Hello from Columbus OH
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Hello from Columbus OH
Hi everyone, I'm here in Columbus Ohio where the streets suck for bike riding but they do have alot of nice rail/trails. I ride for the scenery and would like to ride to work but traffic is too dangerous and they have no shoulders, so when a car breaks down-guess what- they occupy a lane of travel. YOu would think that the city or state would get wise and start putting in shoulders, but nooo. Looks like a good forum. Thanks
Dave
Dave
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Hi, I live in Columbus and commute everyday, but I agree that it's not a great situation. If you're interested in trying to change that get out to a COBAC meeting. There's one tonite on North High Street at Scotty McBean's at 7pm. (1/26/05). Nice to see another Columbus person out here.
Andrew
Andrew
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I say you have a lot of rides outside of the city. I checked https://www.dot.state.oh.us/bike/maplist.htm and found lots of routes. I went thru Columbus during the 1988 Race Across AMerica. Straight in from the west then Southeast towards West Virginia. Very lumpy that way. Keep looking for back streets that link together. If only for the exercise.
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I ride for a living there, nothing wrong with columbus, I ride all over the city w/o a problem. welcome
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Chivespa1- What is a COBAC meeting? I didn't get your message till this morning or I would have been there.
As far as riding on the streets, I don't feel safe, the roads that I travel you have to use a vehicle lane and to me that isn't the safest with the amount of traffic flow on the road, I have been looking for some back roads, I may have found a route though. I actually live north of Columbus on the Delaware County line.
Dave
As far as riding on the streets, I don't feel safe, the roads that I travel you have to use a vehicle lane and to me that isn't the safest with the amount of traffic flow on the road, I have been looking for some back roads, I may have found a route though. I actually live north of Columbus on the Delaware County line.
Dave
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Welcome drissel, yeah this is a good forum, funny along with informative and many other things.....Say per chance do you ride TOSRV?? I come down there every year and do that event, it's soo fun!!...I've met other forum members at that ride, so maybe you'll be another one??.
Take care,
Benjamin
Take care,
Benjamin
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TOSRV is a pretty long ride for me at this time, the longest I done is 48 mi. BUt I wouldn't mind attempting some year.
Dave
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Welcome, I'm up in the Cleveland/Akron area. I know what you mean about Columbus, I don't even like driving down there - not that this area is that much better. But I ride the roads here - I've seen much worse places to ride - Newark, NJ comes to mind.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
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Originally Posted by drissel
. . . As far as riding on the streets, I don't feel safe, the roads that I travel you have to use a vehicle lane and to me that isn't the safest with the amount of traffic flow on the road, I have been looking for some back roads, I may have found a route though. I actually live north of Columbus on the Delaware County line.
Dave
Dave
If you give me a better idea of where you're going to and from, maybe I can give some suggestions for routes. You are right that riding on country roads ain't what it used to be. More and more people are, ahem, buying homes in or near Delaware County and the other surrounding counties. That means more traffic on once quiet country roads.
The Olentangy MUP is fine during commuting hours, but it is so over-used that it's almost unridable on nice weekends. It starts just off 315 north of the outerbelt (near Hills Market) and goes all the way downtown.
Last edited by Daily Commute; 01-28-06 at 05:24 AM.
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Ahh gotcha drissel. Well maybe this year?? Or were you thinking more in like 5 or more years??
Benjamin
Benjamin
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Hey, Drissel!
I used to have friends I'd visit in Columbus. I remember it being very very flat. I used to ride out Morse Rd (back in the early '90's) to Dennison in those days (all farmland once you got past 270). The burbs weren't so built up back then. I was through there once about 5 years ago and it seems Cols has taken on the sprawl so common everywhere else. Too bad. It seems to be a really nice city.
I used to have friends I'd visit in Columbus. I remember it being very very flat. I used to ride out Morse Rd (back in the early '90's) to Dennison in those days (all farmland once you got past 270). The burbs weren't so built up back then. I was through there once about 5 years ago and it seems Cols has taken on the sprawl so common everywhere else. Too bad. It seems to be a really nice city.
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Yes Columbus is pretty flat, there are rail/trails throughout the State,I read where Ohio has the most paved rail/trails but Michigan may be ahead or darn close. There are some real nice ones around Dayton and some long ones too. Some of the trails are like corn,corn,corn, telephone pole, corn,corn and others cross creeks, goes through the woods and then some, I've seen a mink catch a fish and swim on one of the trips and took several pictures. I used to trap and never saw a live mink before so you can guess that this was something. I may try GOBA but I have to watch my time off of work as I have a daughter that lives in Gettysburg and a son in Norfolk, plus a wife of 26 years, so they take most of my time off, plus I may go to Canada fishing again for a few weeks.
Dave
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drissel, I live just north of Highbanks Metro Park. I head North on 23 for about 10 minutes (the most "exciting" 10 minutes of my day) and there's a bunch of nice riding.
No great hills and the traffic gets worse every year but generally people are pretty good about giving room to a cyclist. Riding around Alum Creek resevoir (sp?) isn't too bad either. The worst is the construction traffic which is everywhere.
The one thing I noticed when I first moved down here was how Ohio (at least central Ohio) seems to view road kill as a seasonal decoration only to be put away after the summer is over.
Hope to see you out there.
No great hills and the traffic gets worse every year but generally people are pretty good about giving room to a cyclist. Riding around Alum Creek resevoir (sp?) isn't too bad either. The worst is the construction traffic which is everywhere.
The one thing I noticed when I first moved down here was how Ohio (at least central Ohio) seems to view road kill as a seasonal decoration only to be put away after the summer is over.
Hope to see you out there.
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A belated welcome. Looks like a lot of Columbus folks here. It's actually a fantastic place to cycle. I commute into downtown every day and have never really had a problem. And I'd put the road cycling outside the city environs up there with anywhere in the country. Lots of good, low-traffic roads. Yeah, it's flat up in your neck of the woods and to the West of town, but take a short drive to the East or Southeast, and you'll find the kinds of hills that'll whip even the most elite riders into better shape. It's actually a fun place to live from a cycling perspective....