Metro Boston: Good ride today?
03-23-19, 04:29 PM
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03-24-19, 05:34 PM
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Today I rolled out just before 0900 with my new Seven Redsky. It rode like a dream. I’ll openky admit that I kept looking down drooling over the fast looking red paint and shiny blue parts blinging in the sunshine. It corners like a race car and easily allowed me to hammer hard and sprint faster than fast. It’s my first bike with a full Dura Ace drivetrain and external cables, shifting was buttery smooth and fast. No regrets about not going Di2. All in all I rode 61 miles and could have kept going if it weren’t for late afternoon family commitments.
03-24-19, 06:15 PM
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All this time, I thought I was slow. Don't blame the bike, blame the engine. It was the bike. I'm a fair weather rider so I'm not in my best shape yet. Took the new Ruby out to see what she could do. I wasn't just 1 mph faster than last year. I was 4 mph faster. And I wasn't trying all that hard.
Now to build up the distance. And maybe I can join the group rides from my LBS. I never wanted to ride with anyone except my husband because I wouldn't expect anyone else to wait for me. I was waiting for him. It may become a problem.
I did have to admit that I bought a much nicer bike than I planned to. She was on sale! I just didn't want him to drop dead if he ever got curious and looked up the list price. And I know if he picked her up that he would know she wasn't a $750 bike. Carbon is nice.
Now to build up the distance. And maybe I can join the group rides from my LBS. I never wanted to ride with anyone except my husband because I wouldn't expect anyone else to wait for me. I was waiting for him. It may become a problem.
I did have to admit that I bought a much nicer bike than I planned to. She was on sale! I just didn't want him to drop dead if he ever got curious and looked up the list price. And I know if he picked her up that he would know she wasn't a $750 bike. Carbon is nice.
03-24-19, 08:30 PM
#8005
Chuggin' Along
03-24-19, 09:59 PM
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Hi @NomarsGirl,
Nice write-up about your new carbon fiber bike. You may recall that I posted to your previous General Cycling Forum thread, “Test riding a bike", about my experience buying my first (and only) carbon fiber bike.
,I then cited details about my purchase.
FYA, I have posted to several threads, about the advantages of the carbon fiber bike, seemingly similar to yours;
Nice write-up about your new carbon fiber bike. You may recall that I posted to your previous General Cycling Forum thread, “Test riding a bike", about my experience buying my first (and only) carbon fiber bike.
I just noticed that the OP of this thread is from December. As an experienced cyclist (IMO), I have found that I make my decision just on the basis of a parking lot test ride, with excellent advice from my shop.
So while I note you have made your decision, I wanted nonetheless to reply about my experience, FWIW, perhaps relevant to others.
Seeing that you post from Easton MA
So while I note you have made your decision, I wanted nonetheless to reply about my experience, FWIW, perhaps relevant to others.
Seeing that you post from Easton MA
].FYA, I have posted to several threads, about the advantages of the carbon fiber bike, seemingly similar to yours;
The Bridgestone was totaled in 2012 in an accident from which I was not sure I would ride again....
…My average speed stayed the same, but I think I was hampered by injuries from the accident, and I believe the new bike compensated at least to maintain my average speed. I did note that I was more inclined to sprint (successfully) to beat traffic lights before they turned red.
I further craved the smoothness of the ride, including the shifting,making cycle-commuting more pleasurable. Of greatest benefit, while long (greater than 40 mile) rides took the same amount of time as before, I felt much less tired at the end.
I further craved the smoothness of the ride, including the shifting,making cycle-commuting more pleasurable. Of greatest benefit, while long (greater than 40 mile) rides took the same amount of time as before, I felt much less tired at the end.
… Performance in this context does not mean outright speed because that is down to the person riding it and their strength and endurance.
But rather is in the quality of the shifting, braking, ride, handling through corners and over rough surfaces, aerodynamics and (dare I say it) comfort.
But rather is in the quality of the shifting, braking, ride, handling through corners and over rough surfaces, aerodynamics and (dare I say it) comfort.
03-25-19, 05:17 AM
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Thanks, Jim. I was nervous about making the switch from my old, comfortable hybrid to a real road bike. I wasn't sure I could handle the more aggressive position. And I had no intention of buying one this nice, but she was on sale! I had to! But I was quite comfortable despite the tiny, hard saddle. I'm sure my butt will mold to it over time (probably not the other way around).
I never figured it made sense to chase a super light bike until I got myself down to my ideal weight. But since I've been riding, I have taken 40 pounds off myself with little change in my performance. I'm more fit, but was not any faster. Now I suddenly took 20 pounds off the bike, and I'm flying down the road. I'm sure it is the other things as well. More aero position. Smooth shifting. Great braking (Mechanical disk brakes). Not to mention just having a bike that is sized properly. My old one was too small. And the Ruby is just so fun to ride, which will get me motivated to ride more. And now I have to go to work. Sigh. As soon as it gets a little warmer in the mornings, I'll be heading out there early before work. But not yet.
And now I'll be counting down the days until the hubby gets the itch to buy a nicer bike so he can keep up with me. If only he hadn't just bought a new bike last year.
I never figured it made sense to chase a super light bike until I got myself down to my ideal weight. But since I've been riding, I have taken 40 pounds off myself with little change in my performance. I'm more fit, but was not any faster. Now I suddenly took 20 pounds off the bike, and I'm flying down the road. I'm sure it is the other things as well. More aero position. Smooth shifting. Great braking (Mechanical disk brakes). Not to mention just having a bike that is sized properly. My old one was too small. And the Ruby is just so fun to ride, which will get me motivated to ride more. And now I have to go to work. Sigh. As soon as it gets a little warmer in the mornings, I'll be heading out there early before work. But not yet.
And now I'll be counting down the days until the hubby gets the itch to buy a nicer bike so he can keep up with me. If only he hadn't just bought a new bike last year.
03-25-19, 07:07 AM
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Slowly getting back into the swing of things. Have been dealing with a lot of winter illnesses at home, a house move, and surgery. Definitely cuts into riding time. My bike commute has doubled in distance but is still doable, most of it on paths and a majority still on the Minuteman. Went out for a few rides so far - very out of shape. Have had to tweak my saddle height again... need to get a proper fitting. Completely misforecast the conditions on the Reformatory Branch trail - larges swaths of ice, frozen, postholed portions, some muddy parts, and some frozen parts with deep tire ruts. By this time it's probably mostly a mudfest.
Took the kid out on the Minuteman yesterday, she had a blast and - gasp - asked to put on her helmet instead of screaming bloody murder about having to wear it. She's very close to outgrowing the rear seat, so need to start thinking about moving her to a trail-a-bike. As expected, there were lots of people on the trail on such a nice day, even though we went out late in the afternoon. Saw on Facebook later, apparently there was a very serious collision between two cyclists yesterday, and it sounds like one of them died. Awful. Stay safe out there.
Took the kid out on the Minuteman yesterday, she had a blast and - gasp - asked to put on her helmet instead of screaming bloody murder about having to wear it. She's very close to outgrowing the rear seat, so need to start thinking about moving her to a trail-a-bike. As expected, there were lots of people on the trail on such a nice day, even though we went out late in the afternoon. Saw on Facebook later, apparently there was a very serious collision between two cyclists yesterday, and it sounds like one of them died. Awful. Stay safe out there.
Last edited by autonomy; 03-25-19 at 07:10 AM.
03-25-19, 08:49 AM
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Bought myself some time to think. A few hundred dollars and a couple of weeks to send it out for a proper fix. Heavy sigh.
Your bike looks great. I know it's a preference thing, but either silver or black pedals look good with that bike. (And until they can figure out how to make black disc brakes....)
(I note that the sign in front of the tank does NOT say please do not drive the tank.)
-mr. bill
03-25-19, 10:35 AM
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03-25-19, 12:24 PM
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I have not heard of a death on the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, that I can remember
Lexington police say the crash on the Minuteman Bikeway just after 2 p.m. Sunday involved two cyclists heading opposite directions.
https://lexington.wickedlocal.com/ne...R1v9s1RgASkxho
Lexington police say the crash on the Minuteman Bikeway just after 2 p.m. Sunday involved two cyclists heading opposite directions.
https://lexington.wickedlocal.com/ne...R1v9s1RgASkxho
03-25-19, 04:20 PM
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just heard on CH5
03-25-19, 04:37 PM
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In a confusing sequence (to me) I posted about a recent ghost bike in Back Bay honoring a fatality two years ago:
immediately and sadly follewed by report of a current fatality on the Minuteman.
Thanks @mr_bill. Your post happens to be a good segue to this one I just wrote:
03-25-19, 04:39 PM
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saw that too 
03-26-19, 05:33 AM
#8018
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Reading of an accident is always sobering, and riding can always be risky.
We took our tandem out Sunday for the first time in a while. Apparently we went through that area on the way home not too much before that accident happened. The level of stress from undisciplined riders was notable, so much so that when we got home Sharon suggested maybe we should drive and start our riding further west instead of riding from the house and taking the MM to get beyond 128. When I'm commuting between Alewife and Lexington on the MM (plus much more on roads) I see incredibly irresponsible behavior by riders and pedestrians alike, and wonder that there aren't more serious accidents. (Even further, some riders seem unaware that on the tandem we outweigh a solo rider by nearly 2 to 1, so in a collision the other guy is gonna' take a big hit.)
I don't know what the fix is except more police presence, more education, and unfortunately more regulation.
We took our tandem out Sunday for the first time in a while. Apparently we went through that area on the way home not too much before that accident happened. The level of stress from undisciplined riders was notable, so much so that when we got home Sharon suggested maybe we should drive and start our riding further west instead of riding from the house and taking the MM to get beyond 128. When I'm commuting between Alewife and Lexington on the MM (plus much more on roads) I see incredibly irresponsible behavior by riders and pedestrians alike, and wonder that there aren't more serious accidents. (Even further, some riders seem unaware that on the tandem we outweigh a solo rider by nearly 2 to 1, so in a collision the other guy is gonna' take a big hit.)
I don't know what the fix is except more police presence, more education, and unfortunately more regulation.
__________________
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jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
03-26-19, 07:09 AM
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Brief aside to discuss the physics of tandem v solo head on collision.
The first collision is captain v solo. You can approximate this as an inelastic collision. If the solo and tandem were at the same speed and captain and solo weigh approximately the same, their speed after collision is close to zero.
The second collision is stoker into captain’s back. Again, approximate this as an inelastic collision. If stoker weighs approximately the same as the captain, the final velocity of the three of you will be 1/3 initial speed.
Captain and solo are worse off than a solo v solo crash, with the captain taking the worst hits.
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 03-26-19 at 07:35 AM.
03-26-19, 07:25 AM
#8020
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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And that would be me.
That being aside (which it was), I've been appalled more than once at the careless disregard for margins of error by some people on the MM. Also at the discourtesy. On weekends it is a rule-free playground.
That being aside (which it was), I've been appalled more than once at the careless disregard for margins of error by some people on the MM. Also at the discourtesy. On weekends it is a rule-free playground.
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jimmuller
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With great bikes comes great responsibility.
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03-26-19, 02:11 PM
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Be safe out there
03-27-19, 08:43 AM
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All Quiet on the Minuteman yesterday riding to PT.
There is currently a small grouping of flowers at the crash site (outbound/inbound):
Do I STOP or do I YIELD?
But when school lets out it can get "busy" on the Minuteman. Here are four friends walking four abreast. When they heard my bell they went from taking over the whole bikeway to three abreast on half of the bikeway. When I passed I said thank you.
-mr. bill
There is currently a small grouping of flowers at the crash site (outbound/inbound):
Do I STOP or do I YIELD?
But when school lets out it can get "busy" on the Minuteman. Here are four friends walking four abreast. When they heard my bell they went from taking over the whole bikeway to three abreast on half of the bikeway. When I passed I said thank you.
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 03-27-19 at 08:47 AM.
03-27-19, 09:28 AM
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wonder if the accident was mentioned at the local schools in Arlington & Lexington. that signage does contradict itself, doesn't it? cycling to PT! 
03-27-19, 10:09 AM
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03-28-19, 06:01 AM
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On 3/8, I posted:
Just this morning (3/28) his topic was the introduction of electric scooters onto the streets of Boston, This time I did get a chance to make my three points, valid IMO with respect to scooters and bicycles. First, both are entitled to be on the road.
Secondly they reduce congestion if extensively used, since so many in-town trips are individual motorists traveling short distances. Of course, Jeff kept illustrating his arguments with depictions of long distance commutes, and trips with the family.
The preceding caller made the point that the availability of scooters, as well as the Blue Bikes draws pedestrians and subway users out into the streets. I agreed because that increased mobility, convenience and relative speed can be similar, and even more appealing than driving.
Thirdly, I got to make my point about safety. Earlier in the program he ribbed of inadvertently "bumping” scooters, hoping the operator wore a helmet and knee and elbow pads, but agreed with me that such accidents certainly are more serious.
I didn’t get to make my conclusion that IMO, the crux of the proposal, since these two-wheeled vehicles have a right to be on the road, and could be a popular transportation mode in the city, is how they and the cars can co-exist..
Jeff was actually gracious in his comments, even inviting me to call in the summer, when the scooters would be prevalent. Indeed, he claimed that the cyclists would likely be the most inconvenienced, and harmed by the scooters.
Just this morning on the 6-7 AM segment of the Jeff Kuhner talk show on WRKO, he discussed proposals by mayor Marty Walsh to decrease the speed limit in Boston to 20 mph, and increase the number of bus and bike lanes. He was vehemently against it, as were many of the callers, with snide comments about cyclists.
I called in as Jim from Boston “speaking for "Boston’s cycling community” and introduced myself as his Number One Fan among Boston cyclists. I made two points: bicycles are entitled to be on the road, and the more cyclists, the fewer other cars, and the more parking spaces available.
Jeff was pretty gracious, but I (accidentally) got cut off. Afterwards, he made some reasonable remarks about my call, but took me to task to speak for Boston’s cycling community, as “another protected class.” (Another WRKO talk show host, Howie Carr, once referred to us as Spandex-Americans.
)
I sent a rebuttal text to the station, FWIW:
I called in as Jim from Boston “speaking for "Boston’s cycling community” and introduced myself as his Number One Fan among Boston cyclists. I made two points: bicycles are entitled to be on the road, and the more cyclists, the fewer other cars, and the more parking spaces available.
Jeff was pretty gracious, but I (accidentally) got cut off. Afterwards, he made some reasonable remarks about my call, but took me to task to speak for Boston’s cycling community, as “another protected class.” (Another WRKO talk show host, Howie Carr, once referred to us as Spandex-Americans.
)I sent a rebuttal text to the station, FWIW:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Hi Jeff,
I called in this morning to “speak for the bicycling community” insofar as I was certain to be the only bicycle commuter to call in. I was speaking for myself, but I am an active participant on an Internet Bike Forum, with much discussion about cycle commuting. I’ve been cycle commuting in Boston for decades so I do claim expertise.
Before I got cut off I was going to make my third point that cyclists are ultimately responsible for their own safety, and I agree with your subsequent comments about cycle-auto collisions.
In the “cycling community” there are two schools of thought about riding in traffic: As Far Right as Possible: close to the curb; or Take the Lane to be out there and visible to cars. Bike lanes encourage the former behavior, likely more tolerated by motorists.
Bike lanes are not that wide, but then cyclist is in the “door zone” in danger of opening doors from parked cars.
I called in this morning to “speak for the bicycling community” insofar as I was certain to be the only bicycle commuter to call in. I was speaking for myself, but I am an active participant on an Internet Bike Forum, with much discussion about cycle commuting. I’ve been cycle commuting in Boston for decades so I do claim expertise.
Before I got cut off I was going to make my third point that cyclists are ultimately responsible for their own safety, and I agree with your subsequent comments about cycle-auto collisions.
In the “cycling community” there are two schools of thought about riding in traffic: As Far Right as Possible: close to the curb; or Take the Lane to be out there and visible to cars. Bike lanes encourage the former behavior, likely more tolerated by motorists.
Bike lanes are not that wide, but then cyclist is in the “door zone” in danger of opening doors from parked cars.
Secondly they reduce congestion if extensively used, since so many in-town trips are individual motorists traveling short distances. Of course, Jeff kept illustrating his arguments with depictions of long distance commutes, and trips with the family.
The preceding caller made the point that the availability of scooters, as well as the Blue Bikes draws pedestrians and subway users out into the streets. I agreed because that increased mobility, convenience and relative speed can be similar, and even more appealing than driving.
Thirdly, I got to make my point about safety. Earlier in the program he ribbed of inadvertently "bumping” scooters, hoping the operator wore a helmet and knee and elbow pads, but agreed with me that such accidents certainly are more serious.
I didn’t get to make my conclusion that IMO, the crux of the proposal, since these two-wheeled vehicles have a right to be on the road, and could be a popular transportation mode in the city, is how they and the cars can co-exist..
Jeff was actually gracious in his comments, even inviting me to call in the summer, when the scooters would be prevalent. Indeed, he claimed that the cyclists would likely be the most inconvenienced, and harmed by the scooters.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-28-19 at 03:15 PM.