BioBus Bike Blog

With the addition of our Show Room at 109 Atlantic Ave. we’ve got lots of great new products in the shop. Here are some insider points and tips from the people who use the gear all the time, our staff!

Chris suggests: Chrome Citizen Buckle Bag

I’ve had a Chrome messenger bag for two years now and I am thoroughly pleased. Everyone first notices the seat belt buckle on the strap, but there is way more to the bag then that. Designed for cyclists, the strap and shape of the bag compliment your body’s form when cycling around town. The bag also has an inner rubber lining making it waterproof which is absolutely necessarily when you are riding around town with your laptop, clothes, books, rare baseball cards, Egyptian artifacts. These bags are made in the US and they are built tough. Mine has survived mud, snow, and falling out of my third story window. Go for the gold standard and get a Chrome.

Len’s Favorites: Surly Long Haul Trucker

Great bang for the buck! This is an excellent touring bike with a good quality chromoly frame/fork and components – XT hubs; 36 spoke hole rims. Great gear selection for hills and underload. Try it, you’ll like it….keep on truckin’ down the road ahead!

Shimano pedal combination PD – A530 – platform and SPD cleat

Very convenient if you ride alternately with cleated/non-cleated shoes. Whichever side you are using stay pointed to the sky. Just don’t try using both sides at the same time!

Park “Campagnolo” compatible chain tool CT-4.2

Their price cheap relative to the $200 masterwork offered by Campy. The real rub is component makers creating proprietary hardware that cannot be easily serviced in most areas of the planet!

As excited as we are for Boston and National Bike Week, we just couldn’t wait that long since all of May is Bike Month!

We’ll be celebrating this Sunday, May 2nd from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in our favorite park right across the street, Christopher Columbus Park.

So come on down to the North End and grab a free Sunday morning coffee from Equal Exchange. They’ll be hanging out along with our favorite bike buddies from MassBike, Boston Bikes and Livable Streets Alliance. All of our partners will have information about how to get more involved in the cycling community and well as information about bicyclist education and rider rights. Getting more people out on bikes safely and confidently is part of our mission and the first step is knowing the rules of the road. These exhibitors have some of the best resources for rider education and road user rights, so come meet them!

We’ll also have goodies from some of our favorite bike friendly businesses. For times when two wheels aren’t enough ZipCar can hook you up with car sharing, and they’ve even got eco-friendly hybrids to help you keep it green. There will also be some bite sized treats from Clifbar, so you can keep your energy up on your next epic ride.

In case that isn’t enough to get you out, we’ll be displaying our new line of bikes for your inspection. We’ll have a kid sized obstacle course race at 12 PM, a track stand competition at 2 PM and prizes from the Urban AdvenTours apparel closet. Sound good? See you Sunday!

Road trips are a staple of summer. Windows down, music blasting is how I tend to roll, but our cyclists are hitting the road this summer too. A huge chunk of our road bike inventory will be out this weekend. We’ve got people riding for MS Bikes, going hardcore in the Cohasset Triathalon, and others cruising through Maine.

CC steve garfield

Those are just a few of the big things going on this weekend. We’ll be following the ICA’s bike tour of Shepard Fairey’s public works on Sunday, June 28. The tour is sold out, but keep you eyes on UA’s event listings, possible giant sightings in our future.

JP Bikes is also doing a cool ride up to Cape Anne. They’ll be running a serious route all the way from Boston, and also taking the train from North Station up to ride from Rockport to the beach. Pretty cool way to spend a Sunday.

And that just about wraps up June. It’s crazy, but we’re glad for an end to the rain and a blazing start to summer. July is going to be a huge month, and if you’re thinking about riding with us around the 4th or maybe to go check out the Tall Ships give us some notice and we’ll have your ride ready to roll.

I’m a bus of simple tastes. Morning, noon, night; breakfast, lunch, dinner, it’s nothin’ but used vegetable oil for me. There’s nothing I like better than starting the day with a full tank, and Friday morning I discovered bikers are the same. I pulled up at City Hall plaza bright and early to help the UA crew set up for Mayor Menino’s Bike Week Festival. Soon convoys started rolling in from all across the city. Riders from JP to Brighton, Brookline to Somerville cruised to the heart of Boston with police escorts to celebrate a week of Bike Love.

And then they immediately rushed to the free breakfast.

No surprise, really. When you’re not burning fossil fuels you end up burning a lot of calories. Of course, the burritos, bananas, and muffins weren’t the only items going like hot cakes. Many a biker rode away happily with a brand new I ‘Bike’ Boston hat. I mean, have you seen these things? This summer’s must have fashion accessory, without a doubt. And as I’m sure you’re aware, I know a thing or two about looking good.

For Boston bikers, a good sense of direction is almost as important as good fashion sense. So along with their new lids, plenty of riders left with the new Boston Bike Map. The dedicated folks over at Boston Bikes put this handy map together with help from real urban cyclists. UA proudly holds the place of honor on the new map’s back cover.

Full bellies, cool caps, and a solid plan for getting from Point A to Point B. Not a bad way to start the day.

Oh boy – I am hot, hot hot. Being a truck ain’t easy these days, what with the high temperatures and high gas prices – I feel like I’m about to overheat. At least I’m not putting too much of a dent in Urban AdvenTours pocket, since I run on recycled veggie oil. So my boss at Urban AdvenTours should be happy – especially since Urban AdvenTours is getting a lot of action these days…

• First off, UA is blowing up in the press. National Geographic Traveler’s Intelligent Travel blog features our favorite green company prominently this week. Of course we here in Beantown know that Boston is quickly becoming a green city, with companies like Urban AdvenTours at the forefront of the green movement, but now the rest of the country is starting to pick up on the buzz. Our fair city offers incentives to green builders, eco-friendly food and clothing, and lots of environmentally friendly things to do – one of which is an awesome Urban AdvenTours bike tour of Boston. The word’s out now. Maybe this is the start of something beautiful.
• Yours truly, the BioBus, is blowing up on the streets…look for me! And holler! I’m rocking a new Landry’s Bikes decal these days and delivering bikes all over the place…if you don’t know you better ask somebody! There’s no better way to get exercise in the summer heat than bike riding – you create your own breeze. And if you want to organize a group activity, get around the city, head out to the water, or just cruise at your leisure, give Urban AdvenTours a call and get me to bring bikes straight to your door.
• Boston Natural Areas Network is using my services, having me deliver bikes to Boston schoolchildren so that they can explore the green places in and around their city by bicycle. The guides at Urban AdvenTours are happy to work with the kids, and the kids are happy to zip through the parks and trails that their city has to offer. Everybody wins – the kids learn about bikes and their city’s natural areas, Urban AdvenTours brings smiles to kids’ faces, and I get to do what I love to do: bring bikes to people who want to ride!

So, yes, the heat’s tough on the old BioBus, but I’d rather be out and about, moving and hustling, hauling bicycles and representing Urban AdvenTours on the streets. It’s better than sitting idle, or complaining about the weather, or (let’s not even think about it) shoveling snow.

It’s not easy being the Urban AdvenTours BioBus. I mean, sure, I’m colorful, sure I’m a green machine (I run mainly on veggie oil) and yes, I offer a smooth ride. But here’s the thing…I can’t ride a bike. I know what you’re thinking. Why would a truck want to ride a bike? Well, if I could ride a bike, I could participate in some great events going on around town. Here are three things I’d definitely do on my bike…

• I’d ride over to the 12th annual Bike Party and Benefit at Redbone’s. If I had two legs and a rear end that fit on a saddle I would pedal over to this outdoor BBQ festival and have my bike parked by one of Redbone’s excellent bike valets. I’d then check out some fellow bicyclists and their rides, get a plate of BBQ and a cold beer and listen to some great music. I’d probably also buy a few raffle tickets, and I know I’d win a sweet prize. But instead I’ll be parked somewhere nearby, envying you humans with your bicycles to ride on, mouths to eat with, ears to hear with. Anyway, I’ll be there, In Davis Sq., on May 19th, (new date due to weather) from 5 to 9, so come on down and show a truck some love, why doncha?
• I would also register NOW to ride in the Bikes Not Bombs Bike-a-Thon, Sunday June 8th. You lucky humans will be able to choose between a 15 mile, 25 mile or 62 mile ride. Riders will get sponsors and raise money for BNB, helping them in their amazing bicycle mission. Of course, it will be fun, too. The Green Roots Festival will be going down at the same time, and there’ll be food, music, workshops, fun things for kids. Sheesh…you humans don’t know how good you got it.
• And, of course, Monday, the 12th of May, is the start of Bay State Bike Week, and thousands of Bay Staters will take the Commuter Challenge to give their cars a rest and ride their bikes to work. Of course, yours truly, the BioBus, will get no rest. I will be available for events for companies and organizations looking to encourage their employees and members to take the challenge. It’s noble work, I know, so I’ll be driving all over (using no gas, remember, just veggie oil) delivering bikes and helmets and spreading the bicycle love all over…ah, maybe in my next life I’ll be a bike.

Well, I gotta go, I’ve got an appointment with my mechanic (the old transmission’s acting up again), so take care, keep riding, and give me a holler when you see me on the streets.