Metro Boston: Good ride today?
04-15-15, 02:42 PM
#4552
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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Ayup. I rode the Bianchi yesterday and today because when I went to grab the Peugeot the front tire was flat. Bummer. IO would have liked to have kept the Bianchi out of yesterday morning's rain.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
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jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-15-15, 08:45 PM
#4553
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If you spend much time riding the Minuteman in or through Arlington, you might be interested in this Saturday's Bikeway Clean-up. Here are the details:
Should be fun, in a utilitarian sort of way... I'll be there.
rod
Please join the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee in a Spring Cleanup of the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington. This morning I did a survey of the Bikeway and am happy to report that most of the snow has melted. I’m not so happy to report that the receding snow has left a bumper crop of trash. There are three problem areas along the path.
1. Park Avenue to the Town Line. There is a pile of trash under the Park Avenue overpass and scattered refuse up past Trader Joe’s to the Town Line.
2. Arlington Center to the High School. There is a moderate amount of trash behind the business area between Mystic Street and Mill Street. It gets really heavy from Mill Street to the High School with a bad concentration of refuse behind Arlington Liquors on Summer Street.
3. Between the Town Line near Alewife Station and Route 2 there is a moderate amount of trash lining the path.
These are the real problem The cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 9:30am to 12:00pm. The rain date is Sunday, April 19. We will first meet at the three locations listed below and then fan out along the path.
**Arlington Heights, on the path by the Park Ave. Bridge. Led by Rod Holland.
**Arlington Center, on the path at Mill Street, led by Stephan Miller.
**Thorndike Field, on the path, let by Chad Gibson.
Bring gloves if you have them. Trash bags will be provided. Designated pickup sites are at Hurd Field near the Bikeway, Mill Street at the Bikeway and Varnum Street at the Bikeway.
If you are unable to make it to one of the meeting locations at 9:30, you can work anywhere along the path in Arlington but you must supply your own bags. If you leave filled bags at a location other then those listed, let me know so that I can have them picked up. For further information, contact Stephan Miller via email (steffmiller@mac.com ) or by phone (781-641-2845).
We hope to see you there,
Stephan Miller
Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
1. Park Avenue to the Town Line. There is a pile of trash under the Park Avenue overpass and scattered refuse up past Trader Joe’s to the Town Line.
2. Arlington Center to the High School. There is a moderate amount of trash behind the business area between Mystic Street and Mill Street. It gets really heavy from Mill Street to the High School with a bad concentration of refuse behind Arlington Liquors on Summer Street.
3. Between the Town Line near Alewife Station and Route 2 there is a moderate amount of trash lining the path.
These are the real problem The cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 9:30am to 12:00pm. The rain date is Sunday, April 19. We will first meet at the three locations listed below and then fan out along the path.
**Arlington Heights, on the path by the Park Ave. Bridge. Led by Rod Holland.
**Arlington Center, on the path at Mill Street, led by Stephan Miller.
**Thorndike Field, on the path, let by Chad Gibson.
Bring gloves if you have them. Trash bags will be provided. Designated pickup sites are at Hurd Field near the Bikeway, Mill Street at the Bikeway and Varnum Street at the Bikeway.
If you are unable to make it to one of the meeting locations at 9:30, you can work anywhere along the path in Arlington but you must supply your own bags. If you leave filled bags at a location other then those listed, let me know so that I can have them picked up. For further information, contact Stephan Miller via email (steffmiller@mac.com ) or by phone (781-641-2845).
We hope to see you there,
Stephan Miller
Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
rod
04-15-15, 09:01 PM
#4554
Senior Member
Hi MetroBoston!
So, I'm going to be moving to Medford in June. The apartment I'm moving into is slightly north of Tufts, and my new job is located in East Cambridge, near the Galleria. I'm looking for suggestions for biking routes through Somerville into East Cambridge. Google Maps is suggesting (Apartment)->Davis Square->Elm St->Somerville Ave->Medford St->Cambridge St. Anybody have any better ideas?
So, I'm going to be moving to Medford in June. The apartment I'm moving into is slightly north of Tufts, and my new job is located in East Cambridge, near the Galleria. I'm looking for suggestions for biking routes through Somerville into East Cambridge. Google Maps is suggesting (Apartment)->Davis Square->Elm St->Somerville Ave->Medford St->Cambridge St. Anybody have any better ideas?
04-16-15, 06:02 AM
#4555
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Hi MetroBoston!
So, I'm going to be moving to Medford in June. The apartment I'm moving into is slightly north of Tufts, and my new job is located in East Cambridge, near the Galleria. I'm looking for suggestions for biking routes through Somerville into East Cambridge. Google Maps is suggesting (Apartment)->Davis Square->Elm St->Somerville Ave->Medford St->Cambridge St. Anybody have any better ideas?
So, I'm going to be moving to Medford in June. The apartment I'm moving into is slightly north of Tufts, and my new job is located in East Cambridge, near the Galleria. I'm looking for suggestions for biking routes through Somerville into East Cambridge. Google Maps is suggesting (Apartment)->Davis Square->Elm St->Somerville Ave->Medford St->Cambridge St. Anybody have any better ideas?
rod
04-16-15, 01:17 PM
#4556
Senior Member
Mr. Google is directing you to major roads, but most have bike lanes, I think. Probably not a bad way to start. Medford is a good location for a cyclist, IMHO, with good access to the East, North, and West, as well as plausible routes into the city. Antimonysarah can speak to that with authority, and a search on her posts to this thread would be enlightening. Medford has an active Bicycle Advisory Committee; that's probably a good resource for you. They have a forum at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/medfordbikes
rod
rod
I might do the following (using the Galleria and an arbitrary spot along Boston Ave on the Tufts campus as endpoints):
To:
https://goo.gl/maps/1ieJ7
From:
https://goo.gl/maps/4ZDiY
The way back avoids dealing with Davis Square but adds a hill; I used to live on top of that hill so I got used to it.
04-17-15, 10:49 AM
#4557
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Hey Fellow Kids,
See this brand new thread on the Advocacy and Safety Forum, ”Is there widespread hatred of cyclists?”
BTW. I once double-parked the car outside my bike shop, Back Bay Bikes on Comm and Mass Aves, for a couple minutes, and got a $100 ticket for blocking a bike lane. 
See this brand new thread on the Advocacy and Safety Forum, ”Is there widespread hatred of cyclists?”
For starters, check out this link from a local Boston TV station and watch the embedded video.
The video was filmed on the Longfellow Bridge which runs over the Charles River and connects Cambridge to Boston. The bridge is currently undergoing major renovations.
The video seems to show a single car travel lane with bike lanes on either side that serve both directions.
What struck me when I first watched the video was the "I don't give a damn" attitude of the state trooper. The cyclist raised a reasonable safety concern and the trooper couldn't have been less helpful.
It wasn't until I read the comments under the article, though, that I began to reflect on the degree of hostility for cyclists. Whether the commenters are just a handful of haters or whether they reflect a widely held view isn't clear.
What is clear is that if this much hatred of cyclists is common, we who are cycling advocates have a very difficult task ahead of us.
The video was filmed on the Longfellow Bridge which runs over the Charles River and connects Cambridge to Boston. The bridge is currently undergoing major renovations.
The video seems to show a single car travel lane with bike lanes on either side that serve both directions.
What struck me when I first watched the video was the "I don't give a damn" attitude of the state trooper. The cyclist raised a reasonable safety concern and the trooper couldn't have been less helpful.
It wasn't until I read the comments under the article, though, that I began to reflect on the degree of hostility for cyclists. Whether the commenters are just a handful of haters or whether they reflect a widely held view isn't clear.
What is clear is that if this much hatred of cyclists is common, we who are cycling advocates have a very difficult task ahead of us.
04-17-15, 12:51 PM
#4558
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Hey Fellow Kids,
See this brand new thread on the Advocacy and Safety Forum, ”Is there widespread hatred of cyclists?”
BTW. I once double-parked the car outside my bike shop, Back Bay Bikes on Comm and Mass Aves, for a couple minutes, and got a $100 ticket for blocking a bike lane.
See this brand new thread on the Advocacy and Safety Forum, ”Is there widespread hatred of cyclists?”
BTW. I once double-parked the car outside my bike shop, Back Bay Bikes on Comm and Mass Aves, for a couple minutes, and got a $100 ticket for blocking a bike lane.
I had on one occasion last year seen a "bike trap" on Columbus Ave, where police were writing citations to bikers who ran the red and/or didn't stop for pedestrians on the crosswalk. I am all for that too.
sing
04-17-15, 09:05 PM
#4559
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Ten quiet miles on the Minuteman this evening in the benign air. Someone appears to have attached a small piece of paper to the Egg, perhaps the beginning of the end? Emergency vehicles broke the silence.
When I got home, Venus and Aldebaran were in conjunction over the garage roof.
rod
When I got home, Venus and Aldebaran were in conjunction over the garage roof.
rod
04-19-15, 09:26 AM
#4561
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Lake Winthrop
Gosh all your posts have been great! Road conditions, cleanups, Medford expertise, Bike Lane friendly, photography, Venus and the garage and Midnight Riding. This community collection is great stuff!
A few days ago out here in the western wilds we rode a luxury ride west through Baseball's Mudville (where for at least a moment there was no joy) on tow beautiful Lake Winthrop
then past the eight arched bridge back in to Sherborn. Yesterday I rode a more down-in-the-drops exercise ride to Natick sailing Glen St to Dover/Charles River St then Mill past the nicely flowing Charles River then up Strawberry Hill/Wilsondale Needham, Dedham in to Westwood and back into Dover to Sherborn for 27 miles. Today we'll meet friends where Saltonstall traded a biscuit for a bass near Watertown Square for a luxury ride on the Blue Heron Bike Path to Waltham.
A few days ago out here in the western wilds we rode a luxury ride west through Baseball's Mudville (where for at least a moment there was no joy) on tow beautiful Lake Winthrop
Last edited by sherbornpeddler; 04-19-15 at 09:27 AM. Reason: typo
04-19-15, 06:38 PM
#4562
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
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Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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A biscuit for a bass for a luxury ride? A three-way trade? (Welcome to Waltham.)
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-20-15, 05:23 PM
#4563
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Hey Fellow Kids,
Here’s another newcomer to Boston, ”Car free and Newbie bike commuter in Boston... advice?.” I responded, referring (him) to the Metro Boston thread. But of note,
FYA
Here’s another newcomer to Boston, ”Car free and Newbie bike commuter in Boston... advice?.” I responded, referring (him) to the Metro Boston thread. But of note,
…BTW, while searching Mapquest, I was distracted because I was on hold calling in to the Howie Carr Talk Show on WRKO. The topic was Howie’s column in response to the video linked to this thread on the Advocacy & Safety subforum, ” Is there widespread hatred of cyclists?”.
(I'm a talk show fan, and my screen name is the opening line when I (rarely) call in..."and now here's Jim from Boston...What's up, Jim?.")
(I'm a talk show fan, and my screen name is the opening line when I (rarely) call in..."and now here's Jim from Boston...What's up, Jim?.")
04-21-15, 08:24 PM
#4564
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Up to Lexington Center and back on the Minuteman after work in the Spring evening.
On the return, encountered an Arlington Fire Department rescue truck, picking up a trail user who had suffered a seizure. The AFD does good work, the folks to call in Arlington.
rod
On the return, encountered an Arlington Fire Department rescue truck, picking up a trail user who had suffered a seizure. The AFD does good work, the folks to call in Arlington.
rod
04-21-15, 09:44 PM
#4565
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,434
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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Just my commute again. Work, work, work, everybody work.
32 miles round trip. Got wet this morning but the ride home was lovely.
32 miles round trip. Got wet this morning but the ride home was lovely.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-22-15, 09:42 AM
#4566
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Nice ride around the Charles River Sunday. We rode down river from Watertown, stopped for a warm cup of coffee at the Galleria and rode down wind back. Paid homage to the 1630 historical marker commemorating the 1630 bass for biscuit trade as told by Roger Clap. Clap was later famous for pear orchards in Dorchester. 
.
04-22-15, 06:41 PM
#4567
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did a 38 on sunday into Nashua
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/751419355
Did a 56 for my 52nd birthday last week. The CRW j55 route is one of my favorites
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/747431218
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/751419355
Did a 56 for my 52nd birthday last week. The CRW j55 route is one of my favorites
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/747431218
04-22-15, 07:38 PM
#4568
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Today I had to work from home, had "men with toolboxes" in the house. But I did get out for 18.9 miles on the Raleigh late in the afternoon. Yow, was it windy!
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-23-15, 05:48 AM
#4570
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Are you burning out?
Just yesterday I sent a PM to a BF acquaintance:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Nice to see you on BF; just noted this post. I'm still restricted by work, and often stay over, but I have had my S-Works out a few times...Currently though, I have a chest cold, aches, and malaise that started yesterday.
Another favorite quote of mine is the Workaholic's Prayer, "Thank God it's Monday."
04-23-15, 07:03 AM
#4571
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Noop. Just quoting a cartoon or something I think I recall I remember seeing on TV a long while ago when the world was innocent.
Riding to work is the best part of the work day, second only to riding home. If I could skip the work-in-between part though I'd be happier still.
At least the roads are seeming cleaner, some obviously swept by the various and sundry towns. (Of course I don't go to work on Sundry.) Now if only the state would sweep its jurisdiction section of Lexington Rd in Woburn life would be nicer still.
Riding to work is the best part of the work day, second only to riding home. If I could skip the work-in-between part though I'd be happier still.
At least the roads are seeming cleaner, some obviously swept by the various and sundry towns. (Of course I don't go to work on Sundry.) Now if only the state would sweep its jurisdiction section of Lexington Rd in Woburn life would be nicer still.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-23-15, 11:24 AM
#4573
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Just my commute again. Work, work, work, everybody work...
Hey jmm,
Are you burning out?
The Workaholic's Prayer, "Thank God it's Monday."
Are you burning out?
The Workaholic's Prayer, "Thank God it's Monday."
I do work on Sundry, to do some sundry tasks at my convenience. I also do some sundry errands requiring a car, that’s the only day I don’t ride, when I’m in (maximal) training. As I posted about the amenities of my commute:
Amenities: coffee shop and cafeteria on site; almost all my personal service needs like barbershop, dentist, dry-cleaner/tailor, laundromat, supermarket and drugstore, and good take-out restaurants are all within walking distance of work, or a short hop on the bike; bike shop two blocks away
Anyways, jmm, since your post was a quote, though obscure and not a cry for help, I googled it; is this a bluegrass group and tune?
Uncanny X-Men:
Everybody Wants To Work Lyrics
Work, work, work, work,
I could be a banker make a buck or two
I could even be at school
Or I could drive a taxi
I could drive a hearse
There are few things could be worse
Cos I'm not getting younger
Life's too good to work
That is something I'm learning
Everybody wants to work
No, no, not me
Everybody wants to work
No, no not me
Everybody wants to work
No, no, not me, not me.
Well I could sleep till lunchtime
There's nothing else to do
Perhaps I'm better off than you
Cos when I'm getting older
Life's too good to work
I'll tell you something disturbing
Everybody wants to work
No, no, not me
Everybody wants to work
Oh no, not me
Everybody wants to work
Ah, ah, not me, not me
Everybody wants to work
No, no, no, no, not me
Doctor, lawyer, banker, fool (repeat x5)
Everybody wants to work
No, no, not me
(Repeat)
04-23-15, 06:03 PM
#4574
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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is this a bluegrass group and tune?
I rode the Raleigh to work today. I plan to ride the Gazelle tomorrow!
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
04-23-15, 08:45 PM
#4575
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Speaking of work, my job's silly season is well underway, and I got a much-needed mental health ride on the Minuteman this evening, 10 miles. Temperatures were in the 40s, with enough breeze to fly the flag, a head-wind on the outbound leg. I wore clothes I thought I had put away for the season, but got the layering about right. Even so, the forsythia blossoming on the trailside and the softball game in progress at Drake Field argued that Spring is in on, chilly or otherwise. The frogs at Peepers Pond sounded a little subdued; not so, the birds, singing boisterously: feathers and an endothermic metabolism give you options.
rod
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 04-24-15 at 06:54 AM.