Bike Me

Once in a while I see something that is impressive….Some incredible urban bicycling, these guys are very good and it take big balls to do some of these. Then I got to thinking, about how many times they must had to try some of these moves before getting them right…enjoy!

I was going to post on the subject of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Go on about helmets and the prevention of head injuries etc. Relating some do my experiences as a firefighter and having been hit by cars three times back in the day when I rode a lot – blah blah blah…

Instead, although a bit snarky…and this is Bike Me: Price of a bicycle helmet $35+; Price of a 4 yr College $200K+; Ability to eat your own food NOT thru a straw, PRICELESS; Wear a helmet! ‘Nuff said!

On to more important subjects…a new woman friend of ours, Grim, rewarded us at the shop with a cube of Natty Ice…warm even! Yep we asked for it that way…old habits die hard. We had suggested it half jokingly for services and a swap of a rear wheel! THANKS Grim you are the best!

Thanks to those who visit our shop and make it worth while to be there. This is so much more than a business venture solely for profit. Truly, the richest days are those when we chat with the MIT grad, welding, artist/architect and that happens to be looking for space to work her metal magic. And we can then connect them with someone who has a space that just might work. Or those who come in several times, finally find what they were looking for, even if they did not have any idea what that was when they started. Or help out a young couple that need bicycles for primary transportation and they find what works for them! Now those are some good days. And yes, yesterday was a good day!

Gotta love the bicycle community.

I am sadden, pissed off when ever anyone comes to our shop and tell us that their bicycle has been stolen. It sucks just plain out sucks.

I have posted about locking up bikes before…so why again? I get calls several times per month requesting that we keep an eye out for person’s particular bike. This past week I got a call from Natalie who had her bicycle stolen at MIT. I have got to say based on what we hear, MIT is a place where a lot of bicycles are stolen.

Most people we sell to use their bike as a major, if not sole, transportation mode. Back to Natalie, she not only is her bike sole transportation but because she has a connective tissue disease (she told me I could say that) it is her only physical therapy that does not hurt her body when she rides. The bicycle a Blue Gary Fisher Tarpon had a few distinct mods done to it to make it an easier ride for Natalie.

So, I have to ask, where do all of these stolen bikes go? Craig’s List, not such a good idea. To easy to watch and get it back. Bike shops, I seriously doubt that too. Broken down for parts? Maybe. Stolen and resold else where, I’m thinking that might fit. Perhaps stolen as to fill an request, in other words. Ask the right people for a specific bike, style, name type, etc. The go find it steal it and make a fast say $50 – $100 bucks. I’m thinking it may not be the crime of the century, but it defiantly hurts people.

If you read this pass it on and maybe, just maybe, get on the MIT Police, for example, to mount some pressure on those that might be lurking in the shadows’ or in plain site waiting to steal bicycles. I’m thinking a few sting operations or high visibility presence might just drive those who steal out of the area.

Oh yeah, and LOCK UP your bike with a decent U-Lock. Spend the cash and don’t become a victim.

And to those who might read this and think other wise…we always ask for photo IDs, such as a driver’s license, and you really don’t want to try to sell us any stolen bicycles. Now that would really suck, for you that is!

I got a call this week from a woman, I’ll call M, she happens to be a student at one of the prestigious higher educational institutes located along Mass. Ave. She told me she had what she called an accident with a bike she had bought for us this fall. Could I help her? The bike could not be ridden or wheeled to the shop.

So when I went to pick up what I expected to be perhaps a major repair, I was shocked to see that the whole front end of her bike had been crushed flat. It turns out that she had nearly gotten run over by a truck taking a right had turn after being stopped at a light. She said she was in the bike lane and the truck was in the next lane to her left. Traffic light changes, she assumed truck was headed straight…it wasn’t it took right hand turn; she goes straight and ran into the wheels…gets knocked off bike clear of the truck, but the bike gets run over. She is very lucky, minor bumps. However her bike is done for.

Our friend got to learn a very valuable life saving lesson with out serious injury. In all fairness, I had been hit three times while on bicycles and had to put down a motorcycle once, so I hold no judgment.

What I can say is this. Trucks are big, noisy, with lots and lots of blind spots. I used to drive one of those “Big Red Ones” back in the day….So I got to understand all about blind spots and not running things over. And because they were “Big Red Ones”…I got to see what happens when things like bicycles and trucks mix…the bikes always lose. And for the most part the riders do too, usually in a big way.

So now that we have arrived in prime bicycle riding weather….remember cars may be fast moving and trucks may be slower but, they can not stop easily nor see you in many cases at all. Always assume they can not see you and act accordingly.

Be seen and be safe!

Be Current Ride Vintage

With winter not all that far behind…!

I did a boat load of yard maintenance last Sunday. You know all that yard clean up that no matter how much you clean, rake, etc. in the fall is always there just waiting for your attention. But I have to say it is always great to completely uncover winter’s fodder and see the various flowers and plants. It is sort of like bike maintenance, or other spring cleanings of sorts. All those bikes that get left outside all winter or have taken that winter beating which can make them old before their time. All cleaned up, looking like new.

So it is time to clean that bike…! Hot water, soap and elbow grease is a good start. A biodegradable grease cutter can be helpful also. How about a spring cleaning party for bikes with your best bike ridding buddies? Once done, out for dinner on newly cleaned rides.

After your initial cleaning, remember to take a good look at things like brake pads, cables (pull them grease and return), all those little things that make for a huge difference in your ride. A little oil on a rag or chain lube can go a long way for your chain. If you are up to it, do your own lube jobs. It makes a huge difference not only in the ride, but longevity of the bike. A clean bike is a happy bike!

Remember a well placed “Bike Me” (of course with a smile) from a newly cleaned bike is so better well received than form one that is not!

Happy Vernal Equinox to all of the
Metro Boston Biking community!

First, I have not been very good at keeping this current…I hope that will not happen again.

Second, a couple of facts off the National Geographic site.
In the Northern Hemisphere spring officially begins at 7:44 a.m. ET on Friday, March 20, 2009—the vernal equinox, or spring equinox.
But don’t be fooled by the old rumor that on the vernal equinox the length of day is exactly equal to the length of night. The true days of day-night equality always fall before the vernal equinox and after the autumnal, or fall, equinox, according to Geoff Chester, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

So much for that rumor! How about Phish will play at Fenway in 2009?

OK, so what does the official beginning of spring mean to you…less possibility of snow…however, remember the April Fools Day Blizzard of 1997 (Google that!) or perhaps it is time to break out you high end road bike…or it means that finally taking off the 2nd layer of clothing?!?!?!?

For us it means our second season doing the used bicycle thing out of the Cambridge Antique Market. It means the crush of those that see bicycles as not just something to do on the weekends, but an every day means of transportation in and around our lovely metro area is back on! A good thing!

It means for those that do ride road bikes for distance that the season is here and you can put up your stationary trainers and get out on the roads for real….less a half ton of wind blocking, insulating water proof clothing. It means that you can ride in daylight for a few hours after work again. It means that cars may have the window rolled down and might be more aware. It mans that those morning rides will be again a joy of hearing, smelling, seeing the city as it emerges form it’s annual winter hibernation.

And for those who are in that frame of mind it means you can say BIKE ME and be heard, yet again for at least another season.

Be Current, Ride Vintage!

This weeks ride, 1990’s Specialized Sirrus.

Happy Vernal Equinox to all of the
Metro Boston Biking community!

First, I have not been very good at keeping this current…I hope that will not happen again.

Second, a couple of facts off the National Geographic site.
In the Northern Hemisphere spring officially begins at 7:44 a.m. ET on Friday, March 20, 2009—the vernal equinox, or spring equinox.
But don’t be fooled by the old rumor that on the vernal equinox the length of day is exactly equal to the length of night. The true days of day-night equality always fall before the vernal equinox and after the autumnal, or fall, equinox, according to Geoff Chester, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

So much for that rumor! How about Phish will play at Fenway in 2009?

OK, so what does the official beginning of spring mean to you…less possibility of snow…however, remember the April Fools Day Blizzard of 1997 (Google that!) or perhaps it is time to break out you high end road bike…or it means that finally taking off the 2nd layer of clothing?!?!?!?

For us it means our second season doing the used bicycle thing out of the Cambridge Antique Market. It means the crush of those that see bicycles as not just something to do on the weekends, but an every day means of transportation in and around our lovely metro area is back on! A good thing!

It means for those that do ride road bikes for distance that the season is here and you can put up your stationary trainers and get out on the roads for real….less a half ton of wind blocking, insulating water proof clothing. It means that you can ride in daylight for a few hours after work again. It means that cars may have the window rolled down and might be more aware. It mans that those morning rides will be again a joy of hearing, smelling, seeing the city as it emerges form it’s annual winter hibernation.

And for those who are in that frame of mind it means you can say BIKE ME and be heard, yet again for at least another season.

Be Current, Ride Vintage!

This weeks ride, 1990’s Specialized Sirrus.

So on this snowy first day of March…….while awaiting yet an even bigger dump of snow later tonight, I just finished rehabbing a 1963 Raleigh Sports. Over a cup of tea I got to thinking…………..

At this time every year I angst for winter to be over, I can not wait to move on to the next season. March can be a very long month for me. (Yes, I know I live in New England and we can get snow 6 months of the year). With every weather forecast I hold my breath, hoping that the predicted winter weather system will go out to sea or head north. I truly love those first warm windy days of spring with all it means… new beginnings, growth, fresh starts, etc. etc.

It is similar for me with rehabbing a bicycle, a new beginning for something that may have been lying dormant for a winter season or for decades. I get to take a bicycle from a dormant state to something that will take someone, like a set of iron wings across the block, down the street on to where ever they want to go.

As with this 1963 Raleigh, the paint on most 40 something bicycles can be pretty tired but responds well to a good rub of wax and will look pretty darn good. Yet, what I find most remarkable is how well the chrome on these old bikes comes back to an original gleam. A few minutes of effort will remove all but the deepest rooted rust, which is not unlike tending next years grass or say my lavender plants. It is the coming warmth which they promises that brings out that gleam in people, just like a little elbow grease on chrome does.

I would really like to say “Bike Me” to winter…but apparently not just yet!

Ride like the warm winds of spring, soon I hope.

This past weekend the Cambridge Antique Market had their annual Open House/Dealer Days Sale. We were there all three days (in our basement “shop”) and much to our delight we were very busy, especially for a February weekend.