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Metro Boston: Good ride today?

Old 11-10-14, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
I find that I mostly find sharp objects embedded in the tread by touch, rather than by sight; then it's time for the pliers...

rod
One suggestion I have read is to use a cotton ball to drag along the inside of the tire to snag on any irregularities, though I too use my finger.

There is a current thread on the Commuting Forum about repairing flats, more about the circumstances rather than the techniques, Flat tire on the way to work. I cited some circumstances myself, and tried to find jimmuller’s post about using AAA Road Service (though his breakdown was mechanical); some posters did want to call and wait for a ride.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-10-14 at 06:44 PM.
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Old 11-10-14, 05:49 PM
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Originally Posted by sherbornpeddler
That never occurred to me. Most of what is one our roads are colorful leaves but Nature's pruning has dropped a lot of branches. In the right kind of snow can pack in between the tires and fenders but that is too early to contemplate. My English 3 speed and single speed have metal fenders with bolted on metal stays. I put a pair of plastic 3/4 fenders on my regular road bike where there isn't clearance for full fenders. The stays meet at a block of hard rubber that are held in place with heavy duty rubber bands. I suppose those might break away but it is hard to imagine something binding enough to seize a wheel. Fall riding does have it's challenges.
Mercifully, I've never encountered this class of mishap myself, but my bike mechanic did, a few years back. In its extreme form, forward motion stops NOW, and you keep going...

rod
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Old 11-10-14, 06:35 PM
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Got out on the bike a little earlier than usual today, 14 miles on the Minuteman around sunset. Riding in daylight was a novelty. Temperatures were falling through the 50s, which seemed, if not warm, then at least not cold.

The Minuteman crossing at Mill Street, Arlington, is partially obstructed for construction of ADA compliant ramps with textured panels. The Minuteman definitely has users who will find this helpful, so the exercise is of more than bureaucratic interest. In the meantime, a little caution is in order.


The sunset got organized and was quite decorative for awhile. It was a pretty ride, and folks generally seemed to be in amiable moods. A young Chinese boy and his grandmother walked arm-in-arm, he jabbering earnestly, she giving antiphonal responses of reassurance or encouragement at intervals, classic nurturing discourse.










By the time I turned around at Bedford Street, it was full dark, and the Lexington DPW's homage to Edward Hopper was glowing in solitude.


Rode home through the night, noting that the Winter Moths have returned.

rod

Last edited by rholland1951; 11-10-14 at 06:54 PM.
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Old 11-10-14, 09:08 PM
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Still didn't find the issue, but the new tube is in and holding so... I don't know. Maybe it fell through. Maybe it was a pinch flat. Maybe I'll get another flat on the way into work tomorrow. If it holds for another few weeks I'll have all winter to find anything embedded in those tires after I switch to the studs.
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Old 11-11-14, 12:38 AM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
Got out on the bike a little earlier than usual today, 14 miles on the Minuteman around sunset. Riding in daylight was a novelty. Temperatures were falling through the 50s, which seemed, if not warm, then at least not cold.

The Minuteman crossing at Mill Street, Arlington, is partially obstructed for construction of ADA compliant ramps with textured panels. The Minuteman definitely has users who will find this helpful, so the exercise is of more than bureaucratic interest. In the meantime, a little caution is in order.

I passed you on my way back along the trail....Wheelworks wool jersey, right? I went out to the end of the trail and then looped back along Hartwell Ave, passed Lincoln Labs and up the hill into Lexington before getting back on the trail.
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Old 11-11-14, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by nun
I passed you on my way back along the trail....Wheelworks wool jersey, right? I went out to the end of the trail and then looped back along Hartwell Ave, passed Lincoln Labs and up the hill into Lexington before getting back on the trail.
The Wheelworks jersey was somebody else; red SportHill yesterday... ;-)

Sounds like a good ride.

rod
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Old 11-11-14, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by DBrim
Still didn't find the issue, but the new tube is in and holding so... I don't know. Maybe it fell through. Maybe it was a pinch flat. Maybe I'll get another flat on the way into work tomorrow. If it holds for another few weeks I'll have all winter to find anything embedded in those tires after I switch to the studs.
My relatively-new-to-cycling flat tire odyssey did indeed continue today. I commuted in just fine, but noticed that my rear tire was flat yet again early this afternoon. Luckily being indoors and not in a hurry as opposed to on the side of the road led to a more thorough investigation, and I was able to find an offending bit of glass wedged deep into the tread. I did not feel it on the inside, but there was indeed a small tear on the inside wall of the tire, so it must have jostled in when I hit some bumps. That would also explain how the tire was able to hold pressure overnight.

My second tier spare is labeled as "thorn resistant." I bought that online without noticing. Man is it heavy. We'll see how it rides, it might be worth swapping out again after I patch the last two days worth of tubes. Still, I might stick with the heavier tubes when I switch to the studded tires in a few weeks, because getting a flat in the winter sounds... bad.

Learning!
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Old 11-11-14, 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by DBrim
My relatively-new-to-cycling flat tire odyssey did indeed continue today. I commuted in just fine, but noticed that my rear tire was flat yet again early this afternoon. Luckily being indoors and not in a hurry as opposed to on the side of the road led to a more thorough investigation, and I was able to find an offending bit of glass wedged deep into the tread. I did not feel it on the inside, but there was indeed a small tear on the inside wall of the tire, so it must have jostled in when I hit some bumps. That would also explain how the tire was able to hold pressure overnight.

My second tier spare is labeled as "thorn resistant." I bought that online without noticing. Man is it heavy. We'll see how it rides, it might be worth swapping out again after I patch the last two days worth of tubes. Still, I might stick with the heavier tubes when I switch to the studded tires in a few weeks, because getting a flat in the winter sounds... bad.

Learning!
DB, what tires are you running, how wide are they, and to what pressure are you inflating them?

rod
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Old 11-11-14, 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
DB, what tires are you running, how wide are they, and to what pressure are you inflating them?

rod
700x35c (what came with the bike). Sidewall of the tire recommends 60-80 so I inflate to 75.
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Old 11-11-14, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by DBrim
700x35c (what came with the bike). Sidewall of the tire recommends 60-80 so I inflate to 75.
Ah. For a good time, have a look at this: https://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

rod
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Old 11-11-14, 07:00 PM
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My employer observes Veterans Day, so I was able to get a bit of time on the bike this afternoon. There wasn't enough time for an ambitious ride, but somehow I didn't feel like one more bounce up the Minuteman, either. The solution was a short-but-hilly loop up Eastern Avenue in Arlington (thank you, Granny!), down Marsh Street in Belmont, up and down the hills on Concord Ave in Belmont and Lexington, and home again on Spring Street, Marrett Road, Mass. Ave, and a bit of the Minuteman, 16 miles and 1470' of climbing, mostly in intense stages, as opposed to rail trail gradualism.


The climb up Eastern Avenue just keeps going...

...and going...

... but does eventually arrive somewhere. If there are any Olympian gods in Arlington, I think they live in the water tower.


Concord Avenue, hills and flats, willows and pylons, and the Modernist enclave at Barberry Road.






Displaced punkinheads on the Minuteman...






rod
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Old 11-11-14, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
intense stages, as opposed to rail trail gradualism. ..... If there are any Olympian gods in Arlington, I think they live in the water tower.


Concord Avenue, hills and flats, willows and pylons, and the Modernist enclave at Barberry Road.
rod
DPW Hopperism, modernism and Olympism are superb. Being something of a displaced pumpkin head myself, I enjoyed today's weather by venturing over to the edge of gradualism with a return to a speedy road bike with 25c tires and a few careful hills. The splashes of warm weather and that the last time I rode these roads was three months made everything seemed Hopperistic by being familiar, simplified and a little more intense. I quite like the ride. 19 miles in Sherborn and Dover.
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Old 11-11-14, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951

The climb up Eastern Avenue just keeps going...

...and going...
Eastern Ave is a good climb. If you get the chance head down Park Ave and go over to Winchester country club and ride around it on Hutchinson and Johnson Roads and then try Waltham St. Trapelo Road from Belmont and out through Lincoln is also a good hill route and you can stop and see the Gropius House.

Last edited by nun; 11-11-14 at 09:45 PM.
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Old 11-13-14, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by nun
Eastern Ave is a good climb. If you get the chance head down Park Ave and go over to Winchester country club and ride around it on Hutchinson and Johnson Roads and then try Waltham St. Trapelo Road from Belmont and out through Lincoln is also a good hill route and you can stop and see the Gropius House.
Yup, you definitely don't need to ride to Worcester County to find hills (although they do keep a lot of nice ones there). Hill climbing is a good way to get warm in cool weather.

rod
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Old 11-13-14, 09:02 PM
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Snow tomorrow morning? Okay.


Just the front for now. It'll come off after tomorrow.
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Old 11-13-14, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by DBrim
Snow tomorrow morning? Okay.


Just the front for now. It'll come off after tomorrow.
Shiny studs! What tire is that?

rod
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Old 11-14-14, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
Shiny studs! What tire is that?

rod
Schwalbe Marathon Winters. Ended up not really being necessary, since there wasn't really any accumulation to speak of. It was sleeting on me very lightly when I left, but that was done after three miles or so. Getting the experience of riding one doesn't hurt I guess. Between the extra rolling resistance and the extra caution due to wet roads, my commute this morning was about 4 minutes longer (~+10%) than usual. Not terrible, though seeing the calorie count decline in my app is slightly depressing.
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Old 11-14-14, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by DBrim
Schwalbe Marathon Winters. Ended up not really being necessary, since there wasn't really any accumulation to speak of. It was sleeting on me very lightly when I left, but that was done after three miles or so. Getting the experience of riding one doesn't hurt I guess. Between the extra rolling resistance and the extra caution due to wet roads, my commute this morning was about 4 minutes longer (~+10%) than usual. Not terrible, though seeing the calorie count decline in my app is slightly depressing.
Heh... don't believe everything you read on a phone... ;-)

rod
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Old 11-14-14, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
Heh... don't believe everything you read on a phone... ;-)

rod
Yeah, I guess I'll go with that. My bike is probably significantly heavier than whatever MapMyRide's "default" road bike is, anyways, especially when I have my commuting gear with me.
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Old 11-15-14, 06:29 PM
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Took a late afternoon ride to Depot Park, Bedford, and back on the Minuteman, 20 miles, riding out with the sunset, back with the dark, a colder ride than any so far this season, with temperatures falling through the 30s to flirt with the 20s in the coldest spots. This marks the first use of my balaclava since March. Now, I know, come February, this will seem like balmy weather, but it will do for now...

Arlington Center in the cold, clear, afternoon.


A little snow lingered in the shady spots.


The undergrowth at Great Meadow has been transmogrified into skeletal forms.


The surface of Peepers Pond is clear, in that brief interval between duckweed and ice.


The Town of Lexington would like you to know that the Minuteman will be closed for culvert replacement between Seasons Four and Woburn Street, from 11/24 - 12/18, with a detour on Mass. Ave.


Sighted the first patch of ice on the Minuteman for the 2014-2015 season: not much to it...


Lots of leaves down, looks like a bunch came down with the cold last night.


Sunset at Tophet Swamp.


Turnaround: the Buddliner at dusk.


Rode home in the dark, noting with pleasure the absence of Winter Moths: maybe Jack Frost nipped 'em last night... We can hope.


rod

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Old 11-16-14, 10:56 AM
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Great reporting of cold weather reporting.
We ventured south by car on route to visit friends and stopped to bike the northern portion of the Washington Secondary Trail in Cranston, RI. It wasn't noticeably warmer and the rail trail was leave covered and mostly tree shrouded oasis through urban commercial and dense residential urban areas. We passed a few walkers and bikers on largely leaf covered good quality asphalt path. Fingers and toes got a lot cold unloading and loading and never really warmed up until we were at our destination with a cup of tea. That led to dinner and stories of the trail, which led to stories about Revolutionary War hero General Nathaneal Greene, who live in Coventry and then made mention of the Airline Trail in CT that as a railroad only survives in Franklin to Walpole, MA.
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Old 11-16-14, 11:03 AM
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My wife and I live fairly close to the Airline Trail, it is nice, but if you plan to ride it, it is gravel.
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Old 11-16-14, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by otg
My wife and I live fairly close to the Airline Trail, it is nice, but if you plan to ride it, it is gravel.
The Airline Trail looks interesting. Like many trails, it apears to be a work in progess; it's a little hard to tell, from the various Net accounts, just how much of the eventual 50+ miles is ridable (given fat tires) now. What's your sense of that?

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Old 11-16-14, 03:20 PM
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I've probably ridden about 25 miles of it, I think there could be 50 miles, but I think some of it involves roads. It can get crowded on nice weekends.
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Old 11-16-14, 04:36 PM
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I took the front studded tire off and did about 12 miles today. Fall is just about over on the Marblehead Rail Trail:


I suppose that the upcoming storm will take care of the rest of the leaves. Had some fun in the sinking mud, otherwise an uneventful ride. Temperatures were in the lower 40s, with a bit of a breeze. The smartwool beanie I bought at REI last week is already paying dividends. There's a bit of a gap in my lower layering strategy that needs to be filled in, too.
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