BIKE!
By SwirlyGrrl - Wed, 05/07/2008 - 2:31pm.
Want to get in better shape? Want to spend more time outside? Tired of breathing other people's exhaled air on the T or waiting for buses that never come on time? Want to tell the oil companies exactly where they can put their $3.75 a gallon gas, but don't know where to start?
Well, MassBike, MassCommute, and their friends have some incentives for you! Next week is Bay State Bike Week, featuring daily breakfasts, goody zones, cycling events, and more.
So get that bike out of the basement, shed, garage, or hallway. Check those tires and breaks, lube up that chain and get out on the road!
And wear a helmet
Your head won't bounce the way it used to when you were younger.
All kids do it. Their parents won't let them bike without it.
So it's cool now and it reduces brain injury. Unless you've got a spare brain, where a helmet.
I'm a satisfied customer!
You will need to have a helmet to get the goodies at the goody zones and chow down at the breakfast stops.
I have two retired helmets that I won't throw out: one saved my brain, the other saved my face. I don't get into accidents too often, but I've been in a couple of doozies in 1998 and 2006.
I kept my helmets to show the kids. Now that they are older, they are helmet wearers and they like to show friends the helmet that died so I didn't have to. It is misshapen and has a 4" crack up the back from side impact that knocked me cold when I went down on a rain-slick railway track.
I walked away with a mild concussion. Given the location of impact - an area with a lot of plumbing that feeds blood to nearly the entire brain - it is nearly certain that I would have died from the resulting hematoma had the helmet not taken one for my team.
The 2006 retiree has skid marks on the front and a broken visor that collapsed over my face, protecting it from a nasty grind. I also hit my head, but did no damage because the helmet took the impact. The net result was what I called a "road bindi" mark in the middle of my forehead where a very small area of skin was abraded. My whole face would have looked like that. The broken hand was bad enough.
Both helmets are on display in the Swirlygrrage.
Also, use front and back lights
if you're going to ride at night. Unless you need to ride in totally unlit areas, get the kind with LEDs, not the kind with light bulbs. The batteries will last a lot longer. Also, use the blinking mode rather than the always-on mode. Not only does this increase battery life, it makes you more visible.
If your bike has only a rear reflector, discard it and replace it with a rear light.
I hate the front lights that blink
They're illegal in Germany, for example- with good reason. They're extremely distracting to oncoming traffic *and* drivers in front of you.
Bright/blinking lights also are often blindingly bright LED point-sources, and that makes people not directly look at you. Which means it's harder to determine how big you are and where exactly you are (peripheral vision sucks for distance estimation, and it's nearly impossible to judge distance on a point light source. It's VERY easy to estimate distance based on a collection of reflectors that are bike 'n person sized.) Half the time, the only thing you can see is a blinking light- you can't see the bike or rider because their damn light is so bright and blinking.
I was hit by a car a few weeks ago in broad daylight after being at an intersection, standing for almost a full minute in front of the driver who hit me. Blinking crap on your bike won't do a fucking thing if drivers are idiots and don't suffer any consequences. The guy that hit me got a $50 traffic ticket despite my going to the ER with a broken hand and spending the last 3-4 weeks in a cast. He's actually got the nerve to challenge it, too.
NHSTA a few years ago did experiments with everyday drivers and test sections of highways. They found that emergency lights were more effective when they were dimmer- brighter lights distracted, dazed, and blinded oncoming traffic, making it harder for them to see & avoid emergency workers.)
1)Wear light colored outer shell clothing and either iron/sew in reflective bits or buy bike gear that has is.
2)Put reflectors on your bike frame, pedals (or get velcro reflective leg bands, also handy for keeping wind out and the pants out of the front gear/chain), spokes (or tires- Schwalbe and other make tires with reflective stripes on them), etc.
3)Put reflective tape on your helmet.
You will show up just fine in headlights, and more importantly, you'll show up as a big moving object, not a floating blinking light in the ether.
I wish I had a penny for every indie trendslut on a single-speed with no brakes, not a single reflector, no helmet (unless those engineer caps have space-age foam in them), black frame, black clothing, listening to their iPod, riding the wrong way down a sidewalk leaning back with their hands not on the handlebars.
No, Hub Light!
My xmas prezzie has a built in generator in the front hub and a light that works whenever I am moving. Look ma - no batteries! It also came with a bracket and 7 led red buttblinker.
For night riding I will add a vest, yellow side blinkers on the vest side straps (just the right height for car windows) and a red blinky on the back of my helmet or hood.
In the darker days earlier in the year, I had a lot of fun playing "incoming motorcycle?badiddle?" on straightaways. That bodacious halogen headlight looks at a distance like something far larger and motorized should be attached to it and that makes the car drivers think twice before barrelling out.
I actually enjoy cycling at night when I'm all lit up because I get road respect from being such an attention grabber - and the motorists who have commented clearly appreciate the visibility.
I have a term for all those lamers who have the fixies but don't really know what they are doing with them: Suicyclists. That also applies to all two-wheeled trouble without basic sense.
someone loves you!
My xmas prezzie has a built in generator in the front hub and a light that works whenever I am moving. Look ma - no batteries! It also came with a bracket and 7 led red buttblinker.
Yeah, the generator hubs are nice, but with a wheel cost as much as my entire new bike, and then there's the front&rear lights. I'm content to pop in NiMH rechargeable batteries.
Did the hubby spring for front/rears with standlights?
Make sure you get pitlock skewers for that hub, or it'll go bu-bye quickly. I'd also hunt around for some security-head bolts for the attached lights.
Two other important pieces of safety equipment
1) Common sense
2) A bell
It's amazing to me how many people ride their bikes as if they're driving cars. By law, you may have more rights as a cyclist, but most drivers are ignorant of these laws and frankly aren't expecting to see someone in spandex riding in the middle of the street. While it may be true that a car driver is more likely to be the loser in a court case involving a bicyclist, the cost of proving this point - injury or death - simply isn't worth it.
Bells are very important on the paths here (Minuteman Trail, Riverwalk, etc.) as they alert pedestrians, slower cyclists, dogwalkers, and kids that you are coming up behind them.
Avoiding dooring incidents
Sometimes you need to ride near the middle of the lane to avoid "dooring" - sudden opening of driver side doors on parked cars.
In that case, the cyclist is far better off taking the lane (which you have the right to do) to avoid the hazard. Being fully in the lane also makes it clear that there really is NOT room to pass you, so don't try.
Bike Shops?
I've been wanting to buy a bike for a while. Anyone got a good bike shop? I was thinking I'd get something from Bikes Not Bombs, as I hosted their yearly fundraiser a few years ago and they seem like a cool organization. But if there's a better shop, please let me know! I'm in Medford, if that helps.
I spin like 4 days a week, so I'm in decent shape. I also used to week-long bike camping trips in the Rockies, but I don't currently own a bike. Where should I go?
Oh, also, I'm cheap and don't have a ton of dough to spend.
Go Local
You'll want a tune up now and then, and if you're a new bike owner, I don't imagine you'll true your own wheels.
Other than that, let me be the first to plug Harris Cyclery in West Newton.
I'd bet Swirly can recommend something closer to Mehfuh.
Meffid Arear Bike Shops
Indeed I can!
I get my tune-ups at JRA (short for Just Riding Along) on Salem St. (Route 60 - just east of the I 93 rotary). They seem to have a good selection of basic bikes and they are really nice people.
Nearby in Somerville, there is Ace Wheelworks on Elm Street, very close to Porter Exchange and just a bit south of Davis Square. They sell new and used bikes.
There is another bike shop on Somerville Ave. in that strip where Skybar was (Park and Somerville). They seem to have bikes at the non-fancy end of the spectrum as well.
In Arlington, there is Quad Cycles on Mass Ave near Park Ave, near Trader Joes. They have a good range of new bikes as well
Broadway Bicycle School on Broadway in Cambridge sells used bikes as well.
Of course, there is always the craigslist option if you or a friend knows what to look for.
Good Luck! Maybe we will see you out along the lakes on Mystic Valley Parkway of a pleasant evening.
Awesome...thanks! I'll be
Awesome...thanks!
I'll be the schmuck with a tackle box on the back of his bike.
Same question answered, but for Somerville
Take a look here.
Paramount still around?
I was going to recommend them too, but I couldn't find a listing for them. Most good - although they do increasingly custom work as I understand it.
There is also the outlet center next door to the Belmont Wheelworks. Used and closeout stuff for those who aren't up to paying their main store prices.
Paramount bicycle
I don't know what you mean by "a listing", but I linked to their website in that LJ post.
nevermind
I was erroneously searching for Paragon.
More options
Depends really on where you live, but here are a few more that are good:
Ferris Wheels (JP)
International Cycle (Allston)
Wheelworks (Belmont)
What about?
Adi's in West Roxbury? I'm no biker, only been in there once, but he seemed like a nice guy, at any rate.