-05 22:14:19

Hrm..... in-land bridges would be cool, but I would be afraid that if for a first-starting event it looks lc too much 'weaving' in & out of mainland it would detract some people (specially with hills involved).... but I guess it would all depend how the route is planned....


I don't know if a lot of people know about the 'hidden' bridge in Oakland by the Frick fountain & the carousel area..... there used to be a ravine in there with a bridge to connect the area, later Pitt bought the land and wanted a parking lot plus other stuff.... it was cheaper to leave the bridge in the ravine and cover it than to take it out.... so.... yes... there is still a bridge in there!


And now you know that!


bikeygirl
2010-04-05 22:20:09

This sounds like a great idea. With some good route-planning and a little PR, this could be awesome.


raphael
2010-04-05 23:18:42

breakfast on the bridges is something awesome to remake here. Something I'd really like to get going.


lolly
2010-04-06 00:23:52

Sounds great to me too. If anyone wants to meet for a practice run, name a date (or dates) you're available. We could get a small group together to create a map, decide on a destination (where there's an art related activity or festival) and start a mini PR campaign.


I like the 14-Bridge idea, bikeygirl. Any thought about including the ride during BikeFest?


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-06 00:40:16

Sounds great to me too. If anyone wants to meet for a practice run, name a date (or dates) you're available. We could get a small group together to create a map, decide on a destination (where there's an art related activity or festival) and start a mini PR campaign.


I like the 14-Bridge idea, bikeygirl. Any thoughts about scheduling the ride during BikeFest?


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-06 00:42:09

@lolly.. we could start with breakfast & then roll through the bridges.... o_O


bikeygirl
2010-04-06 00:50:28

I would totally be in for a bridge ride.


bikeygirl: As with all information, mine may be bad, so take this with a grain of salt, but: I believe that filling in the ravine in Oakland was a "two birds, one stone" situation. The fill that was used there was from the excavation of Grant's Hill downtown. They needed someplace to dump all of that dirt, and meanwhile, the ravine in Oakland was a problem. So...


jz
2010-04-06 03:20:13

This does sound like a great idea, I would definitely be down for that.


Also I didn't know about the other "bridge" near the library, that's really interesting.


matatarski
2010-04-06 03:45:44

The Post-Gazette indicates the idea that Grant's Hill dirt filled in St. Pierre's Ravine is a myth (though a popular one). It came from Franklin Toker's book "Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait" (recently updated, I think, with this claim removed).


Bridge Pedal sounds like a great idea.


steven
2010-04-06 07:12:49

I was just in Portland and friend told me they actually close the I-405 highway bridge and let people ride across that too. Imagine a Bridge ride that came down from the West End Bridge, and then went up on the the Fort Pitt Bridge, aross the top deck and across the Fort Duquesne Bridge.. Or some other routing.


jeffinpgh
2010-04-06 14:48:54

Awesome idea. I'm psyched to do it. And seriously, Pittsburgh is supposed to have the greatest concentration of bridges of any city next to Venice, Italy- so lets ride them!


It'd be neat if someone could take some aerial shots of the crowd crossing the bridges, using a helium ballon lofted camera on guy lines... or wielded by some avid climber, perhaps! Awesome publicity photo for Pittsburgh as a Cycling city: a shot of the point with masses of cyclists crossing ft. pitt bridge. (I worry about feasibility of closing even a lane on Ft Pitt bridge, though). If not, maybe a good shot could be framed from the west end bridge...


gordonkirkwood
2010-04-06 15:32:36

Did you know that the Fort Pitt Bridge has a sidewalk?


And that it is very bike-accessible from Carson Street and from Point State Park?


If you haven't ridden across it, looked at the views of the river, seen the sun reflecting up off the water through the bridge grating, go. Go ride there.


If you have 500 cyclists, then sure, make a big deal, take a lane. But you can go there now, yourself.


nfranzen
2010-04-06 15:51:36

re the Duck Hollow Trail + Glenwood Bridge, I was there the other day meditating on creative pedestrian bridge design. Elevating a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to connect the trail to Second Ave seems completely possible and -- I think! -- inexpensive. But I can only imagine the bureaucratic obstacles...


nfranzen
2010-04-06 15:55:45

@Jeff ... yeah, that was my though: Coming from the Northside to West End Bridge, loop to Fort Pitt, loop to Liberty Bridge (IT IS EASY going up Boulevard of the Allies), then loop down to Smithfield bridge, and off to 10th street Bridge and such..... through trails and some roads, of course.... (or something like that).


(just thinking about it makes me giddy!)


@Team Decaf ... sure, if you and ANYONE wants to meet to throw some ideas to the table (as well as sharing them in here), we can do that.... I myself are really a newbie-cyclist, but do get some ideas and see nothing wrong with pondering "what if's"


@BikePGH or whoever: anyone has any experience how to really get the things rolling for something like this in terms of permits, sponsorship, PR, and what not?


And YES.... if mixed with BikeFest sounds dope! :)


I'm glad to see people excited about this.... dream a little dream!


bikeygirl
2010-04-06 15:56:28

Did you know that the Fort Pitt Bridge has a sidewalk?


Yes, I've ridden and walked over it several times. But riding the top deck of the bridge and looking UP the Mon would be cool too


jeffinpgh
2010-04-06 22:41:23

The West End Bridge is beautiful, but I think it's really highway-y to get to unless you walk your bike up the stairs to the sidewalk. Am I wrong here?

When I rode as a volunteer in the Pgh Marathon, I got to ride clear across it...gorgeous.


alnilam
2010-04-07 01:41:56

@alankhg right! "Suspended from and woven within the viaduct's structure..." That's exactly what should be possible.


Searching around for "suspension pedestrian bridge" shows some possible examples, waymarking.com and bridgemeister.com, particularly the James River one. I mean, the additional load from pedestrians would have to be completely trivial, but to get the engineering bureaucracy to consider modifications however slight to the original designs might be totally impossible.


nfranzen
2010-04-07 01:57:17

Looking further puts a reference to the 1000 foot James River bridge at $2.3M. Hard to say from web searches, but it seems like nobody gets a footbridge for <$1M. Crazy! Looking at the underside of the Glenwood Bridge I'd think $100K should do it easily, but maybe I just don't understand where all the money goes.


nfranzen
2010-04-07 02:07:56

Oh and let's build a suspension bridge over Nine Mile Run too. I still think it would have been nice to leave the old bridge there. Why not?


nfranzen
2010-04-07 02:22:13

We talked about the Glenwood Bridge in this post from last summer.


As for a model, think about the Fort Duquesne Bridge. It wasn't cheap, but if we do get anything on Glenwood, I'd bet the thing is going to be used like crazy, at least as much traffic as Hot Metal gets now.


stuinmccandless
2010-04-07 14:03:14

Nate: $100k probably buys you less than one man-year of skilled labor or engineering time, much less materials and transportation.


alankhg
2010-04-07 14:18:26

feh, who needs skilled labor or engineering? Just string up some steel cables and build one of these!



lyle
2010-04-07 14:59:21

Mmmm, no argument, I know, more or less what labor costs are. But they say, if you want creativity, cut one zero from your budget. I think it could be done. For instance, let the skilled engineer spent 4 hours/month of billable time reviewing/criticizing the designs from the university student engineering teams.


If you are spending many man-months of time on this bridge, you've made it too complicated.


In my view, most pedestrian bridges are terribly, grotesquely overbuilt. Perhaps that's unavoidable in this country.


nfranzen
2010-04-07 15:14:15

sounds like a good bikefest event y'all.


caitlin
2010-04-07 15:39:30

I agree with Nate about Ped bridges being overbuilt, but realistically, we are not going to change that any time soon.


A serious reevaluation of building standards would, itself, be a multimillion dollar project. If some reputatable civil engineering organization did that work and set new standards? Costs for bike infrastructure would probably be cut significantly, but I'm not sure if those reductions would be close to 50%. Maybe enough to ease soem funding pressure though.


Most of the arguments here are pretty silly, in my opinion. One example - Lyle, that bridge of yours, with a few hundred feet of heavy steel cable, metal frame, along with proper design, mooring, inspection, approaches,and maintenance-heavy rope webbing and wood board walk, is likely a million dollars project, or close to it. And totally inadequate for even one-way bike traffic.


How much was the Hot Metal Bridge? If I recall correctly, it was $11 million - and the steel frame bridge was already there.


On the Glenwood Bridge, there are sidewalks taht could be made multi-use similar to the Smithfield street.


Except the sidewalks are relatively narrow so passing might be a show-stopping safety problem. There is not enough room for a pedestrian to keep walking safely- even at the edge- while bikers blast past at 15 mph.


There are stairs - like 40 or 50 steps - at the south side of the bridge, so getting an exit from there would be pricey. A ramp to the duck hollow trail would be great, but also not cheap.


So, I see this as $10 million + project, even using existing (inadequate) facilities. (and I'm guessing that $10 mil is laughably low.)


Unlike Stu, I don't think this would get the use that Hot Metal does, even if it connnected to the GAP and SadCastle caved and let the GAP go through.


I do like the idea of suspending a ped bridge below exising structures, but if you start putting a concrete bikeway there, the weight might make it impractical.


mick
2010-04-07 15:55:25

A million dollars just doesn't buy what it used to, does it?


Yes, I know my example was silly, but trust me, I was looking for an even sillier one. My oblique point is that very useful pedestrian-only facilities can be a whole lot less expensive than the concrete and steel things.


lyle
2010-04-07 16:10:01

Glad there's so much enthusiasm about this!


We are working on something like this, but it will take a year and a half before it's ready. The answer to "why isn't there something like this here?" is simple, because putting on something like this is incredibly costly and difficult. Only after 8 years of existence is BikePGH in the position to put something like this on. We estimated that it will cost $165,000 to put it on.


In the meantime we need to raise some serious money for this ride. If you're interested in being an angel investor in Pittsburgh's first totally car-free ride, let me know!


scott
2010-04-07 16:37:48

@Scott: mmmm.... What would take a year & a half before its ready? A Bridge-Ride? Or a Bike-Pedestrian Bridge in Glenwood?


Please clarify! :D


I would think that doing a ride through the bridges would require some $$ just in terms of perhaps permits & security for some of the major bridges.... but if -let's say, Fort Pitt, Liberty, and the West End Bridge were taken out of the "First" official BridgePedal ride, & we just go through the other less-logistically difficult bridges, it could be done -right?


In terms of a 'finalizing' event after the ride, it this ends in the Southside Works by REI, I'm sure that the local shops & such would welcome something like this coming down there. And if enough PR and real-word-of-mouth was spread not only locally, but also in other local cities & such, it would make it worth it for vendors.


Once again, I mean...... just asking questions & what-if's.


Anyone feel free to comment too!!!!!


bikeygirl
2010-04-07 17:31:45

ALSO - ABOUT BIKE BRIDGE IDEAS.....


I like all this talk about what people think would make a good pedestrian/cycling bridge..... why not have a little "design competition" about a potential Glenwood Bridge, where it would only be about design ideas & dreams -and open to anyone, and perhaps have some gear-prizes & an online gallery for anyone to peruse.... I would be interested in seeing people's drawings & narratives about what inspires them to create what they think -makes- a good pedestrian bridge (regardless of age or occupation)....


One again.... just what-ifs.....(like I said, I just get ideas)


bikeygirl
2010-04-07 17:31:47

Sooo sorry for multiple posting!


bikeygirl
2010-04-07 17:31:49

And also..... don't know much about websites and blogs, but maybe we can have a way of people 'pledging' to be at the ride... that way, if someone sees that we're (hopefully) hitting hundreds of pledges & people/families wanting to participate, we can get more people -get all psyched out...


bikeygirl
2010-04-07 17:32:27

$165k? dang. is there any chance of recouping a significant part of that in sponsorship and registration fees?


dmtroyer
2010-04-07 17:45:41

Too bad it doesn't cost car owners $165k to drive around on all the bridges. That figure baffles me. Are those costs to pay the city close and redirect vehicle traffic, pay for police, etc? Even if you get 2000 people to register, it would still be 80+ bucks a pop. Yikes.


dwillen
2010-04-07 18:28:07

It is way more expensive and way more work than many people realize to put on good events.


Permits and insurance can get expensive, cops to close roadways is very expensive. Portapots and garbage collection are required when applying for large permits, along with a myriad of other things that add up just to put the thing on.


Then there's everything else... Someone has to organize everything (which will take a couple of months time), shirts and promotional materials cost significant amounts of money...We've been talking about a bridge ride of sorts for a long time at BikePGH board meetings, and only now has the organization grown to the point of being able to plan such a huge event and do it right.


We're all super psyched that there is so much interest an input into this endeavor. We will need the support of our members to make it all happen!


bradq
2010-04-07 18:44:31

"Too bad it doesn't cost car owners $165k to drive around on all the bridges. That figure baffles me. Are those costs to pay the city close and redirect vehicle traffic, pay for police, etc? Even if you get 2000 people to register, it would still be 80+ bucks a pop. Yikes. "


Let's compare apples to apples here... if you were to shut down 20-30 miles of roadway to all traffic except a registered list of vehicles that are going to proceed in a loose parade like fashion along the route, starting at one gathering place and ending at another, it would cost a lot of money to facilitate a permitted event.


On the same note, it doesn't take any cash at all to ride around on all the bridges. I do it all the time, and it's completely free. It's when you want to do it with a few thousand other people and shut down the roads all along the way that things get hairy.


bradq
2010-04-07 18:47:31

Dwillen $165k to drive around on all the bridges. That figure baffles me.


Kinda puts the idea of $ millions for a permanent bike bridge in perspective.


mick
2010-04-07 19:12:44

I should say I sorta regret dual-purposing this thread -- I think the bridge ride idea is great -- I have a lot of enthusiasm for bridges in general.


I think we should have lots of small-scale rides where we ride around and talk about crazy or maybe even not-crazy infrastructure proposals.


nfranzen
2010-04-07 20:26:04

@Nate: If you're interested in bridges (Specially here in Allegheny County).... you'll like this website:


http://pghbridges.com/


There are photos of most bridges, try taking the 'tours' descriptions.


Enjoy!


bikeygirl
2010-04-07 21:05:17

In Cleveland they're talking of putting a ped/bicycle path on the Innerbelt/Freeway bridge, http://www.gcbl.org/innerbelt, maybe this stuff not's so far out there, anymore. Cleveland hasn't made a good decision in, well, ever, so they'll probably drop the ball on this one but the pictures look cool, It's a better idea then spending millions on a tunnel that goes 1/4 mile, 1/4 mile under a river already crossed by what, four bridges, that's kinda dumb.


timito
2010-04-08 10:41:14

Timito: HUNDREDS of millions on the tumnel.


mick
2010-04-08 15:24:41

Hundreds of millions!, they should have paid Green Gears to ferry people over the bridges, Hundreds of millions should last decades, I'd take them over in a canoe for three million.


timito
2010-04-08 23:53:21

I'm planning to map and measure a Bridge Ride using bikeygirl's idea. I'm going to start at the 40th Street Bridge and make my way through most of the 14 bridges she noted early in this thread.


Once a map is created, I'm thinking of posting the ride during Bike Fest. I'll make a pdf available to all.


If you're interested in joining me to create the map and brainstorm any other ideas, meet me at the corner of 40th Street and Butler in Lawrenceville.


12:00 Noon, Sunday April 11. Hope to see you there.


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-09 13:08:00

@BradQ ... got you, got you.... you are right about taking some time + preparation + dough to get an event like this going & be smoothly & succesfully about it too. It is obvious that people are seriously interested about a 'PedalBridge' Pittsburgh happening, so let us know how can one help! I didn't know this was already a floating idea out there.... sorry if I got the troops rilled up abit early!


And about $$$ for something like this, if this event were to end & promote the Southside Works, I bet you the Soffer Organization & American Eagle would definately drop some dough for it...


bikeygirl
2010-04-10 18:12:22

Not to switch this thread back to its original diversion...


The other day I went down through Hazelwood to check out the Glenwood Bridge. (Unrelated note, is there actually a "Glenwood" area any more?) One can easily access the Glenwood Bridge's sidewalk from the Duck Hollow Trail via crossing the train tracks and heading up a moderately sloped bike/hike path. However, on the other side one has to head down two different sets of stairs in order to get to the the roadway down there and ultimately the "illegal" shortcut to the South Side Trail parallel to the train tracks.


All that said, I don't actually think an entire new ped/bike bridge would be needed as the sidewalks there are wide enough (maybe not comfortably wide enough for two-way traffic). All that would really need to be constructed would be switchbacks on either end of the bridge, and the north side one would have to be on the other side of the train tracks so you could cross legally. Actually that would serve not only as bridge access but also legal access from Hazelwood to the Duck Hollow trail. That would have to be a bonus right? All said I would estimate those switchbacks running a couple mil though.


impala26
2010-04-10 22:56:10

Seems to me that all these switchbacks for bike access to bridges ought to be a pre-fab operation, and thus can be more/less mass produced. Mainly you need a foundation, the length of the run, and the configuration for the attachment point at the top. Yeah it's going to be a bit of money to put one in, but it's not like there's all that customization, I wouldn't think.


Does anyone know when the Glenwood Bridge is due for a major rehab? What's ours to do is to make sure that the spec includes a proper bike lane and ped sidewalk be attached to the side of it, complete with said switchbacks.


stuinmccandless
2010-04-11 22:47:02

Thanks to bikeygirl's inspiration, I've created a Bridge Map/Cue Sheet and I'm planning a ride on Saturday, April 17 at 11:00 am. The ride starts at Taza D'oro on N. Highland, Highland Park.


I've named the ride "12 Bridges, 3 Rivers, 21 Miles."


If you would like to see the ride map, I have a downloadable pdf on my website at www.direct-axis.net/team_decaf/


Please note that I've had a few problems posting on the message board in the last couple weeks. I attempted to post a date for a test ride inviting anyone interested in creating the map with me, but my posts have been rejected for some reason.


I've also been unable to send private messages so if you're interested in more info, feel free to email me at dano [at] direct-axis.net


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-12 12:39:49

Sweet!


However..... I can only do the flat-parts at the moment and not that fast... that ok? :(


3 weeks ago I went down on my bike, and my knee is recovering from 6 stitches, a 2-week ugly cellulite infection on the wounds, and some atrophy for being in bed that whole time.....


Still, I'm back already on the bike, so yeah! Bring it on!

I could probably meet you at Butler and 40th St if my injury-lameness is no problem.


My email is bikegirlpgh @ gmail.com


Anyone else in? :)


bikeygirl
2010-04-12 17:19:12

Sounds neat. However, it appears that the portion along the Junction Hollow Trail/west of Schenley Park is mis-marked on the map. It doesn't really follow the path of the trail. And at one point it appears to be a right turn from the Panther Hollow Bridge onto Boundary Street. Now unless this is some sort of biathalon where you base jump about 120 feet, you may want to edit the route. LOL


Otherwise, I might be able to make it. My bike (nor I) is really a racer so that leads me to be a bit hesitant.


impala26
2010-04-12 17:48:30

Sounds like there is interest in a second group to go out as an "E" class, no-drop ride, no? Esp based on the turn-out at the tweed (i.e., good).

This is bikeygirl's thing, gotta help the bikeygirl out!


edmonds59
2010-04-12 18:41:37

THIS IS NOT MY THING.... and if anything, just inspired by the Portland Ride.... this is everyones! And BikePgh is already been trolling with this idea for awhile!


(but thanks edmond for the thought)


But YES!! I would appreciate the help in perhaps making this ride more accessible since I have my injury-lameness factor :)


And about making that 'base jump', you could just have this guy with you...




bikeygirl
2010-04-12 19:19:25

Assuming the weather is OK and I get a bunch of school work done before the weekend I would definitely be in for this ride. I only have a mountain bike but I like to think I'm in pretty good shape, so I think I can handle it.


matatarski
2010-04-12 20:08:22

sounds like fun - i should be able to make it. it is a "decaf" ride so it should be pretty casual - and relatively flat.


the line on the map may be a bit off but the directions are clear enough. it would be a leap on to the bridge instead of a jump, fwiw - so you would need E.T.


salty
2010-04-13 04:03:29

PS: who is bringing the $165k?


salty
2010-04-13 04:04:12

Does anyone know when the Glenwood Bridge is due for a major rehab?


I think it was redone around 2000. I remember lane closures etc. Given the number (6,000 give or take) of "structurally deficient" bridges in the commonwealth, I suspect it will be a while before they get back to to this one.


jeffinpgh
2010-04-13 16:20:50

Awesome to hear the good responses to the Saturday ride.


From the sounds of things, it makes more sense to have a slower-paced ride, no problem, no drop. It's a fairly level ride. It's basically downhill and flat until you get to Panther Hollow. It's the only uphill area of the ride, long, but not steep.


We may be faced with a weather problem, I've just heard it's going to be 51 degrees for a high. Let's just say that if it rains, the ride is canceled.

@ bikeygirl... No problem, we'll see you at 40th and Butler. There's a big empty lot across from the Get-Go. It'll probably be 11:30.


@Impala26... Uh, yeah, I admit, that part of the map was a pure guess. I know the route so well, but I was just unsure about how to get it right on the map. If you join this ride, show me where my path should go, thanks.


I'm planning to do this ride a few times during the summer. I'm going to post times and dates on the bike-pgh calendar and my website on an every-other-week-or-so schedule.


If you can't come this week, check the calendar for Team Decaf Weekend rides. All rides will leave from Tazza D'oro at 11:00 am.


I hope we get better weather reports!


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-13 17:05:13

AWESOMENESS!!! I'll be there at 11:30am!

If other people want to start there, see you there then!


I'll ride up to the Panter Hollow where things get hill-hairy. From there I'll take the Eliza Trail & the Northside Trail back to 40th & Butler (I live on Butler Street).


As I said, I'm just afraid of my knee busting again so really don't want to ride hills now (miss them though). But if this ride is going to be done a couple of times this season, hopefully I'll be up for the whole feat soon!


Awesomeness!

And thanks Dan for setting this up!

Who is in?? :D


bikeygirl
2010-04-13 17:41:52

@TDF The line is OK just to the right (north) of where it says "Frick Fine Arts Bldg" but that's where it gets off track. To the south, it should be further to the west, staying outside the shaded park area. You can see Boundary St. and the trail (thin squiggly line) on your map.


BTW, If you go to google maps and select more->bicycling it will highlight the trails in green...


salty
2010-04-13 18:35:21

this sounds really cool, and I hope to be there. Have one potential schedule conflict I need to work out before I can cully commit, however.


swalfoort
2010-04-13 19:49:15

I'm a definite maybe.


stuinmccandless
2010-04-13 20:02:54

I am pretty sure I can swing this, it sounds like fun.


mildsnbleu
2010-04-13 20:16:32

I'd love to ride this but I'm already committed to a company ride (I'm one of the organizers) that morning. Our paths might cross though. Enjoy the ride.


icemanbb
2010-04-15 00:00:45

So..... anyone else in?

Rain might hold up enough for the ride to happen.

Just in case, getting new road tires to help me on the slow-knee factor!


bikeygirl
2010-04-16 16:51:40

I'll be there. It's about time I started doing some distance and this is an easy start.


mick
2010-04-16 16:53:14

Looks a bit chilly for me, I really don't have the gear necessary to ride in anything below 50. I will definitely do this ride sometime in the summer though.


matatarski
2010-04-16 20:20:55

Tomorrow's Forecast (as of 7:30pm):


Mostly Cloudy. High 46F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.


Sounds a bit chilly and blustery for me. Doesn't mean I wouldn't ride my bike, but probably not very far. I would be happy to partake in this ride in a couple weeks if it's done again.


impala26
2010-04-16 23:31:34

We're still on for those who have the fortitude to ride in the cold.


danodirect-axis-net
2010-04-17 13:31:33

Thanks Dan & the rest of the crew that show up for the first unnoficial bridge-ride!! I think my favorite part was the Fort Pitt Bridge! Although the wind was particularly strong in there! At the end my left leg was definately sore & knee is definately hurting (the scab came abit off, plus I think also the new skin is more sensitive to colder temperatures). Next time it will hopefully be warmer.


Mmmm.... it will definately be a sight when the 'Official' BridgePedal ride happens! :)


Until next time! :)


bikeygirl
2010-04-17 18:06:11

glad to hear it was fun! wish i could have gone................ i've yet to go on any kind of a bike-pgh group ride. O. it will happen one of these days.


saltm513
2010-04-17 22:48:52

Wow, I could only imagine how harrowing it would have been to ride across the Fort Pitt Bridge path in this weather. I felt like I was going to get blown off Hot Metal so Fort Pitt must have been an experience.


The few times I've gone over Fort Pitt I always get that "bridge vertigo" sensation where it feels like the edge is pulling you over. I suppose if the walkway were wider or the railings higher that would be less an issue there ;)


I think it's also funny that there are probably people who lived in Pittsburgh for decades and do not know there is a sidewalk on the Fort Pitt Bridge...


impala26
2010-04-17 22:55:21

I tried to make it ot this ride, but I was 15 minutes late and i guess tehey were close to leaving on time. Shame on me.


Mick


mick
2010-04-19 01:44:14

Sorry to hear that Mick, we left about 10 minutes late.


dano_tdw
2010-04-19 12:46:30

@Mick, Salt, and everyone: Well, it's ok if you didn't make it this time!!! There'll be another one soon & hopefully the weather will be warmer!


I actually want to make this bridge-route my typical ride just for shits & giggles ride in the weekend (once month or so)..... so, if anybody wants to join in, let me know!


Right now the next two weeks I'm on Marathon wait-and-see don't f'up my knee & leg mode, but the 2nd week of May I'm probably going for my next bridge-thing.


Plus, Team Decaf will be doing this ride a couple of more times during the spring-summer.... so plenty of opportunities!


And that goes for everyone! :)


bikeygirl
2010-04-19 20:31:46

Was the route posted somewhere. The ride I was commited to had finished and we were having lunch in Panther Hollow when a "group" rode through (headed towards Oakland). It was a friendly group and there was a tandem in the group as well. Curious if this was the bridge ride group.


icemanbb
2010-04-19 21:37:23

Yeap.... that was part of the group. The route was posted at Team Decaf's website... (still there)


bikeygirl
2010-04-19 23:08:35

The website doesn't have the map any more - it's been replaced by my next ride on May 1, 2010.


The new ride is called Park to Park. Highland Park to Riverview Park. 22.8 miles. 11:00 am.


Note that I've had to start a new User name as the Bike Pgh site has dumped my old user name somehow.


The new Park to Park ride map is on my website at www.direct-axis.net/team_decaf/


Here's a link to the 12 Bridges ride map 12 Bridges Map


teamdecafweekend
2010-04-20 02:32:51

Thanks for keeping the 12 Bridges Map!


bikeygirl
2010-04-20 20:48:24

BTW.... weather is nice... how about another BRIDGES ride?

Team Decaf is planning another one for May 15..... and I'm in!


Anyone? :D





Our next ride Date:

May 15, 2010, 11:00 am. SHARP


"12 Bridges, 3 Rivers, 21 miles"


Can't decide if this ride is right for you? Maybe this will help... You'll need to be comfortable with urban street riding. We'll cover the 21 miles in about 2 hours and we'll ride up one long, but not steep, hill.


bikeygirl
2010-05-06 19:44:37

^+1


88ms88
2010-05-06 19:49:08

Talking about BikeFest.....


I talked to Dan from Tazza D'Oro TeamDecaf, and he's going to be submitting the '12 Bridges' ride for BikeFest!


So, if you were interested on doing this ride before and couldn't, this is your time! It will be more mellow than the one in Portland since we'll just be going on our own with no Police help & stuff.... BUT, you will get to ride on Pittsburgh! :D


:D


bikeygirl
2010-06-24 17:07:10

sweet - I was distressed at having missed it, overjoyed that the map was still up, and now am super excited at the idea of doing it again in the future :D


ejwme
2010-06-24 18:06:13

Yes, it's true. I'm going to have the "12 Bridges, 3 Rivers, 21.1 Miles" ride during BikeFest. Saturday, August 7th, at 11:00am. Starting at Tazza D'oro on N. Highland.


I'll put more details on my website after June 28.


Here's a link to the 12 Bridges ride map.


teamdecafweekend
2010-06-25 03:11:40

I'll unfortunately be on an airplane at that time. poo. I'll have to catch it next time (though I'll probably be impatient and do it on my own before then :D)


ejwme
2010-06-25 15:09:41