Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.

John Heller, Post-Gazette A pack of bicyclists cruise through the entrance of the jail trail heading to Grant Street. Click photo for larger image. IF YOU GO Where: Pittsburgh Trails: The Three Rivers Heritage Trail includes 21 miles of multiuse trails along the riverfront, spanning the Monongahela River from Station Square to Homestead, the Allegheny River from Heinz Field to Shaler and the Ohio River from the Carnegie Science Center to Woods Run. Since these trails are not all connected yet, it helps to peek at a map before you set off on your ride. This review covers the links between the Eliza Furnace Trail, the North Shore Trail and the Chateau Trail. Bike rentals and loans: Golden Triangle Bike Rentals, under the light rail bridge to the First Avenue Transit Station, rents 21-speed Diamondback bikes for $8 an hour, $28 maximum (cash only). No deposit or ID is required. Community Bicycle Program has 15 one-speed Trek Cruiser Classics available to borrow (free of charge, courtesy of corporate sponsor Dasani) in lockers across from the Heinz Loft Apartments. To use these bikes for the day or borrow one of the 15 others in the fleet, stored at the Fourth Street Trailhead Facility on the South Side, you must register and pick up a swipe card at the Friends of the Riverfront office at 33 Terminal Way on the South Side. (The organization also suggests a donation). Food: Picnic tables and trash bins are scattered throughout the North Shore and Chateau trails. Redfin Blues, on Herr's Island, serves seafood, pasta and pizza on its riverfront deck. Maps: View a basic map or download a free copy of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail map at www.friendsoftheriverfront.org although a few connectors indicated in the map are based on future projections.

As summer drips to a soggy close, many would be bikers are feeling pangs of remorse. Didn't trek out to that far-flung rustic trail you've been itching to see? Never bought that lightweight mountain bike you were sure you'd be dirtying up this season?

Perhaps, as the immortal romantic William Wordsworth suggests, we'll "find strength in what remains behind" here at home.

Our final summer trail review offers a remedy for the bikeless and forlorn: the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, with 21 miles of mostly flat paths for riverfront riding, running, strolling and some in-line skating. When these paths are connected, officials promise, riders will have access to 33 miles of uninterrupted cruising.

A friend and I rented zippy mountain bikes at the Eliza Furnace trailhead and pieced together a ride along the North Shore and Chateau trails hitting the inevitable detours at the start.

No official trail connects the ubiquitous "jail trail" to Point State Park. This five-block stretch can be a bit treacherous when traffic is flowing, said Chris Hinkle, 22, who rented us bikes. Other trail veterans recommended First Avenue or Boulevard of the Allies as throughways.

After soaking up the scenery at the Point, we crossed the Fort Duquesne Bridge, pausing to watch the sunbathers passing below on the deck of the Keystone Belle and a replay on the Jumbotron from the game at PNC Park.

We circumnavigated the construction site under the bridge, picking up the trail by the right-field entrance to the ballpark.

The multimillion dollar North Shore Riverfront Park between the stadiums won our admiration for its uncluttered simplicity, but my riding pal, Karamagi Rujumba of The Toledo Blade, was amazed the developers didn't think to put a railing at the water's edge.

At Heinz Field, we hit another construction site: a path to the Carnegie Science Center slated for completion in early October. We peeked through the fence and saw the new racks for Steelers fans traveling on two wheels.

Leonard Carter, a groundskeeper at the science center, helped us find our way from city streets to the trail (beyond the bushes at the end of the parking lot).

The next section of undergroomed path took us past an industrial strip and several private marinas. Peggy Baust, namesake of Peggy's Harbor, said she has met scores of affable, first-time visitors since the trail opened.

Earlier this year, dozens of anglers helped clear a swatch of shore front beside a beloved Woods Run fishing hole, site of an annual youth fishing club competition. This caused some trail users to complain that they'd left the area barren and vulnerable to flooding. The site is inarguably tranquil. We actually saw a flock of wild geese take flight.

The Chateau Trail ends abruptly across from Brunot Island after the Wood's Run penitentiary, an imposing old fortress that sparked a conversation about our favorite scenes in "The Shawshank Redemption."

We retraced our route to PNC Park and took a break to splash in the alluring fountain at Riverfront park, an oasis for waders of all ages and levels of timidity.

The pristine pebbled stretch through the North Side business district is lined with weeping willows and works of art. Beyond the Heinz lofts, the asphalt trail switches to crushed limestone.

For our grand finale (before backtracking to the "jail trail"), we crossed the stunning metal bridge to Herr's Island and rode the entire landscaped loop around its shoreline, past the ritzy Washington's Landing houses that replaced the island's rendering plant. Be warned, this path has a few blind curves and is almost too narrow to fit bikers headed in opposite directions.

But the views at the east end of the island and along its western shore were better anyway after we slowed down, pausing to take in Pittsburgh's own little glories.

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