Introductions - Hello from South Jersey

Hi. I'm a sort of old guy (mid 40s) who loves regular, fairly short road rides. I've always been a somewhat casual biker but I'm getting more and more sucked in every year. For the last couple of years I've even THOUGHT about a century! What a wild and crazy guy I am, huh? I'm also one of the recent rats escaping from the bicycling.com forums. j/k, they're also very nice.

These forums look great - any place with a Winter Biking forum has to be good. I love winter biking, but my winter rides are usually fairly short mainly because I can only get out on dry weekends, so the endurance just isn't what I would like, but I always enjoy them immensely anyway.

I'm looking to expand my biking horizons, so I'm sure I'll find plenty of ideas here. My pet peeve is that I can't commute because the toll bridge into PA near me doesn't allow bikes. Commuting would be an excellent way to up my biking time, but I doubt that bridge will ever change. So I like that you have an advocacy forum.

Oh yeah, I'm from the "as cheap as possible" school, so I still ride an 88 Raleigh Technium that I've loved since day one. But as long as I don't look at or ride any beautiful new bikes, I'll stay perfectly happy. After all, it's not about the bike, right? It's about the biking, isn't it?.

Ralph: Welcome to the Bike Forum! You will like it here. I am originally from New Jersey -- Montclair. We used to have a place in Harvey Cedars, on Long Beach Island. Great biking -- flat as a pancake! How about the Pine Barrens? Would that be a great area for an extended bike trip?

Originally posted by Ralph
My pet peeve is that I can't commute because the toll bridge into PA near me doesn't allow bikes. Commuting would be an excellent way to up my biking time, but I doubt that bridge will ever change. So I like that you have an advocacy forum.


That's one of my pet peeves as well. It's ridiculously difficult to cross the Delaware river on foot or by bike. I believe that the Ben Franklin is the only bridge under the Delaware River Authority that has access for bikes or peds. and even then they close the walkways at night. :mad:

Originally posted by trmcgeehan
How about the Pine Barrens? Would that be a great area for an extended bike trip?

Yes! I'm planning on doing some weekend tours when it gets warmer. Of course the best way to see the pines is with a fat-tire bike.

OK, thbirks, now there's at least two of us, let's go get em! I've written to the DRPA and gotten only "The bridge was built without a bikeway." That's it, end of story. But they're getting a new director, so maybe there's hope. I keep meaning to write my congressman, also.

How is it to cross the Ben Franklin? I think it's a little sheltered, isn't it? The Commo Barry is wide open and high, so it can get very windy. It even blew me around on a motorcycle, so that could possibly be one of their excuses.

I'm on the fringes of the Pinelands, so they will make a great destination, trmcgeehan. But I always want to head into the sand. Does anyone do that to a bike? I really lust after a cyclocross bike for such rides.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ralph
OK, thbirks, now there's at least two of us, let's go get em! I've written to the DRPA and gotten only "The bridge was built without a bikeway." That's it, end of story. But they're getting a new director, so maybe there's hope. I keep meaning to write my congressman, also.[/QOUTE]

well, you've done more than me. I live 30 miles from Philly so I only get to ride over the bridge occasionally. I would be interested in starting something to get access over the bridges though. I'm planning a trip up to Easton, Pa along the canal path and I can't cross over the Burlington/Bristol bridge on my bike. Which screws everything up. There is an organization called the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia that could be of some help. http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/ I'm going to send them an email.

How is it to cross the Ben Franklin? I think it's a little sheltered, isn't it? The Commo Barry is wide open and high, so it can get very windy. It even blew me around on a motorcycle, so that could possibly be one of their excuses

The walkways on the BF are on the top of the bridge, overtop of the speedline. There's not much shelter. I imagine in a wind it wouldn't be so great but the view is wonderful.

Originally posted by Ralph
OK, thbirks, now there's at least two of us, let's go get em! I've written to the DRPA and gotten only "The bridge was built without a bikeway." That's it, end of story. But they're getting a new director, so maybe there's hope. I keep meaning to write my congressman, also.

How is it to cross the Ben Franklin? I think it's a little sheltered, isn't it? The Commo Barry is wide open and high, so it can get very windy. It even blew me around on a motorcycle, so that could possibly be one of their excuses.

I'm on the fringes of the Pinelands, so they will make a great destination, trmcgeehan. But I always want to head into the sand. Does anyone do that to a bike? I really lust after a cyclocross bike for such rides.

a cyclocross bike will get you nowhere in the sand, ... in fact, NOTHING will. I got lost in the pine barrens last year, and I had to walk my mountain bike for around 3 miles. it was pretty ugly :(.

i use the ben franklin walkway all the time... and i agree, it's an amazing view.

OCSJ does a mountain bike off of Carranza Rd. on the Batsto trail. I think the trail is well-packed enough to be rideable. you should check it out.