So its been a while in the making but my fiance has been offered a job in Austin and we decided to make the move. We went out there a few weeks ago to check things out and other than being hotter than hell, it seemed pretty nice. I have seen a few similar postings via the ‘search’ but had some additional questions and would greatly appreciate your input.
We are looking at the Circle C and Meridian area in terms of buying a house - anyone live out that way that can comment on the commute times to downtown?
Are there places to ride without having to pack our bikes in the car and go somewhere? ie - local rides of 30-50 miles?
I searched strava for some riding but didnt find any great rides posted. I was thinking about maybe joining up with the Mellow Johnny’s group rides to learn the are a little more but any input is appreciated.
FYI - we chose this are based on home prices, schools, commute and neighborhoods. Originally I wanted to go to Steiner Ranch but it was just too far of a commute for the boss! ;o)
There are some great bike shops in town: Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin Tri Cyclist , J&A’s, MJ’s, Austin Bikes to name a few. Each shop has a different feel but most are welcoming.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about living and training here. It’s a great spot
Lived there about 15 years ago, used to own a home on a street off of 360 near Westbank Drive ( the other side of 360 is nice because it abuts the green belt), lots of neighborhoods off 360, though it appears prices have tripled since I was there. There were plenty of on/off rides and runs to be done before work or even to work depending upon where you choose to work. The Motorola pros stayed at the resort near there off of Lost Creek Boulevard a few times when they came to Austin. Note that there is no looping highway in Austin so one lives too far to the west/east it can be inconvenient to travel to/from certain areas, the main highway only goes north/south.
Thanks again. We are coming from the Bay Area (CA) so the home prices seem more than reasonable to us! ;o) Just working on the logistics of commute times and good spots to ride etc right now. All the info is helpful - thanks folks!
Ha, I did the reverse move. I meant on/off road in the prior post, if you like trail running/riding the Greenbelt was awesome for dawn rides/runs (before most people are out) at least it was when I lived there. Rarely even saw more than one person each time out. After that time, all bets are off. Plus depending upon where you live relative to the Greenbelt, you could ride/run to the pool, swim then ride/run home. Sold my house to someone else moving from the Bay Area to Austin, it was on Shannon Oaks Trail for reference, was a nice, very long cul-de-sac off of 360 that was quiet but close to the secondary north/south highway - 360. For more reference, Lance and his first wife lived about six? miles north up 360 off of West Lake - that road has lots of short, steep hills, super narrow, would be nice if not for so much car traffic.
Decent riding near Circle C. Right in your backyard is the Veloway. It’s only a 3 mile long, 20 foot wide curvy path so not really suitable for real workouts, but a few loops of it makes for a pleasant recovery/easy ride. Just bikes, no runners allowed on it.
You also have the South Mopac TT course right there out your door. It’s an 8 mile loop course on the shoulder of mopac from LaCross to the end of Mopac/45 and back. 8 mile loop with decent shoulders and small rollers. Perfect for threshold work.
For longer stuff leave Cirlce C to the north on Escarpment to Wm Cannon. Then west and north til it dead ends into Southwest Parkway. From there you are at maybe mile 5 or 10 of the ATC Saturday group ride. Probably several other shops ride those same roads too. Several hilly loops are available to you there. Head west to 71 and north on 620 then work back over to 360 for a 50ish loop. Cut it shorter by connecting 71 to 360 via Bee Cave Rd. basically from you could keep heading north and make the ride as long as you wAnt by connecting to 360 or up to Parmer.
Awesome! Thanks! I was a little concerned that the only roads I was on had a lot of traffic moving pretty damn fast! hahaha. Maybe these roads you just mentioned would be a little more reasonable in terms of traffic?
I appreciate the info, thanks a bunch for the help.
Can’t say I much about Circle C (ride through the area at times) as I am an urbanite and never spend time in the 'burbs.
You have good options for riding from out there, which are much better than the south Mopac loop or the dreaded veloway (hate that loop). You can easily get to Fitzhugh or Hamilton pool road for rides out to Johnson City or Round Mountain. You can go south towards Canyon Lake… As you will be pretty far SW, going East, or NW are not too feasible unless you want to do solid 80+ mile rides.
Welcome to Austin, be sure to get downtown, as that is where the magic of the city lies
Oh, and I would avoid 71 at all costs (or just briefly use to cross to another road). 360 is ok, but is not the safest. 620 is getting worse and I will now only ride on early Sunday mornings before the shops open and all the Chelsea Tractors start taking aim for me. Some of the best roads in Austin are centrally located…Redbud, Yoplain valley, Scenic, Mount Bonnell, Mesa to Shoal creek back to downtown is a great loop with lots and lots of climbing.
Shane, I ride a couple hundred miles a week in and around Austin, so here are a few suggestions on getting going.
There is a standard route going south from Austin to San Marcos and back that parallels Interstate 35 just to the west: Old San Antonio Road/Stagecoach Road. Hundreds of cyclists use that route every week. Ask any south Austin cyclist and they will show/tell you the way.
A few ideas for rides originating from downtown headed south close to Circle C Ranch area, so you can learn the roads south of Austin:
Cycle Progression bike shop ride is 8am Saturdays, 18-20mph, 40-65 miles to San Marcos and back (using route mentioned above).
Jack & Adams bike shop ride is 8:30am Sundays, 35 miles, three groups leave as beginner, intermediate, advanced. Lots of tri people on this ride. Advanced ride hosted by Neoteric cycling team.
Mellow Johnnies bike shop ride is 8:00am Saturdays, 40-70 miles, 20+mph, advanced riders mostly. Hosted by Team 787 Cycling.
Freewheeling bike shop ride is 8:00 Sundays, 40-60 miles, 16-18mph, hosted by Violet Crown cycling team.
For tons of useful information on rides, events and bike routes go to www.austinontwowheels.org. Click on the Events Calendar tab along the header.
Hope this helps.
Also, in my opinion, the best riding in central Texas is down around the Dripping Springs/Wimberley/Canyon Lake area. Living south makes it much easier to ride those roads, which is a huge plus.
Oh, and I would avoid 71 at all costs (or just briefly use to cross to another road). 360 is ok, but is not the safest. 620 is getting worse and I will now only ride on early Sunday mornings before the shops open and all the Chelsea Tractors start taking aim for me. Some of the best roads in Austin are centrally located…Redbud, Yoplain valley, Scenic, Mount Bonnell, Mesa to Shoal creek back to downtown is a great loop with lots and lots of climbing.
I hear the construction on 71 between Southwest Parkway and Bee Cave Road is finally finished and that there is a nice-sized shoulder now. Haven’t seen it yet, but it’s what I’m told.
To the OP, all of what you’ve been told is true. You have lots of great riding from Circle C. What constitutes a “bad commute” for you? I have several friends and co-workers who live in Circle C and commute downtown. Even in the height of rush hour, it’s not more than 25-35 minutes for them unless there is a bad accident on MoPac or something. Compared to Bay Area traffic, you should find the commute in Austin to be fairly short.
As for rides, you will find there are plenty of longish routes right outside your door. Most busy roads have wide shoulders (Hwy 360, Ranch Road 620, Parmer Lane, etc.). Welcome to the neighborhood. Oh . . . and despite these hot summer days, you’ll love the fact that you can ride year round. Winter riding is damn pleasant here.
There’s still a mile or two of deathzone on 71 before you get to the newly constructed part. The rides I mentioned, Veloway, South Mopac, SW Parkway, 620, 360, etc… are not at all the best rides in Austin. I just mentioned them because they are the ones you can do straight from your driveway without driving a car. And yes, the veloway is not at all a destination ride nor a spot for a workout but if you live right next door to it its a decent spot to warm up and cool down from a workout. The other routes Chaos mentioned are certainly better rides, but you’ll probably have to drive to them.
You guys are the best! This information is like GOLD for me! ;o)
I wont be doing any rides that avg 20-30mph as 20mph is my top end most of the time but I’ll get there! I work remotely so I commute is not a big deal for me, but my fiance doesnt want to spend more than 45min commuting twice a day. Everything I have read online and researched as that we should be fine within this time constraint.
Would love to go for a ride with some of these groups when I get there too! We were out there last month and the heat was intense, coming from South Africa I generally love the heat but it was hot even for me! ;o) Thats ok, being able to ride through winter more than makes up for it!
Circle C has an olympic size pool, and (from what I hear from a friend who lives in the 'hood) a decent swim program. If you’re a member at the pool, you can swim every day, although most days it’s configured to short course. But with 15 or 20 lanes it never really gets crowded.
There’s also trails for running in the area, and many miles of quiet neighborhood streets. The town lake trail is ~12-15 minutes away if you don’t drive during rush hour, as are all the bike shops another posted already mentioned.
Commute … while it has gotten worse since I got here 18+ years ago, it’s still a far cry from what I’ve seen in CA. A friend who lives in Circle C and works downtown says it takes him ~20-25 minutes tops for a one-way trip during rush hour. I’d stay off the main roads during commute times when riding, but there are plenty of options straight from your door step (another poster already mentioned a few). Personally, I’d just go to a couple different shop rides, meet folks, and before your first month is over you’ll have more suggestions for rides than you know what to do with
It looks like we are probably going to end up in Meridian which you may or may not know is a few minutes south of Circle C. I guess we dont have access to the Olympic pool which is a bummer cause that would be awesome! Maybe I can slip someone a few bucks to get in though ;o)
Plus depending upon where you live relative to the Greenbelt, you could ride/run to the pool, swim then ride/run home. Sold my house to someone else moving from the Bay Area to Austin, it was on Shannon Oaks Trail for reference, was a nice, very long cul-de-sac off of 360 that was quiet but close to the secondary north/south highway - 360. For more reference, Lance and his first wife lived about six? miles north up 360 off of West Lake - that road has lots of short, steep hills, super narrow, would be nice if not for so much car traffic.