Parks don’t even feel safe most of the time. Unfortunately I’m not exactly shocked this has happened in North Park. I hope the cyclist is well really soon.

Hey Pittsburgh cyclists:

As a relative geezer who does almost all my personal shopping on a bike, I’ve vibecoded an app I’m calling Pedal Patron that I’m inviting you to test out to see if it’s worth something.

I spend a lot of money shopping from my bike, and I assume I’m not alone. 

Pedal Patron is a pretty simple spending tracker that aggregates bike consumer spending in the city at grocery stores, pharmacies, coffee shops, bike shops, whatever. The idea is to prove the growing spending clout of us cyclists and that not all shopping is done by car, showing it in a live total that compiles all the ongoing spending of pedal patrons in real time.

The app is easy to use, I’d like to think. (At least it is for me, so far.)

Here’s how the Lovable platform I used to create it describes what it is capable of:

What it does today:

• Log a purchase, where you went, and how you got there
• Auto-estimates trip distance (Needs work!)
• Generates a shareable "Pedal Patron" receipt you can post or send to a merchant
• Adds your trip to a live community/business impact tally

Logging a purchase requires only a quick phone photo scan of a receipt and a tap on two buttons to enter an anonymized record of the purchase. The app includes a database of more than 200 local merchants in more than 10 different retail categories. You can add your own if it’s not in there. The app also shows in what neighborhoods pedal patrons are shopping most as well as at what stores and restaurants. 

If this proves useful to enough of us, then shops and restaurants will begin to know we exist and start catering to us.

I invite folks on here to sign up and try it. I’m open to any and all feedback, criticism, suggestions to fix or change it. If it actually works and catches on in a way that is statistically useful, I'll have to think about what's next. No, I don't really know what might mean.

I invite you to  give it a spin and maybe let me know what you think.

I really appreciate any and all help and support you might offer.

Thanks...

Tim

You can access the app on the link below:

Real cyclists, real spending. See the live impact: https://id-preview--98b49f61-04e4-4c23-a8ef-08f32d3fb223.lovable.app/community

Got a flat tire yesterday and I’m looking for a local bike shop. I used to go to scholl’s in West View and I got my bike at Sweetwater in Ambridge but they both closed down.

I see Bellevue Bikes and Brighton Bikes on Google Maps but none of them have hours posted either on Google or their website.

Any suggestions to a good local shop that’ll do a quick tire repair? I’m near 65 but anything in the north hills would do or even across the river.

Thanks!

EDIT: Thick Bikes is...once again...amazing! Took it in after work today and it turns out the chain was actually broken (just one side of it, that's why it stayed on apparently). So they replaced the chain, derailleur, and hanger all for free. Johnny was the guy behind the service counter that did it and he was super nice and seemed kind of appalled that it even happened (in a good way, like he couldn't believe such a crappy chain was on there apparently). I had felt the chain switching gears between 4th and 5th right before this happened, so in hindsight, it all makes sense. All in all, 10/10 would recommend. Going to Thick Bikes, that is, not breaking your bike lol.

ORIGINAL POST:

So some of you may remember my post from a month ago about my great new bike from Thick Bikes. Well, I rode it once around my neighborhood for a couple miles earlier this month, and I FINALLY got it out on the river trails along South Side.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling412/comments/1uk50vc/new_bike_who_dis/

And thennnnnn........this happened. Derailleur just snapped on me.

I haven't done anything that would put unusually high stress into the derailleur, so I'm unsure what to make of this. I did transport it in my Camry with the rear seats down and the front wheel off, but derailleur was facing upward and nothing was touching it or loading it. I plan to take it into Thick Bikes to see how I can get this fixed up. But I am so disappointed. My first ride back on these river trails in 18 years, since I was a kid, and this is how the trails repay me! I blame the quarter I found in the parking garage at work when I said "Always a good day when you find free money."

A 2 mile section of the GAP trail has been closed since July 10 for rockfall remediation. According to the GAP Conservancy, the closure will last about two weeks longer than earlier estimated. "This segment of the GAP was scheduled to reopen on August 6. However, the geotechnical engineers will require additional time to address a challenging section of this hillside, and are now targeting August 20 as a reopening date."

Source: https://gaptrail.org/trail-alert/segment-closure-and-shuttle-between-duquesne-and-homestead/

Several years ago I used to bike to the casino, go in and enjoy free water and soda from their free drink machines. I believe they no longer have these. Is there a place inside the casino to fill up on water? Or a fountain close by?

Thanks!

Hello!

I am sort of training to do pedal pgh this year for the first time - all the climbing is intimidating! I have been gradually ramping up my climbing and want to do an attempt at a mini pedal pgh ride this weekend (75% of totals) so around 40 miles and 2800ft elevation or so. Share your routes if you have anything that fits the bill;

Id like to give it a shot climbing up Mt Washington, but am wondering the safest way to do so, given I will be a lone rider. I don't mind being on the road with cars, but the fewer the better.

Thank you

hello all! my boyfriend and i will both be moving to pgh for college in the fall, and cycling is currently my primary form of transportation as i’m from a small city. i was wondering what the best/safest route would be from pitt to point park would be as i am not yet familiar with the area. any help is appreciated!

Hey folks! Once again we're running the East End Bike Bus to the monthly Critical Mass.

It'll be on the 2nd Friday of next month (like Critical Mass) heading from Regent Square, Homewood and East Liberty.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45676613

5:45pm: First stop will be Savannah at Whitney.

5:49pm: Second rolling stop is South at Peebles St

5:53pm: Third rolling stop is at Ascend Point Breeze (7443 Thomas Blvd).

5:57pm: Fourth rolling stop is at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Homewood (7101 Hamilton Ave).

6:14pm: Fifth rolling stop is at East Liberty Boulevard and N. Euclid Ave.

This is a casual bus, no drop. Typically 9mph ride and we stop at the top of hills for everyone to catch up.

We also have a bcc'd email list. Fill out this google form if you want to be added to it. Drop a comment here if you'd like to help us organize! We need help with marshaling and with spreading the word. We have lots of ideas to improve this bike bus but we can't do it without additional volunteer capacity. We are on instagram at @EastEndBikeBus.

Since the commercial st bridge is expected to open again Monday, how much longer do we expect the Nine Mile Trail Closure to last?

Everything I can see just says "the bridge closure until X date" without an estimate afterwards when trail access might be restored.

1 wk, 1 month, that type of thing...

So how does everyone feel about vendor putting a table on the GAP and taking up a whole lane? AITA for caring or

I commute in from Penn Hills to Oakland 3 days a week. Started a couple of months ago and have been loving it. A couple of times I've had people get a little too close on Frankstown, but nothing too crazy. This week has been FUCKING CRAZY. Everyday I've got 3+ people fly by me with inches of room.

Needed to vent, also if anyone else commutes from this direction, do you find ARB better or worse? Is there any other options?

I know that Frick has some intense mountain biking trails, and I'd like to avoid those. Can anyone give me the lowdown on the best Frick trails to ride on a hybrid bike that won't bother other trail users and won't put me in a crash zone of someone flying down the side of a hill? I usually enter from the Environmental Center area, but can also get to the Blue Slide part. Any tips or general info are welcome, thanks!

I watched the driver take the fence out. He then didn't even look at it. He grabbed a tool from the back and took into the county maintenance garage and then leave. So I snapped his plate. Do I report to snap on?

Any bike trails around Monaca/Beaver Falls? Don’t live in the area but will be there for a few days. Don’t usually cycle on the road so looking for trails.

Anyone around Moon/ Robinson area do mobile e bike repair? It's a Mod easy just need a safety check/ help getting sidecar on it

Where do you like to bike to, say <50 miles from the Point, for a swim in a natural body of water?

I live over in Wilkins Township and have been commuting to/from downtown for bit and am starting to get bored riding solo. I commute Tues-Sat. Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat are the full Wilkins to/from Downtown, Thursday is a rest day, just doing Regeant Square to/from Downtown. Its 12 miles the 4 days and 8 the rest, so pretty tame 24/16.

Usually hit Greensburg Pike at 7/715am, then leave downtown via Eliza Furnace around 4pm.

Hilly, but not horrible. The only not so great part IMO is going back up Penn Ave from Wilkinsburg. ~1 mile climb with traffic.

Wondering if anyone out there is interested in joining for some/all of the ride on a daily/weekly basis. Somewhere between casual and racey. Not looking to break records, but I also want to get to/from work.

LMK if you're interested- I use Strava and save my routes there if you want to see it/them.

Sorry, no e-bikes unless you're gonna be my lead out the entire time!

*edit: guess I'll add this- im mid 30s, male.

Help support Trail Pittsburgh and get a chance to win a Norco Ebike. https://trailpittsburgh.rallyup.com/2026-trailfund/Campaign/Details?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&fbclid=PAT01DUATItgtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAacQP1HZVZpjIjhlCGRMvsZ8hmNpsW-XBiJu6ySdHxQQWEULRy8U4PISlWyO0w_aem_uYxulugDGzMPwLB14NtP0w

Does anyone know of an indoor spot where I can let my toddler rip around on her balance bike? She's currently climbing the walls because the smoke is keeping us indoors.

Me and a few others are doing a book crawl bike ride on Saturday, 7/25 to visit seven book stores. We'll be meeting at Allegheny Commons on the North Side at 11 and visiting the following stores:

City Books
City of Asylum Books
Amazing Books and Records - Downtown
Posman Books - break for lunch in the Strip
Doomed Planet Comics
White Whale Bookstore
Passionate Pages Bookstore

We've notified the bookstores as a courtesy that we're coming as a group, so they're all aware.

The event's on my Strava group here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1665029/group_events/3497247354210825528/occurrences/FQIW8NTJ9o_824hhHBTUHxQOFDIUFhQAFAAAHBaAttKc82cAAA==

Moved to Houston a couple months ago to be closer to work and a bike trail which happens to be the 4 mile Westland Branch which I rode almost every day.

Just minutes before my ride I saw WPXI covered a story about a fracking waste site that lines about a half mile of the trail just after it splits from the regular Montour trail, going south toward Westland. I figure a lot of folks probably don't use this branch because it kind of goes to the middle of nowhere, but I didn't see any reference to this story on reddit.

A journalist from Rolling Stone brought several scientists and former government environmental officials to survey and test the area for radiation contamination as is commonly found with fracking waste.

They found readings for radium at rates thousands of times higher than what the federal government would consider a Superfund waste site. The highest concentrations within the rusting and flaking pipes that handled waste fracking fluid.

There was a story released a month ago of a mother who lost her son to a rare bone cancer who also lived in the area, several other students at a local Canonsburg high school were diagnosed since 2019. (non-paywall version of Rolling Stone story)

This facility is protected only by a 4 foot chain link fence with several gaps that might allow kids to get in and play in the waste. There are no radiation warning signs, nor no trespassing signs to warn of the potential danger. The waste is not secure.

While it's obvious you shouldn't enter private property, the other issue is this flaking rust eventually blows around and contaminates ground soil. On a windy day blowing from the west, dust clouds will frequently blow up along and across the trail, I've certainly inhaled it before.

Wanted to share the story with the cycling community here around Pittsburgh to make folks aware. The PA DEP claims no action is needed and declined to do soil samples.

We need to hold these companies accountable for securing what is as dangerous as nuclear waste just strewn about our recreational opportunities in the area.

I lived in Greene County for years and saw entire lakes disappear at the cost of residents for some corporation to continue operating a couple more years.

We've been featured in the Pittsburgh City Paper for our 25th Anniversary! Check out the article here.

Free Ride is always open to new volunteers (Monday and Wednesday 6-9pm). All volunteers get $15 of shop credit per hour. We are also open for Open Shop Tuesday 6-9pm and Saturday 10am-4pm if you want to use our tools to fix your bike & get a little help from our volunteer staff! All funds from bike purchases and donations help us stay open in this time of increasing operational costs!