new to portland, need a replacement for commuting

[tatt2ed]

I just moved here from Seattle and was wondering if anyone might be able to help me find a couple routes. I work from home so I lost my commute riding when I moved here. The ride can go anywhere but I need 15 (every other day) to 30 (every other day) mile rides during weekdays. Maybe a couple different ones to break up the monotony we face on our commute rides. Some sustained speeds would be nice to. Hills are good but I suck at climbing. I just quit smoking last year so my lungs give out before my legs on hills.

I live close to SE 36th and Salmon so that will be my starting point.

Oh, and some weekday group rides are always welcome. I am a moderate rider though.

Thanks,
Andamo

[Haven_kd7yct]

Andamo, have you check Bikely.com? Lots of people from all over have posted routes there, and a small bit of searching may bring out exactly what you're looking for.

There's a search box right at the top of the page so it's easy to find.

Alternatively, you can get the '07 Bike There map (Bike Gallery sells 'em) and plan out a good route....

Caveat: everyone has a different idea of what a "safe" route is. F'r instance, the Bike There map shows a road over here in Tigard that's "safe" to ride on, but I know for a fact it's not. Yes, it's got a bike lane; it's also a 2-lane road with a 35mph speed limit and everyone goes 45 mph one it, uphill or down. There's been a couple of deaths on the road (peds, usually small children), but it doesn't seem to slow most people down. Just FYI.

Welcome to Portland!

[cecilanne]

Originally Posted by tatt2ed

The ride can go anywhere but I need 15 (every other day) to 30 (every other day) mile rides during weekdays. Maybe a couple different ones to break up the monotony we face on our commute rides. Some sustained speeds would be nice to. Hills are good but I suck at climbing. I just quit smoking last year so my lungs give out before my legs on hills.

I live close to SE 36th and Salmon so that will be my starting point.

Oh, and some weekday group rides are always welcome. I am a moderate rider though.

Thanks,
Andamo

Are you riding to downtown? I live in Ladd's Addition, and when I worked downtown I had a number of routes ranging from 6 to 25 miles one-way that I would play with - most of them involved hills, however, because I like 'em. My favorite was to go out through NW Portland up Cornell and Thompson to Skyline and then just ride west on Skyline as long asI felt like it and then turn around and head back to town by way of the Zoo. A shorter, flat commute is to take SE 26th south to Gladstone, left on Gladstone, right on SE 28th and follow SE 28th as it twists, turns and eventually becomes Bybee and then eventually SE 13th - right on Sellwood Blvd, follow that down and around as it becomes 7th, then to Spokane and rt down to the Springwater Corridor and on into town (about 12 miles from my house one-way).

Your best bet is to pick up a "Bike There!" map and just look at the streets. That's how I find places to explore.

For weekday group rides, check out Portland Velo - most of their rides are on the West side, but they have some East side rides that start from the New Seasons at SE 33rd and Killingsworth. www.portlandvelo.net

Cheers, Cecil

[tatt2ed]

I forgot all about bikely.com. Never needed it in Seattle since I lived there for so long and we had a lot of bike routes and paved trails.

And thank you both for the links.