There is no where to ride without driving to get there. What do I do?

[Triby101]

First off let me say that I am really new to riding! I have started riding because I have found that I enjoy it and want to promote a healthy active life style for myself for years to come and being 20 it seems like a great time to start. I live in cincinnati Ohio and although there are really nice/ ok places to ride you cant get there without driving. I was hoping to use my bike to commute, but it would be really unsafe. Both my work and school are WAY to far away, and any way you could take would be far to dangerous. None of the roads around here are safe to ride on at all. I could ride in the road but that scares the pee out of me. And there is not enough "side road" to ride on (Sorry I dont know exactly what to call it). The neighborhoods around here are not exactly the best either and being an attractive young woman (Just telling you how it is lol) feel I need to be careful so I dont end up in a body bag! Can anyone tell me what they would do/did in my situation? I already have a bike rack and currently bike a few times a week. I would love to do it everyday but driving somewhere to bike seems hypocritical since I'm trying to be more green....

Thanks so much,
Sincerely,
Tara.

[Owlie]

Hi, Tara! I'm a Cincinnatian too--welcome! I agree, depending on where you are, it may not be safe to ride on the roads, especially in some of the older areas of town. Doubly so if you don't have a riding partner. I just drive. I'm in the northeast suburbs, and it's perpetual construction season out here--and people seem to think that 40mph is a lower limit. I'm not far from the Little Miami trail, so I just drive there. Technically I'm within biking distance, but since I live at the top of a long hill, that's not a fun place to be following a ride!

Where are you? (Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable with putting that out there on the interwebs.) If you can drive a little distance to bike trails or more rural roads to get your skills up, great. If not, can you go out early in the morning on weekends and try some road riding? I lived in an older suburb (so, pretty urban) of Cleveland for a year with no car, and the only way I got any riding in was to leave my apartment super early in the morning. Get some bright lights (front and rear), a helmet if you don't already have one, and some high-vis yellow and reflective gear. It takes some getting used to, but the best way to get over the fear is just to do it.

[Kathi]

Seriously though, I totally understand because I lived in Cincinnati all my life until I moved to the Denver area 6 years ago. Here we ride out of our garage and only transport bikes if we're riding in the mtns. We have 700 miles of bike trails and bike lanes. Tonight we are riding to a free neighborhood concert, 5 miles away and all bike lane and bike path.

When I tried to ride in my little community near Cinti I would get yelled at by motorists to get off the street, it was too dangerous. This was a small community with little traffic. It was 1 mile by 1 mile so riding around the neighborhood got boring. However, it was very good for hill repeats as I lived on the side of a rather steep hill.

I often rode by myself so I put my bike in my car and went to the Loveland "Little Miami" bike trail. If it was a workday I took my bike with me, changed at work and drove to the bike trail. At one time I worked on the west side of town so I drove to the bike trail at Miami Whitewater forest. I also roller bladed these trails. The frustrating thing about the drive was I-71, it was always backed up in the evenings and there was no good alternate route.

The Cincinnati Cycle Club has some very good rides, west and east of town. Most rides are in the evenings at 6pm with beginner groups. I rode with them for several years and I had some riding partners and learned some really good routes.

I honestly can't think of any place where you can live and ride out your door unless you are on the fringes of the east or west side. I agree most communities I wouldn't ride by myself even if they had a bike lane.

Thanks for making me glad I moved to Denver!

[Owlie]

I honestly can't think of any place where you can live and ride out your door unless you are on the fringes of the east or west side. I agree most communities I wouldn't ride by myself even if they had a bike lane.

Yeah, these days, unless you're in Mason, West Chester or some parts of Loveland, or further out toward Harrison, it's really hard to ride from your house. (One of my mom's former co-workers commuted by bike from a northeast suburb to downtown, but he's nuts.)

[Roadtrip]

Another Cincinnati rider here and I soooooo understand where your coming from. I rode from my house to the grocery store, about a mile or less from my house, during the weekday when MOST of the cars are off the road... I got honked at making a left turn and I was even getting all the way right so traffic could pass.

So is this a reason to shun road riding and stick to rec riding on the local trails? Is this reason to blow up on the hill because I'm trying to get to the top and off on a the small side street before I get road raged?

I'm a member of CCC, but with my work schedule I can't make many of the rides and im a newbie, not sure of my skills on the bike to ride in a pack just quite yet. Yes, there is safety in numbers, so I do reccomend trying some of th CCC rides.

Shannon

Ps. Owlie and I have met up for some trail riding and would love to meet up sometime before she moves up for Grad school in Dayton.

[tirby]

Hi, Tara! I'm a Cincinnatian too--welcome! I agree, depending on where you are, it may not be safe to ride on the roads, especially in some of the older areas of town. Doubly so if you don't have a riding partner. I just drive. I'm in the northeast suburbs, and it's perpetual construction season out here--and people seem to think that 40mph is a lower limit. I'm not far from the Little Miami trail, so I just drive there. Technically I'm within biking distance, but since I live at the top of a long hill, that's not a fun place to be following a ride!

Where are you? (Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable with putting that out there on the interwebs.) If you can drive a little distance to bike trails or more rural roads to get your skills up, great. If not, can you go out early in the morning on weekends and try some road riding? I lived in an older suburb (so, pretty urban) of Cleveland for a year with no car, and the only way I got any riding in was to leave my apartment super early in the morning. Get some bright lights (front and rear), a helmet if you don't already have one, and some high-vis yellow and reflective gear. It takes some getting used to, but the best way to get over the fear is just to do it.

I dont live downtown or anything, close to mt healthy or about 30 minutes from Cincinnati state. I usually bike at Winton woods! It's really the only place around here to bike, that is not like 45 minutes away. I'm not really a morning person HAHA. Ive thought about getting up early and doing it but even then not being very tired and not alert while riding on the road seems even less appealing to me lol. I sincerely wish we had bike lanes here. I would be on that in a heartbeat!

[tirby]

Seriously though, I totally understand because I lived in Cincinnati all my life until I moved to the Denver area 6 years ago. Here we ride out of our garage and only transport bikes if we're riding in the mtns. We have 700 miles of bike trails and bike lanes. Tonight we are riding to a free neighborhood concert, 5 miles away and all bike lane and bike path.

When I tried to ride in my little community near Cinti I would get yelled at by motorists to get off the street, it was too dangerous. This was a small community with little traffic. It was 1 mile by 1 mile so riding around the neighborhood got boring. However, it was very good for hill repeats as I lived on the side of a rather steep hill.

I often rode by myself so I put my bike in my car and went to the Loveland "Little Miami" bike trail. If it was a workday I took my bike with me, changed at work and drove to the bike trail. At one time I worked on the west side of town so I drove to the bike trail at Miami Whitewater forest. I also roller bladed these trails. The frustrating thing about the drive was I-71, it was always backed up in the evenings and there was no good alternate route.

The Cincinnati Cycle Club has some very good rides, west and east of town. Most rides are in the evenings at 6pm with beginner groups. I rode with them for several years and I had some riding partners and learned some really good routes.

I honestly can't think of any place where you can live and ride out your door unless you are on the fringes of the east or west side. I agree most communities I wouldn't ride by myself even if they had a bike lane.

Thanks for making me glad I moved to Denver!

I envy you! I am hoping to move away from here soon but with a sick mother, grandparents I dont want to be far from, and my twin sisters I cant imagine moving. Everyone I care about is here. The thing I dont understand is that there is alot of low income families around here who ride the bus. I think it would be really beneficial to put in a bike lane. People here also tend to ride bikes because they have to, not because they want to. But it would be nice to make it easier for them! Jeeze the little Miami trail seems pretty far from me, Ive never been there but Ive heard of it! Thank you for the Cincinnati Cycle Club tip. I'll deffiantly look it up! I hate pretty much all forms of exercises. I do squats and things like that but cardio feels like death to me lol. I hope I can really eventually love cycling and do it regularly for years to come! I biked for 30 or so minutes today with my resistance on high. I thought I was gunna die LOL hopefully it will get easier. (I am hoping to loose around 10 pounds)

[tirby]

Just thought I would tell you all, I cant access my former account. I know what my username and PW was but it would not accept it. I even had a new PW sent and put that in which was also denied. I did this repeatedly. I had to create a new account. Hopefully it will let me log in with this account if not I dont know what I'll do.... I want to take cool pictures with my bike like everyone else but as of now I dont have any so excuse my avatar and profile pic!

[Owlie]

I dont live downtown or anything, close to mt healthy or about 30 minutes from Cincinnati state. I usually bike at Winton woods! It's really the only place around here to bike, that is not like 45 minutes away. I'm not really a morning person HAHA. Ive thought about getting up early and doing it but even then not being very tired and not alert while riding on the road seems even less appealing to me lol. I sincerely wish we had bike lanes here. I would be on that in a heartbeat!

I'm not a morning person either. I just like riding my bike more than I hate getting up before sunrise.

It does get easier. Really. Just keep at it.

Regarding your second post: I saw a lot of riding out of necessity (can't afford a car/one too many DUIs, that kind of thing) in Cleveland--and Cleveland has a relatively effective public transport system. They recently put in a bike lane on one of the main roads, and have increased signage and pavement markings. Someone's trying. I wish Cincy would get on the wagon. I think it's just that much harder in urban areas.

[Melalvai]

I recommend Traffic Skills 101, for learning how to ride with traffic. It will still take time to work up to it, but this class will jump start the process. This class is designed by the League of American Bicyclists. Go here to find the schedule of classes being taught in your area.

[Roadtrip]

I recommend Traffic Skills 101, for learning how to ride with traffic. It will still take time to work up to it, but this class will jump start the process. This class is designed by the League of American Bicyclists. Go here to find the schedule of classes being taught in your area.

Agreed. A 101 class is a good idea, but I believe tirby (and myself/owlie) is facing busy urban roads, in a city that is not all that bike friendly. I just don't know if I'd ever feel safe and comfortable riding on four lane congested road up a two mile hill with 15% grades.

Sometimes you feel no other option but to drive your bike to a safe place to ride.

Shannon

[indysteel]

Agreed. A 101 class is a good idea, but I believe tirby (and myself/owlie) is facing busy urban roads, in a city that is not all that bike friendly. I just don't know if I'd ever feel safe and comfortable riding on four lane congested road up a two mile hill with 15% grades.

Sometimes you feel no other option but to drive your bike to a safe place to ride.

Shannon

Yep. When I first started riding, I lived in downtown Indy. There were roads I could take north that I felt safe navigating that got me to an area of the city where I often did group rides with friends. But I got really sick of just how tedious those miles were so I often drove to rides. I also had to drive to most club rides, too. It wasn't the best solution environmentally, but given how little I otherwise drove at the time, it balanced out in my mind. Now I can ride right from my door, but in truth, I get sick of doing the same routes repeatedly, and I still have to drive to MTB.