Metro Boston: Good ride today?
03-03-17, 07:10 PM
#5951
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03-03-17, 07:31 PM
#5952
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So far no regrets about shelving the Montare's Winter Marathons. I rode my 30 mile loop twice this week and my 25 mile loop twice with the newish Roubaix. Thursday was predictably windy and oh so cold. Friday was cold but without the 20 MPH head and cross wind. Summer attire last week, full winter attire this week, at least no rain!
03-05-17, 07:07 PM
#5953
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Was pretty darn cold riding along the Mystic river today, that breeze off of the water made for quite a chill even with winter riding gear on. Only managed to stay out for a quick 10 mile circuit.
It was a little too early in the season for any plants to be out at the Home Depot garden center. Circuit City abandoned building in the background.
It was a little too early in the season for any plants to be out at the Home Depot garden center. Circuit City abandoned building in the background.
03-06-17, 09:47 PM
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Took the LHT for 10 miles on the Minuteman this evening, temperatures falling through the 30s, but no wind except that made by the bicycle proceeding through the night air, a mercy after recent days. The Schwalbe Marathon Winters crackled cheerfully on the pavement, providing nothing but sound effects in return for their additional weight and rolling resistance, but somehow this didn't seem burdensome tonight, and reminded me of the first 7,000 miles or so I put in on the LHT with a doughty set of Continental Contacts, before I drank the Bicycle Quarterly kool-aid and started running light tires with supple casings. To be fair, I think even those Contis rolled better than the Schwalbes...
Hurry, Spring!
rod
Hurry, Spring!
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-07-17 at 03:04 PM.
03-08-17, 07:27 PM
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Today was arguably the First Day of Spring... the last, too, at least for a few days, if you believe the forecasts. I took the LHT out for a sunset ride to Lexington, enjoying the benign conditions.
rod
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-08-17 at 07:35 PM.
03-08-17, 07:51 PM
#5956
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Rod, you might passed me this evening one way or the other. I commuted on the Raleigh yesterday and today. Yesterday I got home pretty late, thankful for having LED lights. This evening I was earlier and passed through sunset as rode the MM from Bow St to Alewife. It was a pretty evening. Yesterday was supposed to be rainy but I saw essentially none. Today I did get rained on in the morning but the evening run home made up for it.
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03-09-17, 08:23 AM
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thought I saw an article today that they were going to extend it to Concord
The conversion to a commuter trail might actually open up more recreational use.
But most significantly, just extending it to the Concord line bypasses half of Route 62.
If Concord extends it to Lowell Rd then it becomes a complete bypass of Route 62.
THAT - IS - A - BIG - DEAL.
We often forget how few people are willing to ride on roads like Route 62 , particularly during rush hours.
(I might miss the delightful quiet loop around the John Glenn Middle School however. Just a bit though.)
-mr. bill
03-09-17, 09:24 AM
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be nice to have a 62 bypass from Stow to Burlington
03-09-17, 09:58 AM
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Beacon Street bicyclists- please be very cautious on the protected bike lane. The intersections at the cross streets are tricky in this interim state and some motorists are not fully stopping before crossing. Also sight lines are not great due to parked cars at the corners. We are working towards improving these conditions. We recommend going slow- about 10 mph and being hyper aware at the cross streets. Also construction will be starting soon as the protected bike lane is brought up to its final condition and as work begins on the protected bike lane on the Poster Sq bound side. Eversource will be digging up sections of Beacon between Washington St and Inman causing some traffic back-ups. Try out our detour routes- they are pretty good!
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...-inman-map.pdf
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...porter-map.jpg
03-09-17, 12:08 PM
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Personally I like riding Rte 62 (but usually on weekends) at least between Danvers and Maynard. In 2008, soon after joining Bike Forums, I posted:
This summer I did various segments of Rte 62, from Maynard to Danvers and I thought it was a great cycling road. In about three decades of riding around Metro Boston, I don't recall riding it before, but most of my cycling is to the south and west, in areas likely well known to Sherbornpeddler. It was nice to find new locales
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-09-17 at 12:41 PM.
03-09-17, 12:12 PM
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Save the Burlington Landlocked Forest
03-09-17, 07:12 PM
#5963
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Sorry for the Facebook Link, but... https://www.facebook.com/SomervilleBi...55066501827974
Beacon Street bicyclists- please be very cautious on the protected bike lane. The intersections at the cross streets are tricky in this interim state and some motorists are not fully stopping before crossing. Also sight lines are not great due to parked cars at the corners. We are working towards improving these conditions. We recommend going slow- about 10 mph and being hyper aware at the cross streets. Also construction will be starting soon as the protected bike lane is brought up to its final condition and as work begins on the protected bike lane on the Poster Sq bound side. Eversource will be digging up sections of Beacon between Washington St and Inman causing some traffic back-ups. Try out our detour routes- they are pretty good!
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...-inman-map.pdf
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...porter-map.jpg
Beacon Street bicyclists- please be very cautious on the protected bike lane. The intersections at the cross streets are tricky in this interim state and some motorists are not fully stopping before crossing. Also sight lines are not great due to parked cars at the corners. We are working towards improving these conditions. We recommend going slow- about 10 mph and being hyper aware at the cross streets. Also construction will be starting soon as the protected bike lane is brought up to its final condition and as work begins on the protected bike lane on the Poster Sq bound side. Eversource will be digging up sections of Beacon between Washington St and Inman causing some traffic back-ups. Try out our detour routes- they are pretty good!
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...-inman-map.pdf
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/de...porter-map.jpg
03-11-17, 07:59 AM
#5964
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Just this morning, I posted this to the Touring Forum, and perhaps the MetroBoston crowd might find it amusing:
I quoted your post in its entirety because I have thought about such rides for a long time... A couple years ago I thought about making up such list for weekend getaways, as you described, and posting to the local Metro Boston thread. We live in downtown Boston, and can go out in all directions (except eastward into the Atlantic Ocean). So for here on the Right Coast, counterclockwise, such destinations would be:
I tweak Cape Cod in comparison to Cape Ann partly in response to the query of that original post, and partly because a quintessential romantic getaway song was sung by Patti Page in 1957:
"If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air
Quaint little villages here and there
(You're sure) You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod
(Cape Cod, that old Cape Cod)...
"If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod..."
I'm taking off on another 2 day trip tomorrow
I've been doing these fun rides lately... Pick a cool town about 50 or 60 scenic miles away. Book a nice room near town. Ride there (in my case, with my dog along). And then have my wife drive there to meet for a nice, romantic night on the town. It takes her an hour or two, to drive to where it takes me and my 20LB dog to get in a leisurely 6 hours or so. Some fine dining. A hike. Shopping. Maybe live music.
Next morning, charming breakfast, etc... Then I ride home, usually a different route.
It has been great. I get two days of serious riding, and she gets fun little get-a-ways close to home. We are exploring towns near us that we would otherwise never spend a night in, except that for a cyclist, it is a day'sjourney.
Healdsburg, CA. a few weeks ago
Halfmoon Bay, CA. a couple weeks ago
Tomorrow, Guerneville, CA. Staying at a place built in 1905. Cabins on the Russian River.
I guess you could call it short range, luxury touring with a spousal inclusion component.
Anyone else into this kind of thing? Or lucky enough to have a girl that will do the rides with you?
I've been doing these fun rides lately... Pick a cool town about 50 or 60 scenic miles away. Book a nice room near town. Ride there (in my case, with my dog along). And then have my wife drive there to meet for a nice, romantic night on the town. It takes her an hour or two, to drive to where it takes me and my 20LB dog to get in a leisurely 6 hours or so. Some fine dining. A hike. Shopping. Maybe live music.
Next morning, charming breakfast, etc... Then I ride home, usually a different route.
It has been great. I get two days of serious riding, and she gets fun little get-a-ways close to home. We are exploring towns near us that we would otherwise never spend a night in, except that for a cyclist, it is a day'sjourney.
Healdsburg, CA. a few weeks ago
Halfmoon Bay, CA. a couple weeks ago
Tomorrow, Guerneville, CA. Staying at a place built in 1905. Cabins on the Russian River.
I guess you could call it short range, luxury touring with a spousal inclusion component.
Anyone else into this kind of thing? Or lucky enough to have a girl that will do the rides with you?
- Newburyport, MA (did a mutual cycle trip there once)
- Portsmouth, NH
- Nashua, NH
- Lowell, MA
- Worcester, MA
- Providence, RI (did a car weekend trip there)
- Plymouth, MA (one mutual cycle trip there).
Recommendations for bike vacations like Cape Cod?
Besides Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), Massachusetts also has “the Other Cape,” Cape Ann, and I recently posted:
Besides Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), Massachusetts also has “the Other Cape,” Cape Ann, and I recently posted:
...In addition, for the first time we bought a second home in a resort town on a nice cycling route 40 miles long north of our condo in downtown Boston. The region is also good for road cycling,and train service with the fully assembled bike is readily available.I described it in my Cycling Guide to MetroBoston as
So one could travel by train [and/or bike, in either direction] from Boston to Rockport…which itself is an interesting walkable resort town, including beaches.
Rockport is on Cape Ann on the North Shore, and known as Boston’s "Other Cape," in distinction to Cape Cod, which begins at about 80 miles from Boston, with no train service, requires crossing one of two bridges with horrendous traffic jams on the summer weekends, and is best traversed by car.
Just last night I was chatting with a colleague who has a vacation home on the off-Cape Cod Island of Martha’s Vineyard. They have to plan their weekends months in advance to secure car passage on the ferryboat.
ADDENDUM: Parking in the center of Rockport is extremely limited [we have on-site parking], and visitors who drive there often have to park a couple of miles away and be shuttled into town by bus. Rockport as a convivial tourist destination was featured in the movie Coma (but not as the scary part).
Rockport is on Cape Ann on the North Shore, and known as Boston’s "Other Cape," in distinction to Cape Cod, which begins at about 80 miles from Boston, with no train service, requires crossing one of two bridges with horrendous traffic jams on the summer weekends, and is best traversed by car.
Just last night I was chatting with a colleague who has a vacation home on the off-Cape Cod Island of Martha’s Vineyard. They have to plan their weekends months in advance to secure car passage on the ferryboat.
ADDENDUM: Parking in the center of Rockport is extremely limited [we have on-site parking], and visitors who drive there often have to park a couple of miles away and be shuttled into town by bus. Rockport as a convivial tourist destination was featured in the movie Coma (but not as the scary part).
"If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air
Quaint little villages here and there
(You're sure) You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod
(Cape Cod, that old Cape Cod)...
"If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod..."
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-11-17 at 08:16 AM.
03-12-17, 06:40 PM
#5965
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Lots of ambition to ride but not much actual riding. Just a tad bit too cold to extract enough enjoyment. I did swallow my words and begrudgingly put the Winter Marathons back on the Montare.
03-13-17, 01:31 PM
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03-13-17, 04:43 PM
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A lingering chest cold gives me an excuse to stay indoors lately (though I do see shoveling in my immediate future). Has made it a little more straightforward to find time to work on the Ebisu build, however. Saturday was cold and windy, so I was indoors, wrenching rather than riding.
rod
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-13-17 at 04:47 PM.
03-18-17, 08:27 PM
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After 10 days off the the bike with the cold that we're all taking turns with, was able to take the LHT up to Lexington this afternoon, in daylight for once. Temperatures were falling through the 30s, and there was more wind than was absolutely desirable, much of it expressed as a headwind on the return leg. Big, energetic sky today, frisking ahead of the next storm.
The trail surface was in great shape.
Winter...
I was seeing hints of Spring in the willow tops; hope attaches to whatever object presents itself.
There were patches of ice under the bridges at Forest Street, Park Ave., Drake Street, and Maple Street. My studded tires were grateful for this justification, however minimal.
We'll see what tomorrow's snow brings. Winter is overstaying its welcome.
rod
The trail surface was in great shape.
Winter...
I was seeing hints of Spring in the willow tops; hope attaches to whatever object presents itself.
There were patches of ice under the bridges at Forest Street, Park Ave., Drake Street, and Maple Street. My studded tires were grateful for this justification, however minimal.
We'll see what tomorrow's snow brings. Winter is overstaying its welcome.
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-18-17 at 08:49 PM.
03-19-17, 08:18 AM
#5969
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After almost 2 weeks of an involuntary hiatus I finally resumed Grocery shopping on the Montare with the Nomad in tow yesterday. The past 2 weekends were just too cold. I also got out on the newish Roubaix for a much awaited 30 mile spin. Roads were clear enough, although the veneer of sand, salty crust and god knows what else makes a 2 month old bike look like it was brought up from the depths of the Atlantic. Nothing a 10 minute cleaning won't dissolve after today's ride.
03-20-17, 06:50 PM
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On the principle that Spring had sprung, I took a ride up to Lexington Center on the vernal equinox on the Minuteman on the LHT. I could go on, but... The low 50s did manage to feel somewhat vernal, if only by comparison to some of the barbarous weather we've had lately, and apparently will be having again soon enough. But no matter, I was out there flirting with the sunset, the darkness and light in equipoise, and something was singing in Great Meadow. I sang a little song, too, though I fear it was a murder ballad...
rod
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-23-17 at 05:03 PM. Reason: Enable images for the Firefox browser (undo Mr. Google's practical joke).
03-20-17, 07:19 PM
#5971
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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03-21-17, 03:58 AM
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03-21-17, 06:44 AM
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What browser are you using?
rod
Wait, I can duplicate the problem. Google pushed out some changes, and I got bit. Anyone using Firefox won't be able to see the images, probably. Will try to fix on my end. Thanks for the heads-up.
rod
Wait, I can duplicate the problem. Google pushed out some changes, and I got bit. Anyone using Firefox won't be able to see the images, probably. Will try to fix on my end. Thanks for the heads-up.
Last edited by rholland1951; 03-21-17 at 06:47 AM.
03-21-17, 07:04 AM
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whatever you did worked 