Jon8j

Get the bike comfortable and ride the tar outta that baby! And if it was a bike shop employee who diss'd your D'back - find a better shop! I rode many a mile on a mtn bike with street tires before switching to a road bike - mainly because of the tight and colorful clothing
Make sure the bike is properly set up for your use, i.e. seat height, handle bar height & reach, etc. And trust us on this part - life will be better once you accept your fate and get some bike shorts.
Just Ride
JB

larryfeltonj

I've posted several more cycling videos, and am working on quite a few more. You can get to them by going to youtube and entering larryfeltonj (my userid there) in the search box.

The latest (and I think the best) are Cycling Montage One and Cycling Montage Two.

I made those the exact length of the music I used, and by the time I'd made those I'd figured out the best format in which to post them.

Let me know what y'all think. My goal is to create video representations of a number of practical cycling routes in Atlanta (commuting, utility, and recreational). I'm starting with trips originating in East Atlanta and downtown, since I live in EA and work downtown. But eventually I hope to have point to point routes from many places in metro Atlanta covered.

If you're accessing the "Montage" videos, the best way to view them is with the "high qualilty" option. The videos aren't very large, so bandwidth isn't an issue, and that setting give a lot better resolution.

Fremdchen

Hi Larry,
I'm in your neck of the woods (Candler Park). I find the best area nearby for recreational riding is Kirkwood and heading over towards Decatur (forget the name of that neighborhood in the middle there). Also I found a pretty good back-streets way over to Piedmont park. It's probably already common knowledge to ATL riders but I could map it if you're interested.

larryfeltonj

Hi. The neighborhood just east of Kirkwood is East Lake (which in turn borders the Decatur neighborhood of Oakhurst). I ride around there frequently, and in fact before work both Thursday and Friday I rode a route with a friend which took us from East Atlanta, through Grant Park to Downtown, through the Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park, into the edge of Decatur, then through the areas you mentioned. Yeah it's good riding around there. If mapping the route to Piedmont Park isn't a hassle I always like to check out new routes. I do know the route from downtown Decatur past Piedmont Park that the SBL Wednesday night Decatur ride takes. It goes through Candler Park, crosses Briarcliff on one of those streets which runs through Va-Hi (can't remember which street it is, but I think it's a bit south of North Decatur Road).

I'm playing around with routes to the Dekalb Farmer's market now, and barring heavy rains am going to try three routes within the next two weeks.

One route is through Kirkwood and East Lake, along a street called Midway (which parallels Memorial Drive), through Avondale estates, then left on Laredo (which runs straight into the Farmer's Market parking lot),

The second route is just straight out Memorial Drive to either Columbia or Covington Highway (I need to figure out which is the shorter distance, as the Memorial Drive route's one saving grace is that it's efficient).

The third is the ride to the Edgewood MARTA station, and take the train to either Avondale or Kensington.

Fremdchen

Nice, I ride out towards the Farmer's Market occasionally but I always just take the PATH trail because I'm not familiar with the roads out that way. I'm exploring more of the south side of Decatur lately though. I love riding on Hosea Williams. It goes on and on!

Will have to map out and try one of your routes though.

Here's my little ride to Piedmont park.
https://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=14308

Sheri

Hey, I'm here in HOTlanta! I'm new to "serious" cycling, so for the time being, I'm doing short little day rides, i.e. 10 miles on a wknd day. But, I'd love to ride with anyone interested!

-Sheri

larryfeltonj

Well, I learn something new every day. I never realized Oakdale Road linked up with the By Way that neatly (I may have even ridden it at some point on one of my meadering rides without realizing exactly where I was). Since Oakdale becomes Whitefoord south of the MARTA tracks it might be a fun ride for me to take sometime. I haven't been riding much over the past week, so I haven't begun mapping the Farmer's Market route. I picked up some sort of cold/virus which knocked me on my posterior. I missed a chance to ride with a BF poster visiting from TN, and had to cancel one of my morning pre-work rec rides.

Fremdchen

Welcome Sheri, where did you move here from?
I also take short rides - just haven't made the time commitment in my life to ramp up into bigger rides. I think the longest I have ridden is about 16 miles. Going to have to get fitted for a bike, by a professional, before I can go much longer than that.

Larry, get well soon!

Raleigh531

Anyone been on the Silver Comet lately? It's been a few years for me and I'm wondering if they've completed the section from Rockmart to the Alabama border. Last time I was on the trail, I believe it went about a mile past Rockmart.

As soon as I get some new pedals, I'm gonna hit the trail again... Paulding and Polk county sections probably. Too many moms w/ strollers on the Cobb section on the weekends!

larryfeltonj

I haven't ridden outside the Cobb parts of the trail, but it's finished. Here's a link

https://www.pathfoundation.org/index....howSilverComet

gotcha640

My wife is looking to start a Masters at Emory next September, and we'd be moving to Atlanta from Houston in April ish. I've been looking at the areas south and east of the college, hopefully staying close enough she could sell her car and ride to classes. I'd like a neighborhood within 10 miles, safe enough for her to bike/bus to school late at night, and preferrably in the $150-175000 range. Decatur looks a little high, Kirkwood looks ok, Scottdale looks a little less safe. We'd appreciate any advice or links to crime rates by area.

RonH

Have you looked at Decatur (mailing address) but outside the city of Decatur? I live outside the city limits (northeast of Emory) and the ride from my house to Emory is quite enjoyable. Just under 5 miles mostly on neighborhood streets.
Finding a house in the price range you listed may be tough. You'll have to do some searching, mostly outside of the Decatur city limits. Plus taxes are double inside the city limits.
If you want more info send me a PM and I'll do what I can to help you.

larryfeltonj

I like my own neighborhood of East Atlanta. The crime rate is a bit higher than areas north of Ponce, but there are great supportive neighbors, and I certainly don't consider it scary down here. We are due south of Edgewood and the western portion of Kirkwood. The trip to Emory is manageable, but requires crossing one of the bridges over I-20 (depending on your tolerance for interacting with cars that may be a downside. It doesn't bother me, but some other cyclists down here seem to find it a problem). Once you're over the bridge you can take residential streets all the way up to the Emory campus.

Raleigh531

I will never get bike shorts. Never never never. I'll keep riding the roadie with drop bars, wearing cargo shorts and a tshirt that's at least a size too big. All cotton.

RonH

I hope you're kidding. Riding in cycling shorts or bibs is SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE.

bastarling

You can get bike shorts that have a baggier outer layer if you have seeninspandexphobia...

I know the shorts definitely feel a lot better on longer rides.

larryfeltonj

Lord, yes. I remember the first time I encountered real padded cycling shorts (sometime in the late 1970's).
I'd been doing road cycling for years, and my distances had been increasing steadily. I reluctantly bought a
pair of the old black chamois-padded shorts at the recommendation of a friend.
My first thought after a long ride was "What??? No bright red chafing??? I thought pain in the crotch was an integral part of cycling!!!!".

Fremdchen

I have friends in Scottdale with a small child. It's a mix of socioeconomic groups, but their neighborhood is tightly knit with an amazing grapevine going. People are vigilant which says a lot both about the crime rate and the community. You could definitely consider that area a bedroom community of Decatur.

Kirkwood is nice. Good mix of people and varying size houses. I don't know about crime there.

I live in Candler Park which is probably out of the price range you're quoting (most houses are a little larger) and full of Emory folks. Generally safe area except for thefts from vehicles and some B&E. Not real diverse though. Mostly white, younger, upper-middle class.

You didn't mention kids and I don't have any myself, so don't know anything about the school districts.

All of these areas are connected by fast-moving arterial roads but there ARE ways to circumvent them on a bike.

RonH

The Atlanta to Stone Mountain bike path runs through the "heart" of Scottdale.
Scottdale is near the 9, 10, & 11 mile markers on this map.

larryfeltonj

Given the gasoline shortages here in Atlanta, I can only say cycle commuting's fantastic! I parked my car when it hit a quarter of a tank, and I'll leave it parked until the gasoline situation is back to whatever passes for normal now.

Fremdchen

I air my bike gear out at my desk and have got a lot of co-workers coming over with "so I guess you don't need to buy gas!" type comments in the last week or two. It's hard not to be smug :-P

bikegeek57

so now that the gas shortage is 'over' is anyone still riding? I am off the wheels for a little bit recovering from an accident while commuting last Thursday. bike is in the shop for repair. nothing broken but I am still rocky from the concussion. dang drivers not watching the road. no memory of what happened but someone must have brushed by me and knocked me down. thank heavens for helmets and fast EMT services.

justa

I am from north Georgia. I am a fifty something woman reviving my 84 Raleigh 12 speed road bike. I am looking for tour group or something to meet up and ride with. I have had no luck so far.

Fremdchen

Wow bikegeek, get well soon. --from a fellow ATL commuter.

p.s. hell yes I am still riding. There is no way I would drive in to work now. I am addicted to the bike.

RonH

How far north is north?
Try the Southern Bicycle League's ride calendar. If you're way north it may not list many rides. Also try https://www.atlbike.org/. They do rides on the far north side of Atlanta.