RonH

Just an update: Went out to Stone Mtn AGAIN and was told that the road around the mtn should be open to cyclists after next weekend -- if all goes well with whatever they're doing.

Pedal Wench

Ron, can we ride out there at all? I heard you can ride a section, then turn around and hit it the other way. Is the outer loop closed too?

Raleigh531

I was under the impression that the Silver Comet had been paved "the other direction" from the official start in Smyrna all the way to Atlanta. But when I rode it a couple days ago, it only goes about a mile in that direction to just past the East West Connector. Are they planning on making it go to Atlanta in the future?

RonH

You have to do a turn around. Right now you can ride from Confederate Hall clockwise to where cars must turn around, near the Quarry Exhibit(?). They're paving the rest of the road. The outer loop is closed unless you want to do a turn around. You can't ride on the inner loop to get back to the parking area or main gate.
Once they finish I hope they don't pave the section that's now open.

RonH

Yes. Not sure when each section will be finished.

Sheri

Hmmmm. Well, I'm not FROM GA, but I live here now. I ride a Univega (Via Montoya) Hybrid.

Raleigh531

Just got my new lockring and tools in so I'm thinking of taking the fixie out on the Silver Comet tomorrow. I've had forces against me the last two attempts. On the first, I ripped the lockring off the hub by locking the rear wheel up. That was at the entrance of the 2.6 mile mark trail head. It was a crap lockring though and I put it on with subpar tools. On the second attempt, I rode with a freewheel and it stormed on me. I got about 2 miles of riding in. Third time is the charm so they say.

RonH

Welcome Sherri. Whereabouts in GA?

Jon8j

I've discovered a small gap in the schedule to squeeze in a ride. My daughter has a 1hr weekly gymnastics lesson and if I take the track bike it makes a decent workout. A nearby subdivision has a loop maybe 1/3 - 1/2 mile with no stops. Only trouble is a couple of downhill stop signs getting there. Man, those are a major pain! I don't want to put a brake on it just for this little jaunt - however, it seems to be more frequent than my trips to the velodrome.
Also, I now understand why street fixies tend to run big ol' bullhorns. Climbing on those narrow drop bars is "interesting".
JB

RonH

For those who haven't been out to SM this week: I rode out there today and the road around the mountain is now open.

janalynl

Hey RonH,
Now that my Townie is in tip-top shape I'm eager for new adventures. Where is the best place to park my car near the path to Stone Mountain so that I can travel there and take the Townie off the bike rack and goooooo?
JanalynL

RonH

Janalyn,

That depends on how far you want to ride. There are several church parking lots along the path that other riders park in. If you want to ride farther you could park at the Dekalb Farmers Market.
Soooooo, how far do you want to ride? As you know I'm semi-retired and Mike hasn't scheduled me to work during November (the college guys need the hours and $$) so if you want someone to ride with I may be available. Send me a PM if interested.

janalynl

Thanks for the offer Ron. As you know, with the beginning of the Christmas hysteria this is the busy season for musicians. That means even less free time than usual. But I would like to take the ride with you--as long as you aren't one of those 25 miles per hour people who wants to travel so fast they can't enjoy the scenery. What distances are we talking about on this tour? What are the options? It would also be nice to meet the guy who got me to Mike at Intown. What a wonderful bike shop.

RonH

I'll be 64 next month and only do 25 mph when riding down hill.
We can ride whatever distance you'd like. Do you want to attempt riding around the mountain (5 miles with some hard climbs) or just to the park and then back?
If you haven't done longer rides (20-25 miles) yet, you can park at one of the churches in Clarkston. The round trip will be about 12-15 miles.
Or we could ride from somewhere in Avondale/Decatur out toward the mtn and turn around when you feel you've done enough.
Let me know when you want to ride.

Sheri

Hi...

Was just reading a thread about the ride on the Stn Mtn/Decatur trail. I'd love to do that with some folks one day, but I'm only free on the weekends. I did ten miles on the trail once, and that's about my limit right now 10-12 miles.

Who's the musician? I am, too!

RonH

Since the temps are getting cooler be prepared for snowdrifts.
Be sure you dress for the weather. The Weather Channel is my favorite cable channel.

RonH

Hi Sheri. There are usually dozens (maybe hundreds) of cyclists riding to Stone Mtn every Saturday and Sunday.
If I'm headed that way some Sat or Sun I'll be glad to show you the route to the mtn.



I once had hopes of being an amateur musician. I started violin lessons (twice a week) in 1999. Then my job at Emory was outsourced in 2000. Couldn't afford lessons after that so my violin is sitting in it's case. I get it out occasionally and try a VERY SIMPLE piece that I learned but it sounds AWEFUL.

RonH

I received the following from the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign today. They want everyone riding at night without lights to have a free bicycle light. They can be picked up at Sopo. Click here to download the flyer with the info.

devilshaircut

Thought I would say hi. Didn't realize we Atlanta people had our own thread.

RonH

I thought I'd spread my happiness around by introducing the newest member of my stable. Not here yet. Scored it on ebay yesterday. I'll post the real thing when it arrives next week.

Map tester

Ron, going to start doing some cyclecross? Or finally getting a bike to handle the streets 'round here?

RonH

I'll probably sell my Jamis Nova (which is a cyclocross bike) shortly after the Giant arrives.
No cyclocross racing. Just riding off road.
I guess you missed this picture I posted somewhere on BF. This is from a ride in mid-November.

RonH

FedEx delivered my new bike Wednesday night and I built it up yesterday. Took it out to Yellow River today. It was my first time there. Nice place.

bcarter6

Hi all! My name is Brian and I 'm 28 and live in Decatur, just joined the forums here. I have been riding since May of this year, bought a Trek 7.6fx that I have slightly modified with drop bars, skinny tires, tiagra shifters, etc. I've put about 2k miles since I got it, but really ramped up my riding in August when I started commuting everyday about 70miles a week from the Agnes-Scott area down to Georgia State where I'm in grad school, or down to a hospital near Turner Field where I do research. I love to tinker on my bike, I've more or less taken it all apart and put it back together to figure out how it works and tweak it the way i want, sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I have to take it to the shop to have it fixed. Almost all my riding is commuting now; before August I lived in Smyrna right where the silver comet started, so i could ride more often for fun, but there isn't so much of that here in town. I usually ride alone or with my girlfriend (who only rides about once a month), so I don't know if there are ever any group rides organized here, but I would sure love to ride with some people on occasion.

Looking forward to reading over the forums.

Brian

RonH

Welcome Brian.
There are several group rides in the Decatur area. Check out the SBL ride calendar to see what rides are coming up --> www.bikesbl.org. Just click on "Ride Calendar" to see the rides with info on the distance, description, ride leader's phone and email, etc.
If you need help working on your bike, check out www.parktool.com and www.sheldonbrown.com. All the info you'll ever need.