where to ride?

[elk]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...471#post254471
Here's a link to a picture of my bike...I want you to look at it, if you want to...

I don't feel quite ready to move along with more cars than are on a side street, but I want to go further than I have been. Every weekend we pick a bike path to ride. The Springwater Corridor still lies ahead...but if I want to just, you know, ride....where do I go?

Where do you ride when you want to just pack on some miles on the spur of the moment? Or is this a stupid question...

[northstar]

If I were you, I'd use your new wheels to make a run to a coffee shop or a grocery store. Running errands by bike is a good way to learn to negotiate traffic without overwhelming yourself! I love to spend a Saturday morning tooling about, doing some errands and getting in some miles!

It's a great looking bike! Congratulations!

[Zen]

What kind of roads do you ultimately want to ride?
Are you free during weekday afternoons?
Do you have a bike carrier for your vehicle?
I ask that because I like to ride on country roads and that's a good, low traffic time for them.
I live out in the boonies so I don't have that problem. I do have lots of hills, though.

[elk]

What kind of roads do you ultimately want to ride?
Are you free during weekday afternoons?
often, yes.
Do you have a bike carrier for your vehicle?
yup
I ask that because I like to ride on country roads and that's a good, low traffic time for them.
the country roads are getting farther away..

I live out in the boonies so I don't have that problem. I do have lots of hills, though.
yes...that's a problem for me...hills hills hills. I can't get out of my neighborhood without encountering some major inclines...

I think I'm having a failure of imagination....or else I'm just not in good enough shape yet to get over the hills

[Tri Girl]

How did I miss the thread with your bike pic? That is one GORGEOUS bike (and your dog is beautiful, too ). Seriously, what a sweet ride you have- no wonder you want to ride it more and more.

Can you commute to work by bike? That would give you some extra miles... (if you work outside the home, that is). I don't know- sometimes I want to ride without going to the same old lake or heading out to the country. Sometimes I just leave from my house and ride in a different neighborhood and just go exploring. Neighborhood rides drive me a little crazy, tho, because of all the driveways (and I love me some speed- something the neighborhood doesn't allow). Probably not a great suggestion, but at 4 am, it's the best I can do.

[KnottedYet]

Little Red Bike Cafe might be fun to check out. (they have a website and SGTiger posted it, but I can't find it) They have a "bike through window" so you could even bring your dog! (if they are near you)

Your bike is sooooooo good looking! Very elegant! Nice job!

[ibcycling]

Have you checked out www.routeslip.com or www.mapmyride.com? You can search your zip for routes in your area. It might give you some ideas.

Lora

[SouthernBelle]

Also bikely.com

But as you gain confidence, exploring becomes lots more fun. I've found some of my favorite roads that way.

[blueskies]

Hi Elk,

Do you have the Portland Bike There! map? You can get it any LBS, and it's got the whole Portland metro area with routes marked. You could use it to get some ideas about where to ride near your house (bike paths, lanes, roads with lighter or heavier traffic), and then just start scouting.

There's also a free download of the Bike There! map as an overlay for google earth, which I really like. The map continues out into some of the outlying areas of Washington County that aren't included on the paper map.

http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=15341

This would be a great time to read a book like Dave Glowacz' Urban Bikers' Tips & Tricks. It's a good guide to riding on streets, and heavy on illustrations for clarity.

Springwater is great, because you ride out & back, so you can make the ride as short or as long as you want. There's also a lovely bike path between the Columbia River & Marine Drive. And the trail out in Vernonia is great for beginners, too.

Gorgeous bike & gorgeous dog! We had a shelty that could have been your dog's brother.

Blueskies

[sundial]

Ooooh, I'm drooling over your bike. It looks so cool--much prettier in your photo than on the Specialized website.

I wouldn't be afraid to take it for a spin inside a state park. Are you near one? Or a city park? Try it out on some small hills and if you feel like tackling more, maybe one of the TE'ers here will join you for a leisurely ride.

If you lived closer I'd join you. I'd want to play with your doggie, too.

[elk]

thank you guys...all good ideas to explore. And I will look at all of them. And hope we get some breaks in the weather! I think Sunday I'l go to Springwater.

I am SO glad you like my bike! I thought you'd think it was doinky! And I love that Kano noticed that my bike and my dog look alike! I guess grey and orange are our team colors now!

Trigirl you inadvertently gave me an idea..which is to go out and ride at 4am
I love going out in the streets at night...I often wait til after dark to walk the dogs....I do have lights out the wazoo...so night rides are a posibility!

KNot...The cafe is in North Portland and I'm in SW...but I have freinds over there...

Commuting to work means some major roads and/or hills...But I am inspired to get on my bike and get out of my immediate neighborhood...the more I tackle the hills the better I'll get.

(thanks blueskies for the book recommendation...I was wondering if that was a good book....I'll get it. I just ordered the one Mimi was talking about, and I have a Lance Armstrong book on my nighttable too! )