badhorsy

Hi guys,

anywhere here from the Boston area? I was wondering if anyone can let me know what the cycling is like over there...

I'm moving to Boston (well, probably Cambridge) in January 2012 from London, England. I do a massive amount of road cycling over in the UK (all year round). Cycling in London isn't so great, but within about 30 mins of cycling you can get to the outskirts of the city where the beautiful English countryside begins.


Thanks!

Essex

I can't speak much about Boston cycling...but less than 30 minutes away are the wonderful roads of Cape Ann. You can examine this site for more info.

https://www.bikenewengland.com/

Jim from Boston

I'm a year-round commuter and occasional centurian living in downtown Boston. I have previously written a little compendium about road cycling in Boston and environs in response to one of multiple similar queries, FYI (you may know that you can click on the >> symbol next to my user name to link to the full post):

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

dnuzzomueller

Another Boston based cyclist here, also know Jim from Boston.

There are alot of good groups around, if you are interested in group rides some of the shops host them and there are meet ups during the week aswell.

If you want any more info (specific details or just want to go for a ride) PM me aswell.

Oh but Listen to Jim from Boston when it comes to routes, that guy knows more routes then I could ever dream of (And better routes then mine, that is for sure!)

godshammgod

I'll third the recommendation to listen to Jim from Boston. He knows his way around the Greater Boston area (plus he's a nice guy too).

Given that you're moving to Cambridge I'd suggest exploring west of Boston: Lexington, Concord and beyond. Once you get out of the city they're nice, mostly flat, suburban/rural roads. This is a quick route I threw together for someone else recently. It's the out leg of a trip from Somerville (right next to Cambridge) to Carlisle: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/460607

Some of the best riding is also out in the Newton/Needham/Dover and beyond area. Maybe 30 minutes from Cambridge?

Juan Foote

Wow, I have vowed to never DRIVE in Boston again, much less to attempt to ride a bicycle there. You are a brave bunch.

godshammgod

It's honestly not that bad. Sure, in the heart of the city (Back Bay, Kenmore Square) it can be a little dicey, but most areas are quite nice.

Especially if you're riding from Cambridge. That's a pretty cycling friendly area.

eippo1

Yeah, once you leave the city proper, it's pretty decent riding all around. So many good rides. You'll most likely be using Mass ave to bring you west and then head through towns like Lexington, Concord, Acton or north to Billerica or SW heading towards Dover. So many options around here.

Just stay away from the bike path unless you're doing a cooldown and are going wicked slow. Too many kids, dogs, rollerblades, moms on phones, deer, kids on bmx's, frogs, walkers, joggers, squirrels, idiots on bikes and commuters.

cmolway

I bike commute from the north shore to Boston every day. Like London, the cycling isn't so great in the city. There is great riding from Cambridge up through Arlington and out to Bedford/Carlisle and beyond. Stop by Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington (20 minutes ride from Harvard Square) for an espresso and all the bike-centric conversation you'll need to get you settled. They also have a group ride on Saturday morning that has a fast A group and large B group www.ridestudiocafe.com

The Charles river wheelmen www.crw.org is also a good place to look for local group rides.

I agree that the bike path is best left to the kids and dog walkers.

Juan Foote

Admittedly, I know nothing of the area at all. We arrived in Revere, near the airport. I was in a rental with the whole family and my mother. It was my first experience with "rotaries" as well. I was completely out of my element. Atlanta traffic is bad enough without adding a take gap give gap circle of traffic to navigate.

Jim from Boston

Aw shucks, guys.

Most of the above local posters to this thread are regulars on a long-running thread on the Northeast Regional Discussion Forum, “Metro Boston: good ride today?”:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ood-ride-today

I had thought about mentioning that thread in my first reply, but I do provide a link in my compendium. Several of us routinely post our long rides, and I’m a particularly wonky map-reader (“cartographile”) and I enjoy detailing my routes. This summer in particular I was posting about my Saturday training rides, but I got really busy over the past three weeks, though I did ride every Saturday (for the information of the Metro Boston gang).

One of the big changes in the Boston cycling scene over the past couple years has been the interest that Mayor Menino has taken in bicycling, and he has appointed a bike czar, introduced several cycling lanes in those above-mentioned areas in the heart of the city, and instituted a bicycle sharing system, called “Hubway,” particularly centered in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. (Boston is known, besides Beantown, as the Hub [of the Universe] )

irwin7638

You might like to read Lovely Bicycle, a blog well written by a young Bostonian who lives car free in the city.

Marc

fatdad

This club has lots of rides on their cue sheet repository...https://www.crw.org

If you live in Cambridge, you can use the Minuteman Bikeway which begins in north Cambridge and gets you out to Bedford. From there, you can hit the roads in relative safety and head out to Concord, Carlisle, Acton and beyond.

These guys do rides every saturday & sunday starting at their bike shop in Arlington...www.quadcycles.com. Their shop is just off the Bikeway, so it's easy for you to get to the start.

These guys also do a saturday and sunday ride starting at their bike shop in Lexington...www.ridestudiocafe.com. Their shop is also just off the Bikeway, one town further than the Arlington.

There are also lots of rides to the west, towns like Weston, Sudbury, Dover, Sherborn etc. The CRW site will have those as well.

Despite Boston's reputation as a hostile city for cyclists, the suburbs just to the north and west support a vibrant road scene for all abilities.