Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Boston fixers?

Any one got a good place to ride in Boston?
Good LBS' in case I break another fork?

Last minute I'm going there this weekend and
I have no idea what to do. Also suggestions
on dirt cheap places to stay would be cool right now its
looking like a hostel at 12 Hemenway St.

thanks
rock,

jeff

2 and a 1/2 countries in less than 4 weeks. Anyone who can guess
where i'm going after Boston wins a prize

There are 3 decent places in boston to go for bike, unfortunetly i dont remember name sor addresses just where they are, i travel there alot on weekends because i am moving there next month. I found three good shops, one is on Newberry right by the Prudential center. The sign in the store says they are moving in sept. One is on Commonwealth in brookline area that looked like an awesome shop, they had some really nice stuff in the window but it was 7 in the morning on sunday so they were closed. And not to far from boston college there is one. I know this info in mostly useless but maybe someone from boston knows names. It is an awesome place to ride early. What are you staying near?

How cheap is cheap for a hotel?

Contact Todd at www.absss.org
He's in Boston, rides SS and fixed and turns wrenches at a shop. He should have all the info you need.

edit: Here's the email address - eljefe AT absss.org

Hey stickerguy,

Boston's a pretty cool place to ride anywhere (except for the potholes). Each area has it's own flavor: downtown from 9-5 you'll get a lot of the messenger crowd; back bay's cool for shops/bars/food; south end's got a lot of cool little side streets and architecture to explore; beacon hill has nice hills, scenery, and the boston common/public garden nearby. As long as you don't ride like a wimp, it's pretty easy to get around with traffic.

Staying in a hostel (hemenway's right around the corner from me) is going to be your cheapest option by far. Boston's pretty damn expensive. The first time I came to Boston, I stayed in a relatively inexpensive Howard Johnson a block from Fenway Park on Boylston St.; this was like 6 years ago, so prices may have gone up.

International Bicycle (http://www.internationalbike.com) is the largest retailer in the direct vicinity of Boston. I've always found their staff to be very informative and friendly, and their prices seem fair as well. The Newton location is only 7 miles from Boston, so I'd suggest them over the Boston one. It's a great ride along Beacon St too.:)

Good luck, you'll have a blast.

international bicycles is probably the WORST shop for fixed gear anything ever. they are quite good for all your yuppie road or mountain bike needs though...

they are over-priced, their staff is rude (unless you walk in with a $500+ bike), some of their mechanics are less than experienced, and most of their inventory is for high-end road and mountain bikes...so high-end that most of their actual bikes are on the second floor. the first floor is all apparel and shoes and pedals...there's a few BMX bikes, and some parts...they dont' have anything out so you can look at it...and did i mention they're rude?

last time i was in there they pretty much laughed at me when i asked about fixed gear anything, and looked down their noses at my dura-ace equipped pursuit bike because it had a 650c front wheel. the one fixie they had was an older serotta outfitted with dura-ace 10. they deny the existence of lower-priced components, and cop an attitude when you call them on something that they're wrong about.

SOME of the staff is very nice...actually i can think of really only one guy who's really genuinely nice.

i go to cambridge bikes on mass ave, just past the bridge, and boston bikes on beacon street just past kenmore (they're owned by the same guy, and staffed by the same people. the owner is super nice and most of the shop guys will cut you a deal if you're desparate), or community bikes in the south end, or bicycle bill's in lower allston if i need anything new, and bikes not bombs in roxbury if i'm looking for something old, but nice or just looking to hang out with some really quality people, or my friend's shop in Jamaica plain if i need anything special ordered, or if i need to do some work.

i'd say the best places to go for fixed gear-related stuff would be cambridge bikes or boston bikes. they have a large selection of parts and frames. they have more phil wood hubs than you can shake a stick at, and many many forks of different colors and sizes.

i haven't been in back bay bikes (on newbury street) in a long time. they like the couriers because they hang out right up the block from them after work and tend to buy tubes and other stuff from them, but they mostly cater to the newbury street crowd. they have a lot of cannondales, and an excellent selection of hand pumps.

you can ride the south-west corridor from the police station off columbus ave out to the arboritum in jamaica plain and it's beautiful. you could ride on the esplanade along the charles river if you want, but it's usually pretty crowded with rollerbladers and walkers who take up the whole path, and rarely get out of your way. or you could just ride around the city. if you're used to city riding and traffic you shouldn't have any problems.

if you want someone to ride with, or whatever while you're in town, drop me a line at bob_thesofaking AT yahoo.com

sorry if i offended anyone with my comments about international. i don't like them because they have been consistantly rude to me (based on my appearance). i think they insinuated that i stole one of my bikes once.

Hey man, to each his own; I've generally had pleasant experiences :beer: Oh yeah, forgot to mention Harris Cyclery (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html) . They're a little ways from town, but are defintely worth the trip. Extremely knowledgeable on fixed gear/single speeds and home to the infamous Sheldon Brown.

Best of luck!

I stay in the Nine Zero Hotel in the city right near the big park and cheers, 5 Star Hotel $139 a night. A crappy marriot by me is 250 a night so thats pretty cheap.

back bay bikes on newbury - expensive not too much stuff but not bad for such a central location

ace wheelworks in somerville - big and lots of friendly people. If you ever need to make position adjustments on your bike, thom norton is the guy to see, highly recommended. They know SS stuff pretty well, sell IF bikes amongst others but pretty much always very busy.

harris cyclery in newton - fixie specialists, just see sheldon browns website

farina's in watertown - not a huge range but a good range, mostly a mix of high end road with medium range mountain bike, oh and lawnmowers.

cambridge/boston bike - pretty good for fixie stuff but like all close to centre places expensive, they sell some outrageously priced second hand bikes

ata bike - high end road stuff with some snobby (not all though) staff who don't like you unless you're riding your race bike and race kit

thats all about i know, oh and as for hotels, there is a place called 463 beacon street which is cheaper than most hotels and is pretty centrally located, they have a website - http://www.463beacon.com/

hope this helps, wish I could be in boston right now

got back from Boston
it ruled
hills are weird
thanks Boston-ians

jeff