WARNING: Gore!

My bike has pedals colloquially known as "meat grinders." I thought this a cute name for something harmless, since I had never had a problem with them... until yesterday. Approaching the BU Bridge there is a little incline where the right turn lane and bike lane cross. At rush hour, getting up out of the saddle the rear wheel comes loose and sticks against the chainstay causing bike and body to begin bouncing off each other. Somehow I manage to come to a stop on two feet avoiding falling into traffic. I pick up my bike and run over to the sidewalk, knowing my right leg took a beating, but numb to the wound thanks to the excess of adrenaline rushing through my blood. Safely to the sidewalk I look down to find that adrenaline dripping down my leg along with a bit of blood. Further inspection shows that the impact of the pedal put a dent in my calf with lumps of flesh on either side to be pushed around at whim's will.

Now, the responsible adult in me thinks "I should get this cleaned up and bandaged then procure bike upgrades and maintenance." Then the part of me that is perpetually 8 years old (that's the part that reads Calvin and Hobbes every day) thinks "Cooooool, I have to take a picture of this."

After several cleanings the bleeding finally stopped.

Of Old Bike's and Haiku

Sellers on craigslist sometimes appear delusional. Recently, a Boston bloke seemed convinced he could sell his once-ridden 70's Maserati road bike for a grand. Maserati cars from the 70's are worth about half that, if they are in good condition. Thankfully, some bored hipsters had enough time to mock him with haiku. Unfortunately, because they are hipsters and suck at culture, their haiku contained neither kireji nor kigo.

Vintage velocipede
chain rusting... spring wind blows
seller's summer sadness.

No Loitering

Please, exit through the gift shop.

List of Demands

1. A house nestled in remote mountains.
2. A dog, specifically a Rhodesian Ridgeback, named Scipio to go hiking and running with every day.
3. A tasty beer.
4. Cheese.

Guerilla Construction

Ok, so Boston parks lack some of the fun equipment I'd like them to have. Like, say, rails in all kinds of crazy configurations to practice balance, vaulting, flips, cat-balancing, etc.

But what if some shady group of construction ninjas were to buy some cheap iron pipes and quick-dry cement? Parks are pretty dark, and narrow holes can be dug and filled with cement pretty fast. Imagine...one day there's an empty patch of land. The next day, there's a set of parallel bars! I'm sure nobody could possibly prove that the group of upright citizens happily playing on them by day were the same shady characters who installed them by night.

Parkour!

It may not be spring quite yet, but it will be soon. That means more daylight, warmer temperatures and (most importantly) less restrictive clothing! So I'd like to re-start the vaguely parkour-ish activities that we sadly had to halt in the fall. To start, here are my suggestions:

1. Recruit people! One person jumping and climbing all over the place looks crazy. Two people jumping and climbing look cool, but not approachable. Three or more and we might pick up new recruits who see us doing awesome things. (Or who want to help after one of us has fallen off a rail and can't move their toes, I suppose.)

2. Scout out fun spots! Anything with benches, rails, random beams/obstacles, fences, trees, etc. We had some trouble last year finding places with enough obstacles and few enough fatal drops to make practicing fun. So far we've got the park near Kristina's, the pedestrian underpass on Somerville Ave, and to some extent Powderhouse Park.

3. Get ready! Do flexibility exercises and generally get out of winter mode. Practice jumping, rolling, and all those other things that make muscles angry if you don't ease into them.

Finally, we should keep an eye out for a nice weekend where things won't be too wet or cold and mess around for a couple hours to get back into the spirit of things. So, who's in?

The Antithesis of Boston

I recently returned from a trip to Tequesta, FL. There may be no place in the country quite so dramatically different from Boston:

In Tequesta, everyone is old(I mean really, death's-door old). In Boston, almost everyone is under 35.

In Tequesta, roads are six lanes and ruler-straight. In Boston, you're lucky to get two lanes and roads turn at random, just because.

In Tequesta, you can't walk to anything and have to drive everything. In Boston, you can walk/bike to everything and should never drive to anything.

In Tequesta, U-turns are a standard procedure. In Boston, U-turns are suicidal.

In Tequesta, its sunny and warm. In Boston, its rainy and cold.

The list could probably go on, but that's a quick summary.

March 12, 2010

March 11, 2010

Rhythm

Today I went for the first longish ride of the Late Winter, to the end of the Minuteman trail and return. This involves some rough city riding before reaching the head of the trail. In the first miles after the transition I found it difficult to keep a consistent cadence. I had become accustomed to the irregular pacing, starting and stopping of city riding. Gradually though, as potholes turned to divots, head wind to cross wind, stubbornly unaware pedestrians to blissfully unaware pedestrians, something happened. Mile markers sped up. From occurring every 4+ minutes, to 3:50, to 3:30, and bottomed out at sub 3 (hmmm, that seems fast, especially considering the choice of only one gear).

I turned 3:30 per mile with little deviation on the return ride.

Google Bike Maps

Too bad it sends you through Harvard Square.

Somewhere in Cambridge

L'Escargot

When I shot this 2CV6 Club it had a for sale sign. Asking price of 14,ooo USD. C'est trop cher!

Skylines

As my flight took off from Logan on Saturday, I had the opportunity to see the Boston skyline from 5000 feet. It really is quite beautiful, with the financial district and waterfront draped in patterned, almost pixilated light and flanked by the Back Bay in flourescent yellows, neon blue, and blinking red rooftop strobes. The scene was compelling, exciting. It promised new people, new experiences, and new stories.

And yet, none of those beacons in the Boston night are actually places where anyone goes once the sun sets. There's the Top of the Hub and a few similar spots, but by and large the Boston night life happens in places you can't see from the air. The crowded pubs full of sports fans watching a Boston team, beer snobs sibbing high gravity Belgians, or music lovers enjoying (or not) the latest local band are all outside the city center. Not to mention the private house parties, late-night coffeeshops, and all-night parks, which aren't even remotely part of the skyline.

I'm not sure I have a specific point to make, beyond the general observation that the things which look nice in a photograph aren't necessarily the same things that make a city somewhere worth livng. Most of those exciting-looking buildings are full of bored office workers and hotels, while most of the night life this city has to offer may not look like much from the outside.

Stimulus Stanza

Oh down-turned economy,
thou hast done us cyclists well.
Lincoln, your roads no longer resemble
a war-zone of potholes to jostle the body.
The road circumventing Walden
may now be ridden without the need for full suspension.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

With blue skies and sunny warmth, the city sprung to life yesterday. Bike lanes were packed. Weary from winter that ended with two weeks of constant cold drizzle-flurry (a flizzle? a drurry?), Bostonians crowded the Common and Public Garden. I even saw a damned roller-blader.

Fixie in Newton

Coming home from Newton tonight on my fixie, I'm flying down the hill on Beacon St by BC Stadium and realized that if I had to stop I wouldn't be able to. If something came up in the road and I had to dodge it I would likely get major road rash. Kinda scary.

Oh, and watch out for road idiots. I think people are driving more with this nicer weather and they are not necessarily respectful to cyclists.

The Mighty Charles River

Friday, March 4, 2009

Not quite the Freedom Trail or Harvard Yard.