I’ve often wondered this, so some friends and I set out this past Sunday to see if we could bike the entire Atlanta BeltLine.  From reading posts online and perusing beltline.org it sounded like it’d be quite the adventure so I opted for my mountain bike knowing that the majority of the ride would not be as smooth as a little part of the BeltLine that some of y’all may have heard about: the Eastside trail.  I had ridden to Sweetwater Brewery once along the BeltLine so we decided to travel clockwise.  I encourage folks to check out the BeltLine beyond the Eastside trail North of Monroe Drive toward Sweetwater Brewery because it’s cleared of vegetation.  A mountain bike would be ideal for the loose sand, train ties, & railroad rocks.  The trail is clear until the very end when one (definitely not me, as it would have been trespassing) has to cross 3 sets of live tracks, navigate down a small gully through some brush to get to Ottley Drive.

Back to Sunday’s adventure; we gathered at the south end of the Eastside trail and embarked on our adventure crossing Irwin St.  We were able to make it to DeKalb Ave. although we had to navigate over a good sized dirt pile underneath where the Edgewood Bridge once existed.  Once there, we pedaled East on DeKalb Ave., South through the Krog Tunnel, East on Wylie St. and back onto the BeltLine beside Stein Steel.  After crossing Memorial Dr. and further South on Bill Kennedy Way we started upon completely new territory, for me.  The terrain was decent with minimal overgrowth and brush but the sand posed a challenge in especially the deeper drier sections.  It was fairly decent pedaling with some getting off to cross over rails, as we crossed over Ormewood Ave., across Boulevard SE, over Hill St., and finally beside (just South of) Daniel Stanton Park.  The splash pad of Stanton Park beckoned us as the trees had become sparse and as the sun gleamed upon us, but we pressed on.

As we rode across Milton Ave. there were train horns in the background so I cautioned everyone to be alert – I couldn’t shake the images in my mind of Stand By Me.  As we rode underneath McDonough Blvd. and University Ave. we quickly determined that the horns were resonating from a train traveling above us -- still quite a sight and sound to behold but nothing that warranted sprinting across a single rail bridge and leaping for our dear and precious lives.  Underneath this same intersection is where we encountered our first aquatic obstacle in the form of whatever body of water forms underneath car and train passages.  Walking on the rail as we pushed our bikes through the murk enabled us to safely navigate our first challenge.

Continuing West we made our way underneath i75/85 where we stopped a bit in the cool and took in what seemed like some fairly new wall art.  Thankfully no one had tagged over it as it all served as great additions to the already fantastic Art on the Beltline.  As we approached Allene Ave. SW we missed what seemed like the technically correct (per Google maps) portion of the BeltLine.  There is a well-trodden single track path right alongside the eastside of the Sprint utility building (you’ll recognize it with its high gates, barbed wire, and security cameras) but it just ended up leading to a cul-de-sac of University Ave.  So, we ended up riding North on Allene Ave. until the BeltLine re-presented itself just West of Catherine St.  There’s a small sign highlighting the industries that used to surround that area.  Soon past this intersection the area underneath Murphy St. and Lee St. our second aquatic obstacle presented itself but it was only about 50 yards of cautiously walking over some rocks.

From here it was fairly smooth sailing (until Washington Park) as the tracks had been pulled up.  You may come across some kids on motocross bikes but they’re having just as much as fun as you – 2 wheels good, kind of -- we serve as our own motors.  Before long we were just South of the Gordon-White Park behind Boutique Seafood Brokers along White St. where a large painting of a horizontal being decorates the West side of the building.  We all enjoyed how the artist incorporated an outlet pipe as this being’s belly button.  From here I believe we missed the chance to hop onto the paved Westside trail but the natural trail was still very ride-able.  Before we knew it we were underneath i20/RDA (Ralph David Abernathy Freeway) and the PATH Southwest BeltLine connector presented itself.  Shortly afterwards just North of Westview Drive we passed by the Ashview Community Garden, which has come a long way in the past two years.  We pressed on toward Washington Park made obvious as you cross over the Lionel Hampton trail (beside Lena St.) with the giant sized Crayola Crayons.  We made it just north of Washington Park’s tennis courts before the brush became more than we non-machete-yielding self-motorized cyclists could handle so we rode back East on Simpson St.

It’s our general belief that the remainder of the BeltLine, North/Northeast of where we peeled off, is made up mostly of live train tracks but if anyone has differing news, please share it with us.  Or better yet, throw us an e-correspondence and show us in person as I am always hip for further urban exploration.  Suffice to say, the Eastside trail has well illustrated the true potential of the BeltLine and I can’t wait to see what else lies ahead.

We at The Mobile Social have been in "planning mode." Yes, we're pretty organized here... we want to make sure that each Mobile Social is as fantastic, fun, and friendly as the last. We've been racking our brains, talking with you and coming up with future plans for this year.  All we've got to say: we're freakin' excited about the next four (4) Mobile Socials. Why? Well...

July: Mobile Social Rides To The Braves!
Few things are better to do in July than grabbing a bunch of friends and heading to the TED to see our home team play. And what better way to get there than on a bike? Really! In fact (!) we even Tweeted at the ol' Mayor to join us

So! Get out your big foam finger, Tweet at the Mayor to join us and come root on the team! Click the button below and let's get the Mayor to join us in July!

August: Mobile Social presents the Tour de SplashPads
In case you didn't know, Atlanta summers are incredibly hot. Like, really hot. Like, "shoot-me-with-your-water-gun-I-don't-even-care" hot. To combat this heat, Atlanta has installed a bunch SplashPads at parks all around the city... and we're going to tour them! Wear your swim trunks because we're going to get wet!

September: Hawaiian Luau with The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
Nothing says summer like a good Hawaiian shirt... but in case you need an excuse to wear one, we're ending at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's new office for a Luau Party! Tiki torches,  cornhole,  limbo, drinks and food... BYOGS (Bring your own grass skirt).

October: the Terminus 5C v2.0
Last year we held a little fundraiser for The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition called the Terminus 5C - 5 bars, 5 challenges, 5x the chances to win. We had 58+ riders, biked all over the city, gave away tunes of prizes (see mixie bike below) and  raised $1141.58 for ABC... and we're doing it again this year! Look for more details soon.

And there you have it - Four(4) reasons to be excited about the next Four(4)  Mobile Socials... Four(4) real! Can't wait to ride with you soon! And don't forget to Tweet at the Mayor!

Whenever we’re out and about on our bikes, we love telling people about The Mobile Social! I mean, it’s a bike ride where you meet new people, explore the city AND support local business. Why wouldn’t we spread the word? In fact, we love sharing our core values with people and then getting them to join us on our group rides!

Even still, we consistently get asked, “Who can ride with The Mobile Social?”

Simple answer: Anyone!

Don’t look like us? We don’t care.
Don’t have a cool bike? We don’t care.
Don’t have a lot of skill or experience on a bike? We don’t care.
Don’t remember the original Power Rangers Crew? We don’t care…. Welllllll, we may a little. But overall, no.

Take home message: No matter the skill level, age, gender, skin hue or at-ti-tude, we want you to join us! Any sex, any color, any beliefs, any education level, any skill level, any ability level, any bike: All are welcome!

The only “barrier” to access: You need a bike. But, heck, even that’s negotiable (Here’s looking at you, awesome rollerbladers and Run Commuters). All we ask in return: Be Social. Ride Bikes. That’s it!

To us, that is what community is: Inclusive, open, transparent and available. And that’s what we’re trying to create here - Community through biking in Atlanta.

With all of that said, we personally want to invite you to the June Mobile Social! We’re very excited about this month’s ride and know that it won’t be the same without you. Really. It won’t!

Be social. Ride Bikes. Come ride!

FYI: The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers were Billy, Trini, Jason, Kimberly, and Zack. Here is an awesome picture to remind you of how awesome they were/are.

When I bought my first adult bicycle 2.5 years ago, I was completely clueless in terms of what kind to buy. After consulting multiple sources, including friends, bike shops, and of course, the internet, I settled on a hybrid. It was fast enough to hold its own on city streets and group rides but comfortable enough to not feel like every trip was a race.

As I continued to ride and love the freedom and community I found on group rides and leisure trips, I decided to try to make biking a greater part of my life by making it more of a lifestyle - But where to start? How could I make the majority of my trips by bike if I couldn't carry anything? After getting more involved in the biking community with people who have such lifestyles and some personal trial and error, I found some of the following solutions:

There are always creative ways to carry whatever you need while riding, but these options will definitely ensure that, "I can't carry things on my bike! I need to use a car!" doesn't have to be an excuse not to make biking a lifestyle.