Ghazmh

[QUOTE=jimmuller;19631161]So why didn't you run for President last year? Not kidding. No, really. Your observation is spot on.

I feel compelled to share the most egregious observation today. I am heading East on the Minuteman to the right of my lane of travel. In the oncoming lane is a dad and a young child who was on a bike without training wheels. we were almost shoulder to shoulder when someone bleats out "on your left" and takes it up the middle. Totally inappropriate IMHO. he should have waited the 3.75 seconds for the oncoming lane to be clear before passing me. I see that same inexperienced arrogance but this particular instance was a new degree of arrogance or stupidity.

Good ride still!

rholland1951

I found myself at loose ends today, didn't necessarily feel like climbing hills, and realized I had never, in all the years I've lived here, taken advantage of car-free Sundays on Memorial Drive, so I took the Ebisu down there, rode the car-free Mem Drive segment, then continued on that side of the river as far as the Locks, which I traversed walking the bike, then puttered around aimlessly on the fringes of the North End (including a sighting of the Santa Maria Di Anzano Procession) and the Rose Kennedy Greenway (with its lovely carousel), heading back through Chinatown and Charles Street, getting entangled in the Boost Boston Games in the process, and finally getting to the Esplanade and making my way up the Boston side of the Charles River until I reached River Street, at which point I returned to Mem Drive, still car-free, and ambled home. 24 slow, flat, interesting miles through Arlington, Cambridge, Boston, and Belmont. It drizzled a bit for much of the ride, but pleasantly so. Perhaps Boston is morphing into Seattle.

Any questions?


Mem Drive was a mellow scene. The little kids, particularly, loved it.


Make way for goslings.


Longfellow Bridge is still a work in progress.


Unopposed amphibious landing.


Skill.


Moving walkways, use at your own risk.


A friendly game of bocce.


Nobody wants to ride the skunk.


A pole-vaulter launches herself at the Boost Boston Games.


rod

rholland1951

[QUOTE=Ghazmh;19631183]My personal Reference Standard for this kind of behavior came one evening on the Minuteman, at the Bow Street, Lexington, intersection. The blind woman who's one of the evening regulars was executing a turn-around maneuver at the East gate, her 5'-long NFB cane in full view. A kitted youngster with more bike than sense comes barreling through at top speed, barely misses her, and screams accusingly, "DIDN'T YOU SEE ME???" This was so absurd that the blind woman grinned.

rod

Jim from Boston

Rod, since "On your Left" is such a frequent recurrent topic, I would iike to quote this post as a reply. And I thought my Golden Rule of Cycling was a good answer, "Do unto the Pedestrians as you would have the Motorists do unto You."

mr_bill

I remember things in odd ways.

How would this image (misidentified as blizzard of '78, clearly not) pop up in June?

Anyhow, original source:



From Soul Poles, Park City Utah.

(I use Scott.)

-mr. bill

autonomy

Speaking of unsafe cycling on the Minuteman... there is a speed limit, right? Except it's not publicized and no one cares. I am definitely guilty of breaking it as I have gone very fast but I try to do that ONLY when it is safe to do so (few people on the path).

Last Sunday on our way back wife & I passed an incident by Trader Joe's on the Minuteman. A cyclist with a neck brace was getting loaded onto a gurney by EMTs. Wife says his fork was broken. We didn't rubberneck much, but don't think we saw anyone else injured, so the guess is he swerved to avoid someone and ran into the concrete pad which holds the bike rack, breaking his bike. The path was pretty crowded at that point.

So... be smart, make safe passes, and "stay alert, stay alive" indeed.

jimmuller 

Great photo. I was in Cambridge in '78, and I'm pretty sure the Zakim Bridge didn't exist then.

mr_bill

There is not a speed limit on the Minuteman, other than the basic speed law. "Ride at a safe speed."

The signs on the Minuteman "Cyclists move silently at 10-25 MPH":



A few years ago there was an accident that led to a brief proposal to set the speed limit to 10 mph. To give you a comparison, the only bike trail in the state set at 10 mph is Province Lands Trail - a circa 1960 trail with more in common with an amusement park ride than a bikeway.

-mr. bill

autonomy

10mph? My road bike rolls at about 12mph with barely any pedal input on the downhill section between TJs and Mill St...

drewguy

+1.

(Looking for other clues in the photo, and there are surprisingly few. Appears to be a DirecTV dish on the chimney of the house behind the tree, and hi-viz yellow wasn't used on signs in 1978. Plus those don't look like the 210cm skis that someone would have worn in the 1970s).

mr_bill

This years Cause+Event Boston 5K winner came in at just under 10 mph.
But last year's winner finished at 11.13 MPH.

-mr. bill

mr_bill

'Twas "Winter Storm Nemo," when all through the Town
Not a Dunkin was open, we all wore a frown;
When out on the street a wicked idiot below
Put on his damn skies, and dashed down bleepin snow!

-mr. bill

rholland1951

Took the Ebisu out to Depot Park and back before dinner in refreshingly seasonable weather. Tweaked the seat height a couple of times, still fiddling with minor fit issues, but had a jolly ride, and made good time.


rod

rumrunn6

that a good safe testing ground

Ghazmh

3 rides, 2 flats this week. Tuesday morning I basked in rain soaked 48* bliss before we get stuck with nice weather. About 9 miles in With my Roubaix I was rolling down the Walden st. descent when I felt the unmistakable bounce that comes with a flat. I pulled into the parking area and heard the last bits of air escape from the hole. Before I could lament in the pleasure of a road side flat repair in the freezing rain I pulled off my already soaked "waterproof" Gore gloves and most expediently got to work. I was rather surprised how easy the Roval wheel/Specialized Turbo Pro combo came unseated. It was way easier than the Boyd/Conti Gator Hardshell combo on the R3. I swapped in a new tube and used my inflator to get it done fast and tossed the old tube in the trash can. I wasn't about to patch it then nor roll up the dirty wet tube and shove it in a small pocket (I did contimplate driving there later on and plucking it out of the can to patch for later). 10 minutes later and I headed home.

Yesterday I had enough time for a 39 mile lunch break ride on the R3. During the last few miles I noticed a ticking sound that was concerning. I got home and parked the bike on the rack. Later on I went to inspect it to see if I could figure it out. The tire was unseated and flat. I had a long gash on the inside of the tube. I mounted the current set of tires a few weeks ago so perhaps the tube was pinched? The rim tape wasn't torn nor were there any sharp edges on the wheel.

I finally had an awesome 30 mile sunrise ride with the Roubaix this morning! My strength has returned and I was able to pour on the coals and had a few good sprints. Upon seeking a quote to upgrade the Roubaix from 6800 to 6870 I quickly realized that it's not a cost effective upgrade at this time.

Ghazmh

Bad week. I was 29 miles into my 30 mile loop this morning on my 6870 Di2 equipped R3. I hit the button to upshift to the big chainring when nothing happened. I took a glance at the battery LED and saw a green blip, the battery wasn't dead. I heard the servo motor but nothing was happening. I got home and found a broken link. Nothing online about the front deraillers being rebuildable I dont think its going to be a reasonably cheap fix.

Ghazmh

After racking up 9 miles going to the local grocery store (with trailer and panniers) then Russo's (panniers only) on my Montare I took the Roubaix for a spirited 40 mile spin in gorgeous weather. Nothing broke or went flat. Today put me up to 3022 miles for the year-half way to my goal for 2017.

jimmuller 

Ooh, sorry to hear. Of course as someone who owns 9 vintage road bikes plus a vintage tandem I will have to work hard to resist making some smart aleck remark about newfangled technology. Unexpected breakages are never fun.

Nice. We've been out grocery shopping on the tandem a bunch of times, usually to places further like Hutchins Organic Farm in Concord. We frequent Russo's too but not yet by bike. Even the tandem couldn't carry enough!

I've been remiss in posting my own recent rides. Too much to do. Some recent adventures:

There is this small bike shop with a back door that open up onto the Minuteman Bikeway, not a big shop but seemingly busy because of the neat location. Most of you Bostonians will recognize it. Pretty funky stuff inside, kids' bikes, utility bikes of all sorts, some interesting road bikes I think (though I never notice much in that line). Some out-of-town friends of ours sometimes rent a tandem from them so we can go off exploring together, and their tandem is always in good shape. More to the point, I've gone in there several times out of necessity, to borrow a tool, to look for some esoteric part I'm sure they don't have, that kind of thing. The owner has always been incredibly kind and helpful. He loves to talk about old bikes, seems really to appreciate the vintage stuff. When I took the Masi in there once he spent 45 minutes bending my ear about various bikes from his past. Pretty neat.

Well, the other day I went in to borrow a tool to check the crank bolts on my Motobecane and he commented on it immediately. He then lamented that during a shop clean-up a year or so ago some young kid had tossed out his 23mm TA crank puller and he was bummed. So I went online and found one pretty cheap, ordered it, and took it by the shop and gave it to them. The owner wasn't there so I spoke with a friendly 20-something employee whose first comment was about the Motobecane, pointing out his own "over there" which turned out to be a '74 Grand Touring. Wow!

Then I told him why I was there, to return their kindness by giving them a TA crank puller. As I handed it to him his eyes grew about 3 sizes and his face took on a look of complete wonderment. Then he replied "Wow, we really need this. Thank you!" I told him to drop it in the tool box and tell the owner the guy with the blue Motobecane left it for them. He asked "Does the guy with the blue Motobecane have a name?" and I said "Jim." (Hey, there are only 8 million of us, give or take a few million, the last time I counted.)

I left feeling good. I think it left him feeling good too. Maybe it will let them help some future customer with a TA crankset, which will leave that customer feeling good too. Spreading kindness is always a good thing., We can use more of it.

But that story is so last-week. This past Saturday, which is to say yesterday, I took the Grandis out for 51.8 miles, what with the weather being so spectacular. I was forced to ride either the Grandis or the Tommasini because I had no prep'ed sew-up spares. He! The Grandis does just fine, thank you. Yeah, I know, it's not exactly a third-world problem.

While waiting for a stoplight I heard a voice say "I haven't seen one of those in a long time." I turned and saw a white-haired gentleman (with no beard but a lot more hair than I have left) pedaling up on an orange Merckx. We spoke for a few minutes about old bikes. He said he still prefers steel; I told him I had nine steel bikes and he said he had ten plus a track bike. When the light changed we took off (and left me behind). Much later we met up again and spoke for a few more minutes. Great fun.

I went along some roads I've done a few times but not so much lately. Approaching the Pope Rd/Strawberry Hill intersection:



Near the top of Strawberry Hill there is another of those squat stone towers like the one at the top of Cross St in Carlisle. The grounds on which it is located contain a beautiful old mansion set back from the road and horse fields and a stable and lots of fencing. Rather upscale for my budget, I think! But magnificent to see. I'd still like to know what that tower is. Too short to be a shot tower, probably not a silo.



A short stop on the return, not far out of Alewife Station, a bit of history:

Ghazmh

Great ride pics Jim. I think that mysterious ticking noise I heard was somehow related to my front derailleur which was its way of announcement it was going to break soon. I rolled by Ferns around 11:30 and looked ro see if the blue tandem was parked there. I brought the R3 to my shop. The Mechanic who looked at it said it shouldn't have broken in the way it did. The drivetrain had no wear and tear to have caused it to jam. He thinks Shimano will warranty it.

rholland1951

After spending the better part of the weekend at a wedding in Greenfield, I took the Ebisu out for a short spin up to Lexington Center in the heat of the day, the East Arlington weather station reporting 96degF as I set out. Still fiddling with seat height and angle on that bike, made a couple more changes and a little progress.


rod

mr_bill

I had never noticed, went by today.

It is indeed a silo, probably apple. (I know, Strawberry Hill, but that was the name of the hill, not product. Apples.)

mr. bill

mr_bill

So, getting ready for Bike MS again, so upping the miles and upping the hills.


Monday (yes, the hot hot day) rode to work. On the Minuteman, friends heading back from their early morning Pan Mass prep rides.



Tuesday, met up with a friend who is doing the ride with me.
Mental map of the Charles says it goes "west to east," so crossing the Weeks footbridge we are heading "south."
So how is the sun at our backs?



But all is right with the world, here we are heading "east" into the sunrise. Except we aren't.
I'm used to Thoreau-backs while riding past the ponds and through the hills out west of Boston.

But sometimes, you can hear Thoreau even when Storrow Drive is feet away.


-mr. bill

mr_bill

Tools!



-mr. bill

jimmuller 

Ooh, nice! That must be new, or else I am very unobservant, and I'm pretty sure I am very unobservant.

There is a tool stand at Depot Park in Bedford too.

I took the Motobecane out for 61 miles today. The MM was pretty empty. The ride was superb.



Bedford had a kids' bike race today. Lots of future environmentally-conscious TdF winners here!

jimmuller 

Yesterday I won the TdF on the Motobecane. Today I won the Giro on this, 34 miles, the backdrop here being the deep woods of Bedford:


I rode out 117 through Waltham and Weston to Lincoln, cut past the DeCordova Museum over to Baker Bridge Road, past all the fancy houses, to 126 past Walden Pond and into Concord. Came back home via the MM and Fitchburg Cutoff through Belmont. Had to wait for a bit while runners in a citizens' foot race plodded through one intersection. Runners of all ages too. Good on them all for doing it!

There was police activity on the MM this morning. a cruiser with blue lights flashing and three officers standing around talking. Don't know what it was about.

I confess I am losing patience with some of the riders I see on the MM. Crossing Lake St further east I came up behind two pedestrians also crossing Lake St, with another rider approaching from the opposite side. So I slowed to a walking speed, biding my time. Two impatient riders decided to pass us on our left right then with that other cyclist approaching over there, couldn't bother to notice what was developing. Then a third passed me and the pedestrians on our right. Yeesh guys, learn some courtesy. Safety might be good too. Sometimes I wonder what other cyclists are thinking. Come to think of it, I often wonder what a lot of non-cyclists are thinking, or if they ever do at all.

Still, it was a good day.