Metro Boston: Good ride today?
#6251
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#6252
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Location: Boston-ish, MA
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Ho hum, another day, another bike ride.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#6253
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Some changes afoot in Arlington. There's an art installation between Linwood Street and Swan Place, a series of stenciled text dyads on the trail surface, a new pair about every 8 pedal strokes.
The HAWK signal is now in operation in Arlington Center. I observed two light cycles, and both times a large vehicle stopped in the painted lane when the signal permitted pedestrian and bicycle traffic, some sort of gridlock. This is clearly going to involve a learning curve.
rod
The HAWK signal is now in operation in Arlington Center. I observed two light cycles, and both times a large vehicle stopped in the painted lane when the signal permitted pedestrian and bicycle traffic, some sort of gridlock. This is clearly going to involve a learning curve.
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 06-19-17 at 08:14 PM.
#6255
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I've been pretty busy the past 2 weeks, my riding has been in the sweet hours of early summer mornings. June is the best time for the 5:00 AM rides. No headlights, no helmet lights, no super thick double layer gloves. I have been finding 25 miles to be the "sweet spot" for me the past few weeks, with the exception of last Friday mornings 48 mile ride. This Sunday I am thinking of leaving the Lycra at home and riding to Nashua and back on the Smoothie for an 80 mile afternoon of casual clothed summer bliss.
#6257
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Speaking of the Minuteman...
In Arlington Center the Minuteman Bikeway crosses Mass Ave. To continue east on the MM you have to cross Mass Ave and turn left. Arlington recently put up new traffic lights and painted bike lanes, very well-thought out too and effective. So now you wait for a stoplight, then follow a bike lane 2/3rds of the way across Mass Ave to a large green rectangle with a white bike symbol and left-turning arrow painted on the road, then wait for the cars' go-straight traffic light. Kinda' hard for even brain-dead drivers to misinterpret. But it's out in front of the stopped traffic. I figure that as a courtesy to the drivers whom I just pulled in front of I should move off promptly when the stoplight changes to pull over to the bike lane on the shoulder. It's all about watching the light and being ready. A bike can outrun most drivers to 5mph and stay even to 10mph, so with that head start if the cyclists are ready the cars are never inconvenienced.
Well, yesterday I pulled up to the first stoplight and waited alone for a few seconds. Then another cyclist younger and bigger than I (Dare I insult an entire decade and call him a millennial?) pulled up to my right and inched slightly ahead, then a few more fell in behind us. When the light changed the millennial to my right cut me off as we left the sidewalk but then idled through the intersection, veering left as if I wasn't there at all. Okay...
So I took a place in the big green square and waited. But now I'm thinkin', what do I do when the light changes? Let this guy go first as he apparently wants to do? But if he goes slowly like he just did I'll be stuck in front of a bunch of possibly impatient drivers, and being discourteous too. Better him alone than both of us. So I decided to jump on it. I knew the light pattern, I was in a good gear, and I can ride.
Now I may seem like just a 5'9", 160lbs gray-beard riding an old skinny-tube steel bike with DT shifters and toe clips/straps. Okay, I really am a 5'9", 160lbs gray-beard, but the bike was an Italian racer, hand-made with Columbus SL tubing, wearing high-performance wheels and tires. And I can usually slip my feet into the straps faster than most modern riders can clip in. When the light changed I checked that no driver was running the red, then I jumped on it.
The rider to my left fell in behind me quickly and I think that irritating millennial fell into third. I picked up my left pedal easily and seconds later heard the clicks of clipless pedals clipping in. I hammered the 80 yards to the right turn at the Kickstand Cafe then the left back onto the MM. The second place rider was quick too and stayed right on my tail. I couldn't see further back with my mirror. I didn't back down then because it's discourteous to cut in front of another rider then slow down. After maybe another hundred yards when the MM finally cleared enough for safe passing I pulled over, slowed a little, and waved the guy behind me around. As he went by he called back "You jumped all of us back there at the light. Good job!" About fiften second later as I was cruising comfortably that millennial guy shot past me.
He! I may seem like just a 5'9", 160 lbs gray-beard on an old steel bike. But things aren't always what they seem.
In Arlington Center the Minuteman Bikeway crosses Mass Ave. To continue east on the MM you have to cross Mass Ave and turn left. Arlington recently put up new traffic lights and painted bike lanes, very well-thought out too and effective. So now you wait for a stoplight, then follow a bike lane 2/3rds of the way across Mass Ave to a large green rectangle with a white bike symbol and left-turning arrow painted on the road, then wait for the cars' go-straight traffic light. Kinda' hard for even brain-dead drivers to misinterpret. But it's out in front of the stopped traffic. I figure that as a courtesy to the drivers whom I just pulled in front of I should move off promptly when the stoplight changes to pull over to the bike lane on the shoulder. It's all about watching the light and being ready. A bike can outrun most drivers to 5mph and stay even to 10mph, so with that head start if the cyclists are ready the cars are never inconvenienced.
Well, yesterday I pulled up to the first stoplight and waited alone for a few seconds. Then another cyclist younger and bigger than I (Dare I insult an entire decade and call him a millennial?) pulled up to my right and inched slightly ahead, then a few more fell in behind us. When the light changed the millennial to my right cut me off as we left the sidewalk but then idled through the intersection, veering left as if I wasn't there at all. Okay...
So I took a place in the big green square and waited. But now I'm thinkin', what do I do when the light changes? Let this guy go first as he apparently wants to do? But if he goes slowly like he just did I'll be stuck in front of a bunch of possibly impatient drivers, and being discourteous too. Better him alone than both of us. So I decided to jump on it. I knew the light pattern, I was in a good gear, and I can ride.
Now I may seem like just a 5'9", 160lbs gray-beard riding an old skinny-tube steel bike with DT shifters and toe clips/straps. Okay, I really am a 5'9", 160lbs gray-beard, but the bike was an Italian racer, hand-made with Columbus SL tubing, wearing high-performance wheels and tires. And I can usually slip my feet into the straps faster than most modern riders can clip in. When the light changed I checked that no driver was running the red, then I jumped on it.
The rider to my left fell in behind me quickly and I think that irritating millennial fell into third. I picked up my left pedal easily and seconds later heard the clicks of clipless pedals clipping in. I hammered the 80 yards to the right turn at the Kickstand Cafe then the left back onto the MM. The second place rider was quick too and stayed right on my tail. I couldn't see further back with my mirror. I didn't back down then because it's discourteous to cut in front of another rider then slow down. After maybe another hundred yards when the MM finally cleared enough for safe passing I pulled over, slowed a little, and waved the guy behind me around. As he went by he called back "You jumped all of us back there at the light. Good job!" About fiften second later as I was cruising comfortably that millennial guy shot past me.
He! I may seem like just a 5'9", 160 lbs gray-beard on an old steel bike. But things aren't always what they seem.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#6259
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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FWIW, at that time I wasn't thinking so much about being dissed as about what to do when the light changed. That I could come out on top in the morality game was just added incentive. That I actually did come out on top in both the morality game and the quasi-race just made it sweeter!
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#6260
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Nice response!
FWIW, at that time I wasn't thinking so much about being dissed as about what to do when the light changed. That I could come out on top in the morality game was just added incentive. That I actually did come out on top in both the morality game and the quasi-race just made it sweeter!
FWIW, at that time I wasn't thinking so much about being dissed as about what to do when the light changed. That I could come out on top in the morality game was just added incentive. That I actually did come out on top in both the morality game and the quasi-race just made it sweeter!
If a bearded guy riding a light-gray Felt acts discourteously to any of you, he swears it was an inadvertent mishap.
#6262
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Just curious what you guys would do; I had an awkward experience at my LBS yesterday and I can't decide if I want to take my business elsewhere or let it roll off my back. Last week when I picked up my R3 I also grabbed a pair of Shimano Carbon rim brake pads. I glanced at the rear calipers and kinda eyeballed the pads and said to myself I should grab a pair. The wheel manufacture sells their preferred pads online but lists acceptable substitutes that they say they have tested, the Shimano pads were one of them. Wanting to support my LBS I decided to buy them there instead. I got home and slid a pad out and quickly realized that I have a lot of serviceable life left. Without opening the new package I set them aside to return upon my following trip th the shop. Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roubaix from a tune up and shifter cable replacement, I went to return the unopened pads. The guy looked at them and said they are used. Having never bought Shimano Carbon rim pads before I couldn't tell if they in fact originally sold me used pads or he was flat out wrong. He accused me of trying to return used pads. I was pretty unhappy about being put in that position and said fine if you won't take them I'll just keep them. He snarkily said somethings about me spending a lot there and said he'd take them anyways (clearly not the same as accepting that they sold me a used product or perhaps he was mistaken). The kicker was when he brought out my Roubaix and told me the cost, it was below what the quote was when I dropped it off, they forgot to add the shift cables to the bill. I told him and asked that he add them to the bill. He didn't say much or convey any sense of concern that he maybe had judged me or my intentions wrong. I didn't open, mount or use the pads and ensured I paid for what I took home. I was and am still left less than thrilled by the encounter. I have gave them a lot of business in the past few years and really want to look elsewhere. When I dropped off the Roubaix I was conversing about my plans for a Di2 upgrade and discussed how the new cables would hold me over until the new Ultegra 8000 series Di2 hits their shelves this winter. They have a lot of staff members and some have been real snobby to me and some have been awesome. For some reason this coupled with the snobs leaves me itching to find another LBS.
I'm curious what some of you local folks have experienced or tolerated.
I'm curious what some of you local folks have experienced or tolerated.
Last edited by Ghazmh; 06-24-17 at 05:34 PM.
#6263
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Just curious what you guys would do; I had an awkward experience at my LBS yesterday and I can't decide if I want to take my business elsewhere or let it roll off my back. Last week when I picked up my R3 I also grabbed a pair of Shimano Carbon rim brake pads. I glanced at the rear calipers and kinda eyeballed the pads and said to myself I should grab a pair. The wheel manufacture sells their preferred pads online but lists acceptable substitutes that they say they have tested, the Shimano pads were one of them. Wanting to support my LBS I decided to buy them there instead. I got home and slid a pad out and quickly realized that I have a lot of serviceable life left. Without opening the new package I set them aside to return upon my following trip th the shop. Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roubaix from a tune up and shifter cable replacement, I went to return the unopened pads. The guy looked at them and said they are used. Having never bought Shimano Carbon rim pads before I couldn't tell if they in fact originally sold me used pads or he was flat out wrong. He accused me of trying to return used pads. I was pretty unhappy about being put in that position and said fine if you won't take them I'll just keep them. He snarkily said somethings about me spending a lot there and said he'd take them anyways (clearly not the same as accepting that they sold me a used product or perhaps he was mistaken). The kicker was when he brought out my Roubaix and told me the cost, it was below what the quote was when I dropped it off, they forgot to add the shift cables to the bill. I told him and asked that he add them to the bill. He didn't say much or convey any sense of concern that he maybe had judged me or my intentions wrong. I didn't open, mount or use the pads and ensured I paid for what I took home. I was and am still left less than thrilled by the encounter. I have gave them a lot of business in the past few years and really want to look elsewhere. When I dropped off the Roubaix I was conversing about my plans for a Di2 upgrade and discussed how the new cables would hold me over until the new Ultegra 8000 series Di2 hits their shelves this winter. They have a lot of staff members and some have been real snobby to me and some have been awesome. For some reason this coupled with the snobs leaves me itching to find another LBS.
I'm curious what some of you local folks have experienced or tolerated.
I'm curious what some of you local folks have experienced or tolerated.
rod
#6264
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Shimano Dura-Ace-Ultegra-105 Carbon Brake Pads | Chain Reaction Cycles
#6265
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Hmm, I think I found the answer to one question. The guy was mistaken. I just googled the pads and the picture from an online retailer shows the contact surface to have a brushed look.
Shimano Dura-Ace-Ultegra-105 Carbon Brake Pads | Chain Reaction Cycles
Shimano Dura-Ace-Ultegra-105 Carbon Brake Pads | Chain Reaction Cycles
rod
#6266
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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I'd say you should consider and reconsider. If that guy stays around and is representative of how that shop operates then move on. If the general tenor of the shop is to be customer-sensitive and that guy was an outlier then see if you can deal with them but not with him. Yeah, I know, sometimes hard to do.
There are a few shops around here for whom I have tried to generate loyalty within myself. Sometimes they make it hard. In the end I figure they are just another shop. I'll support them if it is convenient, or I'll support another for the same reason.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#6267
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Thanks for the insight folks!
Now back to the fun stuff; I changed my mind about going casual and riding the Smootie. Instead I took the R3 for a spirited 65 mile spin. Admittedly I was happily chasing numbers and Strava segments. At the same time I basked in the summery Sunday gorgeousness of my routes, including smelling the freshly cut grass, flowers and my favorite cologne-sunblock. I bagged the first 50 in 2 hours 39 minutes and slowed down a bit for the final 15.
Now back to the fun stuff; I changed my mind about going casual and riding the Smootie. Instead I took the R3 for a spirited 65 mile spin. Admittedly I was happily chasing numbers and Strava segments. At the same time I basked in the summery Sunday gorgeousness of my routes, including smelling the freshly cut grass, flowers and my favorite cologne-sunblock. I bagged the first 50 in 2 hours 39 minutes and slowed down a bit for the final 15.
#6268
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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The Masi and I took a 70.15 mile stroll today. Today was hard to beat.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#6269
Keep calm, Cycle on
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I haven't had a beer in over a month ... you're making me envious Jim... lol
I'm getting out of shape. I haven't been putting any long days in the saddle and I'm finding it's harder for me to put out large amounts of power for more than 30 minutes now. Why is it so hard to maintain fitness.
I'm getting out of shape. I haven't been putting any long days in the saddle and I'm finding it's harder for me to put out large amounts of power for more than 30 minutes now. Why is it so hard to maintain fitness.
#6270
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I can't drink beer either. well, rarely anyway, & then it's only one with a cpl shots of tequila, but then I'm done. drove past a driveway today that had probably 6 empty 24 packs of Bud out for pickup. party? or just thirsty?
Last edited by rumrunn6; 06-26-17 at 03:01 PM.
#6271
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Summertime!
10 miles on the Minuteman before dinner. The photo I wish I had taken was of a couple of cyclists, each towing a child trailer (didn't catch the brand); in each trailer sat two pleased-looking Skye terriers. Made me smile.
rod
10 miles on the Minuteman before dinner. The photo I wish I had taken was of a couple of cyclists, each towing a child trailer (didn't catch the brand); in each trailer sat two pleased-looking Skye terriers. Made me smile.
rod
#6272
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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#6273
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My ride at the Lowell St entrance to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle (I think), almost midway through a 50-miler early Sunday morning... not terribly well lit, but it was before 7 AM, after all.
Someday I'll have to go through there when the ice cream stand is open.
Someday I'll have to go through there when the ice cream stand is open.
#6274
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My ride at the Lowell St entrance to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle (I think), almost midway through a 50-miler early Sunday morning... not terribly well lit, but it was before 7 AM, after all.Someday I'll have to go through there when the ice cream stand is open.
#6275
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I'm no hero. Having a toddler just means you take your chances for a longer ride where you can get them!