Lazy Woman's Hub Cleaning Scheme

A simple pipecleaner, $1.99 for 100 at my local store (and yes, I have spare ones for free if you want one), makes an excellent hub cleaner for lazy people. The directions are simple:

1. Wrap it around your hub
2. Twist the ends together
3. Forget about it for about a week on your townie or for a long (dry) ride on your pleasure bike

When your hub looks sufficiently clean you just tug firmly to remove. It is so easy that while the rest of my bike is still dirty the hubs are certainly gleaming!

Cool Guy

This guy looked cool and happy in rush hour as he rode to work on his vintage 3-speed. Boston transportation cycling at it's best!

Dreamy Bicycles

There are bikes on the ceiling at the new Sel de la Terre in the new Mandarin Oriental on Boyleston St.

I'm feeling unobservant, because it seems they're not that new. How did I miss them? Well, anyway, aren't they wonderful? I want to go get a drink there just for the ambiance.

I've only been to the Long Wharf location (once) but based on their website it looks like bicycles on the ceiling it might be a tradition at the Back Bay location. How cool is that?

Parasol

It's a hot and sunny day here, but still I was surprised to see a lady riding with her parasol down the bike lane on Cambridge Street, Cambridge. Her orange parasol matches her orange fender.


She maintained her sun protection even as she dismounted at her destination!

New Bike Lanes

I loved watching her streamers flying off the back of her handlebars as she wooooooosssshhed down the hill and under the bridge in her new bike lane.

Happy Bike week Boston! Hurray for our new Comm Ave bike lanes, and another huge thank you to Nicole!

Here are some more photos from Boston Biker

Miss Purple

Smokey purple helmet and stunning purple ANT... cute sandals and a matching top... I love it all.

Miss Purple, I'm your biggest fan!


(oh, and the other day? That was my grandmother's king sized down comforter on my front rack. I was pretending to be a UPS truck and hauling things all over town)

Lovely Bike Morning

Overheard while sitting outside at a café:

Oh, I'm just over here.

Is that your bike? It's lovely! What year is it?

(admiring chatter while Charlotte frantically digs her camera out and gets whatever shot she can of the lovely green Raleigh with the Brooks saddle)



What a perfect day for a bike ride! I'm jealous.

This chic cyclist and her friend are right, today was a delicious day to be on a bike. Hope you're enjoying it!

Handsome 3 Speed

Every time I see this guy he is impeccably turned out. Look, even his shoes are recently shined.

Sunglasses and Gloves

Welcome to springtime in New England!
Happy Bike Week everyone!

Bay State Bike Week 2010

Today as I rode in to work I saw my first 2010 bicycle citation being issued by the Cambridge cops. That's the surest sign that Bay State Bike Week is about to begin!

That said, the pancake breakfasts and parties all over town make it all worthwhile. Just be safe and reasonable out there!

Oh Cold Snap

Brrrr! I hope that, like this lady, you didn't put away your winter coat.

I hear this is the last of the cold and we will resume our regularly scheduled springtime shortly. Here's hoping!

Long Distance New Bicycle Excitement

I have a new bicycle! It's not exclusively mine, but that's a mere detail. I know my dad loves me because he's slammed at work and still he took the time to answer the Craigslist ad I found for this lovely 1994 Bridgestone RB-T and bring it home for me.

The Grant Peterson Bridgestones have a cult following I'm only beginning to understand. I look forward to riding this bike and learning more. I have many plans for this bike!

Googling around various groups I found a discussion which included:

Technically, it was never marketed as a dedicated touring model, but as a versatile hilly road/light trail/cyclocross-ish bike. It was equipped with a triple, but a tall road triple, not a touring triple. It has shortish chainstays (but supposedly long enough for panniers - and I think they went longer in 1994), a relatively tight fork offset, two sets of water bottle braze-ons rather than three, and only one set of eyelets front and rear (though I think this varied by year, but there were no front fork low-rider braze-ons). It does have cantilevers and enough room for wide tires.

All of this is ideal for the sort of fire road-style riding my dad does, with a little commuting thrown in. This bike will be mine when I'm home, and available to Dad's lady-friend all the time. I personally like the drop handlebars, but for other people using the bike I'm contemplating changing to moustache bars. Thoughts appreciated!

I'm so excited! On to "wayward adventures"!

Moving Rubber Tree Plants

Spotted in the South End, I expect this ANT can move rubber tree plants (and just about anything else!)

That'll do it!

I have been extraordinarily lucky. We moved back to Boston in 2006 and I've been commuting daily by bike since then. In these almost 4 years I have never, ever, had a flat. First I rode Kenda tires on my Raleigh Sport, then a mish-mash while I converged on my current solution, Schwalbe Marathons on my Dawes. I'll be the first to tell you that I think good tires are worth the money.

Yesterday I had my first flat. It took an enormous construction staple going directly through the tire.

As I went through the headache of changing a rear 3-speed tire I wondered why I'd thought that 10-to-3 speeds was a good idea. It is more of a hassle, any way you slice it. However I certainly spent more time trying to service that old derailleur than I've spent on the 3 speed. Here's hoping for another 4 years of flat-free commuting!




Boo, I just heard from a Craigslist seller that a bike listed today that I was going to see tonight for my dad has already sold. I hate when you think you have a plan and they don't tell you to act faster. Boo.

Donut Stop?

It seems that I am endlessly amused by the sight of a bike in front of Dunkin' Donuts. But you'll agree, this blue beauty looks good there. I've seen her elsewhere in Cambridge, such a pretty bike gets noticed.