June 2010

Come on out to Copley Sq. this evening to ride with ~300 cyclists through the streets of Boston. People generally start to arrive around 5:30, and the ride usually leaves by 6 pm. If you have never ridden in a CM before, a few details:

-There is no pre-established route
-It is easily the safest cycling experience you can have in the city, as cars are forced to wait for the large group of people
-It is extraordinarily liberating, and a fabulous way to enjoy the company of friends, and fellow cyclists.
-Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to ride a fixie, have tats, or be in college in order to fit in (in fact, I think one of the most common occupations of riders that I’ve encountered is lawyers…)
-It is a rolling celebration of everything cycling

see you there!

Come on out to Copley Sq. this evening to ride with ~300 cyclists through the streets of Boston. People generally start to arrive around 5:30, and the ride usually leaves by 6 pm. If you have never ridden in a CM before, a few details:

-There is no pre-established route
-It is easily the safest cycling experience you can have in the city, as cars are forced to wait for the large group of people
-It is extraordinarily liberating, and a fabulous way to enjoy the company of friends, and fellow cyclists.
-Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to ride a fixie, have tats, or be in college in order to fit in (in fact, I think one of the most common occupations of riders that I've encountered is lawyers...)
-It is a rolling celebration of everything cycling

see you there!

Come on out to Copley Sq. this evening to ride with ~300 cyclists through the streets of Boston. People generally start to arrive around 5:30, and the ride usually leaves by 6 pm. If you have never ridden in a CM before, a few details:

-There is no pre-established route
-It is easily the safest cycling experience you can have in the city, as cars are forced to wait for the large group of people
-It is extraordinarily liberating, and a fabulous way to enjoy the company of friends, and fellow cyclists.
-Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to ride a fixie, have tats, or be in college in order to fit in (in fact, I think one of the most common occupations of riders that I've encountered is lawyers...)
-It is a rolling celebration of everything cycling

see you there!

People, you need to seriously reconsider this riding with headphones in your ears business. It is crazy dangerous. As an owner of earbud headphones, I’m fully aware of how completely oblivious the wearer is of the outside world. Unless you can taste a car coming from 50 feet behind you, hearing is the most important sense (next to vision, of course) that one employs whilst riding. I have seen so many riders doing completely stupid shit because they are zoned out listening to the jamz. If I listen to music while riding, it’s only through the crappy speaker that is built into my phone. It’s not the most sonically pristine way to enjoy my music, but it does the trick and I retain my ability to hear one of those squealing CT1’s that’s about to come within 6 inches of my left side.
If a diminutive speaker just doesn’t cut it for you, splurge on one of those water-bottle cage iPod speakers, or better yet build yourself a car battery-powered PA speaker setup on a trailer.
The crazy thing is, so many of the people I see riding with headphones are also wearing a helmet. Without inciting another tired helmet debate, you should see there is a fundamental contradiction here…
We get pissed (rightfully so) when drivers are texting and chatting while driving, don’t you think we should try to keep our wits about us while we ride?

The work that was done on the SW Corridor last spring was pretty half-assed, so I was happy to see markings all along the path (at least from Stoneybrook to the South End) on my commute this AM. This work is particularly crucial for 4-season users of the path, as it is in the rough areas where ice tends to form in the winter.

Also, I came across the aftermath of a bike accident on the SW corridor this AM. I didn't see the rider, as he/she was already loaded in the ambulance, but the bike looked fine and the cop told me they were OK. Let's hope that's the case, feel free to post any updates if you have them.

Ride Safely.

The work that was done on the SW Corridor last spring was pretty half-assed, so I was happy to see markings all along the path (at least from Stoneybrook to the South End) on my commute this AM. This work is particularly crucial for 4-season users of the path, as it is in the rough areas where ice tends to form in the winter.

Also, I came across the aftermath of a bike accident on the SW corridor this AM. I didn't see the rider, as he/she was already loaded in the ambulance, but the bike looked fine and the cop told me they were OK. Let's hope that's the case, feel free to post any updates if you have them.

Ride Safely.

The work that was done on the SW Corridor last spring was pretty half-assed, so I was happy to see markings all along the path (at least from Stoneybrook to the South End) on my commute this AM. This work is particularly crucial for 4-season users of the path, as it is in the rough areas where ice tends to form in the winter.

Also, I came across the aftermath of a bike accident on the SW corridor this AM. I didn't see the rider, as he/she was already loaded in the ambulance, but the bike looked fine and the cop told me they were OK. Let's hope that's the case, feel free to post any updates if you have them.

Ride Safely.

Check out this video of some kids in Oakland that put colored tape in their spokes, creating neat patterns as they ride. It’s great to see that bikes are being used to promote peace in the community, and give kids skills that they can employ in their future if they so choose. Maybe these will overtake Lincoln ’64 lowriders and Toyata Priuses (Prii?) as the vehicle of choice in the Bay Area…

I haven’t seen this phenomenon in Boston yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Check out this video of some kids in Oakland that put colored tape in their spokes, creating neat patterns as they ride. It's great to see that bikes are being used to promote peace in the community, and give kids skills that they can employ in their future if they so choose. Maybe these will overtake Lincoln '64 lowriders and Toyata Priuses (Prii?) as the vehicle of choice in the Bay Area...

I haven't seen this phenomenon in Boston yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Check out this video of some kids in Oakland that put colored tape in their spokes, creating neat patterns as they ride. It's great to see that bikes are being used to promote peace in the community, and give kids skills that they can employ in their future if they so choose. Maybe these will overtake Lincoln '64 lowriders and Toyata Priuses (Prii?) as the vehicle of choice in the Bay Area...

I haven't seen this phenomenon in Boston yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.