Retired

Mosheva,
Welcome to Atlanta! More than likely Ron knows. Just hang in there and he will pop up. I'm in Doraville but I don't ride with groups so I don't know. Keep checking back ok?

RonH

Welcome to Atlanta -- the most bike unfriendly city in the world.
Check out the ride calendar on the Southern Bicycle League website. You'll have to register but it's no big deal. They just like to know who is online and how many users they have on the website.
--> www.bikesbl.org

opie

Atlantacycling.com has a list of group rides on their site for those interested

RonH

I forgot. These guys also have a good site and ride list.
https://www.atlbike.org/

bikegeek57

Retired.... I live over the otherside of the tracks near Embry Hills off Evans Road/Henderson Road. My better half works at Pleasantdale Elementary School. I have a few quiet neighborhood roads over there that I can suggest for you if you are interested. One in particular is Flowers Road/Mercer University Campus. very nice road and very quiet back by the University. Parking area's out back of buildings are all open. It's fairly flat and there is the marsh out there for scenery. probably half a mile - 3/4 mile long for a loop by the marsh and the entire Flowers Road/Mercer Campus loop is probably 2.5-3 miles? I ride over from the house but it's easy to drive in and park. I too started riding just short distances but I don't have your health issues and worked my way up to where I am today. Good for you to get out there and work it. I just rode my age (58 miles) last Saturday. First time I've done that ever. I also bike commute from home to Emory University every day about a 22 mile round trip. Mostly quiet residential streets and an excellent workout going up and down all the hills between here and there. I pass through Ron H's neighborhood on my way through to North Dekalb mall which is about half way to Emory for me.

give me a shout if you want to try some of the streets over my way?

bikegeek57

Who is riding in the Atlanta Streets Alive May 23?

Retired

Bikegeek,
I just wrote a long responce to your post only to watch it go Pfff into cyberspace.
But isn't Mercer Private Property? I don't want to get my car towed. I'll check it out on Thurs I'll be over that way after I get the fan for my air put in my van.

bikegeek57

flowers road is wide open. the parking area's out back of buildings are almost always empty when I am there on weekends. I just stay down below Flowers Road by the marsh forget the name of that road. There is no traffic to speak there. Even Flowers Road is lightly traveled. Main campus is above Flowers Road. I have not seen any signs indicating no traffic allowed.

abracapocus

hi local folks,

@ronh suggested i jump in here and say howdy. here's my intro post with less details than i originally had because i took too long writing it so the internet ate it.

right now i'm riding around south of EAV. hopefully soon enough i'll be able to zip up to EAV in the early morning hours to grab a coffee. not a big fan of the heat and we're not even there yet...

laura

RonH

Hi Laura. What is EAV? East Point Velodrome aka Dick Lane Velodrome?

abracapocus

@ronh

EAV = east atlanta village or roughly moreland x I-20. there seem to be some regular riders up and down bouldercrest. hopefully they'll break in the cars for me. :-)

avosough

What's up Atlanta folk

I'm looking to get my first road bike, something really low end, just needs to be ridable and not a waste of my money... Anyone have something to get rid of in the <$150 range?

jasonball

what's up GA. saw the thread figured I rep it too. I'm in columbus.

RonH

Welcome.

You won't find anything in a bike shop for $150. Hybrids generally start around $350+ and road bikes are $650+.
If you know what size frame you ride, thrift shops and craigslist.org are the best places to look.

RonH

Wow. That's a scary part of town to ride in. When I worked for the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign (now known as the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition) one of the women who worked at ABC lived just off Moreland, a little south of I-20. Seems that close calls were a regular occurrence when riding on Moreland and riding through the Krog Street Tunnel.
I hope the folks at ABC can help you with the classes and maybe finding a riding buddy. Sometimes there's safety in numbers.

FastFreddy

That brings up a something that I've been wondering about for years: What's the best way to bike from East Atlanta to Inman Park/L5P? I haven't found a route that I like -- any ideas from people who live in the area?

avosough

Oh I'm definitely not looking to buy something new. 20+ years old is what I'm expecting. I've been combing craigslist, but anything that looks decent is overpriced. Thought someone on here might have something extra in the garage.

jamesss

Be careful for the grates in that area, my roommate's bike got eaten by one of those.

abracapocus

well, moreland is easily avoided. that's certainly my plan when i get that far. i see people riding on it all the time. about half the time they take to the sidewalk.

eventually i'll be using krog st tunnel. riding through seems like a bad idea though. it's so dark in there it's going to be hard for cars to see you coming. seems like a left turn in front of you just waiting to happen. i think it's probably worth it to sidewalk it there, even if you have to dismount and walk it. it's the most convenient way over the railroad tracks for me.

i'm keeping my eye on the abc class schedule for the next city cycling class. a buddy would be nice but i'm slow and i'm sure that's annoying.

abracapocus

i'd like to hear what people do as well. the route i am thinking about for one place i'll need to go is: bouldercrest north to flat shoals, left on ormewood, cross moreland, wiggle through that neighborhood heading north to glenwood, left on glenwood, right on glenwood connector, left on memorial, right on next street chester, left on wylie, right through krog tunnel, cross dekalb ave. then right on edgewood. love to hear any critique/better ideas from people that have actually ridden this. :-)

Retired

Bikegeek57,
Did I spot you in Henderson Mill (what used to be the High School) parking lot last Sunday?
The guy I saw had rack on the back of the bike.

davidbhill

The Starter Bike Project is what you're looking for.

They take donor bikes, fix them up, and sell them for $50, $100, and $150. They are located at the bottom of the parking deck next to the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center. Access it from Tech Parkway; the bikes are way, way in the back. Hours are 4 to 6 on Fridays, last I heard; don't know if that will continue all summer or what. Call or email Atlanta Bicycle Coalition for the latest info.

Retired

Welcome avosough,
Your right they are overpriced. What I did was look in Pawn Shops. It took me about a month and I found an 86 Nishiki Olympic in very good condition for $30. I just wanted something to get started and didn't want to spend a lot of money doing it. They are out there you just have to keep looking and the stock is always changing so keep trying.

billydonn

I will be in Stone Mountain area staying at a Mariott resort next month and will have my bike. Mapmyride shows some lap rides in that area but I would welcome any other advice. 30-40 mile road or MUP rides is what I would have in mind without terrible risk of life and limb. Thanks...

RonH

What dates will you be at Stone Mtn? Will you be at the Stone Mountain Inn or the Evergreen Marriott Conference Center.
The Stone Mtn Inn is on the main 5 mile loop around the mountain. The Evergreen is on the outer loop (8 miles with a few killer hills ). That road is still closed at one spot because of road damage caused by last falls flooding.

I ride from home out there a few times a week. I'm easy to spot. I'm the old guy (65) with the tattoos on my legs.