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Boston area commuters - biking + commuter rail

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Boston area commuters - biking + commuter rail

Old 08-26-09, 07:36 PM
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Boston area commuters - biking + commuter rail

Hey guys,

I live in Brookline and work in Wilmington. I normally drive every day... boo. I really want to incorporate biking into my daily routine/commute and i think i found a way:

bike 5.0 miles from home to North Station.
Take Commuter rail from North Station up to Ballardvale Station
bike 3.5 miles from Ballardvale to work.

then bike 4.4 miles from work to Wilmington Station (i have to use a different station for scheduling reasons)
Commuter rail back to North Station
bike the 5.0 miles from North back home.

Seems reasonable, if not a little hassle fille.d it'd be a good 1.5hr commuter whereas i drive there in 30min and home in an hour. I'd also be biking right through downtown Boston during rush hour so it'd be hairy in places.

Anyone do anything like this? Any advice?
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Old 08-26-09, 07:59 PM
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well I drive and park my truck at a state park and ride 10 miles each way, you could look for a park and ride to leave your car at or some other option that takes you out of traffic.
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Old 08-26-09, 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Timber_8
well I drive and park my truck at a state park and ride 10 miles each way, you could look for a park and ride to leave your car at or some other option that takes you out of traffic.
You beat me to it. OP, could you park somewhere in Arlington and cut the drive in half? There are also numerous bus lines that loop through Woburn, Burlington etc from Boston, you could pick one of those up to get you closer for the bike.

Or you could just ride it a few times a week and drive the rest. ~20 miles each way?
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Old 08-27-09, 05:08 AM
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yeh biking the whole way based on a safe looking route on google maps shows around 20.5 miles. Thats a pretty good haul on my steel framed single speed... but possible. I'm not sure how hilly the route would be, i'd have to drive it or try it on the weekend first. it sure would be simpler and more flexible timewise. probably take close to 2 hours on the SS, though.

maybe if i toughed it out a few times i could rationalize buying a nice geared cross bike

driving and parking is a pretty good idea too. why didnt i think of that?
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Old 08-27-09, 05:43 AM
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I drove several routs. Plotted them on Google maps. I can tell you the driving them and biking them are totaly different. Driving the routes made it seem like it would be longer on a bike than it is. It is also dificult to determin traffic in a car because you are traffic. On a bike you will be surprised how often you have the road to yourself. I also recommend look at roads 2 or 3 miles either side of the main drags. Most traffic make a B line for the main roads, the parallel roads have very light traffic.
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Old 08-27-09, 05:49 AM
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A twenty mile commute each way is very doable once you get used to it. I try to do it every other day so I have a recovery day between until I get strong enough for it. And you don't need to spend a lot to get a nice road bike with gears. I just recently checked out Simple Living Cycles in Framingham for the first time this past weekend. He's got some reasonable cyclocross bikes that could be good for commuting for around $400. I was kinda shocked by the price, but other people I've spoken to confirm that it's a great shop with good prices if you are having trouble rationalizing a new bike purchase.
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Old 08-27-09, 07:30 AM
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I also drive/bike commute. I live in Fairhaven, drive to the Taunton Mall and ride the 11 miles to Myles Standish Industrial Park. A mix of street and private gournds.
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Old 08-27-09, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by nodachi
A twenty mile commute each way is very doable once you get used to it. I try to do it every other day so I have a recovery day between until I get strong enough for it. And you don't need to spend a lot to get a nice road bike with gears. I just recently checked out Simple Living Cycles in Framingham for the first time this past weekend. He's got some reasonable cyclocross bikes that could be good for commuting for around $400. I was kinda shocked by the price, but other people I've spoken to confirm that it's a great shop with good prices if you are having trouble rationalizing a new bike purchase.
I actually just bought my Schwinn Madison from Simple Living Cycles. their prices are crazy cheap. i got the bike for $295 and the best deal i could find elsewhere was $450, normally $520. I also got a lots of other random parts and access from him really cheap. I don't know how he does it. So yeh, i'll look into what he has there. We might buy a bike for my gf there soon.

Traffic blew today. a 20.5mile ride didnt sound half bad.
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Old 08-27-09, 04:55 PM
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I use a folding bike a 2 mile ride from my house to tran station in Beverly. Then a half hour train ride and then a mile and a quater to work. Folding bikes work grat with the commuter rail trains!
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Old 08-27-09, 08:03 PM
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Brookline to Wilmington

I ride from wilmington to brighton 2 to 6 times a week. 17 miles 1 way. Where exactly are your start and finish points? I find gears helpful for headwind and snow, a SS bike could work too. From my house in wil. I get on Chestnut st then over to Winn st.in Burlington, cut through Horn Pond, then over to the Mystic Valley Parkway and side streets to the MM bike way. Aroud Alewife, by Fresh Pond and then take the Charles River bike path to Brighton. 1 to 1.25 hours each way. Mostly side steets and bike paths, not much in the way of busy streets. Lets get you pedalin'.
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Old 08-27-09, 10:01 PM
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If you work the normal 9ish to 5ish, the North Station approach should work out well. The trains should be relatively empty and you and your bike should be able to board easily.
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Old 08-28-09, 06:26 AM
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Originally Posted by TXBDan
Hey guys,

I live in Brookline and work in Wilmington. I normally drive every day... boo. I really want to incorporate biking into my daily routine/commute and i think i found a way:

bike 5.0 miles from home to North Station.
Take Commuter rail from North Station up to Ballardvale Station
bike 3.5 miles from Ballardvale to work.

then bike 4.4 miles from work to Wilmington Station (i have to use a different station for scheduling reasons)
Commuter rail back to North Station
bike the 5.0 miles from North back home.

Seems reasonable, if not a little hassle fille.d it'd be a good 1.5hr commuter whereas i drive there in 30min and home in an hour. I'd also be biking right through downtown Boston during rush hour so it'd be hairy in places.

Anyone do anything like this? Any advice?
Check the MBTA web site for rules regarding bikes on trains. Full size bikes are not allowed during rush hour commute hours. This may effect your return home commute.
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Old 08-28-09, 07:05 AM
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Full sized bikes are allowed on all commuter trains except for the heavy commuter trains (inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening). You have a reverse commute, i.e., heading outbound in the morning and inbound in the evening, so there should be no problem with getting on the train.


I commute from Hingham to Cambridge by bike and either boat or train. Cycling in Boston is not that bad - particularly during rush hour. Most of the cars are in stop and go traffic and are thus not going too fast. Biggest concerns are pedestrians, car doors and cars that can't be bothered to use turn signals.

Depending on where you are in brookline, you can pick up the esplanade bike path near BU - there is an access point near the intersection of commonwealth and st. mary's. the bike path lets out at the state police station near the museum of science. Using this path, you'd only be on the main roads for a mile or so.
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Old 08-28-09, 08:11 AM
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I second the bike path for getting to North Station. Unless it's really clogged with joggers, it will be faster and less stressful than the streets (though cycling in Boston isn't as bad as one might expect). I've taken my bike on the commuter rail for day trips, and it's very pleasant if the train isn't crowded.

Riding the whole way will take a while. Stop-and-go traffic will probably slow you down until you get clear of the inner suburbs. Not as much as it slows cars down, but you won't be cruising along at 18mph either.

And you'll probably hit some good hills going through Medford/Winchester, too. It should all be doable on a single-speed with reasonable gearing, but I bet you'll be hurting after the first ride.
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Old 08-28-09, 03:04 PM
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Awesome info on the bike path. i just moved to Boston about 3 months ago so i still don't know too much about the area. i'll research this now.
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Old 08-28-09, 05:13 PM
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Boston commute

Start with Mass Bike.org, rubel bike maps are helpful too. The City of Boston just came out with a free map, pretty good at first glance, just go to your local LBS to find one. Let me know if you need some route help, I've done alot of riding from Wilmington to Boston.
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Old 08-29-09, 02:45 PM
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^awesome, any advice you have would be much appreciated.

Here's something like what i had in mind for biking the whole shabang:
https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,0.078535&z=14

Does that make any sense?

Looks like it'll be a clear and cool day Monday. I might go for the bike to North Station, commuter rail, bike to work plan... I'M CRAZY.
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Old 08-29-09, 02:58 PM
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What time would you be taking the commuter rail? I'm not entirely sure if bikes are allowed on during rush hour times.
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Old 08-29-09, 03:06 PM
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leaves at 7:35. I'm reverse commuting and the MBTA website says that bikes are allowed during rush hour for reverse commutes.
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Old 08-30-09, 12:12 PM
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i'm going to go out on a test run to NS and back now. I'm going to look for the bike path at espanlade, but if i dont figure it out, i'll just take the streets.

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Old 08-30-09, 02:12 PM
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well i must say. that bike path is pretty damn nice. especially on a nice Sunday like today. great little ride and was easier than i thought it'd be. i went in the NS commuter rail entrance and got some info and bought tickets. looks like no problem at all on this end
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Old 08-30-09, 02:33 PM
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It is very difficult to judge time with a car for your bike ride. When I drive my bike rout it seems like it should take a lot longer by bike than it does. I wish I had bike paths on my route but my ride is nice just the same.
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Old 08-31-09, 07:53 AM
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boston to wilmington

Mass ave, washington st Woburn and rt 38 have LOTS of traffic. Lets try to get you on some nicer roads.
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Old 08-31-09, 06:15 PM
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hrmm ok we'll work on that.

Tomorrow i'm doing my first commute a la commuter rail. It'll be my first bike commute, my first time on the commuter rail, and my first time cruising through the windy country back roads up near Wilmington. it should be great.

I just got a little under saddle bag for some misc tools, c02, etc. front and rear lights (basic lights, i'm in the process of figuring out better ones). I'll use a messenger bag to carry my clothes, mini ulock, and lunch. I looked at seatpost clamp style racks today at REI.. look sweet and might work for me since i have no rack mounts or eyelets on my single speed.

wish me luck!
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Old 08-31-09, 07:19 PM
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Although I do not use the commuter rail during my commute I do navigate the streets of downtown Boston. The best advice I can give is to take the entire lane and make sure you have some powerful rear blinking lights as well as a bright headlight. I use an amber light in front and that seems to get the attention of cagers. Most recently I've altered my route to avoid most of the city streets and although my commute mow takes longer it's exponentially more enjoyable.
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