# Any decent riding in Lake Oswego area??



## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

starting from the Lake, out and backs, or loops??? Since moving here from Boulder, I gotta say I'm thoroughly disappointed. Hardly any decent climbs of any length. I know there is some good long climbs somewhere but do I have to go to the gorge to find them? And where are the bike lanes? For such a "biketown", not nearly enough lanes around.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

The long climbs are in the national forest south of estacada and near Mt Hood. all there is near lake O or any part of PDX proper are hills.


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## tuffguy1500 (Jul 17, 2008)

not sure what a long climb means to you, but if you head into downtown from country club rd through kerr pkwy/capital highway, it's a nice bit of vertical, then after hitting downtown, make your way back on 43 on the trail and cruise up through the riverview cemetery where it starts at the sellwood bridge intersection you might find the vert you're looking for.
from the bridge to kerr/49th isn't mapable on gmaps, but you can get all the way up without hitting taylors ferry (no room for a cyclist!) 20 mile loop


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## thumbprinter (Jun 8, 2009)

larch mountain makes for a good climb too; it would end up well over a century and most of 6000 feet total from lake o.... alternatively you can drive (bleh) to troutdale and make a ~50 mile loop with 4000 feet of climbing (about 3000 of that is over 10-14 miles).


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## thumbprinter (Jun 8, 2009)

p.s. what the heck are thinking moving here from colorado (mountains!) and expecting the same kind of climbs????


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## Trundle (Apr 7, 2004)

*Follow the Lions*

Try this

http://bikeportland.org/2009/03/04/details-on-the-2009-de-ronde-van-oeste-portlandia/

You can still see some of the Lions painted on the road. Go up through Mountain park (Kerr Parkway?) along Capitol Highway through Multnomah Village and take Terwilliger downtown.


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

*Thanks All for the responses and recommendations*

I don't want to drive to Troutdale or anywhere for that matter to get the ride time in. I guess I will have to settle for the gentle hills of Portland. I was thinking somewhere north and west of downtown would provide some climbs similar to my beloved Santa Monica Mts (Mullholland Hwy to Kanan to Piuma was one of my faves). For Boulder there were some long long long climbs and my favorite was Lefthand Canyon to the town of Ward.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Ride-Fly said:


> I don't want to drive to Troutdale or anywhere for that matter to get the ride time in. I guess I will have to settle for the gentle hills of Portland. I was thinking somewhere north and west of downtown would provide some climbs similar to my beloved Santa Monica Mts (Mullholland Hwy to Kanan to Piuma was one of my faves). For Boulder there were some long long long climbs and my favorite was Lefthand Canyon to the town of Ward.


There are no climbs that last more than about 20 minutes in the general area of Portland....however, you can put multiple climbs together to get in lots of climbing, some of it quite steep (grades over 14%).

Here is a link to a few of the local climbs...most in the West Hills, but also includes Larch Mountain: http://legacy.lclark.edu/~kolitch/cycling.html

If you head to the Oregon Coast mountains there are some good sustained climbs there in the 40 minute to 1 hour range. Going to Carlton and heading up to the reservoir is a nice long climb. Other long climbs you need to head up into the Cascades.

There are also a lot of climbs in the Tualatin Hills...again, nothing more than 20 minutes or so, but you can connect lots of them together to get in 4000-6000 feet of climbing fairly quickly.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Lake O*

Otherwise known as Lake Large Ego, Lake No (African American), etc.

That's one of the richest, quietest, right-leaning suburbs of Ptown.

PORTLAND is the bike city. LO is not.

How long of climbs do you want? If you want 20 minutes, you need at least 2000 feet up, and that requires the Gorge, but if you're IN the city, several climbs about 1,000 feet on the westside, like off of HWY 30, you can do Germantown, Logie Trail, Mcsomethingorother -- all of the ones out down by Cornelius Pass.

From L-O, NORMALLY I would say ride out through Oregon City and to random parts of Clackamas County, some pretty farm roads with some steep pitches out there, but they are shutting the O-C / West Linn bridge for a long time for repairs shortly, if not already. Boo.


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

Argentius said:


> Otherwise known as Lake Large Ego, Lake No (African American), etc.
> 
> That's one of the richest, quietest, right-leaning suburbs of Ptown.
> 
> ...


Hey Argentius, I didn't realize you are Portlander. Do you guys have a RBR ride gathering once in a while? As for LO, I know about the Ego thing. We just bought here because of the school districts for my son. Neither of us are right wingers so maybe we will help to balance the scale a bit!  Thanks for the tips about Germantown, Logie trail, and McMinneville(?) is what I am assuming you are talking about.


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

*yep...*



Trundle said:


> Try this
> 
> http://bikeportland.org/2009/03/04/details-on-the-2009-de-ronde-van-oeste-portlandia/
> 
> You can still see some of the Lions painted on the road. Go up through Mountain park (Kerr Parkway?) along Capitol Highway through Multnomah Village and take Terwilliger downtown.


that route will calm him down....did it last spring...raced Estacada TT the next day. 
needless to say, my TT time was terrible....

I actually rode 1/2 of it last thursday...jumped on at the base of Old College and went south through all the neighbors up to Fairmount and around to Hillsdale and Council Crest... just 1/2 at speed was a complete butt kicker.


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

*Mcminneville?*



Ride-Fly said:


> Hey Argentius, I didn't realize you are Portlander. Do you guys have a RBR ride gathering once in a while? As for LO, I know about the Ego thing. We just bought here because of the school districts for my son. Neither of us are right wingers so maybe we will help to balance the scale a bit!  Thanks for the tips about Germantown, Logie trail, and McMinneville(?) is what I am assuming you are talking about.


Nope...McNamee Road between HWY 30 and Skyline, just south of Cornelius Pass...4 mile steady climb..no stop signs...could also try Rockie Point....or Newberry....of if you really think PDX has no hills, then do all all three and get back to us.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Oh Portland...*



Ride-Fly said:


> Hey Argentius, I didn't realize you are Portlander. Do you guys have a RBR ride gathering once in a while? As for LO, I know about the Ego thing. We just bought here because of the school districts for my son. Neither of us are right wingers so maybe we will help to balance the scale a bit!  Thanks for the tips about Germantown, Logie trail, and McMinneville(?) is what I am assuming you are talking about.


I'm FROM Portland, but I live in Tacoma these days. I miss Ptown, far better cycling, public transit, everthing.

I looked it up, I meant NW McNamee rd. It, along with the two I mentioned, and also Newberry, were my favorite climbs readily accessible from downtown, where I lived at Portland State. All are off of highway 30 (towards Sauvie Island).

As for LO and school districts, that is amusing. Where in LO are you? They do indeed have very good schools, I went to Lakeridge High School myself. 

My family didn't have a lot of cash, so my mother researched the issue and moved to a section of unincorporated Clackamas County that went to LO schools... now she lives just off of South Shore.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

bahueh said:


> Nope...McNamee Road between HWY 30 and Skyline, just south of Cornelius Pass...4 mile steady climb..no stop signs...could also try Rockie Point....or Newberry....of if you really think PDX has no hills, then do all all three and get back to us.


I'd say...Ride from LO taking some of the side streets to Skyline (easy to do). Take Skyline to McNamee and go down McNamee, up Newberry, down Germantown, up Logie Trail then down Skyline to Rock Creek and go down, then up Old Germantown, down Springville then up Laidlaw to Thompson and back up to Skyline then home.

After that...get back to us about not having any climbing in the Portland Metro area


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*There are climbs*

And then there are climbs. Wookie's ride here is a great suggesting, my "long loop" consists of something fairly similar to this, in a slightly different order, but it too starts with the east side of the hill and finishes west; Laidlaw is a relaxing climb, comparatively. I usually went DOWN cornelius pass so that I can go UP all of the "good" hills, but that might explain being a bad descender.

Bahueh's Ronde Van Oest Portlandia route is STEEP, but I don't think it's what the OP meant, being from CO. Those short, leg-burner 20% sections are fun, (if by "fun" you mean "suffering like a dog,"), but it's a different sort of deal.



Wookiebiker said:


> I'd say...Ride from LO taking some of the side streets to Skyline (easy to do). Take Skyline to McNamee and go down McNamee, up Newberry, down Germantown, up Logie Trail then down Skyline to Rock Creek and go down, then up Old Germantown, down Springville then up Laidlaw to Thompson and back up to Skyline then home.
> 
> After that...get back to us about not having any climbing in the Portland Metro area


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

hey Wookie,
saw you on the cover of the SE Examiner...nice pose!!


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

bahueh said:


> hey Wookie,
> saw you on the cover of the SE Examiner...nice pose!!


Thanks :blush2: 

I saw the picture, but didn't get to read the article...which from my understanding was centered around one of my teammates and how he's able to balance owning a business, his family life and racing.


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

tuffguy1500 said:


> not sure what a long climb means to you, but if you head into downtown from country club rd through kerr pkwy/capital highway, it's a nice bit of vertical, then after hitting downtown, make your way back on 43 on the trail and cruise up through the riverview cemetery where it starts at the sellwood bridge intersection you might find the vert you're looking for.
> from the bridge to kerr/49th isn't mapable on gmaps, but you can get all the way up without hitting taylors ferry (no room for a cyclist!) 20 mile loop


Thanks for the gmaps route, I will definitely try that one. As for long climbs, I was hoping for routes similar to the Santa Monicas as trying to find similar to Boulder would be impossible near PDX. I'm sure I can find some in the Cascades or the Gorge but those would be "weekend excursions".


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## PomPilot (May 17, 2006)

Argentius said:


> Otherwise known as Lake Large Ego, Lake No (African American), etc.
> 
> That's one of the richest, quietest, right-leaning suburbs of Ptown.
> 
> ...


You forgot one other nickname for that town. Lake Fake. :wink:

(Don't live in that part of the state, but went to college up there).


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## heliskyr (Feb 21, 2005)

There's a great bike shop in Lake Oswego, Lakeside Bicycles that I'm sure could point you in the right direction:

http://lakeside-bikes.com/index.cfm


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

heliskyr said:


> There's a great bike shop in Lake Oswego, Lakeside Bicycles that I'm sure could point you in the right direction:
> 
> http://lakeside-bikes.com/index.cfm


Been there. The MOST AMAZING shop I've ever been to. I have never seen a shop that carried so many high-end frames. Colnago, Pinarello, Look, Time, Merckx, Bianchi, Cannondale, Pegoretti, De Rosa, Surly, and probably one more that I'm forgetting.


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## heliskyr (Feb 21, 2005)

Ride-Fly said:


> Been there. The MOST AMAZING shop I've ever been to. I have never seen a shop that carried so many high-end frames. Colnago, Look, Merckx, Bianchi, Cannondale, Pegoretti, De Rosa, Surly, and probably one more that I'm forgetting.


I agree. I bought my CR1 from them a few years ago (drove all the way from Seattle to buy from them) and they TOTALLY hooked me up- swapped parts I wanted, free 2hr bike fit, etc. And then when they were unable to help me with the cranks I wanted to swap, sent me a Scott jersey for my "trouble", along with a handwritten note from the owner. 1st class shop all the way.

And yes, you could EASILY spend a college's tuition on the rides there. If you were a ProTour rider and had your bike stolen, you could probably find a replacement at that shop (any team!)


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## rocketsandrabbits (Aug 21, 2009)

*Rides around the LO*

I grew up in Lake Oswego too and spent most of my time in high school trying to ride every hill I could. Understanding that you aren't in Boulder, Tahoe, or even the Oakland hills, my suggestions are

Bald Peak (Hillsboro). 1600'. There are a number of ways up this hill. You can come at it from Newberg going up Bald Peak road, or from Hillsboro also up Bald Peak road. There is great steep climb on the backside of the hill (Backside to LO of course which as we know is the center of the universe) called Laurelwood and there are some really fun semi paved roads that you can access off of Highway 99. Makes for a good 50 mile loop.

Estacada. Ride out through Oregon City along the Clackamas and then wind your way to Estacada. Memaloose road is fun steep climb and makes for about an 80 mile round trip from LO. It's right in the foothills of Mt. Hood so you can hit quite a few climbs out there. If you are lucky you might get to hear gun shots.

Skyline of course. Logie Trail, Thompson, Cornell, German Town, Mitchell up to Council Crest. Tons of hills here, lots of switchbacks and fast descents as well. 

Mountain Park. Just outside of town, not very long, but last time I rode up to the tippy top of Nansen Summit Park there was a group of people all dressed in white playing croquet who actually clapped for me as I crested the hill. You can't get much more Lake Oswego than that.

Glenmorie, Burgess, and Cherry Lane off of Stafford. These are each only a couple hundred feet, but all three make for a good training ride and you easily hit 55-60 miles an hour coming down Burgess.
Add the West Linn hills climbs up Rosemont, Salaco, Wysteria, and you'll have a great day of suburban rollers.

Mary's Peak in Corvallis. You'd have to drive, but I think this is about 4000' feet.

Zig Zag to Timberline is I think about 25 miles of climbing, maybe it's 18, anyhow it's close and a fun alpine ride. 

Hope this helps. Stay away from the lake water.


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

rocketsandrabbits said:


> I grew up in Lake Oswego too and spent most of my time in high school trying to ride every hill I could. Understanding that you aren't in Boulder, Tahoe, or even the Oakland hills, my suggestions are
> 
> Bald Peak (Hillsboro). 1600'. There are a number of ways up this hill. You can come at it from Newberg going up Bald Peak road, or from Hillsboro also up Bald Peak road. There is great steep climb on the backside of the hill (Backside to LO of course which as we know is the center of the universe) called Laurelwood and there are some really fun semi paved roads that you can access off of Highway 99. Makes for a good 50 mile loop.
> 
> ...


HUUUUGE Thanks!!! Some great suggestions I will have to try. I went for a ride that went through O-city and along Clakamas hwy. Then took a small side road that made for a nice hill, albeit too short. I am looking for 10 to 15 mile climbs that I won't have to ride 30 miles of flats to get to. Not that I don't want to ride 80 miles on the weekends but just don't have the time.


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## SPECBender (Apr 2, 2009)

Im From LO. Humble family. But yes...I was blessed. great place to be raised. I paid for my own car. I worked since I was a kid doing yard work around the neighborhood.


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## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

tuffguy1500 said:


> not sure what a long climb means to you, but if you head into downtown from country club rd through kerr pkwy/capital highway, it's a nice bit of vertical, then after hitting downtown, make your way back on 43 on the trail and cruise up through the riverview cemetery where it starts at the sellwood bridge intersection you might find the vert you're looking for.
> from the bridge to kerr/49th isn't mapable on gmaps, but you can get all the way up without hitting taylors ferry (no room for a cyclist!) 20 mile loop


'aay tuffguy! (In my best Di'nero impression)  Did this ride the other day. Not bad of a workout but some of these roads have very little shoulder much less bike lanes. I still haven't figured out the paths to avoid all the traffic on the 43. The first time I rode Tryon Park, I forgot all about the MUT path. Do you know how to get to the Lloyd Center from the end of the cemetery ?? (Trying to find a commutable route for the wife-she works at the Loyd Center) Tried it once and got stuck at the Sellwood Bridge crossing looking like a lost fool. Thanks.


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## Trundle (Apr 7, 2004)

*Don't ride on the 43*

You probably now know the 43 is pretty dangerous to ride on. To get to Lloyd Center stay on Terwilliger all the way downtown (it as a bike lane all the way). It turns into 6th downtown, go over the 405 into downtown and turn right onto Madison. Take the Hawthorne bridge across the river. From there either ride up the Eastbank Esplanade to the Steel Bridge (this will put you on the "back" side of the convention center) or ride on the surface streets up to Lloyd center.
You could cross the river on the Sellwood bridge but it only has a narrow sidewalk interrupted by lightpoles on the westbound side. There are signs asking cyclists to walk their bikes plus it is very difficult to get a break in traffic to cross over to the sidewalk.
Not sure if this was posted but it may help
http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATION/index.cfm?a=70221&c=34809

Hope this helps!


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## Nighabi (Oct 28, 2004)

Another option for some climbs is just south west of LO. The area around Sherwood and Newberg has two hills on the bigger side (Parrot Mountain and Bald Peak). The previously mentioned shop (Lakeside) has a Saturday ride that leaves at 9 that sometimes goes out in that direction. Anyone in the shop could hook you up with a great route out there (low traffic) as well a way to hook up multiple climbs. All comments about LO not being the bike town are correct, P-town is the bike town. For your wife to get to Lloyd center I would go up Terwilliger, down the Cemetary (watch for the new speed bumps) and across the Sellwood. That will get you all the way to the Oaks Bottom MUP which takes you into downtown (all the way to the Steel bridge). I do a similar route 4 days a week with no issues. The sellwood is up for a rebuild so currently it is safer to ride the sidewalk but that isn't much of an issue. There is also a MUP through Willamette park on the west side of the river but I don't find that as nice as Oaks Bottom.


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## thumbprinter (Jun 8, 2009)

Nighabi said:


> I would go up Terwilliger, down the Cemetary (watch for the new speed bumps) and across the Sellwood.


alternatively you could just stay on terwilliger which eventually turns into sw 6th, hook a right on madison, head to the water and take your bridge of choice.


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## mbcastle (Sep 28, 2008)

What I do is take a right earlier from Sixth onto Harrison, and then make a left onto SW Fourth. I then take the middle lane on Fourth (it's downhill/flat going north, and the lights are timed for cycling speeds) all the way through downtown and across Burnside into Chinatown. I then make a left (west) onto Glisan and then a right onto Broadway, and go up over the Broadway Bridge and on to the Rose Quarter area. Unless it's early in the morning, you're better off avoiding the riverfront paths and sticking to the streets.


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