Presenting... Hub Bicycle's Saturday Morning Road Ride

Get stoked! Hub is starting up a Saturday Morning Road Ride, lead by one of our employees, Jim.

Ride basics:

• What: A ride designed to be an introduction to group riding for road cyclists. It is a no drop ride.
• Who:  Anyone with a road bicycle who's excited about a group road ride
• When: Every Saturday from 8-10:30am, Hub will open at 8am, departure at 8:30am sharp
• Length: 19 miles loop around the Fells
• Expected Average speed: 15mph

About the route:
Broad streets, ample shoulder and smooth pavement (for most of the ride). Gentle to moderate climbs, fast descents. Streets are pretty quiet at this weekend hour. Check out the route!

What to bring:

• A road bicycle in good working order (wheels true, tires in good condition and properly inflated, working brakes, and quiet lubed drive train)
• Spare tube, tire levers, pump
• Two small water bottles
• Helmet

Other important details:

• Jim will go over basic hand signals, verbal communication, etiquette and safety before the ride. 
• Please arrived prepared as the shop will not be open for service. Please drop in during normal hours to address any mechanical issues. 
• The shop floor pump will be available for use and essentials (tubes, patch kits, and water bottles) can be purchased at the shop.

 We look forward to riding with you on Saturday!

Weekend Bike Tour to and from Martha's Vineyard

Looking to get into bicycle touring? There are plenty of accessible weekend trips you can take right from the city. For example, this little gem from our touring expert, Evadne:

Bike Touring to and from Boston to Woods Hole
A relatively easy ride that offers scenic ocean views, riding through quiet Cape Cod neighborhoods, and riding on the Shining Sea Bike path. It also saves you the expense of parking your car in Woods Hole or paying to get your car on the island while giving you the option to have your bike on the island (one of the best ways to explore Martha's Vineyard). In addition, the convenience of the commuter rail creates two route options to choose from based upon the rider's preference on time on the road and experience level. 

Route A: 2 day ride (83 miles)
Day 1: 48 miles from Boston to Myles Standish State Forest
A more challenging ride through higher traffic areas to get outside the city. Also requires the rider to carry a tent and sleeping bag for camping at Myles Standish State Forest.
Day 2: 35 miles from Myles Standish State Forest to Woods Hole
A quieter ride through Cape Cod neighborhoods, scenic ocean views, and an awesome bike path. 

Route B: 1 day ride (42 miles)
This is a great ride that allows you to avoid bad roads and most high traffic areas of route A. 
Take the Commuter Rail from South Station to Plymouth
42 mile ride from Plymouth to Woods Hole

Tips and Tricks

• Commuter Rail: Make sure to check that the time you want to take the commuter rail allows bikes. You don't need to pay extra for your bike, but bikes are only allowed during non-rush hour times and on weekends. 
• Bourne Bridge: You will have to ride over Bourne Bridge to get to Cape Cod. Make sure to take the pedestrian path across the bridge. You do not want to ride across the bridge with cars, no matter how confident of a rider you are. It can be tricky to find, but there is signage up noting how to get on the pedestrian/ bike path. It is also worth
• Ferry to and from the Vineyard: When purchasing a ticket for the ferry, you will also need to buy one for your bike. For more information on the Martha's Vineyard ferry visit Steamship Authority. 

To get back home from Woods Hole to Boston, just reverse the routes above!
For more tips on bike touring and gear, come by the shop. We'd be happy to hook you up!

BIKE MONTH!

It's Bike Month, y'all! For those new to cycling in the city- there are plenty of events to get connected to other bike minded folks and to get educated. For the seasoned cyclist- there are plenty of events to celebrate the cycling community. Here's a list of things we're excited about:

May 5- Boston Cyclists Union Spring Kickoff Party
 
May 7- Our monthly Basic Maintenance Clinic moves to our pal Aeronaut's place

May 8- Boston Bike Party

May 10- Cyclofemme (Boston ride info here)

May 14- Aeronaut Bike Clinic Series #2 with Hub Bicycle Know Your Brakes

May 21- Aeronaut Bike Clinic Series #3 with Hub Bicycle Know Your Shifting

Bike Fridays, of course  

And not necessarily Bike Month related, but seasonal weekly NEMBA rides are back- Wednesdays at the Fells and Thursdays at Landlocked Forest.

What is Team Monster Truck?

Team Monster Truck is the team for people who like bikes and comradery. We do some racing, and lots of riding. Also practicing skills (CX and MTB) and #cannolifriday.

This team is just about a year old and I, for one, am really proud of how far it's come. I can't think of another group that's as welcoming, encouraging and enthusiastic as this one.

 If you are curious about cyclocross, mountain biking, road racing, bike camping, dirt rides, or eating cannoli follow the team on Twitter or Facebook (an official team website is coming soon, thanks to our very own Jessie C). Or stop by the shop on any Friday evening, you'll probably find a team member or two to talk with.

I Built a Bike

There are several things you could mean when you say you 'built' a bike. Most commonly it means you took a bicycle frame and other components and attached them to each other to make a ride-able cycling machine. We do that here at Hub Bicycle all the time -sweet fixies, super commuters, racing machines- what ever you want we can and will (and have) build(t) it.

What I haven't done up until now is 'build' a bike. Or more accurately- a frame. I started the process in April(ish) by buying a box of steel tubes. After many months of planning, cutting, filing, brazing, more filing, sanding, etc. it was finally ready to ride this week.

This is my first attempt at frame building. So I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. Early on I decided to name this project 'The Practice Pancake'- after the first pancake in every batch that comes out less than perfect. You know, sometimes the pan is a little too hot, or not hot enough. It takes one to gauge how the rest of the batch is gonna go.

That's how I approached this bike. One to warm up (or cool down) the pan. I didn't want to over think it, or make it seem too precious. This bike is a tool that has/will serve two purposes- to teach me how to make bike frames and to transport me from point A to B. It was a fun process, and I learned a lot.

It seems to me that frames are best built when the full plan is set ahead of time. I'm more of a plan as-I-go kind of gal, so this was a personal growth project as well. The biggest mistakes I made were because my plan wasn't fully formed at the start, so I know what I need to do for the next one.

After building it I built it with my existing commuter bike parts. It's rocking a disc brake mullet (disc brake up front, road brake out back) because of some serious non-planning...practice makes perfect (pancakes). Mr Paul Carson is responsible for the metal-flake purple finish and it looks great. If you're in the market to get a bike powder coated- give him a shout.

Pic by Bike Safe Boston

The thing that struck me the most about that first ride is how unremarkable it was. I poured many hours, tons of thought. love (and a little blood) and I built a bike and it rides like a bike. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't be able to tell that there was anything different about this little baby (right before crashing, because riding with your eyes closed is a terrible idea). In the end, I set out to build a bike and that's what I did, so mission accomplished. On to the next bike.

My Other Bike is a Hubway

I accidentally left myself bikeless last night. That's what I get for starting a project on the bike I planned on riding home. Thankfully, our closest Hubway station was nicely stocked. I feel really lucky to have such a great resource right in the neighborhood.

Bike Party

Going to tonight's Bike Party? We are too! Want to ride over there with us? Join us for a Bike Party pre-game bikepool to Dewey Square. We're leaving Hub Bicycle World HQ at 7pm sharp(ish)!

OPEN today

Hope everyone had a safe and cozy weekend. I rode through the obstacle course that are the Camberville roads today to open up the shop. It's gross out there. Just to echo everybody else- don't drive if you don't have to today. And if you do (or if you're riding bikes, or walking, or public transporting)- take a deep breath, be patient, and think about how awesome it's going to be when spring gets here.

World Traveler

We pack bikes for travel here. It's not our most requested service (that would be flat tire fixes), but we probably box up 3-4 bikes a month. Bikes get boxed for shipping, for going on airplanes as checked luggage, in moving trucks, or on Amtrak (I hear the rates are reasonable). You can buy bike specific bags and boxes, but unless you're going to do multiple trips it usually makes the most sense to pack in a regular ol' bike box. They're the boxes that bikes get shipped from the factory in- they're sturdy enough that if they're handled with reasonable care you can get a use or three out of them.

This particular box is super sturdy. It must have been in a batch of particularly well made ones. It first contained a new bike that was shipped to a shop in Portland, OR. That's where my buddy, Mr. E picked it up to pack his bikes for a move to Texas. Where I grabbed it from him to bring the Brown Machine back after my winter adventure. It's now going on a moving truck, headed for who knows where (probably the person moving, that's who). It's still in wicked good shape, so I hope it gets passed on for another journey.

Bike Sharing is Caring

Moments after I reading about the return of Hubway (no relation) on Boston Biker, I received this in the mail:

Why would someone who already owns an unhealthy number of bikes (yeah, I said it) want to join a bike share? I think it's a good idea (good for people who don't have a bike, good for people who want to try out biking before committing to it, good for tourists, good for people making burrito runs at lunch time, etc.) and it makes sense to support good ideas. I'm not sure how often I'll take advantage of these bikes- although I'll have more opportunity to with the expansion of stations into Cambridge- but I'm really looking forward to going on a lunch run or two on one of these babies. Learn more about it, or join (it looks like there's a spring special happening...) here.
   

Christmas Ride

I like to go for bike rides on Christmas. My second favorite kind of ride (second to single track, of course) is neighborhood exploration riding.  I headed out for one of those rides in the afternoon. I don't get to ride south of the river much, so I wanted to take full advantage of the light traffic and go get lost in city for a while.  It had the potential to be one of the crappiest rides of the year, but I'm going to have to put it in the top 3 for 2011.

I lost a good pair of pants to this ride. Good pair, as in 'the pants I don't wear to the shop' kind of good. Exactly at the moment I thought "Oops. Forgot to roll up my pant leg..." passed through my brain, I heard a terrible ripping sound and my bike stopped dead in the middle of the road.

Then I noticed a gash in my monster truck tire. No flat, but a slice big enough to stick your thumb through (maybe not yours. I don't know how big your hands are). Not to worry- I had a pocket full of tire boots with me.

Later it started raining. 40 degrees, spitting rain, no fenders (I don't care what you say. I don't like fenders. And I keep my bike clean without them.), and I lost my rain pants 3 weeks ago. It could have been a recipe for a miserable ride home, but I couldn't seem to keep a big dumb smile off my face (it helped that my hands and feet stayed warm and dry). I even took the long way home. I shouted holiday greetings to the only other biker I passed, but he didn't seem to be enjoying himself as much as I was (understandable). It wasn't an epic day of riding. You won't find any videos posted about rides like this- slow, around town, without a single bar spin. If there was a video, I promise it would be too boring to watch. Still, it was fun. Really fun.

Trusty Steed

I meant to do this post on Sunday- which was exactly one month away from the start of my trip, but time got away from me. I've been meaning to do a number of things in regard to this bike trip, that haven't quite happened yet. Like putting some miles in on the bike... That seems to be the theme of this weblog- not riding bikes enough. Good thing this arrived today:

I have, however, managed to get a bike put together. The Brown Machine had been sitting idle for a while, and it has proven its worth over long distances. So that seemed to be the most logical frame of mine to hang some parts on. I'm going with a 2x9 drive train (no granny gear, but I won't have much in the way of elevation change to deal with), hand built wheels (natch) with Michelin tires, and my fave seat and pedals combo.

I'm going with the Surly Open Bar for the handlebar. Not a very conventional choice, but this guy has really grown on me. I think it's very comfortable, and it gives a couple of different hand positions. Will it work for me over a month of riding? There's only one way to find out...

I'm still on the fence about the front basket. I really love this guy (it's a Takeout Basket from PDW), but I'm afraid it won't fit enough stuff. I do have a nice CETMA front rack I could put on there for maximum cargo carrying, buuuut- it won't fit in the bike box I'm packing up in (like the Takeout will), so I'd  have to find some other way to get the thing down to FL. I don't want to brag, but I'm a pretty efficient packer (the last time I checked a bag was 2002), so I hope I can put those skills to good use here. I'm going to test those skills this weekend with a trial run/ride. I'll let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Planning

I've been planning a trip for this coming January. A bike tour trip. So far the planning process has been pretty passive. I spent the summer reading other people's tour blogs- some good ones and some really not good ones. I did a lot of day dreaming about it. I decided to ride through the south east (I've never been there, and it'll be warm-ish in January). I got maps from Adventure Cycling. That's about as far as I got with the planning process.

The shop move took up a large amount of brain space and energy, so I put off making any concrete plans for this adventure until things started to settle down around here. It's settling-ish, so I bought plane tickets this week. It's time for me to stop day dreaming and get some details nailed down. I leave for Florida on January 4 and I have a flight back to BOS from Austin TX on February 4. One month to ride 1300ish miles (one of those details I think I should work out...), that's do-able, right?

Getting Colder

It's been a pretty nice fall so far, in my humble opinion. It hasn't really started getting cold yet, but it's definitely on it's way. My very least favorite thing about cold weather is having cold hands. I would sit outside in a bathing suit in December as long as I'm wearing gloves (that's not entirely true).

In the spirit of the coming cold weather we got some new gloves in the shop yesterday. The one I'm most excited about is the Evo Drone. For two reasons in particular.

It looks just like a regular old glove. Black, synthetic material, white loge/highlights:

Here's where it gets interesting. The index finger and thumb have a little flap, so you can expose just enough finger to use your smart phone:

Aaaaand. There's a windproof mitten-y cover that tucks into the back of the glove for when it gets really cold (or for when you ride really fast):

To be fair, I haven't actually used these gloves yet, so I have no idea how warm they really are. I do have high hopes for them. And according to their handy glove-mometer (5-10 degrees?!) they should be nice and toasty.

Lost and found

My favorite benefit to bicycle transpo (besides the health, environmental, economic benefits... oh, and that it kind of is my career/business) is that you find stuff. Stuff that you'd miss if you were riding in an enclosed vehicle. Like this little guy I found in the bike lane yesterday:

This baseball finds its place among the other amazing treasures I've found over the years- keys, a copy of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", $20, bike lights (lots of bike lights), a "Have a good first day of school. Love, Mom" note. All awesome, day-lifting finds.

So what am I going to do with this baseball? Nothing. That's not really the point. The point is... I don't know... that it's fun to find stuff that other people miss because they're trapped in a soul-sucking bubble... riding in a car. That's it.

deCordova

I had my first totally unscheduled/unplanned Sunday of the summer. What to do with a full day off and nothing that I have to do? So I thought I'd do some exploring by bicycle. I'd heard some good things about the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. It turned out to be a mellow ride out there- lots of bike path. The route I took also cut through the Minuteman National Historical Park, which was also pretty neat.

Here's the first cool thing about this place- it's FREE for cyclists! What!?! It would be well worth the $12 admission, but my wallet was waved away at the admissions booth. A new policy for this summer, it made what was already shaping up to be a great day even greater. Also there is a well-placed bike rack, which is welcome change from having to hunt for a street sign to lock up to. It felt like a nice "Hey, you, thanks for riding your bike!"

The sculptures on the grounds of the museum are really very cool. As are the grounds themselves. What a beautiful spot. If I had know, I would have brought a picnic. Next time. I grabbed a few pictures, although they definitely don't do the place justice. You'll just have to take my word for how rad it really is.











The woman at the admission booth also tipped us off to the great view from the 6th floor roof terrace of the museum. I have to admit, the weather was so beautiful I didn't spend any time in the museum, which I'm sure is also very cool, but I did get up to the roof terrace. She wasn't joking.

Bungee of Death

I'm all for making your bike work for you. Whether you use a front or rear rack/basket you'll probably need to tie your stuff down at some point. I see a good number of folks using bungee cords to do this. I think this not a great idea for a couple of reasons. One- Bungees store up an explosive amount of energy when you tension them. Two- They have sharp metal hooks on the end. When the bungee lets go it sends that hook flying- into spokes, eyeballs, freewheels/cassettes, around hubs. The motivation for this post was a Hub Hall-of-Famer who came in last week after getting a bungee all wrapped up in his spokes, and had a slow motion crash situation. I'm not a fan in general, but especially not on rear racks, because you can't keep any eye on that deadly bungee.

What else are you suppose to use to tie stuff down, then? I have two better options. One costs a little bit of money, the other is basically free. Let's talk the money option first.

Toe straps. Those little guys you use on your sweet old school toe clips (or cages, if you must). They're made of nylon webbing, or leather, with a metal clasp at one end. The clasp has some little teeth that help hold the strap in place after you've cinched it down.


They hold nice 'n tight, without being elastic/explosive. The down side to using these guys is that they're pretty short. They're really designed just to go around your foot and a pedal, which doesn't take much material. You can attach a couple of them together, but there is a limit to what you can hold down. Surly fixed that problem by making Junk Straps- extra long toe straps for carrying junk.



Toe straps cost $5-10 for a pair, and the Surly Junk Strap costs $8. Super useful and versatile. If you want something for cheap. Super cheap. And you like recycling/reusing, you should think about using a dead tube. They're stretchy without being snappy. You can cut them to be whatever length you need (within reason). You probably have one laying around, if you've ever fixed your own flat tire. If not, you can come to the shop and take as many as you'd like (within reason).


To use the tube, cut it so it's no longer a circle. I personally like to cut the valve out, for convenience. Wrap it around your cargo/rack and tie a knot or two. Piece of cake. You can then either untie that knot or just cut the tube to free your cargo. No crashing or losing eyeballs.

All Good

Yeah, summer!

Things are really in full swing here. Tune ups, custom bike builds, and flat fixes as far as the eye can see. All you folks prepping your bikes for racing, charity riding, long distance touring, brand new commutes to work, knee surgery recovery, and whatnot have been keeping us very busy. Thank you!

We had a great flat fix clinic this month. Great turnout and lots of great questions (that, I hope, were fully answered). I'm looking forward to the next round (August 3).

I got to go mountain biking with my Sig O last weekend. This was after a, I'm going to say 'mostly unsuccessful', first MTB ride last fall. This time nobody bled, and I (swear I) heard the phrase "Well, I didn't hate that." Brought a tear to my eye...

I'm headed out to Woburn for the start of the New England Classic tomorrow morning. I'll be out helping riders, who've helped raise money for the American Diabetes Association, who helps (in part) fund researchers, who will someday (in the next ten years...) cure diabetes! So basically, I'll be curing diabetes this weekend.

We got a super dope new shop bike:


Just try to not smile your face off while you're riding this thing.


Keep it up the good work, summer, keep it up.

Adventure Time

I half-accidentally talked myself into a rando/tour/walkabout bike adventure this coming weekend (I know... poor me... that's why it was only half an accident). I'll tell you all about it when it's over (if I make it).

UPDATE: I didn't quite make it, for two reasons: 1) The plan was to ride 130ish to my better half's family house in VT. I kept getting lost, which kept adding to the mileage. I got bailed out after 85ish. 2) I forgot chamois cream. So... that was uncomfortable.

The shop is going to be CLOSED Sat 5/28, Sun 5/29, and Mon 5/30 to accommodate for this adventure.

In preparation, I've been spending a little time transforming my Surly Troll from monster truck to long haul monster truck. Which means gear options, and lots of 'em.


Soooo, if I don't see you before- have a great Memorial Day Weekend! I'll see you Tues 5/31.

Charity

It's charity ride season. That time of year when folks saddle up and ride for their favorite causes. If you love bikes and hate diabetes, cancer, ALS, MS, or heart disease there's a ride out there for you. It's a great way to raise money and awareness and get to ride your bike. You were going to give money any way, right? Well, this way you get a bike ride out of the deal. Or maybe you just want a challenging ride, with supported rest stops. That's ok too.

Hub Bicycle is going to, once again, support the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure(s). I love bikes and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1986, so it only makes sense to lend a hand to the ADA. First up is the South Hamilton tour on Sunday May 22. (The shop will be closed that day.) And then the most epic New England Classic July 9-10 or, if you're up for it, 9-15 (I'm not sure if/when the shop might be closed. I can't plan that far in advance).

The American Diabetes Association does a whole bunch of good work. Education, research, advocacy, and most importantly summer camp for kids with the 'betes, all get funded through the ADA, which gets funded, in part through folks raising money and riding bikes. As a near grown-up, who attended one such summer camp, I appreciate and have directly benefited from the funds raised during charity ride season.


So, find a cause you believe in, raise some money, and ride your bike.