bikes

Jumpstart Your Season! bicycling workshop

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:15:50 +0000

Laura Smeaton, a League of American Bicyclists LCI (League Cycling Instructor) presents a free workshop for those who want to get out on their bikes earlier this year. Stubborn patches of ice, chilly breezes, and cold spring rains will be no match for you once you're equipped with the knowledge from this workshop! Winter? What winter?!

When: Sunday, February 12, 4:00-5:30pm
Where: Ferris Wheels Bike Shop, 66 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (www.ferriswheelsbikeshop.com)

Bicycle Accommodations on Washington Street: Lanes or Paths?

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:41:34 +0000

Jeffrey Ferris of Ferris Wheels Bike Shop is asking for residents' opinions of two proposals for bicycle infrastructure on Washington Street, just south of Forest Hills Station. Two maps are hanging just inside the front door at Ferris Wheels Bike Shop (66 South Street, Jamaica Plain) showing the proposed options, and you can write down your opinions on the clipboard.

Jeffrey Ferris will bring this feedback to the next Casey Overpass Project Working Advisory Group meeting on October 25th. (You can see all the information presented at these meetings by clicking here.) Click here for a photo of the maps.

Hands-On Bike Repair Classes Are Back at Ferris Wheels

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:35:29 +0000

Learn basic bicycle repair at Ferris Wheels Bike Shop (66 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA). Classes are Thursday nights, 7:15-10:15pm and cost $30 each per person. Buy four classes and get one free. Register in the shop at or call 617-514-BIKE (2453) to register by phone.

Fall Class Schedule
October 13: Flats! Absolutely everything you'd ever want or need to know about fixing flat tires.
October 20: Brakes! Achy-brakey bike? We'll cover fixing various brake issues and learning about different kinds of brakes.
October 27: Gear Fear? No more. Demystifying your derailleur,adjusting your gears.
November 3: Bearings wearing? Learn how to adjust your hub and bottom bracket.
November 10: Wheels! Become well-"spoke"n with this in-depth exploration of wheel tension and opportunity to practice spoke replacement and wheel truing.

Test-driving Hubway

JennyMack — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:17:20 +0000

BU Today's Leslie Friday takes Hubway for a spin to find out what all of the fuss is about:

All along Newbury Street and Comm Ave, habitual bikers whiz by me, their backdraft mocking my steady, but slower, speed. Hubway bikes are made for heavy-duty use by people of all skill levels—more like beach cruisers than speed racers, so I enjoy the sights. The Citgo sign looms as I cross back onto campus. By now my legs are burning, the setting sun is striking me squarely in the eyes, and I’m going uphill to my last stop: FitRec.

[...] So, lessons learned: visit Hubway’s site beforehand, bring a helmet and a cell phone, and don’t rely on these bikes if you’re on a tight schedule. I wasn’t, so I chalked it up as another urban adventure.

Have you tried Hubway yet? What have your experiences been so far?

Test-Driving Hubway | BU Today

Lighter Fluid in Bike "Wars"

massmarrier — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:09:08 +0000

Oh, do check out the inflammatory rhetoric in the Herald. Chris Cassidy is successfully riling up the ragers there.

Yesterday, it was Cyclists, drivers are wheeling and dealing — keying off on ticket numbers and starting with a Steve Murphy slam on bikers. Today, Cyclists plan provocations in Hub bike-car war is even more heavy handed. He does the straw-man thing, manufacturer the pitched battle and sits back.

The comments are even harsher than those on bike posts here.

Riding Right: Nine Tips for Better Biking

kateziegler — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:07:33 +0000

Originally posted at Union Jack Creative on July 29th, 2011 - from two Boston bikers to hundreds of new Hubway riders, nine tips to make biking better for you, and for the rest of us.

It’s no secret that we’re pretty big on bikes. We think they’re pretty fun to ride (and are kind of like magic carpets ferrying you home in the wee hours when everyone else is fighting for cabs) and we love when friends ask us for help breaking into biking in the city. More bikes are better for everyone involved, in our opinion.

And so, though we’re a bit confused as to the target market, we really want to get behind Boston’s Hubway bike share initiative, which had its grand opening last Thursday. Kiosks are up, bikes are out and locals are signing up – but what about that influx of new riders?

Meeting of the Friends of the Community Path

rob edwards — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:36:19 +0000

Monthly Meeting of the Friends of the Community Path: Thurs, 3/10

Please join us in our efforts to connect the Minuteman Bikeway and Charles River path networks, by extending the Community Path!

Thurs., March 10, 2011
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
259 Lowell St., 3rd Floor Community Room
Somerville, MA 02144

Please:
* Bring your calendar.
* Pass this announcement on if you can
* Read our Minutes, so you'll know the scoop! Minutes are on this page:
http://pathfriends.org/scp/meetings.html

Thanks!

Friends of the Community Path
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Community-Path/129724153751066

Riding down Comm Ave on a bike

JennyMack — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:28:33 +0000

BU's Katie Koch shows us firsthand what it's like for a biker on Comm. Ave. Personally, I'm terrified just watching it.

Bike Safety Day is today at BU, and Dean Elmore is giving away a brand new bike (helmet and lock included).

Tour de France Headquarters, through July 25th

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:43:19 +0000

Boston: don't miss out on the Tour de France excitement. Jeanie Johnston Pub (144 South Street, Jamaica Plain) is Tour de France 2010 Headquarters! Watch the tour at the pub nightly through July 25 from 8-11pm.

In addition, Ferris Wheels Bike Shop hosts two Party Nights to watch grueling high mountain stages of the 21-day race on July 13 and July 20, 8-11 pm. Party nights feature:

+ Trivia contests for seasoned Tour fans

+ "Tour de France 101" - how to watch the Tour, the teams, the strategy

+ Raffles, Jeannie Johnston Pub food & beverage, and FUN!

For more information, call Ferris Wheels Bike Shop at 617-524-BIKE.

South Bay Harbor Trail Public Hearing

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:10:12 +0000

This evolving path runs from the Southwest Corridor at Ruggles Station all the way to Fan Pier in South Boston. Fifteen years in development, the South Bay Harbor Trail is largely ridable today! The trail still needs a few improvements and signage to complete it. The MassDOT public hearing takes place Thursday, Jan.

$4.8 million bike cage at Forest Hills

Michael Kerpan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:35:31 +0000

The Jamaica Plains Gazzette has an article about how Forest Hills Station has run out of Bike Charlie Cards. In it, mention is made (in passing) that this cage for 100 bikes cost $4,800,000 (4.8 million!!!!)

http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/3733

Is this a mispint? Or an indication of Boston graft on an even more massive scale than usual?

Tour de France Party Night! 7/25 at Jeanie Johnston Pub

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:51:48 +0000

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop throws a last-minute Down to the Wire Tour de France Party this Saturday, July 25th, 8-11 pm. Since Lance is defending his place on the podium in the perilous climb up Mont Ventoux, the night seems party-worthy.

Join cycling enthusiasts at Jeanie Johnston Pub, 144 South Street, Jamaica Plain. A free raffle, Tour 101, Tour trivia, and the Jeanie Johnston's great food and drink round out a fun evening.

Borrow-a-bike buffoonery

Brett — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:04:28 +0000

I'm as much for bikes in Boston as anyone, but the rent-a-bike model isn't everything the Globe cracks it up to be (and Tommy doesn't mention that this trip was a press junket, as Google News makes obvious.) It lines the pocket of a monopolistic private entity, is a back-door tax on bicyclists, and does absolutely nothing to enhance Boston's bike infrastructure. Publicly owned space that could be used for public lockups will go to the rental program; local bike shops could be hurt as people eschew private ownership; landlords could be harder to convince to make secure storage space available. What about those of us who don't want to ride a hulking heavy bike, spend 15 minutes walking to the 'nearest' bike rental cage for a 15 minute bike ride, pay by the hour, worry about whether a bike will be available/whether we can return it in time, or give someone a $200 security deposit? What about all the fuel wasted redistributing bikes? Why are Boston leaders wasting time with solutions in search of a problem, instead of giving us bike lanes, road signs, hoops around meters, and public bike racks? Meanwhile in London, they're banning locks on rental bikes- but yet renters are responsible for thefts. It's not hard to imagine such idiocy here.

Mr. Matlack should have asked Parisians how to paint a line on pavement for less than $30,000 per mile, so we can have more than 3.2 miles of bike lanes. New York city manages to install 60 miles of bike lanes a year and installed 800 bike racks in one year. Chicago has hundreds of miles of paths and 10,000 bike racks (yes, you read that right: 10,000 bike racks.) All of that was accomplished without idiotic rental programs. In Boston, it's not even clear if the 250 bike lockups that were promised in 2007 have been fully installed; in JP, they seem to only exist in front of City Feed.

Bike surprise?

Sean — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:22:19 +0000

Received an invite to Mayor Menino's press conference tomorrow, which will cover "Commonwealth Avenue Bike Lanes, Rack installations ... and one item yet to be announced."

A surprise for Boston's biking community! What do you think/hope it is? Selfishly, I'd like the city to extend the Mass. Ave. bridge bike lane another block to Beacon Street.

Press conference tomorrow at 11:00 in the courtyard of the BU School of Communications, 640 Commonwealth Ave. Bring your bike and your helmet.

Bike Week Kickoff Rally tomorrow at 2

Sean — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:38:37 +0000

It's not well-publicized, but there's a bike rally tomorrow to kick off Bay State Bike Week. Meet at Boston City Hall Plaza at 2:00 sharp for a fifteen-minute ride that ends at Post Office Square for the rally.

Boston Bike Czarina Nicole Freedman, Boston Mayor and recent bike enthusiast Tom Menino, and Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons will be on hand to give away free stuff and feel the bike love!

RSVP to .