Sweet Home Alabama...

[Ex Pres]

looks like we might be down there(hoover area) sooner than i thought... might be within the next month. actually looking forward to it...


Ex Pres, I'm outta shape... but i would still like to meet other riders so i might have to join 'birmingham bike club' for a few rides to see if i can hang.

Definitely come to the Tuesday night ride from the Botanical Gardens. It'll start up about the same time the clock "springs forward". Riders of many abilities on that ride. I'll either be on one of my old downtube shifter bikes, my gold/black single speed, or a "modern" (2003) Casati Dardo. My bikes usually aren't hard to pick out.

[luckystrike]

Ex Pres, is dirtdog the best place to get info on local bham rides?

[Ex Pres]

Dirtdog's mailing list and the BhamBikeClub calendar for us non-racer types.

[Wheels4]

well.. we found a house to rent. going to look at it saturday... thanks for the info Ex Pres.

[fas2c]

Hey to the Dothan folks!

Join Ft Rucker cycling groups on Yahoo. Very active group posting with lots of group rides, road and Mtn, on and off post.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ruckercycling/

[chuben]

Hey to the Dothan folks!

Join Ft Rucker cycling groups on Yahoo. Very active group posting with lots of group rides, road and Mtn, on and off post.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ruckercycling/

Do you have any members that are slow and lack stamina? By the way, roadbike

[Tmax1]

Definitely come to the Tuesday night ride from the Botanical Gardens. It'll start up about the same time the clock "springs forward". Riders of many abilities on that ride. I'll either be on one of my old downtube shifter bikes, my gold/black single speed, or a "modern" (2003) Casati Dardo. My bikes usually aren't hard to pick out.

The hell you say! I have missed you guys! ~jg

[Ex Pres]

The hell you say! I have missed you guys! ~jg

Come on out again this year. Do you still know how to pedal?

[RonH]

bump

[KBentley57]

I'm not sure how active the members are now in the previous posts, but is anyone still around Birmingham? I'd like some comments on the street friendliness of the roads too if you have any. Thanks!

[Ex Pres]

Birmingham is alive and well. Road friendliness? At least some drivers are used to us, but I saw too many idiots on the last Tuesday nighter. What kind/speed of road riding are you interested in?

[KBentley57]

My main concern is only a 12.5 mile commute to campus round trip. However, I will be riding more than that. Right now I'm averaging about 11 mph on my rides, but that time includes stopping for breaks, signs, ect.. I plan on doing about 20 miles a day (except for special days with longer rides) in and around town just to explore a little. Any places I shouldn't go explicitly?

[Ex Pres]

We have rides that go through some sketchier parts of town, but not generally at night. And I always feel like there's safety in numbers, no matter where you ride. Our winter Tuesday night ride tours downtown and some parts east, for example. If you want to climb some hills, there are some nice neighborhoods to tour around in on Southside, east to Forest Park, and up the mountain to Redmont, over the top to Crestline and old Mountain Brook.

[KBentley57]

The apartment I'll be moving into is just off west oxmoor, I think this is what you refer to as southside?

[recneps345]

There are definitely areas to avoid as there are anywhere. Just find one of the shops around you to help you with where not to go. I ride in Vestavia out towards Liberty Park and even east towards Shoal Creek. I am more risk adverse when it comes to driving on busy roads. Way too many drivers that will clip you around here. I like Bham for riding, but I haven't searched out enough rides that flat aside from a few rollers. Feel free to ask any other questions about Birmingham.

[mattgatesphoto]

Daphne, AL here! Newish to cycling but just got a new bike. Looking for the rest of us in Baldwin County.

[nly205]

New to serious cycling in Birmingham. Been trying to track down some long group rides but my schedule is reasonably restrictive (weekends are out) so its going to be a pain to find some I can actually go on. I live in the southside area and try to run most of my errands and short commuting on my bike but Birmingham drivers seem to be a little sketchier around bikes than previous places I've lived, so I have been doing any long rides at Oak mountain since I don't mind the climbs. I plan on asking around my LBSs here in the area to meet some more people. Hope you see some of you guys out on the road this year, stay safe.

[KBentley57]

hey nly205,

Try a few of the shops, they all do rides. Bob's bikes and cahaba cycles do them every day I believe. Google them and you can see their schedule.

[luckystrike]

nyl, bikelink gave me a lot of good information on group rides when I purchased my bike about a year ago. Most of their suggestions were things I found out on here first though. I ride in bluff park a lot and usually see a fair amount of cyclists while I'm out. I like riding Oak Mountain also. Usually I just keep an eye out for good riding areas with decent roads/traffic. I haven't gone on the group rides yet mainly because of a new child and all my bike friends bailed on me and sold their stuff. The dirtdog blog and cahaba seem to be a nice place to get listings of group rides though.

[Nole302]

*Bump*

I'm now living in Auburn, AL permanently. Not a bad town to bike in. Don't see a ton of cyclists, but I hear there's a good community...

[Spoonrobot]

*Bump*

I'm now living in Auburn, AL permanently. Not a bad town to bike in. Don't see a ton of cyclists, but I hear there's a good community...

It's really a great place. You get four months a year when around half the population just leaves and you can ride pretty much anywhere with the most minor amount of traffic.

Check out the Bike Shop and Golden's Cycles for info on group rides if you're a roadie type. Golden's can generally point you in the right direction for mountain biking around the area as well. There's also critical mass attended mostly by college students, AU campus right in front of Samford on the last Friday of the month @6:00pm. It's a really good time, even if you're not a student. Very orderly and welcoming and will give you connections with the local Co-Op if you're into that.

[AlabamaCommuter]

Bham checking in. Any news on proposed bike lanes, and other bike-friendly "things?"

[Ex Pres]

Bham checking in. Any news on proposed bike lanes, and other bike-friendly "things?"

HaHaHa. Alabama? Birmingham? Bike friendly? Surely you jest. But welcome to Birmingham. We're just trying to flood the road with cyclists so motorists get used to us. I see more cyclists than I used to, so maybe it's working. But the overall participation rate for the state still ranks near the bottom in the US.

I wish I could bike commute, but I'd smell like a goat and have no proper facilities at work to accomodate it. Keep at it.

[secondhandloser]

Hey guys-- new guy here in the Huntsville area.

Recently picked up a bike, and am having some issues getting the derailers sorted out. I'd take it to a shop, but most of them are backed up by more than two weeks for tune-ups.

Curious whether there is anyone local that would be willing to lend a hand. I don't mind kicking in some money (and/or beer) for help.

Looking forward to seeing you guys around town.

[mcnut]

Hello. I'm new to the forum but I reside in Tuscaloosa. I have a hybrid but am doing my research to get a road bike.