dr_bovine

I live in Brighton, which I would argue qualifies as "Boston".

sping

I didn't establish what he meant, specifically... I assumed tendon/muscle/joint damage, but a few things he said suggested to me that he thought it got them into more accidents. It was little more than casual conversation - not based on scientific research!

Personally, the way I see the helmetless, brakeless FG hipsters breeze into an intersection trusting that they'll find a way through, perhaps the disincentive to come to a stop is a biggie! That subset of the FG world annoy me, because they turn drivers against bikers (with some reason).

chuyim

What I would really like to see is that MBTA adds a coach car on regular subway trains so to make peak hours inter-modal commuting possible. Currently bikes are only allow during off-peak and weekends, the the coach car is added to a commuter rail that only goes to the beach (how many ppl work around a beach?)

you do see more cyclists in Cambridge/Somervill or Allston/Brighton. they are the parts where high density of students (schools) are presented. Also I would argue that towns with higher higher-education populations tend to be more friendly to bikes. I used to live in Cambridge for years and then metro west suburb with mostly middle class, motorists behave better in these towns partly due to better education, partly due to getting-used-to-seeing cyclists. Now I am in Quincy which is south of Boston, the picture is quite different. While I still can see bicycles around, the motorists are much ruder and crazier. Public facilities supporting biking are much fewer, there's hardly any bike paths long enough to go beyond town center and roads are full of potholes. One must ride on the car lanes (since there's no buffer between the sidewalk and the carlane) and simply have to ignore all the honking behind.

sping

Thanks - you're making me feel even better about where I live. It's kind of yuppified due to the prices, but then again about 2/3 of my street is families who've lived there 30 years or more. ... and as you point out with road attitudes, sometimes a move upmarket gets you an educated populace who are actually nicer to be around.

Conventional wisdom is that now we have kids we'd want to move to some faceless suburb with 1/2 an acre and a minivan, but we've actually come to like it more now we're parents. There's plenty going on and we rarely have to get in the car (we use about a tankful every 6 weeks).

Now, if only Somerville had some green space... Though on a bike, there are nice places within 15 minute radius, including good MTB fun in the Middlesex Fells.

This is turning into a "come to Somerville" spiel... Perhaps it's because the wife and I have been agreeing recently that our life is pretty good, though it's easy to lose sight of it. In the words of Mr E, "these could be the good old days".

law4jba

Chuyim,

How do you get into downtown boston by bike? I'm in Hingham and typically bike to the boat to get to the financial district. I'd like to find an alternative route to dorchester ave or morressy blvd to come home on those days I'm looking to ride the entire way.

lil brown bat

Nobody lives in downtown -- well, nobody but dummies. Downtown is a business district that largely empties out after work. It would be like living on Wall Street.

I do my shopping at home, but I've heard good things of Landry's.

njm

As it happens, I'm moving from Cambridgeport to Davis Square at the end of the summer... I'm excited.

People asked about bike shops, and I wanted to point out that I've definitely seen the shops get busier lately. The good news is there are about five within a five-minute ride from me, especially because the one closest to me is very busy.

[On SATURDAY]
Me: Hi, my rear wheel needs to be trued.
LBS guy: Why don't you try re-seating the tire?
Me: Spokes are loose, wheel itself is not true, could you guys take a look at it?
LBS guy: OK, the next available slot is on Monday.
Me: Okay, two days isn't too bad.
LBS guy: I mean next Monday.

Lurker1999

Broadway Bicycle is a good repair shop but they have a long queue currently. If you drop your bike off expect a 1-2 week turn-around time so it's good to have something else to ride in the meantime. Ace Wheelworks in Somerville appears to be doing extremely brisk business, particularly on the weekends. I could barely turn around without bumping into someone there this past weekend.

I've shopped at Cambridge Bicycle as well but they're slightly hit or miss in terms of approachability and customer service. Still, they seem to be doing alright.

In terms of repair shops my preferred choice right now is Broadway Bicycle.

chuyim

law4jba - no, I don't bike to downtown. I live and work in Quincy, so I am confined. I've been exploring possible job options in downtown and beyond (Cambridge etc) without giving up on biking. So far haven't found anything (unless I can find a job that works 11AM to 8PM) Actually your way of combining bike with boat is actually pretty ideal to me.

Morrisey blvd is not bad until you hit the mess circle/junction at Naponset circle.
Afterward biking through Quincy is not that bad, cars are usually slower due to frequent lights.

If you ever do it, keep me posted because I'd like to try too

chuyim

"Folding Bikes
Folding bikes are allowed on Subway, Commuter Rail and buses at any time when folded in the most compact position and carried in a carrying case intended for that purpose. "

Can not believe I only saw this statement just now (swear have read the MBTA bike session a zillion times), must be blind all along. Problem solved!!! Will start looking for jobs anywhere the T goes. HHHurrah!!

lil brown bat

Just as long as it doesn't involve the Green Line, chuyim, you have a chance.

spokenword

normally, I ride on a sport-touring/brevet bike with a 9 spd drivetrain, but lately I've been commuting on a fixed gear for cadence training. This morning, while going through Central Square in Cambridge, I stopped at a red light on the intersection of Mass Ave. and Brookline (outside Hi-Fi pizza). Another commuter, mid-late 20s, also riding fixed, stopped behind me. Then, a 50 year old, helmetless guy on a mountain bike blew through the red light. The other fixed gear rider and I just looked at each other and shook our heads.

The tent of the jackass is a large one, encompassing all age groups and gearing choices.

Personally, I've given up on telling people not to run reds. Even if 90% of cyclists stopped at red and 10% ran them, drivers would still only remember the 10% of those who blew the light. Nowadays, I just look at them as someone else that I get to chase.

chuyim

yeah, no kidding

jaa1085

When I was there, someone yelled at me for having a luggage bag!!