Clearing out the grit and grime
According to our calendars, it is officially spring. Although all the snow has melted away, the trash on the streets certainly has not. We’ve also found some potholes that are large enough to go spelunking in! Here are some tips to keep your bike in tip-top shape, even though our city streets are not.
Pothole courtesy of Boston winter. Photo courtesy of Pedalstrike
Keep a look out for rogue objects in the road that may puncture your tires. One of the best ways to avoid flats is to keep your tires inflated to the suggested PSI for your style tire. If there are any killer craters along your route, you can call Mayor Menino’s 24-hour pothole hotline to get the holes filled within about two days (phone number is 617-635-4500). Or you can use Boston.com’s map to mark the place of the pothole and then fill out the form that pops up to get that pesky guy filled.
As the streets have physically changed because of the long harsh winter, so too has your bike. Covered in salt, chemicals and all other kinds of muck left over from the cold season, your bike might not be the prettiest number on the street. Or maybe you left your bike out all winter and some of the parts are looking a little rusty.
Using a bike wash like Simple Green or Pedro’s Bike Lust works great at cleaning up a good amount of this grime and without ingredients harmful to the environment. Make sure everything is working as it should be and nothing is out of place by giving it a loving tune-up. If you don’t have your own tools bring it into our shop and we will fix it up nice, and get your ride running like it did before the blistering winter hit.
Warmer weather is just around the corner so get your wheels ready for more sun-filled bike rides!
Amsterdam: Bikes Yes, Mayonnaise No!
Our tour guide, Garrett, ventured off to Europe this month. Here’s his tale of Amsterdam, bikes and pommes frites:
Winter is a tough time in New England. It is dark and cold, and cold and dark. Couple that with the usual grind of grad school, and that elusive week in March know as spring break can look very far away on the calendar. Fortunately the sun does stay out longer, it gets warmer, and there is that wonderful school-free week to get away from it all.
This spring I was off to three great northern European cities: Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Berlin. Amsterdam is a city that lacks an iconic attraction like Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, but it makes up for it in its scenery, food, and cycling culture. You cannot look in any direction without seeing people riding or a bike locked up. This was my second trip to Amsterdam and with warmer weather my friends and I rented classic Dutch cruisers, with wide handlebars and charming bells, to get around town.
Bikes bikes and more bikes!
Riding, whether in a city or on rural roads, brings you closer to where you are. Fast enough to cover larger distances, slow enough to get a sense for it all. Amsterdam is a city that may have been built around the canals, but has been hand-crafted around cycling. There is a bike lane on every street, bike boxes, boats that are for storing your bike, and you will even find yourself in bike traffic. People of all ages and sizes ride, with 99.99999% riding cruisers. There is no challenging terrain since it is pancake flat, and fittingly, thin wide pancakes are one of the main traditional Dutch dishes.
Multi-modal transportation at it’s best – bikes on boats!
Cycling is not an exclusive or difficult experience, my friends who hardly ride in the cities they live in, found no discomforts riding through Amsterdam. It would be great to see the Dutch way imported back here in the States, but we should abstain from their bizarre custom of devouring ice cream scoop-sized helpings of mayonnaise on french fries.
Usually I ride very quickly, but slowed down for the scenery and did not mind getting passed by old ladies as I was enjoying the views. While the Dutch are passionate riders, they are terrible at giving directions, as we had to ask forty people how to get to areas a little outside of the central area.
Going out at night, we did not have to worry about leaving our bikes at the hotel. People ride to the clubs and bars. Just image it, beautiful women dressed to go out, locking their bike next to yours as you head toward the bars. No awkward feelings about leaving your bike before heading to a different place since their bike is outside as well. Of course if you have had too much to drink, it is always best to stay off the bike and take a cab home, not risking an accident or falling into the canals.
All along Amsterdam’s beautiful canals
On my final day in Amsterdam riding along the scenic canals and snapping a few more photos, I found myself bummed that I would have to give back my cruiser and hop on the train. Luckily when I return someday there will be a bike ready for me the moment I step out of the train station.
Garret and a friend on their cruisers
Garrett Lynch is the all time leading tour guide and a graduate student at Harvard University. The views expressed are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Urban AdvenTours.
Lock it up
What a lovely, warm, sunny day! Technically it’s not even spring yet, but we’re happy to look right past that and welcome the fantastic weather. We’re also happy to welcome our latest item into the shop:
It fits right in, right? Our shiny, very green, new bike rack sadly does not belong in the shop, but that’s where it is for now. Keep an eye out for an update on it’s installation as well as the possibility of some additional racks here along Atlantic Ave. In the meantime, give it a wave as it sits patiently in the window.
In other green, although more shamrock related news, have a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day weekend everyone!
From Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill to Bunker Hill
It’s that time of year again where the UA crew starts to roll up their sleeves. Not just because it’s almost spring and we’re ready to get our hands dirty, either. The League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit is this week and Chief Wheel Officer, Andrew is down in Washington D.C. looking to make bicycling better for Boston, Massachusetts, and all of the USA.
It’s time for everyone to do their part to let policy makers know how important funding for alternative transportation is. Our good friends over at MassBike have put together an excellent guide of who to call or write to and what to say. Take a look at the information for today’s Virtual Lobby Day here. Even if you run out of time to today, get in touch with them when you can to make sure your voice is heard on the state and national level.
One of our tour guides sent us this photo from vacation in California:
How great would it be to see signage like that all over the country? We can bring change, and there are many organizations in the Boston area that are working for improvements.
We’d like to congratulate Jackie Douglas of LivableStreets Alliance on being awarded “Advocate of the Year” from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. It’s a real honor and we’re happy to partner with LivableStreets to support their great work. Here’s to even more improvements in Boston and beyond in 2011!