Another day on the T

So I didn't quite get my act together to bike all the way in today... But I did have a nice ride to Alewife and locked up there.

I am a commuter again

With the advent of my new job (very exciting!), I find myself heading into Boston with increasing frequency.

Because I've been in a hurry and kitted out in relatively smart duds, I've been reluctant to bike all the way in - but that's due to change soon. It's chilly. Might rain. Must look spiffy. These are all the excuses I've heard from others for years and summarily poo-pooed. But they're pretty much what's been relegating me to the MBTA over the past couple weeks.

As a result, my average time door-to-door has been close to 2hrs for a trip of only about 10 miles. Infrequent and unreliable bus connections is the biggest culprit, but I've also spent plenty of time waiting on Red Line platforms. What a waste of time!

This will only get worse when they cut service this summer with a price rise to boot.

So today, at least, I biked to Alewife and caught the T (after a 20 min wait). Definitely an improvement over having to rely on a bus.

Tonight, I'm going to mount my trusty Ortlieb commuter bag and ride all the way in with a change of clothes tomorrow.

Probably. Unless it looks like rain...

My first Hubway ride

It's a beautiful if chilly day in Boston. I've come into town for a meeting with my new client near Chinatown, and this morning, I got a message from Boston Bike Czar Nicole Friedman about the spring relaunch of the Hubway, Boston's own bikeshare program.

I've been dubious of the program from the start... the climate, the limited number of bikes, and the great number of irresponsible students all seemed make it a non-starter in my book. But now I'm not so sure. I decided to get a bike at Park Street Station and ride it over to where Mayor Menino was speaking in Copley Square to see what's up.

All I needed to take out a bike was my credit card, and I paid $5 for 24 hours of bikes. The machine spit out a secret code, which I then punched in to the first bike bay - and I was off! The bike felt great - it was heavy of course, but that was barely noticeable. Very solid and easy to ride with a nice upright posture.

I rode through the Common and then walked across the Garden (trying to set a good example, you know), then down Newbury Street, and finally cut over to the Public Library, where the event was being held.

Lots of people were there, including a handful of my bike community buddies, so it was nice to see them and hang out for a bit. I also got a refund of my $5 as part of the event - sweet! I missed out on a free novelty-size burrito, though. :-(

The mayor did his thing, but I left in the middle and rode over to Charles MGH to hop back on the Red Line towards home.

Three big impressions:

1. The facilities are fantastic! The bikes, bays, and payment stations are in great nick and very easy to use
2. As much as Boston's improved it's cycle-friendliness, lots of work needs to be done on the routes still - it's really REALLY hard to get from Copley to Charles MGH without going the wrong way down one-way streets (I ended up going down the Esplanade just to stay on the right side of the law!)
3. LOTS of people are using the bikes already! I saw people at every bay I passed, and saw at least a dozen users biking along here and there

The last point gives me the most optimism about the program. If people like the system and the bikes stay in good shape, they'll always find a way from here to there.

The biggest development should be when they expand across the river (come on, Cambridge!!!) - but in the meantime, I'm going to get my Hubway key!

Biking around NYC

When I was in New York this week, I decided to rent a bike and experience for myself all the new cycling infrastructure developments I've been hearing about for ages.

I mostly wanted to check out the new and improved (depending on who you ask!) Broadway from Columbus Circle to Union Square. And since my time was limited, having a bike would also allow me to get where I needed to be for meetings and still explore parts of the city I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

A couple notes:

• I had a copy of the New York City Bike Map, which can also be downloaded here
• I intended to map my route online, but Mapmyride.com infuriatingly doesn't recognize many bike-only routes, so I finally gave up on that
• The photos here are all from my Flickr set, which has lots more photos with full descriptions and location info

Bike Rental NYC

So I started by Googling places to rent a bike and decided on Bike Rental NYC on 57th Street, largely because I like the website and the price was good with an advanced reservation ($32 for the day). On the whole, I supposed I'd recommend this place - my bike (a Giant hybrid) was in good nick, and it included a nice Wald front basket and a heavy chain lock.

See more photos here

The staff there weren't tremendously helpful or friendly, though, and I was a little put off at the start when the person behind the counter said that they rent bikes for a lot of different websites, so there didn't seem to be much if any connection between the site I was on and the store itself. The only significant issue was the quality of the helmets. Shockingly poor! I was thankful it was cold enough to warrant a wool stocking cap underneath because I wouldn't have wanted any of their helmets to touch my head directly. I'll bring my own next time.

Biking Down Broadway

I started my tour at Columbus Circle and stuck to Broadway all the way to Union Square (14th Street). On the whole, they've really done a nice job with it from a cyclist's point of view. The segregated path is clean and smooth. I thought they did a particularly good job with the left-turn exchanges. At crossings with east-bound streets, there's a set of lights that stops cyclists first so that cars on Broadway can turn left across the bike path, then east-bound cars can go straight across. (I'm always a sucker for bike-specific stop lights!)

Broadway is tricky because it goes diagonally across the grid system of streets and avenues, but they've also done a good job with that, with infrastructure and associated signeage.

See more photos here

The biggest problem I encountered was pedestrians on the cycle path. Hard to prevent I know, and it requires the cyclist to really pay attention - but that's always going to be a prerequisite to safe cycling anyway. A bigger problem was other cyclists heading the wrong way on the path. I can completely understand why you'd want to do it, but it's still annoying - particularly with almost all the offenders I encountered riding on the left for some reason, making each passing a game of chicken.

Another strange thing was the pedestrian plazas that have popped up along the route - at several points, the it isn't clear where the bike path goes and you're left navigating between cafe tables and peds to get to the marked path on the other side.

And finally, at the end of the path in Union Square, the whole thing ends abruptly, with no warning, no instructions, no thanks. There's a bit more marked bike lane on the East side of the square, but as you head back onto Broadway, there's no mention whatsoever of bikes. There is a bus lane that prohibits cars all the way downtown, and that provides a nice space for cyclists, but it's impossible to know whether it's strictly allowed or not.

Other Highlights

Once I'd arrived at City Hall, my Broadway exploration was over. From there, I rode over the Brooklyn Bridge, which is one of my favorite things to do ever. I did a little circuit around my old neighborhood in Brooklyn Heights before meeting a friend for lunch on Henry Street.

At his suggestion, I then rode down to Brooklyn Bridge Park en route to the Manhattan Bridge. It's a completely new park since I was last in Brooklyn. It seemed a little sparce that day, but it's got huge potential. Beautiful views of course, and lots of space right at water level. Seems very accommodating to cyclists and walkers.

After exploring to the south, I turned around and headed north towards the Manhattan Bridge. When I reached the bridge, I asked a hipster DUMBO girl cyclist how to get to the bridge (not as easy as it seems when you're standing 200ft or so above the surface of the bridge!), and she pointed to a sign... That was probably the first of a dozen signs over a quarter of a mile that eventually led me to the bridge entrance. Hurrah!

See more photos here

The cycle track over the bridge was perfectly nice, with great views of course. Interesting that peds are supposed to stick to a different path, but as usually they do not. But not a big deal.

The Manhattan Bridge pops you out in Chinatown, and I proceeded up Bowery with the rest of the traffic on a marked cycleway to a meeting with another friend until 4:30 or so. Then it was starting to get dark and I had to eek my way through the West Village over to the West Side to catch the Hudson River Greenway back up to Midtown to return the bike.

See more photos here

Next Time

On my next cycle sojourn in the city, I'd like to do Central Park, ride more around the Village (East and West), and also venture further into Brooklyn to Prospect Park. (I'm also dying to do the High Line and Governor's Island, though those will be best in warm weather and a bike is not required.)

Electric Assist Christiania

When we were in London this fall, I rented a lovely Christiania from my friends at Velorution. Quite similar in most ways to my own trike (though black & red as opposed to red & black!) - in all ways except the addition of an electric assist motor!

London isn't as flat as Denmark by any means, but it was pretty sweet, very much appreciated on a full day out! Especially when we discovered that we'd forgotten something and I had to whizz back three miles to the hotel...

I shot the video at the playground in The Regent's Park.

Kim rented a green & purple Brompton to ride that day. It worked out just great, though more favorable gearing would have been appreciated. Perhaps she rode it a bit too hard... my friend Richard (in London for work completely coincidentally!) had trouble with the gearing when he rented it the following day!

Also: Here's a longer video from our trip, including a tour of Primrose Hill by Christiania!

I like Paradise Garage in Columbus

One quick highlight of my visit to Columbus was a stop at Paradise Garage, a very nice, personal, quirky bike shop in the Short North district.

When I say "quirky" of course what I mean is:

• Nothing by Trek or Specialized as far as the eye can see
• Lots of steel, wool, tweed, and leather
• Nifty stuff I've never seen before
• My bushy holiday beard feels right at home

I was particularly interested in the bikes by All City Cycles, which were new to me. Very nice lugged steel goodness with an urban flavor (plus some sweet single-speed cross bikes!). Also lots of nice Surleys with giant fatties.

Plus, when I checked in on Foursquare, I got a $10 to spend there from American Express from a small business promo they're doing! (Of course, I didn't have time to do it then, hopefully I will before we leave Columbus!)

2011 Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee

I tell people all the time that my favorite ride ever is the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee, an epic mostly off-road super-hilly ride in western Massachusetts. The first year I did the ride (2008), I produced a little YouTube video (from which Google has unfortunately seen fit to remove the soundtrack). I did it again in 2009. Both times, I opted for the 100k version, both because I figured that a metric century would be challenging enough with the hills and terrain, and also because the long 180k version really demanded an overnight stay the night before. Each time I did that ride, I really enjoyed the challenge of the route, the gorgeous scenery, and the diverse, quirky, congenial group of riders.

Last year I preregistered but had to miss it because of a family vacation conflict.

So this year, I started planning early and rather ambitiously registered for the new 115k route. Only 15% more distance than the shorter route - but it seemed twice as difficult! It was all about the climbing: this ride had over 9000 feet of climbing, including lots of long dirt-road climbs of over 15% grade and some in excess of 20%! Geez.

I drove out early with my friends John and Sam, and it was sure nice to have the company. I've been talking up the ride for ages, and the messages the organizers send out beforehand gave them a nice set of nerves heading into the ride. As the veteran, I was calm and just looking forward to a good ride. Which is probably just as well, since I probably wouldn't have had the cojones to attempt it if I'd had an accurate idea of what it was going to be like!

The organizers state that, while the big climbs on the 100k ride are mostly before lunch, on the 115k, they're after. I had a really tough time in the morning, which actually made me consider taking advantage of a bail-out point at the lunch stop....

The ride started off fine, with a nice, quick 15 miles leading to the first rest stop. It would be 25 more miles to the lunch stop, which turned out to be among the most miserable miles I've ever ridden. We started off just fine, with a couple really steep, rough tracks to climb. (On one of these, I was stymied by a volunteer who saw fit to put her hands on my bottom and try to push me through the rough spot while suggesting that I "steer! steer! steer!" - but she ended up pushing me off the course entirely.) I generally love that sort of climbing, but it wasn't long before I started feeling sick. Really sick, like with an upset stomach, swimming head, and all that. My stomach had been a little queasy for a while, and I certainly didn't help matters by overeating the morning of the event. This is often my downfall - I'm so afraid of bonking that I eat too much and end up feeling sick.

This feeling persisted and was at its worst at about mile 30, heading into a long, steep climb. I felt pretty bad during the whole thing, primarily with an upset stomach. It was a seemingly interminable ride up a twisty dirt road, and there was always more climbing around every corner. I seem to remember shouting to someone up ahead at one point "any end in sight?" as he rounded a bend. Several people had started walking their bikes by now. I didn't resort to that, at least, but I did take breaks from pedaling quite often.

It was at this point that I started thinking about ditching the ride. But what would I tell my buddies? Surely they'd try to dissuade me, and I was in no mood for that. What would I tell my girls when I returned home? And how could I let this the ride I've been looking forward to for months end in failure? So I figured that I'd reassess my fitness after lunch and then make a call.

And I was glad I did. I didn't have much for lunch, which did help my tummy start to sort itself out. I had a little pasta, a big dill pickle, some fig newtons, and a banana. (In retrospect, it sounds like a pretty gross combo, but it worked for me!)

After lunch, we headed into the most challenging riding of the day for sure. 20 miles and more than 3500 feet of climbs! The pithy description on the cue sheet describes this stage as "a hard dirt road climb, a very hard dirto climb, then a super-hard dirt climb!" Ah, the beauty of understatement. I remember thinking on each of the first two climbs "Geez, it can be worse than this one?" But I just slogged it out, spotting a landmark up ahead, pedaling to it, and taking a break. Then doing it again. And again. Some climbs were in excess of 15%, and the steepest topped 20%.

This was definitely a ride of superlatives. Sure, it had some of the difficult terrain I've ever tackled, and the pain I felt in the morning was my worst ever. But smack in the middle of this stage was also the best downhill I've ever ridden. Ever. A long, smoothly-paved twisty-turny rollercoaster of a ride, allowing just enough visibility up ahead to let me top out at 46mph. There were also some 20%-plus bits on this section that made me feel almost weightless. Unparalleled, unforgettable.

The last climb brought us to the rest stop at the Little Big House Gallery, where the volunteers were great about cheering on incoming riders. With only 12 miles and 1100 feet of climbing to go, this stop was a big relief to all, I think. I believe it was about 3:30 at this point, so we'd been riding for seven hours - and feeling it.

The weather had been lovely all day, starting with fog and temps in the mid-60's, and occasionally getting very bright and sunny. The combination of hard riding up, fast riding down, riding between heavily wooded lanes and open fields made me glad I was wearing a wool jersey with a full zip, and I stayed comfortable in that respect all day. At this last rest stop, though, the sky had started to darken and it was clear that the weather associated with Hurricane Irene was headed our way.

And it caught up to us during the last stage. It started to mist heavily at first, and by the time the end was well and truly in sight, there real drops coming down. This wouldn't have bothered me in itself, but it was an indication that I needed to get home before the real weather hit Arlington.

Just when I was in the home stretch and the weather was getting wet, it became clear that I'd missed a turn somewhere.... I met up with someone who'd done the 100k ride and got back on track after that, but I ended up going a few miles out of my way. I'd lost track of John and Sam, but found them waiting for me a few miles from the finish. We rolled in together and celebrated a good ride as we loaded up the car, then skipped the ending festivities to get home to our families as the weather roiled. We spent the 2-hour drive home recounting the climbs, the descents, the food, and the personalities of the day. And in my own head, I was celebrating a big personal accomplishment and the fact that I stuck with it to the end.

My trusty Thorn Tour didn't let me down yesterday by any means... but I'm thinking that this route in particular would be a lot easier with a cross bike. Thorny weighs in at about 35lbs, after all, almost twice what you'd expect from a nice cross bike. The Thorn is perfectly happy cruising along on dirt roads. But it on the steep climbs that I'd like to get out of the saddle a bit more, and the weight and geometry of my bike really just don't encourage that. (Incidentally, I was excited to see another Thorn on the route yesterday, but I never managed to meet its owner!)

I'm a bit sore and definitely fatigued today, which is perfectly fine since Hurricane Irene has us sequestered inside all day. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Recommended touring bikes

A friend of mine asked me recently what touring bike he should get, not too expensive. Based on these broad requirements, here's my list:

1. Surly Cross Check - The most versatile of the lot - use for commuting, touring, or cyclocross, and you can get it as a standard build, or built to your whims for not much more (in Boston, go to Broadway Bicycle School for either) (or go for the Long Haul Trucker if you're doing serious miles - see a nice example pictured here!)
2. Novara Randonee - Great combination of modern & classic bike design, and very good value - and you can't go wrong shopping at REI (You can also do the Fuji Touring or Jamis Aurora for about the same price, but I still like REI)
3. Bike Friday Companion Select - A nice economical folder, great if you need to travel by air to the start of your tour
4. The Trek 520 is a modern classic, but about 40% more expensive than any of the above
5. Or, for a beautiful classic touring bike, go to Bikes Not Bombs in Jamaica Plain and get a nice steel Schwinn, Nishiki, Bridgestone, or Raleigh.

Ride with Ride Studio Cafe this morning

I finally made it on a ride with the crew from the Ride Studio Cafe this morning. It was a nice (if chilly) morning and there were about 25 riders in all. We set off not too long after nine, after everyone had had a few minutes to warm up and chat over coffee in the store. It's a great place to start a ride!

I could only do 45 mins out and 45 back because I've got a gig this afternoon, but it was a great time. We kept up a reasonable pace (18mphish) and stayed in a pretty tight group. It was a really congenial group - really looking forward to my next ride with them. Hope to do the full ride next time

I wore my new gilet from Quad Cycles, which kept me nice and warm over two layers of wooly goodness.

One shocking revelation: The ride leader Jeff told me that Pietzo electric assist cycles has run out of cash and is out of business. Really a shame. He said they're liquidating their inventory, but the website doesn't seem to have any special deals. Maybe this is the time to snap one up?

New bike for Andrew!

After an idle conversation with a friend of mine recently about my affection for lugged steel bikes, he sent me a few posts from Craigslist - for some reason, lots of beautiful bikes are coming up in Boston nowadays.

One particularly struck my fancy - a Guerciotti from 2000 kitted out with all Campagnolo Record from 2003, plus carbon handlebars and seatpost. And superbargain to boot! Even included Speedplay pedals.

So I set up an appointment to go see it in Belmont, walking distance from the office. I did just a short test ride, but it felt very light, nimble, and solid - and of course the Campy stuff shifts, stops, and goes like a dream.

The dude selling it raced at one point, and he assembled this bike several years ago, but hasn't ridden in years. I think even he realized that he'd underpriced it, since he bumped the price up by $200 before I turned up to see it - but this must have been in case I didn't buy, because he accepted the original price, and I rode off with it happily!

It's been supercold and I've had musical thingies every night since, so I've scarcely ridden it yet - but I'm really excited!

More to come...

2011 National Bike Summit

I'm back in DC for the second year running for the National Bike
Summit! It's really a thrill and an honor to be here with so many
dedicated cycling advocates. Like last year, I'm meeting tons of great
people and learning lots.

New bike path Alewife-Belmont

There's been a bike path between Alewife station and Blanchard Rd in Belmont for ages. As long as I've known it, though, it's been hardpacked gravel, hard to find, and treacherously close to the railway line.

So today on my way back from the periodontist, I saw the new entrance from the Belmont side - very nice indeed! The nice wide paving with a yellow line down the middle was too inviting to resist. I started down the path and wasn't daunted by a few snowy spots, which I rode or walked through. The newly-paved path looks great (still dangerously close to the railroad tracks, though)!

Unfortunately, just as Alewife station was about to come into view, the paving stopped abruptly - I guess they haven't finished the work yet! And the snow and ice really precluded riding further.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I gave it a go, and once everything warms out and dries up, it'll be great - pavement or no!

Back in Palm Beach

Ah!

The holiday we've been looking forward to for ages. After the snowiest winter we've had since moving to Boston (and I guess it still isn't over - it's freezing rain all weekend, apparently), a few days in sunny Florida is just what we need!

Like during our last visit (almost 2 years ago!), I've rented a nice bike from Top Cycle in Palm Beach for the duration of the stay. I've got a Specialized S-Works very similar to the one I had last time.

I picked it up from Patrick this morning and it was just great. I rode all the way up to the Inlet and back through Palm Beach to Lantana. Just after coming through the center of Palm Beach, I met another cyclist and I commented on his cross bike - not something you'd expect to see around these parts (which is what I said). He was really friendly, and we got to chatting.

Turns out he's from Indiana, just here on a short vacation like me. He brought his cross bike to do some gravelly roads tomorrow - sounds like fun. We kept a pretty good pace going, probably 18ish mph. He told me that he knows of a titanium bike maker in Lantana called Habanero, and he was going to drop in and see what it's all about - so I decided to tag along. Of course, I figured that it was unlikely that there was a ti and carbon framebuilder actually building frames in Lanatana, and it was more likely an enterprising marketer importing frames from Asia and selling them here....

So when we turned down South Oak Street in Lantana and found it to be a residential neighborhood, I wasn't terribly surprised. Nevertheless, this Lantana dude must have some pretty good connections in Asia (and/or at the customs house!), because he's flogging titanium frames for less than $900. I do like titanium....

I'm riding the PMC!

It sure seems like Spring is around the corner with the nice weather we had this week. Just a week before, we were in the single digits (okay, we'll be there again soon, I'm sure) - but on Thursday the weather was so nice that we closed the office early and did a nice ride, followed by wine & snacks chez moi.

We all did pretty well considering that the incessant snow has kept most of us cooped up inside for weeks on end - I, in particular, am not in the best shape. But there's nothing like a good group ride to get the legs a-pedaling once again.

My latest news, though, is that I've signed up to ride the Pan Mass Challenge this year! I'll be doing the Sturbridge to Bourne route, 111 miles of hilly goodness, described as the organizers as the "most difficult" option. (I'm just doing one day; there are lots of other options, including two full days of riding.... maybe next year.)

I've committed to raise $3000, 100% of which will go to organizations dedicated to finding a cure to cancer. I've been thinking about doing the ride ever since moving to Massachusetts, but I'm finally doing it this year - and I'm inspired by my mom and my brother-in-law, both of whom beat cancer in 2010. I'm also riding in memory of our friend Nanette, who died this month after a long struggle.

Please help me reach my goal and contribute to finding a cure!

You can read about my fundraising and training progress or donate online here.

Nice chilly ride & strange tire issue

I went for a nice ride today for the first time in ages. Up the bike
path, to the narrow gauge trail to Fawn Lake, and back via Rt 4 & 225.
it was cold - mid 20s - so I was bundled up good and proper.

On the way back, my back wheel started bumping along and I discovered
that the tube was slowly eeking its way out of the bead, creating a
giant goiter that was threatening to explode at any time.

Of course, I'd neglected to bring a pump with me today (though I
rarely forget to do so). But luckily, a friendly dude rolled up and
loaned me his - he even insisted on doing the pumping. I'd hoped that
by re-seating the bead, it would pump up normally, but it soon popped
out again.

So I just carefully ride on home, and made it without further trouble.
I guess I'll have to get a new tire, which is annoying. Or maybe I
just stick to my bianchi until it's time to get carbide-studded snow
tires?

PS: facebook and twitter have ruined me for blogging. I vow to be better!

Three nice rides near Ellsworth Maine

Three nice rides around Ellsworth

Our visit to Patten Pond with extended family is always a highlight of the summer. Tons of reading, swimming, relaxing, and eating (mostly lobsters!). This year, I've also managed together some very nice rides in! Here's the lowdown.

1. Schoodic Peninsula

Here's a nice 30ish-miler around Acadia's lesser-known Schoodic Peninsula. No Thunder Hole or tea and popovers here, just beautiful views, tidepools, and smooth, quiet roads. I only experienced limited views because the a thick fog had descended on the area when I did the ride, lifting only as I was finishing up. Still, a great ride, and can't wait to do it under better conditions!

The road around the park is straightforward enough. But I followed the loop that begins on West Gouldsboro documented by the Maine DOT at http://www.exploremaine.org/bike/schoodic.html . There are lots of good tours documented there, though not as many as you'd expect.

2. Surry & Newbury Neck

Here's a ride that I haven't quite done all of, but seems to have great potential. Newbury Neck is another peninsula that extends down between Morgan Bay and Union River Bay. If you start in Surry at the intersection of 172 & 176, follow Newbury Neck Rd south, avoiding the main signposted routes to Blue Hill etc. the road goes all the way to the end of the peninsula with rolling hills and very little traffic. Views are mostly limited to trees and the odd glimpse of water, since almost all the roads leading to the shore are private - but the real selling point for this out-and-backer is the opportunity to put your head down and just go.

3. Happytown Road

This us one LOVELY out-and-back. Like ride mo 2 above, this might not be worth travelling from a distance to do (really because it starts at Route 1, which is just about as inhospitable a road as I'd ever care to bike on). But this turned out to be a great ride for mr because it starts practically across the street from our cabin.

There are two big things to note about this ride. There us no Happytown per se, as far as I know anyway. So don't turn down Happytown Road expecting it to lead you there. The other thing is that this 24-mile ride is about half unpaved hardpack gravel with some washboardy bits. Absolutely perfect for me and Thorny, but anyone on a carbon fiber trifle might run into trouble.

So, as long as you aren't expecting to arrive in Stepford or Shangri-la-di-da Valley, and you've got a sturdy ride with fatties fitted, then this a nice ride for you!

The way I did it today, it's about 12 miles out and 12 back. I rode out Happytown Road from Rt 1 until I got to the crossroads with Winkumpaugh Rd and turned right, following the sign to Annie's Pride general store (isn't that a great name, though? Who wouldn't take that turn?) the store is just across another main road - Rt 1A. I didn't go in, but know it's got a good rep.

There seem to be lots of alternatives, including continuing on Happytown Rd (maybe there is a Happytown at the end of it somewhere?) - I chose this route because I was intrigued by Annie and it fit the time I had for riding today precisely.

The route is gorgeous, with sweet little farms, woods, and great huge fields with typical Maine blueberry bushes and boulders, and a couple very old cemetaries. Another highlight along the route for another time is the New England Telephone Museum.

It's also probably worth mentioning that it's pretty hilly, but nothing too ridiculous.

PLUS

Here are a couple more rides in the area that I'll have to do another time....

4. Acadia's carriage roads

By next year, both of our girls should be able to pedal these with aplomb. I also want to ride Park Loop Road to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

5. The Downeast Sunrise Trail

Already partially complete, this is another rails-to-trails project employing crushed gravel surfaces and catering to ATVs in addition to walkers and cyclists (seems that's how it works round these parts...). See http://www.hcpcme.org/transportation/sunrise .

Biking the Kennebec Valley Trail

I love rail-trails. So when figured out that there's a 16-mile trail near where I'm staying with family in Maine, I decided to forgo my plan to do a 40-mile route and ride the Kennebec Valley Trail from North Anson to Bingham and back.

There wasn't much information out there, though, which was surprising. So in the end, I went to Google Maps and looked up bike routes between Madison and Bingham, and it seemed to indicate that the rail trail started around the North Anson Cemetery so that's where I went. It was already a reasonable distance from Skowhegan, so I decided to drive to the start and bike from there (that irks me - it seems a bit of a cop out!).

I found the trail with no trouble, but it wasn't actually clear that it was the start at that point. It seemed as good a point to start as any, though. There wasn't any parking so I parked around the corner at the North Anson Community School, though that might not have been an option if it wasn't a Sunday.

I knew it wasn't a typical rail trail from the get-go: the surface was variable, with gravel, sand, rocks, and washboard sections. I'm accustomed to hard-packed fine gravel, but this was a bit of a challenge. I really wouldn't recommend it for people with road bikes, and even mountain bikers should be sure to have good treads on their tires. I was riding my Thorn with 1.75-inch tires pumped up far too hard - but I preferred less traction to a puncture.

Turns out that the primary users of the trail aren't bikers or walkers at all - they're ATVs in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. I came across a half dozen or so ATV riders today, and they were all pleasant enough (except one, who was going too fast and didn't give me much space). And for their use, I'm sure the trail would be perfectly fine. But I didn't see any other cyclists today.

The first half of the trail was pleasant (apart from the surface), but a bit monotonous: woods and the odd bit of cornfields.

At about halfway, I reached Solon and the big dam and bridge. It was a nice oasis there - a beautiful open space with views up up and down the Kennebec and even a picnic table. After that bridge, the path is more scenic, running right along the river. But with the views come more ATVs, and the road surface didn't really improve.

Finally, I reached the unceremonious end of the trail at a motel in Bingham - and popped out on busy 50+ mph Route 201. I asked in a little grocery store how to get back to North Anson and it turned out that all I had to do was cross a nearby bridge and head down Route 16 (201A). That was really nice - a wide, newly-paved road with some nice rolling hills. The only catch was that the road was officially closed just before North Anson, but since the road works weren't active on a Sunday, I was able to walk my bike the 100 feet through the mounds of dirt and diggers. And in a few minutes, I was back at the car and headed back.

So at the end of the day, I probably wouldn't do the trail again without different tires and even then, there are much more interesting places to go around here, I think. Very much looking forward to my ride around Acadia later this week!

Larz Anderson 14th Annual Bike Super Meet

Real nice time at Larz Anderson today! Here's a little video.

Goodbye, project bikes!

Over the past three years, I accumulated a dozen or so "project" bikes that I hoped to refurb, build up as a fixie, or do something else productive with. Needless to say, I'v had neither the skill nor the time to do anything except watch them collect lots of dust in the space under our porch.

So not too long ago, I met a guy who works for Bikes not Bombs who also happens to live around the corner from us. So we arranged to do a pickup today, and he left with a truckfull! Now I've got a lot more space under the porch (neighborhood raccoons rejoice!), and the bikes are off to good homes somewhere.

I kept a couple of the more interesting ones, though, so maybe I'll get to those projects yet....

Christiania much improved after service!

Just picked up the Christiania from Landry's on Comm Ave.

Initial impressions are very good - they gave it a general once-over, replaced the worn rear tire, and overhauled the hub.

Also a new chain and cog to make the hills easier.

For $150 all in, it certainly came in much cheaper than i'd expected!

One issue seems to have persisted: the noise from the coaster brake. I noticed it almost immediately andcalled the shop. They told me it should go away after a couple days . I hope so - neither the girls nor I could tolerate it!

Overall, though, Landry's was great to deal with; everyone in the service dept was really helpful and friendly - which is an unfortunate rarity.

When I picked it up, one mechanic piped up wih "that bike has captured the hearts and imaginations of everyone here!" Nice.