My HandleBar

I finally have half a moment to post a photo from my brother's wedding this summer. We were enjoying a sunny afternoon in downtown Boulder when MyHandleBar rolled into town. This thing looked like so much fun I went running over with my niece and her grandpa (my sister's father-in-law, is there a name for our relationship?) Here they are for scale as we checked this thing out:

It is a mobile bicycle bar, with one driver and everyone else literally saddled up to the bar.

The geometry of the cockpit is "relaxed", to say the least. They need 3 people minimum, if I remember correctly, and can take on more than will have pedals. The slope of your hill can't exceed 5 or 6%, but given those constraints it looked like a blast. Maybe someday Harpoon will have one of these and we won't have to ride Brewery to Brewery, we can just bring the beer along!

Whoa there stranger!

I am sure there is a treasure trove out there on the internet, but a quick Google search did not turn it up...

So this morning I left Future Cyclist with his nanny and got on my bike to head to work. Very first stoplight a cyclist pulls in about 2 cm from my shoulder. YIKES! I startled, and all I could think to say was "oh, hi." Later he passed me at the next red light, and then I very loudly said "On your left!" as I dropped him on the bridge.

Always too late at this sort of thing I thought later that what I wished I'd said was something more like "I don't usually let a man get this close to me 'till I've got his phone number" or something like that.

Witty people, or people with better Googling skills, what could we be saying in these situations, something that indicates no-harm-done but next time say something!?

Advice Needed and Gratuitious Baby Photo

We've enjoyed my friend E's photo submissions here on the blog, but now she needs some advice and I'm not sure I can help her. She'll be visiting home again and bringing her European-biking boyfriend with her. He's bringing his bicycle and wants to bike from Boston to Woods Hole.

I know it can be done, my husband has done it, but his route is less than ideal. He uses the Boston Brevet 200km route to begin, then hacks together the Cape portion of it. Navigation is a major hassle, and the bike path over the bridge is almost impossible to find, with access hidden behind a strip mall.

There must be a better way!

I know some people who have biked from Boston to Plymouth. I found this Boston-Plymouth bike route online, but am dismayed to see there are 606 cues over 80km! That strikes me as extremely complicated.

Does anyone have experience/advice for how to bike from Boston to Woods Hole. Thank you!!!



And just because I'm a doting mother, here's a photo of Future Cyclist practicing his chant "Allez les cyclists!":

SoWa Bike

This bike was getting a lot of attention at the SoWa Open Market (Sundays in the South End). There was an Italian family touching it, I got to feeling a little bit uncomfortable with their enthusiastic appreciation - it seems that bike groping etiquette is different across cultures. Would you touch another person's bike? Most particularly, would you explore the firmness of their Brooks saddle?

Link: How to talk about cycling with a Conservative

This was sent to me by a liberal friend, and I'm finding it amusing enough, and general enough, to want to share it:
How to talk about cycling with a Conservative

These "across the aisle" arguments have worked for me in the past and, except for continuing to (lightly) include the climate change issue, I think I've largely embraced this more widely accepted set of points, and certainly moved into the national security as related to dependence on foreign oil realm when discussing the global implications of tiny choices at home.

I think my favorite line in the article might be:
"Note: Some business suits actually contain trace amounts of Lycra and Spandex."
Go read the article, you'll see...


Actually I'm wrong, my favorite line is:

"people who choose to ride should be able to do so safely, as taxpaying citizens worthy of full protection of their individual rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of that special kind of happiness one gets from riding a bike."

Amen!



(Note, I looked into the Edison video and it was FILMED by Edison, but he's not actually riding the bike)

Photos from the Somerville Illuminations Bicycle Tour

Freezing cold but so much fun! Please enjoy some photos here from the Somerville Illuminations Bicycle Tour. Click through for a larger version.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Somerville Illuminations Bicycle Tour

Join the Somerville Bicycle Committee on Saturday evening, Dec 18, to celebrate the coming of winter and year round cycling. We will enjoy a casual bike tour to see some of the city’s homes warmly lit for the holidays.

We will meet at the Somerville High School entrance at 6:50pm, departing promptly at 7:15 pm.
We will tour the city in coordination with the Somerville Arts Council’s Illuminations Holiday Tour. The start of our ride is scheduled halfway between two trolley departures, so we will not interfere with the trolley tour.

This is a winter evening ride, so please dress warmly and use bike lights. Holiday lights, costumes & festive cheer encouraged. Heavy rain, wind, snow or ice cancels bike tour.

Bicycle Palio - Palio delle Biciclette

In Siena there is an ancient horse race called the Palio. It's clear from talking to people, reading books on the region, and just visiting and seeing the art of the place that the Palio is a big deal. This photo, showing just one bareback rider in ancient costume, with the town square packed with spectators, conveys a bit of the excitement.

So we were happy and amused to see that there is a much newer Bicycle Palio, and I'm just sorry we didn't get to see it happen. I've looked extensively but can only find photos of the horse race version (which of course looks fun too). Someday!

Florence Pedicab

How much fun is this modern-looking pedicab! Notice the passenger is sitting back and taking photos as they cruise past the Duomo.

Roman Bike Share

I am sad to report that we never even tried the Roman bike share system. I got the best photos I could but most of the racks we saw were completely empty of bikes and we only saw one other couple riding them, once. I fear it's a bike share that failed.

It's all really too bad, because we discovered that in the city itself one bank of the Tiber is devoted to a bike lane, providing a high-speed safe beeline right through town. A cyclist could easily beat a taxi or subway rider on any cross-town adventure. Next time we're going to bring Bromptons.

Practical Joke?

This bike was spotted in Harvard Square on Sunday. A few years ago I saw the guy shown below at Target, I wonder if his friend thought he would be safe if he gave up the Jeep for a city bike? Plastic wrap wins again!

Bicycle Friendly Towns: Bennington, VT

Somewhat randomly this summer I got to visit Bennington, VT for the first time. What struck me most, besides how perfectly charming and 'New England' the town is, was how shockingly friendly the people there are to cyclists.

You can see that you don't even have to arrive a cyclist, they will loan you a touring bike at the Visitor's Center.


Once out on your loaner bike you can visit the Crazy Russian Girls Bakery. The coffee's free if you arrive on a bike!

With countryside like this, why wouldn't you want to be on a bike?


The Bennington Arts Guild was even featuring bicycle parts re-made as art in its windows.





I don't know when I'll be back, but I'd love to cycle there again (and at a time that the bakery is open!)

French Bicycle Dating/Meetup Site

My friend E sent us Velibataire.com (in French), a website for meeting one special person, or a group, for a bike ride in or around Paris.

It reminds me a bit of historical dating schemes, where young women were safe on bicycles without chaperones and thus able to better meet young men.

Of course, back then they didn't have a Facebook page!

This one's for you Shelly!

Riding Pretty wanted photos of bikes on a boat.

While I don't think this is what she meant, I do think they look like they're on their way to summer fun.

This one's for you MamaVee!

It's a painting in a window of a South End boutique, the wheels on that adult tricycle look out of true, but that's part of its charm!

Todos Santos Cycle Chic

Despite the friendliness in general, Baja Mexico is not the friendliest place for cyclists. On the shoulder-free highway, one white knuckle bus ride has forced me to give up my hopes (for now) of cycling from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas. However, we did spot this beautiful lady transporting her packages on a bike perfect for Todos Santos.

I have a treat for you

I'm currently on vacation in a tiny corner of the world, but I found a chic cyclist even here! When I get back to Boston I'll have a small treat to share.
Stay tuned!

Men On Bikes Are Sexy

Oh yes, they're good role models too, and all that. Still this flyer for the Green Streets Initiative leaves that extremely important aspect out of their call to action.

Whatever reason you ultimately choose, men we'd like to see you riding your bikes.

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!

Boston Marathon Ride

My friend J and I biked the marathon route this morning. From Boston to Hopkinton was nice enough, but the trip back was everything I had hoped it would be. The roads were closed, the excitement was building, we even had people cheering for us, and inexplicably the weather was cool but bright and lovely. There were hundreds of other cyclists out. The police were cheerful and smiling and there were lots of wonderful volunteers setting everything up. We were back in Boston safely before the first racers and all in all it could not have been a better ride.

I'm happy to rave that my friend J rode her brand new road bike for her first ever long bike trip today and she did a great job the whole morning. Seeing how happy she was really made the ride for me.

There was one surprise - we stopped for a snack and when she saw my snack the wonderful possibilities of long distance cycling somewhat crystallized for her.

Yes, it's true, it's a RULE - if you're riding more than 50 miles you are allowed to have chocolate chip cookies before lunch if you want to. Even your mother will agree. So tell all your friends - ride a bike = eat chocolate chip cookies. It's pretty great!