Texas - New to Houston where to ride

I'm on a 2 year work gig in Houston, around the Memorial area and looking for places to take a road bike. I have been doing the Memorial Park bike loop, any suggestions for other riding spots on the west side of town?

Thanks

I'm in the same area. I live off of Ella - a couple of blocks north of the loop.

Mostly I'm a recreational rider - certainly no racer.

I spend most of my riding time tooling through the neighborhoods in the Heights. I also like riding through the neighborhoods in the Montrose area. I try to stay off the main streets in town. If you've not already noticed - these drivers are nuts.

There are some bike trails that run alongside some of the bayous in town.

If you're looking for serious training, I dunno what to tell you.

On Wednesday evenings a group of serious-looking roadies leaves Bikesport at 6 PM; this is on Joanel between Westheimer and West Alabama, one block west of Edloe. There is a bike shop on Blossom that has group rides, though I cannot recall the day and times; I met one of them when he was walking along through Bellaire after multiple flats had left him walking. If nobody else chimes in with the name of that shop, I will look it up and post it in this thread.

There is a paved trail along Braes Bayou; the stretch nearest me extends from Loop 610 to the Medical Center area. Parts of it bypass streets, and parts of it come up to street level. I got out of the habit of using it when construction in the Medical Center area cut it off, but I plan to inspect it in the coming week, as I am on vacation. I have seen a similar trail in the Timber Grove area along White Oak Bayou inside Loop 610 by T.C. Jester, which I also plan to scout this week.

Almost forgot: Welcome to Texas! :)

wow, i cant imagine riding a bike in the montrose area. its scary enough just driving a car sometimes.

wow, i cant imagine riding a bike in the montrose area. its scary enough just driving a car sometimes.

Surprisingly I find montrose one of the better riding spots inner city, though the weekend nights can be a little crazy, though I was out dancing till early morning hours and rode my bike to the club.

wow, i cant imagine riding a bike in the montrose area. its scary enough just driving a car sometimes.

Eh. It ain't so bad. My closest call came on N. Sheppard. Some drunk buzzed me last night. He only missed me by a foot. It was kind of annoying. One way street, four or five lanes wide. No other traffic about (late night, I had blinkies on). See a bicyclist minding his own business all the way over on the far right. What kind of idiot thinks "Huh.....I think I'll how close I can get without hitting him...."

There's a reason I don't own a handgun. http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa148/CiscoKiDD1/gun_machinegun.gif


Surprisingly I find montrose one of the better riding spots inner city, though the weekend nights can be a little crazy, though I was out dancing till early morning hours and rode my bike to the club.

Oh yeah. Montrose area is a great place to ride through the neighborhoods. Nice homes, interesting things to see ("wow. That's an odd paint job."....."Huh. who'd have thought that painting a door lavender would be a good idea?"). If ya get tired or decide you want something to eat, there are plenty of restaurants in the areas. I also LOVE :love: Half-Priced Books - and there's one there.

The trick is to not spend too much time on Montrose itself.

There is plenty of great riding on the neighborhood streets in and near the Montrose area, though neighborhood streets are not the best for fitness riding, with all the stop signs and such. I used to be able to make a block in the neighborhood north of Westheimer, between South Shepherd and Kirby, with no stop signs and good visibility, on quiet Sunday nights at a good pace, making right turns. To keep my tires wearing evenly, I would then ride to the traffic circle around the statue of Sam Houston by Hermann Park, and make that constant left turn around the statue of General Sam Houston for the same amount of time I had ridden the block in the neighborhood. I no longer live in that neighborhood, off Westheimer, though, and in any case, that block now has stop signs and more cars parked in the street. The good General is still a good destination on quiet nights, though.

To get OT a bit, Sam Houston was quite a guy, historically. In spite of what is now believed to have been bipolar disorder, a.k.a. manic depressive disorder, which he self-medicated with alcohol, he was governor of Tennessee for while, and like many prominent and not-so-prominent Tennesseeans, came to Texas when it was still part of Mexico. He was appointed to lead the Texian Army during the Revolution, and later became President of Texas, and later Governor after Texas became a state. He opposed secession from the Union at the outbreak of the Civil War, and in hindsight, he was right; Texas really could do without the South economically, and could have sat that one out and come out ahead.

Yes, I did spell Texian correctly. In those days, it was not Texican, and not Texan, either, yet. :)

Another ride that works OK on quiet mornings is Allen Parkway, if you are intrepid enough, or have a willing person to follow in a car or other support vehicle. The speed limit is 35 MPH, but the swooping curves tempt some motorists to treat it like a race course. I would use bright blinkies, for sure, if it is dark, or bright jerseys in the daylight. Really, sight distance is only bad at the Montrose and Waugh underpasses, so if those are avoided, Allen Parkway should be quite safe, while allowing long stretches with no stops. Some people use Memorial Drive on quiet mornings, though between downtown and a few blocks west of Shepherd, the minimum speed limit is 40 MPH, and, though the signs have largely disappeared through attrition and theft, it is posted as off-limits to pedestrians, bicycles, and non-motorized traffic in that stretch.

I usually ride from Katy to the Texas Medical Center and that takes me right through the Montrose area. I like the that portion of my ride quite a bit.

-Nate

There is plenty of great riding on the neighborhood streets in and near the Montrose area, though neighborhood streets are not the best for fitness riding, with all the stop signs and such. I used to be able to make a block in the neighborhood north of Westheimer, between South Shepherd and Kirby, with no stop signs and good visibility, on quiet Sunday nights at a good pace, making right turns. To keep my tires wearing evenly, I would then ride to the traffic circle around the statue of Sam Houston by Hermann Park, and make that constant left turn around the statue of General Sam Houston for the same amount of time I had ridden the block in the neighborhood. I no longer live in that neighborhood, off Westheimer, though, and in any case, that block now has stop signs and more cars parked in the street. The good General is still a good destination on quiet nights, though.

I'm not really in training or anything when I ride. I just got back onto a bicycle after decades of not riding - more of a "get started on SOME kind of exercise before the doctor tells me he needs to root out my arteries" sort of thing. I like going a pretty good distance w/out a stop sign/light, but, honestly, those things can be pretty durned handy for things like wiping the sweat from my face or taking a long guzzle from my water jug.

I was just down around Hermann Park last night, as a matter of fact! Late night ride - Ella over to Height Blvd (great bike lane there), through the neighborhoods in montrose area, down to the museum district w/ a rest at the foot of the monument.

You're right - it's nice down there at night. I sat on the steps of the monument, drank my water, listened to the fountain in the traffic circle and the sounds of some party going at one of those hotels. It was peaceful.

On Wednesday evenings a group of serious-looking roadies leaves Bikesport at 6 PM; this is on Joanel between Westheimer and West Alabama, one block west of Edloe. There is a bike shop on Blossom that has group rides, though I cannot recall the day and times; I met one of them when he was walking along through Bellaire after multiple flats had left him walking. If nobody else chimes in with the name of that shop, I will look it up and post it in this thread.

There is a paved trail along Braes Bayou; the stretch nearest me extends from Loop 610 to the Medical Center area. Parts of it bypass streets, and parts of it come up to street level. I got out of the habit of using it when construction in the Medical Center area cut it off, but I plan to inspect it in the coming week, as I am on vacation. I have seen a similar trail in the Timber Grove area along White Oak Bayou inside Loop 610 by T.C. Jester, which I also plan to scout this week.

Almost forgot: Welcome to Texas! :)

the shop off of blossom is west end cycles. I just did a google search on bike shop houston blossom :) There is a pretty large group which rides in the evening on memorial, I don't recall which day. Also, i believe there is a ride into downtown houston around the 6pm timeframe if im not mistaken, i'm not sure where that starts off though.

To add, here's a link to an events page of one of the bike shops in town, they have a list of weekly as well as upcoming group rides.

http://bikebarn.com/page.cfm?PageID=66

http://www.westendbikes.com/fsweall.html - group rides on Wednesday evenings and Sat/Sun mornings, call the shop for more details

http://www.urbanbicyclegallery.com/services.html - same as above, good group of guys.

The White Oak Trail starts at 11th street and winds along side of the bayou for 5 miles to almost Pinemont. The pavement is pretty smooth and you can usually ride at your own pace. You will have to cross 3 intersections, but it's no big deal. Get out there before 8:00am to avoid the blue hairs, moms pushing strollers, and fat women walking 3 abreast ; )

There is actually a map book available from most bike stores and it has alot of the houston rides in it. The west oaks mall ride is pretty busy on the weekends but you would have to drive there for a shorter ride. I live around memorial and wilcrest and the full ride from my door is around 60 miles. If I drove to the mall it would be around a 40 mile ride.

Skippy, there's another group ride that starts out closer to your neck of the woods. I-Cycle, which is at the confluence of TC Jester and 18th, barely east of Ella has group rides running both Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. I've been out only for the Saturday morning ride, and then only once, but it's a nice group. They guy who owns the shop leads the ride, and he seems a good sort.

I understand they usually have a faster group (20 mph or so) and a slower group (16-17 mph), although when I was there, only faster riders showed up. Anyway, it might be worth checking out for you.

Skippy, there's another group ride that starts out closer to your neck of the woods. I-Cycle, which is at the confluence of TC Jester and 18th, barely east of Ella has group rides running both Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. I've been out only for the Saturday morning ride, and then only once, but it's a nice group. They guy who owns the shop leads the ride, and he seems a good sort.

I understand they usually have a faster group (20 mph or so) and a slower group (16-17 mph), although when I was there, only faster riders showed up. Anyway, it might be worth checking out for you.

I'd be riding w/ the slow group - if I could make the ride. Unfortunately my work schedule and my visitation schedule (divorced father) doesn't allow for me to do something like that on the weekends. Most of my riding is commuting (11 miles each way) and the occassional long weekend ride.

I'm familiar w/ I-Cycle though. Very nice little shop. I've picked up a few accessories there. I don't know if the guy I've been dealing w/ is the guy that owns the joint, or the guy that runs it, but he is a nice guy. I've no complaints in my dealings w/ him.

I usually ride from Katy to the Texas Medical Center and that takes me right through the Montrose area. I like the that portion of my ride quite a bit.

-Nate

What route are you using to get from katy into town?

I've been looking for a route and haven't found one that I like yet.

I checked the Braes Bayou trail at Scott, when in that part of town yesterday, and found it closed for construction east of Scott; this is by the U of H main campus. This is not, of course, the west side of town, but in case anyone was looking at this thread for other parts of Houston, I put the info here.

What route are you using to get from katy into town?

I've been looking for a route and haven't found one that I like yet.

I ride through George Bush park to get from Katy to Highway 6. Then I cross Highway 6 right where the dam is at Briar Forest and ride that which becomes San Fliepe and turns into some other street. This will get you all the way past 610 and into an area where you can explorer other streets. I really, really, really like riding Westhimer between Montrose and 610.

-Nate

its easy to get from Katy in to the loop if you are coming from the south side of I-10. If you start north of Clay Road, there aren't many good ways to get south of I-10. I pray that they will someday extend Queenston south from Keith Harrow to Clay Road or even south to I-10. Or if they extend Greenhouse south to I-10. That would give me a perfect pathway to George Bush Park.

There is an airport and a park that stand in the way of Queenston, so I doubt they will ever do that. Green House is realistic and planned. I usually use Eldrige Parkway to get south of I-10 from the north side.

-Nate

I comfirmed with Bikesport on Joanel that the ride that leaves their shop leaves at 6 PM, and this means they leave promptly at 6 PM. I was told their pace is somewhat sedate, even though they do look like serious roadies.

There is an airport and a park that stand in the way of Queenston, so I doubt they will ever do that. Green House is realistic and planned. I usually use Eldrige Parkway to get south of I-10 from the north side.

-Nate

Unfortunately, I live between Queenston and Barker Cypress off of West Little York, so there isn't what I would consider a safe way to get from where I live to Eldridge. If I could get to Clay Road without getting on Hwy 6 or Barker Cypress, I could take Clay Road to Eldridge and go from there. But Hwy 6 and BC just aren't safe roads for cycling between west little york and clay road IMO.

Ha! I encountered that Bikesport group on my way home tonight. (see my whine in the commuter thread if you want the gory details). They don't ride too fast, and I can say this because I was able to keep up with them on my commuter.

Unfortunately, I live between Queenston and Barker Cypress off of West Little York, so there isn't what I would consider a safe way to get from where I live to Eldridge. If I could get to Clay Road without getting on Hwy 6 or Barker Cypress, I could take Clay Road to Eldridge and go from there. But Hwy 6 and BC just aren't safe roads for cycling between west little york and clay road IMO.

I live right where you are...in the subdivision Windsong right off of Barker Cypress between West Little York and Keith Harrow. We have a group that rides in that area on most Saturdays and at night. There is a way to get to Clay Road from Queenston. Windsong Trail runs between Keith Harrow and Clay Road. ;)

-Nate

for training - memorial park loop (flat) or hershey park (has some hills and goes from beltway 8 west to hwy 6 or further I can't remember) one parking lot is not usable for hershey due to construction so go to boheme and beltway 8 feeder and park behind the big wall in the neighborhood. the entrance to the park is right at the intersection of boheme and beltway west feeder.

houston also has a critical mass ride the last friday of every month (meets at tranquility park downtown). turnout is getting huge lately and looks to be about 80+ riders but its no hammerfest if thats what you're looking for...just a leisure ride with some cool cats.

Nate,

I live right around the corner in Ashley Grove. So how do you get to George Bush Park from there in the morning? When you said Katy, I thought you were coming from Cinco Ranch. I have been trying to figure out a route from my house to the Richmond at Briarpark area and the I-10 corridor is about the last stumbling block. Can you give a street by street route or post a Mapmyride link or something? Also, when, where, and how fast does the groupl ride on nights and weekends? I am about to start ramping up mileage to lose some weight and get ready for the bike to the beach in october. I am looking at commuting to work a couple of times a week as a way to add some mileage and burn some calories, moreso than saving money or anything like that. I typically go by George Bush Park and ride in the evenings and go out to Katy/Fulshear to ride on weekends, but if there are some reasonably safe routes starting where we live, it would make life alot easier.

BTW, for the OP and the poster previous to me, the riding in George Bush Park West of Hwy 6 is better than riding the trail through Terry Hershey. There are cops in Terry Hershey from time to time that will write tickets for exceeding the speed limit (10 mph I believe) and there are alot more walkers and pets to avoid. Starting at Briar Forest and Hwy 6, you can ride all the way to Cinco Ranch. Just go straight when the trail ends by the County Sheriff's annex and then turn left at the intersection. The road deadends back into the trail that takes you over to Cinco Ranch. It is about 22 miles round trip.

Barker Cypress it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Our rides are usually around 17-20 mph and we just ride a distance everyone pretty much wants. Usually anywhere from 2 to 5 people ride. Its pretty fun, small, nice conversation. We are riding Saturday morning, if you want you can shoot me a PM with your email and I'll get you the details.

-Nate

the shop off of blossom is west end cycles. I just did a google search on bike shop houston blossom :) There is a pretty large group which rides in the evening on memorial, I don't recall which day. Also, i believe there is a ride into downtown houston around the 6pm timeframe if im not mistaken, i'm not sure where that starts off though.


Right - I've been riding with West End for about 5 years...

Tuesdays/Thursdays there are 2 rides, 6pm, which is FAST (avg 22+ spots of 25-28+) and does about 27 miles, and 6:30 which was the slow ride, but now is not as slow (18-20, sprints of 22-25) and does about 18-20 miles. We do have slower riders, and people that will stay back to welcome newer riders that can't keep up with the pack.

Also, Sunday morning there is a ride (Taco Ride) that stops for breakfast at a Taqueria in the East End... we leave from the shop at 7:45am during the summer... ride a bit slower than the week day rides and does usually in the 30 mile range.

Welcome to join whenever you want!

Thanks for the info Nate. I am probably in the 14-16 mph range right now, but should be closer to 16-18 by the end of July. I may hit you with a PM later this summer and try to hook up with y'all.

BTTT for another member new to the area.