atlanta sorba...atlanta bicycle coalition...atlanta beltline inc...the dick

Issue #03. April/May
The ATL Bicycle Rider’s Bible
ATLANTA SORBA...ATLANTA BICYCLE COALITION...ATLANTA BELTLINE INC...THE DICK LANE VELODROME...THE BICYCLE DOCTOR...SOUTHEASTERN CYCLING...
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3. The Editor.
Big things are happening in Atlanta
4. Atlanta Streets Alive Is Back!
An open invitation from the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
5. Bike Friendly in a Blink.
Pattie Baker paints a picture of advocacy across our city and
introduces some of the dedicated folks who make our city
better for bikes
7. The BeltLine Bugle: Etiquette on the Trail
The folks at the BeltLine keep us up to date with developments
.......on Atlanta’s premier multi-use corridor and help us understand
how we can all roll together
9. A People Focused Bike Shop.
11.
Johanna DeCotis spends time in one of Atlanta’s most
.......inspiring community bicycle shops and finds out how
.......bicycle advocacy can change a neighborhood and,
perhaps, a city
12. I Ride With Pride.
Laura Cadenhead gets her trails crossed
13. Commutable.
May is Bike to Work Month. We show you how you can
get involved and how to roll to work on your bike
15. A Plea for Responsible Riding.
Atlanta SORBA fill us in on how to ride and respect
recovering trails
17. The Bicycle Doctor.
Master Tech, Erich Day, solves your bike problems
one squeak, click and rattle at a time
Editor
Michael Lancaster
[email protected]
Copy/Sub Editor
Carol Burley
Contributors
Adam Nguyen
Writer, ABC Membership
Coordinator
Jeff Hopkins
Operations Manager
Dick Lane Velodrome
Erich Day
Master Tech. REI
Brett Davidson
President, Atlanta SORBA
Daniel Jessee
REI Outdoor School
Vice President, Atlanta SORBA
Pattie Baker
Writer/Photographer
FoodShed Planet.com
Ethan Davidson
Director of Communications and
Media Relations, Atlanta Beltline Inc.
Johanna DeCotis
Environmental Engineer, Bicycle Tour Guide,
writer and Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Volunteer
Laura Cadenhead
Writer, On-Line Educator, Bicycle Tour Guide
and bicycle sales expert
Layout and Design: The Guerrillaligger
[email protected]
www.atlantavelocity.com
19. From the Ashes.
Peachtree Bikes, a local institution, is reborn in Buckhead
20. Adventure Time in Atlanta:
Daniel Jessee takes us bicycle camping at Stone Mountain,
along the PATH trail and to Rockmart along the Silver Comet Trail
23. The Dick Lane Velodrome.
Jeff Hopkins gives us a racing update from the DLV
Cover Photo By Sharif Hassan
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Georgia Rides to the Capitol
“As a photographer, I like to create an
atmosphere, convey a feeling and entice.”
www.sharifhassan.com
24. The VeloCity Directory.
Every contact a bike rider in Atlanta could ever
want or need
2.
The
EDITOR
Georgia Rides On
The Beginning of Bike Share
On Tuesday, March 18, just before the weather finally started to thaw after
our long cold winter, the ninth annual Georgia Rides to the Capitol event,
rolled up to the State Capitol. It was a great way to say goodbye to winter
and to look forward to what promises to be a very exciting year for cyclists
in Atlanta.
And did you hear about Atlanta’s upcoming bike share program? Getting
around our city on two wheels is going to get even easier as we have
the Atlanta Bike Share Program which is slated to debut in 2015. The
program will have 500 bikes for rent throughout the city. You can check
out the company, CycleHop, at: cyclehop.com. The GPS-enabled locking
system bikes will lock to regular bike racks and those found at hub locations throughout the city.
Police escorted rides converged on the capitol to hear speeches by
bicycle advocates and politicians. The event, designed to raise support
for the development of a regional bicycle network of both on-road facilities
and multi-use trails, as well as cycling connections to major transit facilities, activity centers and schools, was well represented by over 1000 plus
riders. But, it was also well received by politicians, including the State
Governor Nathan Deal, who was one of many who braved the cold to
address the crowd. As tangible change in bicycle infrastructure appears
to be happening all around us, it was good to see the political class is
paying attention and, judging by their enthusiastic words, they appear to
be on board. Admittedly, Senator Deal’s speech wasn’t much more than
thanking us for coming, but in his defense, it was cold. The fact that he
came out to say hello, was, I think, significant.
The Georgia Rides to the Capitol event is featured on our front cover. The
photograph was taken by the multi talented Sharif Hassan. You might
know him as one half of The Spindle Bicycle Boutique which he runs with
his brother, Ezzelden (Ezz). Check out his amazing photography at:
www.sharifhassan.com.
Complete The Silver Comet Trail
This year there was a big shout-out from the podium for the Complete the
Silver Comet Trail campaign. The Silver Comet trail is three miles short
of completion as the three mile section from the Mavell Road entry point
to the PATH trail on the east side of the river at South Atlanta Road has
not been finished. If it was, it would connect a continuous path from the
Beltline in central Atlanta all the way to Alabama. You can check out and
sign the petition here: http://chn.ge/1jrxYH0
Green Lane Project Gets Green Light
There is some more good news for Atlanta riders as the city has recently
been selected by PeopleForBikes (www.peopleforbikes.org) to join its
Green Lane Project. The intensive two-year program aims to build better
bike lanes across Atlanta. Launched in 2012, the Green Lane Project
works with U.S. cities to speed up and assist in the installation of protected bike lanes in selected cities. These on-street lanes are separated
from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts to help organize the
street and make riding a bike a better, more appealing option for more
people. That’s right, lanes separated from traffic!!
Atlanta is one of six new U.S. cities chosen by PFB. The other cities are
Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Indianapolis, IN, Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle,
WA. All will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the
installation of protected bike lanes. Atlanta beat out more than 100 U.S.
cities that applied for the program. Way to go Atlanta! Our winning this is
testament to the amazing work done by advocacy organizations such as
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the amazing people who fight for change
every single day. If you would like to find out more, check out Pattie
Baker’s article Bike Friendly in a Blink on page 5 and the latest update
from Atlanta Bicycle Coalition on page 4.
City officials say the first phase is to see how the program works within
the city limits. After that the hope is that neighboring areas will also sign
on with CycleHop, so that the program can merge throughout metro
Atlanta.
CycleHop presented the City with a proposal to launch and manage the
city’s first bike share poject at no cost to taxpayers. They are looking
to attract corporate sponsors and, in the coming months, plan to meet
with communities and businesses to discuss possible bike rental station
locations. The company will partner with Social Bicycles who worked with
New York’s bicycle program, and two Atlanta firms, Center Forward and
Iconologic, to operate the program.
It’s going to be an exciting year for Atlanta bicycle riders. Ride on people,
ride on.
Michael Lancaster. Editor. [email protected]
We’re closing the streets to cars
and opening them up to people!
Come to the first
Atlanta Streets Alive
of 2014
in the Historic West End
Spring is upon us, and we are excited to kick off what will be a
busy events season here at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
Sunday, April 20th brings the first of FOUR Atlanta Streets Alive
events planned for the year. That’s four incredibly fun, conspicuously car-free, human-powered events. And for this first event of
the year, we’re bringing Atlanta Streets Alive to the Historic West
End and Adair Park neighborhoods. The streets will be open to
people from 2-6 p.m on the 20th, with a 2.7 mile-long loop of community fun and activity featuring part of the Atlanta BeltLine West
End Trail for everyone!
Some activities to expect include:
Eight separate musical groups via Music in the Park performing
.at various locations throughout the 2.7-mile route
An Instagram scavenger hunt
Chefs from Healthful Essence demonstrating how to prepare
.tasty, raw vegan dishes
A Tai Chi demonstration
Atlanta Streets Alive is an Atlanta event of a different kind. Part of a
global movement of open streets events, it is designed to encourage active, healthy living and celebrate vibrant people-oriented
streets, by taking cars out of the equation for an afternoon.
Yoga and fitness sessions via the West End Farmer’s and Arti
.san’s Market
For those who have not been to an Atlanta Streets Alive, here’s
what you can expect:
Community-garden walking tours and workshops.
And much, much more
The streets officially close to motorized traffic at 1:00pm. Police
officers and volunteers work together to pull barricades at designated intersections, and begin to direct cars off of the route. The
streets become noticeably quieter as the last few cars trickle off the
streets. There is a short lull, but once the streets are cleared, the
usual roaring of cars will be replaced by the buzzing of hundreds
of bicycle freewheels as the Atlanta Streets Alive Bicycle Parade
makes its way down the route. The parade will be led by Atlanta’s
own, artist Chantelle Rytter, with her beautifully crafted Phoenixes
attached to the lead bikes.
If you aren’t familiar with the West End, be prepared to do some
exploring too. The West End is home to many unique cultural
institutions, like The Wren’s Nest, Hammonds House, Shrine of
the Black Madonna and the West End Performing Arts Center, as
well as to renowned artists like Kebbi Williams, five community
gardens, and more vegetarian/vegan restaurants per capita than
any other Atlanta neighborhood. In addition, you can see the
Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail corridor currently being designed
with plans to begin construction later this year! Make sure to
make it to White Street to visit the Atlanta BeltLine.
Everyone is invited to ride in the parade. Arrive early and line up
with your bikes at 1:30 on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd at Gordon
White Park. Decorate your bikes or yourself! Or pick a nice spot
along the route and cheer on the riders.
An expected 15,000 people will bike, walk, run, and participate in
a variety of healthy, sustainable activities, celebrate a neighborhood rich with history, and shop and dine out this April. Plan on
taking MARTA to the West End Station, or of course, biking. If
there is any time to leave the car at home, it’s Atlanta Streets
Alive.
In the wake of the Atlanta Streets Alive Bicycle Parade, the streets
fill with people. Strollers, bicycles, runners, skaters. Event-goers
at this point are greeted with the welcome sounds of laughter,
neighbors catching up, kids playing. People are out and about, and
it feels so right, it’s hard to imagine the streets any other way!
As you make your way along the route, take a moment to appreciate the lack of the usual vendors hawking wares or funnel cake.
Businesses and organizations from the community and along the
route are invited to create an activity and join in the fun. So instead
of vendors you will find creative activities, smiling faces and open
invitations to join. And by all means, join in! A youth basketball tournament
We look forward to seeing everyone at the West End in April!
Also, keep your calendars open for the next Atlanta Streets Alive
event on Sunday, May 18, on Peachtree Street.
For more information, please visit:
www.atlantastreetsalive.com.
Adam Nguyen, is Membership Coordinator for ABC,
a passionate bicycle advocate and writer.
4.
“T
“
he winds have shifted,” said
Kevin Green, CEO of The Midtown Alliance, when I interviewed him about
his nonprofit organization being the
recipient of an annual Atlanta Bicycle
Coalition (ABC) Blinkie Award for
Partner of the Year. He said that if we
blink, 15 years from now the workforce will be mostly Millennials. The
Midtown Alliance has been preparing
for that and sees biking as an essential part of its transportation portfolio.
But that’s not why I thought of those
words. I thought of “The winds have
shifted” comment because
I was riding uphill on the
new Cycle Track on 10th
Street by Piedmont Park
and it was what I like to
call an ‘Irish Blessing Day,’
when the winds are at my
back. And when the winds
are at your back, and
you’re riding in a protected bike lane
next to a beautiful park on a spring
day when the trees are blooming, the
world is a wonderful place. Or at least
metro Atlanta is, especially (increasingly) for bike riders.
had to ship down from New York on
the bus.
Fred spent the next twenty years
building his business. But his love of
cycling and his belief in alternative
transportation, led him to achieve
much more. He became a major force
and champion for cyclists in Decatur, Atlanta and beyond. He laid the
foundations for safe cycling for school
kids in Decatur, becoming a Decatur
city councilor along the way (he is in
his fourth term). Fred rightly considers the success of the Safe Routes
takes safe bike riding for everyone
seriously is Keisha Lance Bottoms
of the City of Atlanta. She received a
Blinkie Award for her work in helping
bring about the Southwest Atlanta
BeltLine Connector Trail, and for
her continual promotion of living a
healthy, active lifestyle. There are
many more public servants laying
the groundwork for a better cycling
city, such as Kathy Zuhul and Keith
Golden of the Georgia Department of
Transportation, who shared the Blinkie Award for Bike-Friendly Agency
Staff. People who are in positions to
get things done are getting
things done.
Bike Friendly in a Blink
Of course, it’s not just concrete, comfortable lanes,
coordinated skill development, and convenient
bike parking that helps the
rubber hit the road for bike
progress in Atlanta. It’s people connecting. And that’s where folks like
Mathilde Piard come in.
How It Happened, and How You Can Help
There’s the Atlanta BeltLine, of
course, and the PATH on Freedom
Parkway and beyond (all the way to
Stone Mountain), and bike lanes now
on Ponce and Peachtree, and that
“Green Lane” (and more) in the City
of Decatur. Plus, were those bike
lanes I saw on Johnson Ferry Road in
Marietta and in downtown Alpharetta?
Gosh, I even found them (and rode
them) right next to Perimeter Mall!
This progress doesn’t just happen. In
fact, lots of folks have been working
for many years to make metro-Atlanta
bike friendly. ABC recently unveiled a
brand new Blinkie Award named the
Fred Boykin Lifetime Achievement
Award. Its inaugural recipient, and
namesake, Fred Boykin has been the
owner of Bicycle South bike shop in
Decatur since 1972.
I caught up with Fred recently and he
told me how he discovered biking. As
many life-changing stories go, it started with a girl. He met her at Emory
University. She was the daughter of a
doctor from France who lived in Iowa,
and Fred rode bikes with her when
they visited her father there. He loved
it so much that he started importing
French Peugeot bicycles, which he
5.
to School program in Decatur City
Schools to be one of his proudest
achievements. In addition to sidewalks and other improvements to safe
walking and biking, the Active Living
Division of the city conducts a weeklong program with all 4th graders during PE classes where they learn safe
cycling skills out on the local roads.
That probably explains why, when I
flip open my laptop to write frequently
at the Decatur library, I see a stream
of students riding by, no matter what
the weather.
Another city council member who
Mathilde received the Blinkie Award
for Volunteer of the Year. She offered
expertise gained from her social
media job to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition three years ago and has been
on a roll ever since. She merged two
Facebook pages for ABC and grew it
from 100 to 700 members. She also
heads up the planning for various
bike events, such as the National
Bike to Work Week in May and the
Bike to Work Challenge in October, as
well as highly-popular bike commuter
breakfast events every month (where
Mathilde says about half of all attendees are women, by the way). Those
breakfasts are close to her heart
because when Mathilde ditched her
car for bike commuting some years
ago, she didn’t know one other bike
commuter. Now, she does.
“I was biking for a long time before I
met other cyclists,” she told me. “But
once I did, that’s when the chain reaction started.”
If you feel like you’ve read some of
these details before, you probably
have. That’s because two local media
outlets, in particular, did a bang-up
job this past year with their coverage
of bike progress in Atlanta. I touched
based with editors at both Creative
Loafing (which won the Blinkie Award
for Best Media Coverage) and Curbed
Atlanta (which was the runner up).
Here’s what they said.
Tom Wheatley, the news editor at
Creative Loafing, who was hired by
CL back in 2007 to cover transportation, urban development, and the
environment, told me, “I was born
in the City of Atlanta, raised in the
suburbs, and now live in Decatur, so
to see bike support come to fruition in the City of Atlanta is a lot of
fun. Those who make policy decisions have been talking about all of
these improvements for a while. Our
editorial strategy now is to make sure
things are done right, that changes
are implemented in a way that is to
everyone’s benefit.”
Josh Green, editor of Curbed Atlanta,
said that, “Whether it be the bikesharing program idea, the implementation of bike lanes or especially anything to do with the Beltline, there’s
a real appetite in Atlanta for more
coverage of these things.”
Someday soon, perhaps bike riding
will be the most natural thing in the
world here in Atlanta, and we won’t
even bat an eye anymore when we
see someone biking through the
city. However, that won’t stop folks
from looking twice when they see
that monkey billboard on the Atlanta
BeltLine, which is great because the
company behind that, MailChimp, the
Blinkie Award-winner for Bike Friendly
Business, deserves getting attention
for its support of bike-friendly offerings in Atlanta such as the BeltLine
and Streets Alive. You’ll be seeing
much more of MailChimp on the
BeltLine soon--or, at least, MailChimp
employees, as the 200-employee
company is moving to Ponce City
Market when it opens later this year.
I talked with Lain Shakespeare, the
non-profit liaison at MailChimp, and
he told me that 10% of the company’s
employees already bike to work and
he expects that number to climb following the move. Regarding support
for biking, including offering employee
services as needed, Lain said, “It’s
not something we really think about.
It’s just something we do. It’s more
like, Why wouldn’t you support biking
organizations?’”
Support is easy to give, and if you’ve
been riding for a while, you’ve most
likely figured out lots of way to do so.
But on the chance that some readers
of this article may just be starting to
get involved, here are some suggestions:
1. Just ride. Many everyday bike
riders, as well as serious sports
cyclists, have told me that they feel a
responsibility to just go out there and
be visible. The more bike riders are
on the paths and streets, the more
the need for bike-friendly policies and
infrastructure becomes clear. Get
your friends and family into it, too. Put
safety first, of course, and consider
taking a Confident City Riding class.
2. Join the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
and get involved. There are numerous Atlanta Streets Alive events
scheduled for this year, as well as the
always-crowd-pleasing Mobile Social
rides and the events that Mathilde
organizes. Or, just stay tapped in via
social media so you know what’s up
and where you might be needed.
3. Show up at your City Hall in support of bike-friendly improvements.
This matters more than you may
realize. Every single bike lane or bike
rack you see is most likely because of
someone showing up and standing up
for these changes.
4. Support bike-oriented local businesses. Visit businesses such as
Loose Nuts, the Blinkie Award winner
for Best Bike Shop for three straight
years now, as well as all the other
locally-owned bike shops around town
(including the bike commuter clothing
store, The Spindle (The bike-friendly
skirt I bought there quickly became
my favorite piece of clothing in my
closet).
As Rebecca Serna, executive director of ABC, cautions, “We need your
continued support to keep building
momentum. Now is not the time to
stop pedaling forward.”
Who knows? You may one day win a
Blinkie, too.
Kevin Green of the Midtown Alliance
said it best when he told me, “Biking
is no longer a fringe crusade.” Yep,
that’s right, Bicycle riding in Atlanta
is only going to get bigger and that
means we’re all in this together!
Pattie Baker is a writer and photographer who blogs at FoodShed Planet.
www.foodshedplanet.com
She served on the host committee of
the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s 2014
Blinkie Awards.
6.
ETIQUETTE
ON THE TRAIL
The
Enjoy your ride!
We’re here to help if you need us.
Bugle
Spring is in the air and the crowds are on the Atlanta Belt-
Line. In just a short amount of time, the Atlanta BeltLine has
become a destination for people from all over the city and the
region because of its safe, beautiful and fun environment.
In order to keep it fun we’ve launched a volunteer-driven
etiquette campaign, a “BeltLine Charm” offensive. Throughout the month of April, volunteers will be on the Eastside Trail
at various locations with lighthearted reminders of proper
trail etiquette so all users – cyclists, pedestrians, runners,
children and pet owners – have a great experience.
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is our partner in this effort and
we’re pleased to see that people are adapting to the new
culture emerging on the Atlanta BeltLine. Due to its unique
nature as a multi-use urban trail, all users are beginning to
understand that it is not a single purpose facility. People are
also quickly realizing that certain behaviors can be detrimental to everyone’s experience – for example, a group of people
standing in the middle of the trail. Similarly, a bicycle traveling
too fast weaving through pedestrians is also an inappropriate
behavior.
While there is no official speed limit on the trail, cyclists
should travel at slow speeds because it does get so crowded.
That said, cyclists who wish to travel in a more uninterrupted
fashion on the trail should time their trips accordingly – early
mornings are generally a good bet.
The trail counters we have installed on the trail show that the
THE ULTIMATE
SOUTHERN RIDE CALENDAR
highest amount of use one weekdays is from roughly 4 to 8
p.m. and on weekends from roughly 2 to 9 p.m. This is good
to keep in mind for trip planning purposes.
www.southeasterncycling.com
Progress, Progress, Progress
On April 1 we reopened the Edgewood Avenue Bridge after
exactly one year of demolition and construction. The new
bridge has bike lanes going in both directions. Construction
on the ramp and stairs down to the Atlanta BeltLine below
will continue into this summer. Later this year we also plan to
break ground on the Eastside Trail extension south of Irwin
Street down to Memorial Drive. The trail will wind through the
Krog tunnel and along Wylie St before reconnecting with the
rail corridor in Reynoldstown.
Around the same time we will begin work on our most ambitious corridor project to date – the Westside trail. Similar to
the Eastside Trail, this 3-mile segment will connect several
neighborhoods and green spaces to each other. The City received an $18 million federal grant for the construction of this
project, accelerating its implementation by two to three years.
The Westside Trail includes a dozen access points from the
neighborhoods and cross-streets, the vast majority of which
will be ADA-accessible. Lighting and surveillance cameras
are also part of the project which will help promote public
safety.
We are working with the APD every
step of the process in designing and
building the trail to make sure it is a
safe
environment both during construction
and once it opens to the public in 2016.
The upcoming Atlanta Streets Alive in
the West End on April 20 will be a great
opportunity to explore some of the
neighborhoods that will be served by
this new project.
Finally, we are advancing our transit
planning through the federal environmental process which will include a
series of public meetings – please visit
beltline.org to stay up to date on the
latest meetings, events and happenings around the Atlanta BeltLine.
Happy trails and safe riding.
Ethan Davidson is the director of
communications and media relations
for Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
Back in the dark ages of the Internet, there was very
Kenneth A. Rosskopf, P.C.
Bicycle/Auto/Motorcycle Claims
Free Consultation
404.373.014 0 in Georgia
or 1.800.RUNBIKE
little information about cycling, specifically where to
find mountain bike trails and rides. In 1996, Trish Albert
started mountain biking in Charlotte, NC. Working for a
dot.com company, she taught herself HTML and started
a small website called Charlotte MTB On-Line. It had a
trail listing, some bike shops, and a bit of general mountain biking information. About a year later Trish moved
to Columbia, SC and added Columbia MTB On-line. It
was in Cola that she found racing and her life would
never be the same.
With a move to Atlanta in 1998, Southeastern Cycling
was born. Over the years it has morphed from an early
blog with personal race stories and a few pieces of
news, to one of the largest cycling sites in the Southeast. In any given week, news of mountain bike races,
road races, trail work parties, fun/century rides, cycling
news, and event information is posted.
Southeastern Cycling has the most comprehensive
calendar of races for Georgia, North & South Carolina,
Alabama, and Tennessee. Races include road, track,
mountain bike, downhill/enduro, endurance mountain
bike, and, of course, cyclocross. Southeastern Cycling
race photography has been featured on cyclingnews.
com, in Australian Bicycling, the Southern Bicycle
League Magazine, and Velonews.
A group ride listing has weekly rides for all abilities
throughout the Metro Atlanta area. There is a ride for
anyone almost any day of the week during Daylight
Saving Time. There is also a collection of more than 100
Georgia rides maps from throughout the state.
Occasionally, Southeastern Cycling is referred to as
Sadlebred.com. This was the original url of the website,
a homage to Trish’s other passion, riding American Saddlebred horses.
Southeastern Cycling is at: http://www.southeasterncycling.com. It can also be found on Facebook. Posts
about news and events in the region are encouraged by
any member of the group: https://www.facebook.com/
groups/SoutheasternCycling. Be sure to follow on Twitter as well: https://twitter.com/Sadlebred.
All contributions are welcome!
8.
ROLLING
Johanna DeCotis Finds
“A PEOPLE FOCUSED BIKE SHOP”
Making their Neighborhood and their city a better place
T
he sun is shining as I pull up to the
side door of the painted brick building
just across from the MARTA tracks
in Adair Park. As I enter into the
basement space, I’m greeted by the
familiar and comforting smell of a bike
shop. Bikes of varying types, sizes,
and colors neatly line the walls. In
the middle of the room, a large open
space is dotted with bike repair stands
where people are busy working. A
teenager and an adult are stairing
intently at the brake calipers on a
bike, two young boys are pumping up
tubes. Tim O’Mara, the shop director
is walking from one stand to another,
stopping to offer a word of advice or
a helping hand. I have just walked
into the Beltline Bike Shop, and have
never seen a place quite like it.
“Nobody expects this,” Tim says.
“Four years ago my wife and I helped
a girl in the neighborhood fix her bike.
She came back with her friends, and it
grew from there, one bike at a time.”
Bikes and bike parts soon began
piling up in their house and yard until
they had to make a decision: go forward and “do it right,” or stop altogether. The O’Maras decided to go for it,
and the Beltline Bike Shop was born.
The Beltline Bike Shop opened in
Adair Park in October 2010 and recently opened a second space in English Avenue early last summer. Each
space offers bicycle repair stands and
tools, free to the public, as well as
parts that can be purchased for a $5
donation. The Shop also offers refurbished bikes for sale at reasonable
prices. But, the Beltline Bike Shop
offers something more: an Earn and
Learn Program. Kids up to 18 years
old can participate in this point-based
program, which awards bikes and bike
parts based on community service
and hours worked in the Shop. The
program is merit-based. Kids earn a
star for each hour worked in the shop,
completing activities from coloring
pictures to pumping tubes to fixing
a derailleur, depending on his or her
age. Stars can then be used as currency for purchasing parts to maintain
an existing bike or to purchase an
entire bike. The program has 7 levels,
which ensure that all kids enrolled
learn the same skills about bikes and
mechanics. Each level earns a t-shirt
of a different color so that anyone in
the shop can pick out and ask for help
from the ‘experts’ in a different color T.
O’Mara explains that the purpose of
the Earn and Learn program is, “To
offer opportunities to learn useful skills
and challenge kids to be productive
and constantly learning”. It operates
on the premise that the best defenses
against academic failure and low selfesteem are strong communities where
kids are connected to positive influences at the neighborhood level. To
further complement the merits of the
Earn and Learn Program, the Shop
runs a Life to Life Program, which
matches kids with shop leaders and
neighbors within the community who
act as mentors. Mentors participate
in helping kids in the shop, tutoring,
employing kids through chores, or
offering friendship. As part of this
program Atlanta Police Department
began visiting the shop in 2013 to
work alongside the kids and form
relationships with them.
These programs, combined with the
co-op nature of the shop, have established the Beltline Bike Shop location
in Adair Park as a community gathering place. Neighbors come by to fix
bikes or to drop off kids and then get
to know each other, creating a smalltown feel in this small piece of the
bigger city. This increased sense of
community has in turn coincided with
lower crime rates in the neighborhood.
“The kids are the main ones contributing to this,” O’Mara says. “If they see
someone suspicious in the neighborhood, they approach their neighbors,
whom they know, and make them
aware of it. By the same token, it’s
hard to get into trouble when everyone nearby knows you.”
The program has grown exponentially
since its beginning in 2009. 160 kids
are currently enrolled in the program,
including 30 at the new English Avenue location. More are joining every
day, including a young girl, about 10
years old, who joined while I was
visiting the shop. Over 300 bikes have
been earned since 2009, with approximately half of these being from 2013.
931 bags of trash have been collected
and 1,000 tires removed from the
community since the program’s beginning.
O’Mara explains that, although community service (like picking up trash),
can be used to help earn a bike, the
Adair Park neighborhood has reached
a level of cleanliness that makes it
impossible to earn a bike by picking
up trash alone.
The successes of the Earn and Learn
and Life to Life programs, as well as
the growth in popularity of the Shop,
have inspired O’Mara to begin looking ahead. To complement the skills
gained by working in the Shop, he has
decided to create a Job Readiness
Skills Program geared toward older
kids that may outgrow the current
structure in place. This program will
launch in Fall 2014 and will introduce
entry-level employability skills to
young adults while teaching them the
types of attitudes, skills, and behaviors needed for success at work and
school.
The ultimate goal of the program is
to advance students into a trade,
apprenticeship, or technical school to
complete a 2-year degree. The Shop
also hopes to be able to retrofit one of
the other existing buildings at its Adair
Park location to be a welding and
painting shop. In this space, kids 14
and older will be able to learn these
useful skills and simultaneously earn
bikes and bike parts as with the current Learn and Earn Program.
Long-term, the Shop also hopes to
open more locations in neighborhoods
along the BeltLine, similar to the English Avenue location, including moving
the Adair Park shop to a building on
the property directly adjacent to the
BeltLine. Locations would offer spaces
for the public to fix bike issues
while riding along the BeltLine
and for kids to have a familiar
place to find friends and learning
all over the city.
The impact created by the Beltline Bike Shop during its short
history has been incredible and
tangible in the Adair Park community, even though O’Hara says
that he was never a huge cyclist
prior to founding it. Before starting the shop, he rode recreationally, a few times a month and
enjoyed his mountain biking. He
was not a bike mechanic and
didn’t have any formal technical
training. Tim worked in IT.
He is a Pittsburgh native, who
moved to Atlanta as a kid. He
and his wife moved to Adair Park,
relocating from Athens, after
the commute to work in Atlanta
became too much of a drag. He
and his wife, Becky, wanted a
cheap house closer to the city in
a emerging neigborhood. They
chose Adair Park, but, like so
many intown neighborhoods, it
had its challenges. As they began renovating their house, they
would watch local gangs gather
and fight in the neighborhood
park. It quickly became apparent
that the park was a no-go area
for families. Violence, drugs,
prostitution, and crime were rife.
Tim and Becky would talk with
the young kids in the park as
they walked their dogs. They
began getting to know them.
Then, one day, the opportunity
arose to help the young girl Tim
talked about, fix her bike. She
needed new tires but couldn’t
afford them. After a few weeks
of doing chores around Tim
and Becky’s house, the girl had
earned enough for the tires, but
the O’Mara’s surprised her by
getting more than the tires; they
got her a new bike. Pretty quickly
all the neighborhood kids wanted
to know how they could earn a
bike, too.
Tim now works full time at the
shop. He even has an office
admin, Dana, a friend of Tim and
his wife, who also works at the
shop full-time. And though the
impressive statistics can tell the
story, the people are what make
11.
the Shop a unique and special
place. “We’re not a bike-focused
bike shop,” Tim tells me. “We’re a
people-focused bike shop.”
I RIDE WITH PRIDE!
“
The shop takes its name from
its proximity to the now famous
Atlanta BeltLine. But, as Tim
explains,there’s a reason they
didn’t call themselves the “Adair
Park Bike Shop.
“There are dozens of communities along Atlanta’s Beltline,
many of them widely diverse,
facing rapid change and similar
challenges as Adair Park, with
residents who would benefit by
better knowing their neighbors”,
he says. “Our vision is to build
similar shops in new locations,
following the Beltline around the
city of Atlanta. The goal isn’t to
just hand out free bikes, but to
build communities by connecting
kids with positive influences, and
pointing out that they all have
something to offer.”
As I ask him his favorite part of
working at the Shop, a small girl
walks into the room, her pigtails
bouncing as she screams, “Tim!
Guess what?”. As she proceeds
to update O’Mara on her day,
he smiles. Once she leaves, a
couple of minutes later, he nods
in her direction. “This,” he says,
“This is my favorite part of all of
this”.
The Beltline Bike Shop is always
accepting donations of bike
parts and fully constructed bikes.
Interested volunteers frequently
organize independent bike drives
to collect bikes for donation, with
all promotional and informational
materials donated by the Shop.
Lydia, is that your mom on her bicycle?” Lydia searched
through the maelstrom of Gay Pride, rainbow colored
floats riding in the wake of the Dykes on Bikes. “Where?,”
my daughter questioned as she drew her arm away from
her girlfriend’s waist and stepped off the sidewalk into the
mechanized ballet of riders, dancers and float bandits.
“Right there with the Dykes on Bikes.”
“OH MY GOD. It’s my mom.” Lydia’s hands covered her
face as she recognized me on another misadventure of the
Urban Assault Bike.
ADVERTISE
www.velocitymag.org
ADVERTISE
REACH OUT TO OUR GROWING
RIDING DEMOGRAPHIC
Between 2000 and 2009,
bike commuting in
Atlanta rose by almost
400%
Contact Tim O’Mara for more
information at:
[email protected]
www.beltlinebikeshop.org
Johanna DeCotis is an urban
cyclist who dabbles in track, triplet,
and triathlon riding, and just basically loves exploring the city by
bicycle. She is an Environmental
Engineer by day, bicycle tour guide
by weekend, and Atlanta Bicycle
Coalition volunteer whenever possible. She lives in Poncey Highland
with her fiancé and their 7 bicycles.
SHOW THE RIDING PUBLIC
HOW MUCH THEY MEAN
TO YOUR BUSINESS
Sope Creek
DOWNLOAD THE V.C. MEDIA KIT AT:
WWW.ATLANTAVELOCITY.COM
My travels with Cannondale started as I earned my
Master’s Degree at GSU. I pedaled down DeKalb Avenue
twice a week. Then I lead bicycle tours through Cabbage
Town, Inman Park, and straight down Peachtree to Atlantic
Station. Cannondale had landed me and my husband at
Shakespeare in the Park and other less intentional urban
destinations. The “Urban Assault Bike”, as it was lovingly
called, has a sturdy black frame, puncture resistant tires,
resonant bell and glittery lights that give me a sense of
bravado as I rode through the city.
The best laid plans of moms and men often go awry. My
intention for the Gay Pride Parade was to meet Lydia and
her friends at Piedmont Park a few minutes before the
whirl of rainbow celebrations began. I pedaled as fast as
the Cannondale could traverse the hills and road blocks
from Decatur to midtown. I beat the traffic and missed the
parking crunch, but was too late to join the spectators on
the sidewalk. It was jammed with sweaty bodies, prancing
©Cadenhead 2014 spectators and the police. Even worse,
I was stuck in the street and the Gay Pride Parade had
started ON TIME! Who knew such a thing could happen?
It was nearly magical the way the street turned into the
parade route. Just as quickly as the parade took over
Peachtree, the Dykes on Bikes with their “bad girl” leather
swag and baritones V-twin swarmed from curb to curb in a
circumference of roaring chrome and black Harleys. Who
was on edge of that circumference? Me, frantically pedaling to get out of the way.
“Why is there a bicycle riding with the motorcycles?” The
spectators questioned with their grimacing smiles and
hands covering their ears to muffle the noise long enough
to ponder the sight.
Flashes of Seinfeld and Kramer getting sucked in to an elevator shaft or Winnie the Pooh with his head stuck in the
honey jar flashed through my mind. Suddenly, there was
no escape. All my carefully planned, short cuts and duck
outs evaporated. I was enveloped by the powerful vortex
of the Dykes as they roared down Peachtree. Their concentric circles embracing me like a tornado. I had nowhere
to go but into their funnel.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18.
12.
their Bike to Work Day promotion as first-time
commuters go on to become regular bike
commuters.
COMMUTABLE
On the first Thursday of every month you
can join the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC)
for their monthly commuter breakfast. Bike
commuters of all levels sit down for breakfast
between 7am and 9am to mix and mingle
over coffee at different locations. It’s very
casual. Wear whatever you commute in. It’s
a great way to meet fellow bike commuters
to find out more, get great advice and make
new friends.
May is Bike To Work Month. What Better Time To Give Bicycle Commuting a Try
D
id you know that more than half of the
U.S. population lives within five miles of their
workplace? And did you know that from 2000
to 2011, the number of bicycle commuters
in the U.S. grew by a massive 47 percent!
And, according to the League of American
Bicyclists, bicycle commuting rates in large
bicycle friendly communities increased by 80
percent, far above the national average.
This year Bike to Work Week will be May
12th to the 16th, with the biggest day of the
month being Bike to Work Day on May 16th.
If you’ve ever considered alternative transport, this could be the perfect opportunity to
get out of the car and try rolling to work on
your bike.
Here in the US we have, in the past, viewed
the bike as a recreational tool, something to
put on the back of the car on summer days
to enhance our R&R. Unlike our European
cousins, we haven’t viewed it as a utilitarian
vehicle. We have, to our detriment, viewed it
as a toy. Well, things are changing, fast, and
that recreational toy could very well be the
key to our financial salvation and the magic
bullet for our health and well being.
Yes, commuting by bicycle can save you
money, keep you fit, enhance your life and
connect you with your city in a way you
could never imagine from the inertia inducing
interior of our car. There are so many good
reasons to commute by bike. Here are a few:
It’s A Healthy Ride!
Cycling is one of the best, and most reliable
ways to lose weight, period! A steady ride can
burn 300 calories per hour. If you cycle for
30 minutes a day, a good four mile commute,
you can burn 11 pounds of fat in a year! And,
as it helps build muscle, cycling will boost
your metabolic rate meaning you’ll continue
to burn calories long after you’ve finished
your ride!
Cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the
risk of coronary heart disease by a massive
50%! A major study of 10,000 government
workers in the UK, found that those who
cycled 20 miles over the period of a week
were half as likely to suffer heart disease as
those who didn’t ride.
Regular cycling will strengthen your leg
muscles and build muscle tone utilizing every
part of the body. It improves the mobility of
hip and knee joints and builds stamina and
cardiovascular fitness. It’s also a non-impact
activity meaning it is great for recovery and
recuperation from a myriad of injuries, operations and illnesses.
Saturday - Sunday,
April 26th - 27th
Regular exercise reduces stress and depression, improves your well-being and your
self-esteem. The bottom line is cycling makes
you feel great!
Show Me the Money!
So let’s talk about those savings. Just to put
this into context: at current gas prices, a 20
mile round trip five times a week in a car
doing 20 miles per gallon costs $17.25. That
adds up to $431 for a six month period. And
this figure takes no account of mechanic’s
bills, tax and insurance, finance agreements
or parking fees. If you don’t believe me,
there is a great bike commuter gas saving
calculator at: www.bikecommuters.com/gassaving-calculator. Give it a try. You also never
have to find the time to exercise if you use
your bike to get around. And just think, with
all that awesome cardio under your belt you’ll
be dumping the gym membership in the trash
and adding that outlay to your plus column.
So, how do you go about getting started?
How do you get involved?
Of 51 large U.S. cities, 43 hosted Bike to
Work Day events in 2010. The City of Denver
reported the highest rate of participation with
one out of every 28 adults participating in its
2010 Bike to Work event. That effort makes
a difference: Many people who participate in
Sunday, May 18th,
Atlanta Streets Alive
For the past 3 years Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
has partnered with Central Atlanta Progress
to host a special National Bike Month bike-in
breakfast at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market,
with free coffee and pastries, giveaways, and
some wise words from a guest speaker. The
National Bike Month commuter breakfast is
much bigger than the monthly event, so it
would be a great time to go mingle, learn,
enjoy and see just how many fellow bike
commuters there are in our city.
Just like the commuter breakfast, but with
beer, there is Bikes & Beers, aka Bike Commuter Happy Hour on May 13th. Mingle and
chat to fellow commuters while enjoying your
favorite libation. Check the ABC website for
location. The organizers are aiming to have
this be a regular thing on the 3rd Tuesday of
every month so go attend and make sure it
stays around.
Bike to Work Day, on Friday May 16th, is the
centerpiece of Bike to Work Week. This year,
there are plans to get a lot of celebrities to
take the pledge and ride, so you never know
who you might be pedalling with should you
join a bike train (bicycle convoy). The bike
train enables you to ride in the company of
other experienced riders who will help and
guide you. There will also be a network of
“energizer stations,” also known as pits stops,
for bike commuters to stop and refuel. All the
details will be on the ABC website.
Check out the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition at:
www.atlantabike.org. Georgia Bikes at: georgiabikes.org. The Southern Bicycle League
at: bikesbl.org. to find out more about what’s
going on here in Atlanta and how you can get
involved.
What You’ll Need
www.atlantacyclingfestival.com
13.
If you don’t already have a bike, visit your
local bike shop or bicycle cooperative (check
our directory for details). Although you may
get a great bargain online or second hand,
it is always best to talk to an expert to find
out which type of bike is best for you. A good
bike shop will walk you through the different
types of bikes and what environment they are
best suited to. It also pays to find out which
size you are going to need. Riding the wrong
size bike can be a debilitating experience that
may curtail your enjoyment and even end
your commuter ambitions. Also, if you do find
a second hand steal, have the bike shop give
it a visual once over to make sure it’s safe
and it’s the bargain you think it is.
Although you can ride almost any bike on the
road, it pays to consider which type is best
suited to your ride. Your mountain bike may
be perfect for cutting up dirt on forest trails,
but its smaller wheels, knobbly tires and gear
ratios will produce a very sluggish and slow
ride on tarmac roads. Any bike with a larger
700C wheel, slimmer tires and a more road
friendly gear ratio will be a better choice for
commuting.
If you do have a bike, but it hasn’t been used
for a while, get it serviced. Although bikes are
beautifully simple in their design, there are
still things that can fail. Rubber suffers from
dry rot, so tires, tubes and brake pads can
fail if neglected. Chains and cables can seize
and bearings can wear. None of this is terminal and can be easily rectified by a qualified
bike tech. If you fancy doing it yourself, check
your local bike shop for bike mechanics
classes. Just like any form of transportation,
safety is paramount, so make sure everything
works correctly before you set off.
Commuter Essentials
Whatever bike you choose, every bike commuter should carry a small saddle or seat
bag with a pump, spare tube, patch kit, tire
irons and a basic multi tool inside. You may
also want to pack waterproof clothing. Riders
should also carry ID and personal info at all
times. We also advocate using flashing lights
front and back when riding at any time from
dawn till dusk. You can’t have to much visibility. Be safe, be seen!
Try commuting on sunny days when the
weather is good. This will simplify your clothing and kit requirements. The rain can wait.
If you’re worried about the look, check out
the Levi’s commuter collection at Urban
Outfitters, REI’s Commuter clothing line or
go peruse the rails at Atlanta’s own cycling
boutique, The Spindle, to see just how good
you can look while commuting by bike. The
fashion world has been quick to notice just
how big this market is getting. Some of their
commuter wear is seriously slick. It is also incredibly functional incorporating padding, better breathability, moisture wicking, dirt guard
coatings and even reflective threads that
The original Paul Taylor ghost bike
appear matte grey in ordinary light, but flash
luminous silver when a light source such as
a car headlamp shines on them. The yarn is
composed of a thin strip of PVC coated with
50,000 minute glass beads per square inch.
Extra Incentives
Employers are very aware of the benefits of a
healthy, active workforce and, for that reason,
they may be keen to support any endeavor
to get on your bike. Having a commuter program is also good PR. Many larger corporations realize their environmental image is
important and they are keen to push any eco
credentials they may have. So, talk to your
employer about any commuter incentives
they may offer, or ones they may consider
developing.
Buried deep within house resolution bill
#1424, otherwise known as the bailout bill,
is SEC. 211, The Bicycle Commuter Act.
Through the Act, participating companies can
offer their employees up to twenty dollars
per month, if the employee commutes into
work regularly on a bicycle and does not
receive any other transportation reimbursement benefits. It may not be much, but that’s
$240 a year for a dedicated year round bike
commuter. For more information go to: www.
bikeleague.org/content/bicycle-commuterbenefit
Your Route
Think about how you are going to get from A
to B, but don’t think like a motorist, think like
a cyclist. Your quickest and easiest drive will
usually go down busy congested roads with
large intersections and fast traffic. This is not
what a novice, or any bike rider wants. Find
suitable back roads with less traffic, easier
junctions and hopefully, fewer hills. Check
out your options on Google maps or Map
Quest. Google has a tool called street view. A
360 degree view which is great for assessing your route without having to physically go
look. You can see the number of lanes, the
amount of run off at the side of the road and
the size of junctions. You can also check terrain for any steep gradients. Also, check out
Bikely (www.bikely.com), an on-line resource
that helps cyclists share knowledge of good
bicycle routes. You never know, someone
may have already worked out your route. The
great thing about riding to work is you can
enjoy the scenery, explore and enjoy your
environment and because you can get away
from the traffic, you can even smell the flowers and enjoy the wildlife.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17.
14.
when the soil is going to be too gnarly to ride all the time.
There will be many times that 90% of the trails are perfect
and 10% of the trails are a sloppy mess. Use your judgment, people. We’ve also implemented the Twitter hashtag
#sopestatus to try and provide even more users the ability to
comment on trail conditions. Anyone can use that hashtag
to get the word out that there’s a massive mud puddle near
CS14, or a tree is down at mile 1.5 from Sibley Pond. So
please try to check our Twitter feed for the most up to date
information.
A Plea For Responsible Riding
This winter has been definitely one of the wettest, coolest
winters in recent years. It’s certainly the worst weather we
have had since we added the six new miles of single-track at
Sope Creek, which opened a year ago last April. With that in
mind, we’d like to take a minute and make a plea for common sense riding at one of the most visited trail systems in
the Metro area.
Let me first explain the situation: guys and gals, there are
way too many people riding the Sope Creek single-track
trails when it’s far too wet. Last summer was one of the
wettest in a century, and this winter followed suit,
cold and wet. With temperatures dipping near or
below freezing many nights during the winter, the
moisture gets stuck in the clay, unable to escape.
Many of the gullies and hillsides at the Sope trail
system never see direct sunlight and remain
several degrees below the high temperatures for
the day. These are called “freeze-thaw” conditions.
The soil (moisture) freezes at night, thaws during
the day (becoming peanut buttery mud), and can’t
evaporate because of the low temperatures. These
are perhaps the WORST conditions a biker could ride in
with regard to damaging the trails.
When you ride through this mud, it makes your tire tracks
form ridges in the trail tread. Those ridges trap any liquid water and cause more mud. It also keeps the trail from draining
properly, as it was designed. Even SORBA Woodstock, with
their army of amazing trail workers and one of the strictest
more epic single-track will open up around the city and country if we can put our best wheel forward.
The problem with Sope Creek is that it’s heavily visited by all
manner of land mammals. Being on National Park Service
property it can’t really be closed, just like you can’t really
close the trails in the National Forest. But those
trails see so few riders by comparison to our urban
ride centers that even if you did ride when it’s
sloppy, the effect is not as exponential as it is here.
“So, why doesn’t SORBA Atlanta just fix the trails?!”
We are a small group of volunteers. There are 5 of
us on the chapter board, all with full-time jobs, families, and schedules that change constantly. We do
our best, but we also have other responsibilities, like
working with the City of Atlanta and Trails Solutions to
design a ride center in Southeast Atlanta. We need help.
It’s not cheap either. Besides the opportunity cost of our
time, our President donated $500 of his own money on a
ton of rock so we could armor the really awful parts of Sope
Creek. Those spots are holding well, but it took us two work
parties to finish and it barely put a dent in the trail system as
a whole. Our last two work parties we had about 10-20 volunteers show up, but two thirds of those were hikers lending
If you get out there and find that your tires are making
impressions in the soil, go ride the gravel fitness loop, or
go for a trail run. Send a Tweet if that’s your thing so others
know. And please, join IMBA-SORBA and contribute your
time to help us maintain the trails. Can’t come to a work
party? Come to a meeting! Can’t come to either? Then just
be a good steward of the trails and spread the word to fellow
riders that riding wet trails, particularly in the winter, is not
acceptable. There are great dirt roads in Chattahoochee Hill
Country and in North Georgia that you can ride in all conditions to escape the pavement. But please help us by paying
attention to the impact you’re having on the trails we all ride.
In the future, the leaders of the chapter have a vision of
Sope trails that are so well engineered that they really don’t
have to close. But it’s going to take a lot of help to get there.
In the meantime, we hope you will join us at some of our bimonthly meetings to find out more about work parties, rides,
and future developments. Our next open meeting is coming
up Wednesday, April 16th at Sweetwater Brewery. Our work
parties are at 9 A.M. on the third Saturday of each month at
Sope Creek. Thank you for reading and we hope to see all
of you there!! Did I mention the free beer?
Brett Davidson
SORBA Atlanta chapter President
HANDBUILT STEEL FRAMES
trail management protocols in the area deals with this, too.
Last week our chapter president watched dozens of riders
happily thrashing through the mud at Sope. Hikers see this.
The rangers see this. Other bikers are vindicated by seeing
other riders doing the same things they are. It contributes to
the never-ending user conflicts we have at this trail system
when they see the damage we do. Sorry to say it, but Sope
is under the national spotlight as one of the only single-track
trail systems in the country where mountain biking is allowed
on National Park property. There is a chance much, much
15.
a hand for the benefit of the whole trail system. At Trailblazer
volunteer meetings with the NPS, there are rarely more than
2-3 mountain bikers compared to 15+ hikers. At our last
public chapter meeting (at a brewery nonetheless, with free
beer), only our board members came.
We have plans to order “trail open/closed” signs which
should be installed this spring at the major trailheads. But
we also know that many people will not see those. Plus we
won’t be putting a gate down like some other systems can.
We need people to ride responsibly. Even we can’t predict
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14.
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has a handy
map showing all of Atlanta’s bike lanes and
multi-use paths at: www.atlantabike.org/
existingfacilities
If you want to see where other people are
commuting by bike in Atlanta, check out
Cycle Atlanta’s interactive map. It correlates
the data received by a phone app which uses
riders’ phone GPS to record your routes in
real-time, allowing the City of Atlanta to know
which routes cyclists prefer. Check it out at:
cycleatlanta.org/rides.
It’s a joint project between the City of Atlanta
Department of Planning & Community Development, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC). It is funded through a
contribution from the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
and the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative planning program.
The app will also allow users to report
problems along their route such as potholes,
obstructed bike lanes, etc. The information
collected by the app is then used by the City
of Atlanta to make strategic improvements to
bicycle infrastructure helping to make cycling
in Atlanta more pleasant, and encourage
those who currently don’t bike to give it a go.
You can download the app at:
cycleatlanta.org
Theft
Remember, your bike can be stolen. Lock
your bike up somewhere visible or even
better, somewhere manned. You don’t need
the heaviest lock, but you do need to make
your bike difficult to get quickly. Bike crime is
prevalent in our city. There are opportunists
and professional thieves out there who may
take a shine to your ride, so lock it up. If it’s
a choice between the unlocked bike and the
bike locked to a rack or fence, you can be
sure thieves will take the easy option. There
is a handy interactive map at: www.atlantadowntown.com/guide/getting-around/bikeracks, that shows you where you can lock up
to a secure rack.
There are some great on-line
resources. Here are a few we like.
www.commutebybike.com
www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/commuters.php
www.grist.org/article/spokes-people
www.bicyclinglife.com
17.
The
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12.
Bicycle
“Jump in!” I heard one of the Dykes say to me over the throttling motors. Surprisingly, a rider opened up a space in the
lineup and extended her arm offering my humble commuter
bike a rolling position into their motorcycle ballet. Never was I
so graciously welcomed into a group of motorized vehicles.
Doctor
Solving your bike problems one squeak,
click and rattle at a time
Doc, why are the valves on my road
bike tubes so damn long. They stick
out so far. Is this OK. Should I get
tubes with shorter stems?
Don’t be alarmed, presta valves come in
several lengths to accommodate different rim depths. Longer valves are used
in deeper profile rims so you can still
pump up your tires without using a valve
extender. The answer to your question
is no, you don’t need to buy tubes with
shorter valves. They should pose no
problem to your riding. When you need
new tubes, try shorter ones but, if they
are very short valves, it can be hard to
get a pump to lock on.
Doc, I have a long cage rear derailleur
on my mountain bike. When I put a
new chain on I measured the length by
stretching it over the large cog at the
front and the large cog at the rear. The
problem is, although it works perfectly
on the small and middle rings on the
front, in my biggest gear (smallest at
rear biggest on front) the chain is really noisy and appears too stretched.
I tried adding a link, but then the
chain was too slack in my lowest gear
(smallest ring on front and largest
cog on rear) and the cage touched the
chain/cog above it. What should I do?
Well it sounds like you are running a very
wide gear range so if you feel the need
to ride in high low combo (big chainring
and big cog), then you probably need
to get a smaller big chainring or get a
cassette with a smaller low gear. What I
would recommend is not ridding in those
extreme gear ranges (the big big or
small small). The chain is not designed
to bend side to side and when you run
those extreme gears it causes this lateral
bending of the chain which in turn causes
more noise and rubbing and also, more
wear and tear on your drive train. When
you want to be in that big big combo
try instead shifting to a smaller/lower
chainring and then shifting two gears
smaller/higher on the rear cassette. It
should feel similar. The same can be said
of the small small combo, just shift to
larger cogs and chain rings instead.
Doc, I want to change my grips on my
mountain bike. I know from experience this is a pain in the butt to do. I
don’t want to wrestle with them for an
hour giving myself calluses. Do you
have any tips or tricks?
The easiest is if you have access to an
air compressor with a air blower tip. You
then blow air under the grip and it comes
off, or on, ridding an air cushion. Lacking
that, water works pretty well. Peel the
grip back a bit and spray water under
it. Then work the grip around and, with
some more water and working, it should
come off. You can do the same for the
replacements, but make sure once they
are on, you let them dry. That will take
a few days or more. Yes, hairspray can
work well for installation, but can make
them hard to remove and, much like
water, it will need to dry for a few days.
The best solution I can offer is once the
old ones are off, try a locking style grip
with an allen key bolt. there are many to
choose from.
“POW!” One of the Harleys backfired as it down shifted to
match my pedaling cadence. People ducked for fear of gunfire,
but it was from the backfire as a Harley down shifted to match
my cadence. In the meantime, Cannondale’s pedals spun like
a mad sewing machine keeping pace with the parade.
Just as inexplicably as the parade sucked me in, it spit me out.
I looked up to see the astonished faces of my daughter and
her friends on the sidewalk.
“Mom, you were riding your bike with the Dykes on Bikes!,”
Lydia stammered, like I didn’t know that myself. “I know,” I said
with astonished embarrassment. I jumped in to the opening
that was like the parting of the Red Sea with unlikely bystanders with pink polka dot skirts, high heel boots, and feathery
boas. “It all happened so fast,” I said buffeting myself from a
back slashing, beaded boas slung around a gyrating dancer.
“One minute I was riding next to the sidewalk looking for you
and the next I was in a motorcycle gang.”
There was a lot of embarrassment and a bit of explaining, but I
was never so happy to get off my bike.
Peachtree Street is still a friend to the Urban Assault Bike. She
and I wander the streets of Atlanta adorned with a rainbow
flag, and my daughter has another funny story to tell her
friends. I ride the streets with my own pride for my daughter
and the city that welcomes her and opens its road for the Urban Assault commuter. And when the Cannondale grows up,
it will be a big black Harley.
Laura Cadenhead grew up cycling the streets of Atlanta. Her
four decades of road bike adventures have equipped her with
endless experiences and insights on the gestalt of cycling.
She employs her degree from Georgia State as an on-line
educator. She expresses her inner bike nerd selling bicycles
at REI Atlanta. For more information about their adventures go
to: IbikewithMike.
BIKE FARM
PISGAH
Cultivating good times from the dirt up.
Want to come discover the ‘Secret’ of
Pisgah National Forest for yourself but don’t know
where to start, let alone sleep, eat, rent a bike and
ride?
From Bed & Breakfasts to motels, where to eat, shop,
get a cold beer, and a crew to hang with while
you’re here, we’ve got you covered!
half-day to multiple
day guided mountain
bike trips in Pisgah
National Forest and
DuPont State Forest
NC.
www.thebikefarmpisgah.com
Doctors Note:
Erich Day is The VeloCity Bike Doctor. His
enthusiasm for the mechanics of cycling is unmatched and his ability to fix almost anything
unrivaled. He is a Barnetts Bicycle Institute
certified Master Tech, a Master Brewer and a
monster out on the trail.
If you have any questions for the Bicycle
Doctor send them to:
[email protected].
A Commuter Clothing Boutique
Store Hours: Wed - Sat 11.00 - 8.00. Sun 12.00 - 5.00.
480 John Wesley Dobbs STE 170, Atlanta 30312
TheSpindleATL.Com
18.
From
The
Ashes
Peachtree Bikes, Buckhead
Location is Reborn
On a cold December night late last year,
Peachtree Bikes, a Buckhead institution for the past forty years, went up in
flames. According to officials, the fire
broke out at the shop on Peachtree St,
around 8 p.m. on Wednesday Dec 4th.
Firefighters said the business was fully
engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Small explosions, thought to be bike tires
catching fire could be heard throughout.
Crews managed to put the fire out by
10 p.m., but the business was totally
destroyed. The fire caused about $1.4
million in damages, according to early
estimates, including smoke and water
damage to the five neighboring business
in the Garden Hills strip shopping center.
Mike and Elexa Wagaman, partners in
life as well as in the business, hadn’t lost
everything, (they have two more shops in
the Atlanta area), but it certainly felt like
it. Mike and Elexa bought the Buckhead
location about 8 or 9 years ago, but the
shop itself has been in Buckhead since
the late 1960’s. Nobody at Peachtree
Bikes considered that would change, fire
or no fire.
“Personally, I was pretty devastated the
night of the fire, Helen Easterly, Inventory Manager for Peachtree bikes told
me. “The realization that the place you’ve
poured your blood, sweat and tears
into is gone in a matter of moments can
be quite the shock. I was sad for Mike
and Elexa, the staff and our customers.
Peachtree Bikes Buckhead was a staple
in the Atlanta Cycling community and to
see it destroyed was really saddening.
We’re beyond thankful that no one was
hurt.”
On Monday March 24th Peachtree Bikes
opened again in Buckhead, in its new
location at 2905 Peachtree Road.
The new location is just a couple blocks
up from our old location, so we’re excited
to be close to “home”. We’re looking
positively to the future and looking
forward to new beginnings for our shop.
Helen told AVC.
There was a big turnout for the ribbon
cutting, demonstrating just what an institution the shop was and is. Among the
civic leaders in attendance were Buckhead Community Improvement District
Executive Director Jim Durrett, Buckhead
Coalition Vice President Garth Peters
and representing the Buckhead Business Association were Executive Director
Smita Solanki and Vice President for
Socials Sarah Lowe.
In early February, Mike Wagaman
told the BuckheadView news site that
Peachtree Bikes had taken a one-year
“temporary to permanent” lease on the
new location, because he was told it will
likely to be a year before the bike store
could return to its old location at 2823
Peachtree.
The renovations were slated to cost in
excess of $50,000. The old two-story
house that years ago housed a florist
shop had been vacant for years, so renovation work was extensive.
The new location is just a couple blocks
up from our old location, Helen explained, so we’re excited to be close to
“home”. We’re looking positively to the
future and looking forward to new beginnings for our shop.
www.peachtreebikes.com
Stone Mountain Park Campground:
In
ATLANTA
W
e all know Atlanta is a car-centric city.
If you’re adventurous, you really can’t
survive for long without having to jump
in your car to get outdoors to go rock
climbing, paddling, visiting quirky towns,
trail running, riding your bicycle or just
enjoying being in the great outdoors.
But, our question is this: how many of
us work out in a gym every day? And
for how long? We could be using that
time and energy to get where we could
be going. There are lots of small and
big adventures you can do right from
your doorstep, either completely by bike
or using your bicycle as part of your
transport plan.
Daniel Jessee grew up in the Atlanta
area and studied Journalism at the University of Georgia. He is a cyclist, runner and adventurer with a passion for
environmental sustainability and conservation. He rides endurance bike events
like the Highland Trail Race in Scotland
and the Transcontinental Race from
London to Istanbul. He also works as
a senior instructor for the REI Outdoor
School, educating and inspiring people
to get outdoors with the skills they need
to enjoy and be safe. Daniel feels that
riding bicycles in his home state has
changed his perspective on the city and
region. He wants to share that passion
and continue the unprecedented positive changes happening here in Atlanta
for cyclists and adventurers.
VeloCity plans to let Daniel bring you
new homegrown adventures to try every
edition. Our focus is on bicycle transportation and light touring. We don’t
want you to think we mean buying a
whole new bike or equipment. You can
do most of Daniel’s suggestions with no
more than a backpack and a bike.
We’ll have one trip for the less ambitious and one for the masochists.
Whenever possible we will provide route
information, highlights, food and lodging
information. Our goal is that you don’t
feel limited by Atlanta’s reputation, but
empowered by the ideas that we present to see our region in the most sustainable and fun way possible. Enjoy!
Atlanta’s most iconic peak may be
overrun with stereotypical Confederate revelry on any given weeknight of
the year, but venture beyond the laser
show and Snow Mountain, and you’ll
find a natural beauty that is hard to beat
in quality and scale anywhere close to
Atlanta. You’ll start in the idyllic City of
Decatur and follow a bike path 90% of
the way to your objective: camping on
the shores of Stone Mountain Lake with
the world’s largest granite outcropping
towering over you.
Start: This is a bike tour for intermediate riders. You can start from your
house to make it a truly complete bike
tour, but the map below starts riders
from the Decatur MARTA station. This
is a perfect end to your tour as well,
with world-famous food and pubs like
The Brick Store right off the main town
square. Before departing home, make
sure to reserve a campsite near the lake
by visiting:
www.stonemountainpark.com.
The route: From wherever you are,
hop on MARTA and make your way to
the Decatur station. When you exit the
station to the east, you will be at the beginning of the route, which goes straight
ahead on Sycamore St. If you need to
fuel up before departing, Raging Burrito
promises large servings, great outdoor
dining, and an exceptional beer list for a
burrito joint. It’s just to your right (south)
from the station. Once you’re ready to
roll, proceed down Sycamore St.(east).
20.
At the end of Sycamore, you will see the
paved Stone Mountain Path. You will
turn left/east on the path. This was one
of the first major construction projects
of the Path Foundation, which are
responsible for the Silver Comet, Arabia
Mountain Trail, and portions of the
Atlanta Beltline. It actually begins at the
Georgia Tech Campus, so hardier riders
can double their mileage and follow the
marked route from downtown Atlanta to
the same destination.
Once on the path, you will be on and off
the dedicated bike path. It sometimes
joins quiet roads for a short stretch, so
just look for the white and green Path
signs. Don’t expect to go fast from
Decatur to Stone Mountain; there are
numerous road intersections requiring
you to stop. But that does force you to
enjoy riding through the small town of
Clarkston, which is actually the most
diverse city in the entire country! There
is a large refugee population living in
Clarkston, of which one of the most
well-known are the Fugees Family soccer team. Learn more here and try to
catch a match while passing through:
http://www.fugeesfamily.org/index.
htm.
After Clarkston, the path largely follows
East Ponce de Leon Ave all the way to
Stone Mountain. It will switch sides a
couple times, so if you feel more comfortable staying on the right side of the
road, do so, knowing that the path will
come back to your side shortly. Once
you reach the city of Stone Mountain,
you will have some of your best options
for food, beverage, and groceries. Grab
a German beer and a giant pretzel at
the Village Corner German Restaurant,
which welcomes you into the city. After
enjoying a lovely hefeweizen, proceed
down main street until the Path is on
your left. Take the Path into Stone
Mountain Park.
There is no entry fee for bicycles or
pedestrians at the park (I just saved you
$10/day). Turn right on the main park
road and stay in the cycle/pedestrian
lane. After about a mile, you will turn
right onto Stonewall Jackson Dr. and
cross a bridge over the lake. You’ll have
one very stout hill so get in a lower gear
and don’t hate me. After you crest the
hill, it’s downhill all (most) of the way.
Cross the dam. The campground is your
next left.
Recovery: Pick up all your food from
home, or you can make a slight detour
at the beginning of the route and load
up at the enormous Dekalb Farmer’s
Market. Unless you plan on surviving off
hotdogs and Dippin’ Dots, I can’t recommend relying on sustenance inside
the park. The good news is that you’re
never more than 3-4 miles from the
aforementioned Village Corner restaurant, which is surprisingly good.
Link to map and GPS track:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/
view/382124356
Overnight Camping Tour to Rockmart: this moderately difficult tour is a
perfect overnight tour and showcases
one of the great success stories of
cycling tourism in Georgia: the Silver
Comet Trail. You could ride a virtually
flat 40 miles each way, but for variety
and contingencies, I’ve provided a loop
format just in case.
The Start: Someday, the Silver Comet
Trail will connect all the way to Centennial Olympic Park, so why not start
there? You can ride from home or take
MARTA to the park. Or, if you have to
drive anyway, you could start anywhere
along the route, including near the start
of the trail itself near Smyrna.
The Route: You’ll wind through the bustling, ever-changing Westside of Atlanta
on some four-lane roads. Marietta St.
and Howell Mill can be incredibly quiet,
or quite congested but a lot of cyclists
use the route so drivers seem to be
fairly cognizant of your presence. You
will turn off Howell Mill and take neighborhood streets all the way to Atlanta
Rd. You’ll know you’re almost there
when you smell rotten eggs. There are
bike lanes on the road, and when they
disappear the pavement is quite good.
Cross the Chattahoochee River, and
one mile later, turn left onto Plant Atkinson Rd. Here you will need to pay at-
1. 1-2 tubes
2.Patch kit
GE AR LIS T
3. Handpump
4. Quick links
5. A multi-tool with a chain
tool
6. Tire levers
7.Running shorts/pan
ts
8. Lightweight top sh
irt
9. Flip flops or lightw
eight shoes
10.Toiletries
11.Phone/charger
12.Ultralight backpack
tention to your GPS, as the route winds
through classic indistinguishable 1980s
neighborhood roads to the highlight of
the tour.
You’ll finally reach the Silver Comet Trail
around mile 10. Together with the Chief
Ladiga trail in Alabama, this forms the
longest paved rail trail in the country. On
this Rails-to-Trails project you are essentially on an old rail bed with no more
than 1% grades and no vehicle traffic.
In place of cars, however, be prepared
for lots of bicycles, inline skaters, kids
on training wheels, and those stealthy
retractable leashes you don’t see until
they clothesline you. Don’t expect to go
21.
very fast on a Saturday morning, but
most of this dies down after 3-4 miles.
No matter how crowded it is, you’ll
enjoy 30 miles of easy riding over old
rail trestles, through enormous train
tunnels and through gorgeous pastoral settings all the way to the campground. There is a sign pointing the
final half-mile or so, where you turn off
the Comet, but you can also just look
for Coots Lake, with picnic tables and
sandy beach just before the turn off.
Your destination: The Rock Premier
RV Campground, tent sites starting at
$15:
http://www.therockrvpark.com.
Just like any camping trip, plan to be
self-sufficient with all the food and
drink you will need at the campground.
There is a Publix right at the beginning
of the Silver Comet at the corner of
Atlanta Rd. and East-West Connector.
But if you do need to resupply for day
two, or just want to find some local
grub, get back on the Silver Comet
and head west another 3-4 miles to
the center of Rockmart.
On day two, simply turn east and head
back to Atlanta or try the northern
portion of the route for a longer, more
difficult return. The northern portion
is definitely hillier (of course), but the
roads are quite good, with a lot of bike
lanes and/or large shoulders. It does
take you on a short 1.5-mile packed
gravel bit by the river, but it’s perfectly
passable for even a time-trial bike. If
you do take the northern route, plan
to stop in Marietta (just south of the
intersection of Church St. and Kennesaw Ave.) and grab a slice at Marietta Pizza Company. After Marietta,
the route will work its way down to the
Chattahoochee River where it takes
you through some lesser known bike
paths to keep you off major roads and
showcase some hidden gems of our
city.
Special note: The Silver Comet Trail
in Cobb County has been undergoing repaving and bridge repair since
January. This will continue in sections until Labor Day 2014. You can
check the status of the repairs, open
and closed sections by visiting: www.
silvercometga.com and clicking the
links on the right side for the newest
updates. It is not hard to find detours
around the sections if you know where
they are, but you will be on your own
for that. As a backup, I have provided
a more northerly route option, which
can be a total detour or an alternate
return trip.
Recovery: When you finally make
your return to Centennial Olympic
Park, there are several breweries
along Howell Mill and Marietta St.
as well as the requisite World of
Coca-Cola, which should replenish
your blood sugar quite well. If it’s
warm, you can even shower off in the
fountains at the park before heading
home. There are really too many food
options to mention in your last two
miles of riding, so just be ready to follow your nose!
Link to map and GPS track:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/
view/382123296
Suggested gear list: you can go with
the full on touring assortment, but for
a faster ride keep it simple.
Be judicious with your packing. Everything I’ve listed above can fit in jersey
pockets and a large seat bag. You
could even change to mountain bike
shoes and pedals so you don’t worry
about regular shoes. It really depends
if you’re planning to just hang out at
the campsite or if you want to ride
around and explore. A pro tip for bike
touring with very few clothes: take as
much wool as you can to avoid stinkiness.
Finally, if you ever wondered what it’s
like to bike and camp but don’t want to
do it on your own, go join the Atlanta
Cycling Festival for their first ever
cyclocamping trip!
They will be meeting at the Silver
Comet Trail Head the morning of
Saturday, April 26th, biking out to
Rockmart (38.7miles), bike camping
overnight at The Rock Park, and then
heading back to the Trail Head Sunday morning (38.7miles).
The trip will include snacks, lunch,
dinner, and breakfast. Tents, food and
fire will all be provided by The Atlanta
Cycling Festival! All you need to bring
is your sleeping bag.
Go to:
www.atlantacyclingfestival.com, to
ADVERTISE
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find out more.
22.
www.dicklanevelodrome.com
We are now just a few weeks into our 2014 racing season
and have things locked down for what will be our 40th racing
season. Our regular weekly schedule is on the cards at the
moment, with our Youth Cycling League program underway,
happening on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30pm.
Our Tuesday racing program is underway, with massed start
racing for Masters, Women and D category riders happening
on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Second Tuesdays feature pursuit races and time trials against the clock for
all riders, and the 4th Tuesday of every month featuring sprint
night, where riders battle head to head in a match sprint
format. Our Wednesday racing program is our feature weekly
racing program, with riders split into 3 categories, A, B and C.
2014 Special Events.
Womens Velodrome Challenge
A brand new event for 2014 is our Women’s Velodrome
Challenge. Going down on the 13th of April, this event will
feature racing for a variety of womens categories, as well as
juniors and for the first time in a long time, Tandem racing!
Yes that’s right, bicycles built for two are racing at the Dick
Lane Velodrome!
We’ve got a great variety of events on the cards for the afternoon, with several time trials on deck as well as sprints and
massed start racing as well.
Pro Race Series
We’ve got our Pro Race Series details locked in for 2014.
Here is the breakdown:
May 10th – Merial presents The Keirin, May 9th Maxxis Tires
Need for Speed Sprints
July 12th – Outback Bikes presents The Omnium, July 11th
Parks Law Need For Speed Sprints
Sept. 6th – Saucebox Velodrome Cup, Sept. 5th Loose Nuts
Cycles Need For Speed Sprints
The Keirin will see twelve invited riders in a series of heats
for points, with the top six riders in the points standings at
the end of four rounds of heats heading into the major final
to decide the top six placings. We’ll also have riders from all
categories racing throughout the afternoon and evening sessions, and our evening session will feature our Youth Cycling
League competitors doing battle as well.
23.
The Omnium will see our pro field doing battle over a series
of events throughout the day to see who is the best all-round
rider at the Dick Lane Velodrome. A mixture of short sprint
type events will be paired with a number of longer endurance
type of events will see the sprinters trying to hold their own in
the longer races, and the endurance riders trying to muster
their best sprinting legs to try to catch some of those sprint
points.
The night will boil down to the final event, the Miss and Out
to determine the overall winner. One of the toughest events
to ride, the Miss and Out sees the last rider across the line
eliminated from the race, so an extremely tactical battle to
not get “boxed in”, but also to try to not push too much wind
and get tired before the final sprint.
The Velodrome Cup was a new event in 2013 and will be
continuing for 2014. This racing format is somewhat similar
to the Omnium, but this time, consistency is key throughout
all of the events. With the points spread being only one point
per placing, every point counts. Last year, Thomas Brown got
himself behind on points early in the day and while he won
the last three events on the schedule he wasn’t able to make
up the points difference and finished just one points behind
Brody Hartley. We should see both of these riders going head
to head again this year, so this event should be a great one.
State Championships
State Championships are on again this year at the velodrome, with the juniors getting their own event to be held on
the 31st of May and the Elite and Masters championships
being held on the 9th of August. Since some nearby states
don’t have their own velodromes, we also host championships for Alabama and Tennessee as well as our home state
of Georgia. This is a great opportunity to see who the best
riders are in our local area with particularly great battles in
our masters 40+ category and the junior 10-12 aged and 1516 aged categories.
Collegiate Track Cup
In 2013 the Georgia Tech Cycling Team hosted the SouthEastern Collegiate Cycling Conference(SECCC) Collegiate
Track Cup. We are definitely looking forward to this event
going down again this year sometime in August, with the best
of the southeastern collegiate teams racing it out for bragging
rights. This event is also a qualifier for the national championship so those riders attending should have a shot at representing their schools, and their conference at the national
collegiate track championships to be held in Indianapolis,
Indiana in September.
For more information go to:
www.dicklanevelodrome.com
Jeff Hopkins, is the Dick Lane Velodrome Track Manager
and a Former World Junior Track Champion. He hails from
Sydney Australia and is a passionate bicycle advocate.
Directory
Everything Bike In Metro Atlanta and beyond
Bicycle Shops
All3sports
8601 Dunwoody Place
Atlanta, GA 30350
Dunwoody Place
Tel: (770) 587-9994
all3sports.com
Atlanta Beltline Bicycles
151 Sampson Street Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30312
Tel: (404) 588-9930
atlantabeltlinebicycle.com
Atlanta Bike Tech
935 Chattahoochee Avenue
Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30318
Tel: (404) 352-1445
atlbiketech.com
Atlanta Cycling
4335 Cobb Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339
Tel: (770) 952-7731
atlantacycling.com
Aztec Cycles
901 Main St
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Tel: (678) 636-9043
aztec-cycles.com
Bicycle Doctor
2910 Cole Court
Norcross, Georgia 30071
Tel: (770) 825-0080
bicycledoc.com
Bicycle South
2098 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA 30033
North Decatur Center
Tel: (404) 636-4444
bicyclesouth.com
Bikeways of Tucker
4107 Lawrenceville Highway
Tucker, GA 30084
Tel: (770) 934-2002
bikewaysoftucker.com
Cycleworks
Roswell
(in Market Center Shopping Center)
1580 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Suite 24
Roswell, GA 30076
Duluth
3576 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Duluth, GA 30096
Tel: (770) 476-4949
cycleworksinc.com
Decatur Bikes
252 West Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: (404) 941-8717
decaturbikes.com
Fresh Bike Service, Inc.
1575 Old Alabama Road #209
Roswell, GA 30076
Holcomb Bridge Crossing
Tel: (770) 587 4982
Freshbikeservice.com
Fixie Bicycle Gallery
415 Edgewood Ave
Old Fourth Ward
Atlanta GA. 30312
www.fixieb.com
[email protected]
Free-Flite Bicycles
Marietta
2949 Canton Road, Suite 1000
Marietta, Georgia 30066
Tel: (770)-422-5237
East Cobb
4177 Roswell Road (Hwy 120)
Marietta, Georgia 30062
Tel: (770)-977-9696
Sandy Springs
6014 Sandy Springs Cir.
Atlanta, GA 30328
Tel: 404-252-2453
Houndstooth Road
316 Church Street
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: (404) 220-8957
h2rd.com
Intown Bicycles
1035 Monroe Dr. Atlanta30306
Tel: (404)-872-1736
www.intownbicycles.com
Loose Nuts Cycles
452 Cherokee Avenue Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30312
Tel: (404) 228-5555
loosenutscycles.com
Outback Bikes
1125 Euclid Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307
Tel: (404) 688-4878
outback-bikes.com
Peachtree Bikes
225 Hilderbrand Drive Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30328
Tel: (404) 254-4116
peachtreebikes.com
Performance Bicycle
www.performancebike.com
ATLANTA
1471 Northeast Expressway
North Druid Hills exit
Atlanta, GA 30329
Tel: (404)321-8952
BUFORD
3385 Woodward Crossing Blvd
Mall of Georgia Crossing
Buford, GA 30519
Tel: (678) 318-4272
MARIETTA
50 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway, Suite
1045
Town Center Prado
Marietta, GA 30066
Tel: (770) 795-9868
Listings continued on page 25.
24.
ROSWELL
10502 Alpharetta Highway
Roswell, GA 30076
Roswell Town Center
Tel: (770) 587-5072
Roswell Bicycles, Inc.
670 Houze Way
Roswell, Ga. 30076
Tel: 770 642 4057
www.roswellbicycles.com
REI
www.rei.com
Atlanta
1800 Northeast Expy NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
Tel: (404) 633-6508
Perimeter
1165 Perimeter Ctr W Ste 200
Atlanta, GA 30338
Tel: (770) 901-9200
Kennesaw
740 Barrett Parkway Suite 450
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Tel: (770) 425-4480
Buford
1600 Mall of Georgia Blvd
Buford, GA 30519
Tel: (770) 831-0676
Silver Comet Depot
4342 Floyd Road Southwest
Mableton, GA 30126
Tel: (770) 819-3279
Silvercometdepot.com
Skate Escape
1086 Piedmont Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30309
Tel: (404) 892-1292
skateescape.com
Smyrna Bicycles
4624 Camp Highland Road Southeast
Smyrna, GA 30082
Tel: (770) 436-3252
smyrnabicycles.com
Snyder Cycles
25.
1057 Blue Ridge Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306 Hand Built Bicycles
Tel: (678) 515 7649
www.snydercycles.com
The Bicycle Wheel
6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway,
Suite E-1000
Johns Creek , GA 30022
Tel: 770-622-6000
www.thebicyclewheel.net
[email protected]
The Gear Revival
955 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA
30318
Tel: (404) 892-4326
www.thegearrevival.com
Advocacy Organizations
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
692 Kirkwood Ave SE C-1,
Atlanta, GA 30316
Tel: (404) 881-1112
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
86 Pryor Street
Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel: (404) 477-3003
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://beltline.org
Depaula Racing
www.depaularacing.com
The Dick Lane Velodrome
889 Lexington Ave,
East Point, GA 30344
Tel: (404) 769-0012
www.dicklanevelodrome.com
Faster Mustache
Path Foundation
pathfoundation.org
No Hipster Left Behind
nohipsterleftbehind.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/NHLBATL
North Georgia Cycling
Association
www.ngca.us
SORBA Atlanta
www.sorbaatlanta.org
SORBA GATR:
Gwinett Area Trail Riders
www.sorbagatr.org
SORBA RAMBO
Roswell Alpharetta Mountain Bike
Organization
www.rambo-mtb.org
SORBA Woodstock
sorbawoodstock.org
Sorella Womens Cycling
www.sorellacycling.com
Southeastern Cycling
sadlebred.com
Southern Bicycle League
www.bikesbl.org
P.O. Box 920067
Norcross. Georgia
30010-0067
Email: [email protected]
The Mobile Social
fastermustache.org
www.themobilesocial.com
[email protected]
Georgia Bikes
Velo Atlanta
279 Savannah Ave
Athens, GA 30601
Tel: 706.372.9529
[email protected]
www.georgiabikes.org
Georgia Cyclocross
georgiacx.com
Metro Atlanta Cycling Club
www.maccattack.com
www.veloatlanta.com
Bicycle Cooperatives
Beltline Bike Shop
Adair Park: 982 Murphy Avenue SW
(entrance on Brookline St.)
Atlanta, Georgia 30310
Tel: (404) 721-2331
Shop Hours: Monday & Wednesday
3:30-5:30 pm Saturday 2:00-4:00 pm
Beltline Bike Shop
English Avenue
642 Northside Dr NW. Atlanta, GA 30318
Tel: (404) 721-2331
Shop Hours: Thursdays 5:00 - 7:00 pm
[email protected]
Communicycle Bicycle Coop
Chamblee Shop
2605 Chamblee Tucker Road,
Chamblee, GA 30341
Hours: Tuesdays, 6-8pm
Tel: 678-53-CYCLE
Email: [email protected]
Clarkston Shop
3701 College Avenue,
Clarkston, GA 30021
Hours: Thursdays, 5-7pm
Tel: 678-53-CYCLE
Email: [email protected]
Lawrenceville Shop
1570 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd,
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Hours: Thursdays, 6-8pm
Tel: 678-53-CYCLE
Email: [email protected]
SOPO Bicycle Cooperative
Atlanta Report A Pot hole
http://ditweb.atlantaga.gov/pothole
Decatur Public Works Road Dpt.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
1201 Airport Road
Tel: 229-248-3037,
www.decaturcountyga.org/road_department.php
Legal
KenBikeLaw.com
119 N. McDonough Street,
Suite 150 Decatur, Georgia
30030
24 hour telephone: 404-373-0140
Toll free: 800-RUN-BIKE
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.kenbikelaw.com
Robert N. Katz
945 East Paces Ferry Road, Resurgens Plaza, Suite 2230 Atlanta,
Georgia 30326
Toll Free: (877) 343-9598
Phone: (404) 240-0400
Email:
[email protected]
Web: www.robertnkatz.com
586 Woodward Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Stokes & Kopitsky P.A.
Thursdays. 7 pm to 10 pm.
www.stokesinjurylawyers.com
Saturdays, 2 pm to 6 pm
Tel: 404-425-9989 (voicemail only)
Email: [email protected]
South Atlanta Bike Shop
Sports Physical Therapy
1297 Jonesboro Rd. SE
Suite 400. Atlanta, GA 30315
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays
3:30pm - 6:30pm
Tel: 678-802-9253
Atlanta Rehabilitation and
Performance Center
WeCycle Atlanta Bike Shop
www.atlantasportsmedicine.com
3200 Downwood Circle, Suite 500,
Atlanta Georgia 30327
Tel: 404-352-4500
Government
Atlanta Sports & Spine
1162 Fountain Dr. SW Atlanta, GA 30314
Tel: 404-590-0839
Email: [email protected]
City of Atlanta Dept of Public Works
55 Trinity Avenue, SW Suite 4700
Atlanta, G.A. 30303
Tel: 404.330.6240
Email: [email protected]
atlantarehab.com
Atlanta Sports Medicine
www.atlantasportandspine.com
857 Collier RD, NW STE 1, Atlanta,
GA 30318
Tel: 404-419-7760
Emory Healthcare
Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
59 Executive Park South, Suite 1100
Atlanta, GA 30329
Tel: 404-778-6330
Neurosport Physical Therapy
www.neurosportphysicaltherapy.com
One-on-One Therapy, Inc.
3300 Northeast Expressway Access
Road South Building 8, Suite C
(Located Inside Equipoise)
Atlanta, GA 30341
5901 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
Tel: 770.500.3848
http://onetherapy.com
The Sports
Rehabilitation Center
www.sportsrehabcenter.com
Midtown
555 10th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
Tel: 404.477.8888
Buckhead/Brookhaven
2669 Osborne Road
Atlanta, GA 30319
Tel: 404.477.7777
Dunwoody
5342 Tilly Mill Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Tel: 770.395.2643
Sandy Springs
5290 Roswell Road, Suite W
Atlanta, GA 30342
Tel: 404.477.5555
LISTINGS
INFORMATION
Our directory is a fluid listing and, although we have
endeavored to include everything relating to bikes
and bike culture within our area, we are more than
aware there may be more to add.
If you think you have some information to share,
or want to alter or update any information, please
contact us at: [email protected]
26.