Weekend Reading: How To Buy Your First Bike From The Bike Shop

So good! (Thanks Marianna For the heads up) Read the rest here:

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In 2003 I walked into my local bike shop and bought my first new bike. It was exciting, exhilarating, and even a little scary. Dozens of bikes and 10 years later, I have found myself in a place where I can help others through their first new bike buying experience at the bike shop. I have worked as a bicycle sales associate for almost 8 years, and I have been a professional bike fit specialist since 2007. I have heard and seen just about everything in the bike shop.

You have decided that it’s time to head to the bike shop because you need a new bike. Whether it is your first new bike ever, or you’re buying the bike to try a few sprint triathlons or even to participate in the Pan Mass Challenge, there are a few things with which you’ll need to get familiar before busting down the door of your local bike shop.

“I’m not a serious biker” was usually one of the two most popular opening statements I heard when working with someone at the bike shop. First off, YES YOU ARE! Don’t undervalue yourself during our first interaction (or ever, for that matter). I already think that you are a serious biker because you are here at the bike shop to buy a new bike, one of the greatest investments that you will ever make and never regret. Don’t worry–I am not going to judge you because you can’t name the entire Shimano component family. I’ve been there. New bike shopping is exciting and it is a learning experience.

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Invitation To A Boston City Council Briefing On Bicycling Safety

Got this in the email, if anyone has some free time might be worth checking out.

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City Council Briefing on Harvard School of Public Health Student Recommendations for Bicycling Safety Improvements
Wednesday, May 1st
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Boston City Hall, 5th floor, Curley Room

Each Spring, the Harvard School of Public Health has a “Spring Challenge” where students are tasked with developing policy proposals for an issue facing the City. This semester, the students chose bicycling safety. Students have spent the last few weeks meeting with Boston Bikes, the Cyclists Union, and public safety officials in order to develop timely and usable policy proposals to improve bicycling safety in Boston.

We are honored to have the winning students from the Spring Challenge present their ideas to the Boston City Council on how we can accelerate our bicycling infrastructure and safety programs. If you have any questions please contact James Sutherland at 617-635-4217.

Please join us, our colleagues on the Boston City Council, as well as representatives from the administration. I hope to see you next Wednesday.

All the best,

Ayanna

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Ayanna Pressley
Boston City Councilor At-Large

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How Aluminium Bike Rims Are Made

I love this kind of thing…

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Chicago’s Bicycle Safety Video’s

From the Chicago Bikes website

Please please please city of Boston/Police force of Boston make something like this. Thanks Brad for the tip.

(you should know that not all laws are the same between Boston and Chicago, but a good collection of safety tips none the less)

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Relevant Re-post: Winter Riding Tips

Its cold, you’re cold, but the riding continues!

Winter Riding

• Pre-winter
• Dealing with the cold
• Riding in the snow
• Winter bike maintenance
• Dealing With The Rain

Baby It’s Cold Outside, Whats Your Winter Gear Setup?

Winter Inspiration

Boston Bikers Braving The Brisk Breeze (Winter Riding Pics!)

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Harvard Student Creates Stolen Bike Tracking Website: Bikenapped!

The coolest feature of which is the ability to see vissualy where the bikes in Boston are being stolen, so you can avoid leaving your bike in those locations with nothing but a shitty cable lock overnight…If your bike is stolen there is a handy place to announce it here.

From the website:

Bikenapped aims to raise awareness for bike thefts and empower cyclists to take action.

As Boston works towards becoming a world class bicycling city, increasing bike thefts becomes a rising concern. Bike theft is notoriously difficult to investigate, and stolen bicycles are equally difficult to recover. There is nowhere individuals to speak out, no outlet to take action. By gathering this community of individual voices, we can speak with a collective voice to shed light on the problem, and work together to find solutions.

From the website:

Bike thefts in Cambridge has been steadily increasing over the past 5 years. The percentage increase is particularly noteworthy, indicative of rising urban problem. In addition, due to the presence of 3 separate police departments in Cambridge (the Cambridge PD, Harvard PD, and MIT PD), who all keep separate records and statistics on crimes, the published data does not accurately reflect the true scale of the issue. Majority of bikes stolen were locked with cable locks. Cable locks can be easily compromised by common tools found at hardware stores and provide little deterrent for thieves. Unsecured bikes were stolen in residential areas, left on porches or yards. While u-locks are not.

See the whole map here.

More info about the creator here.

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Big Trucks Have Big Blind Spots

Be alert, be safe.

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Melrose Bike Event: Ride Your Bike To The T

Melrose Cycles!

more info

Cycling meet-up and ride to Oak Grove T station Saturday, Oct. 20, 11 a.m.

The Melrose Energy Commission, Mass in Motion, Bike to the Sea and the City of Malden are sponsoring a special event to promote cycling.

Learn how easy it is to take your bike on the T The event includes a ride to the Oak Grove T station to tour the new bike storage facility. There will also be demonstration of MBTA bike racks on buses. In addition, MBTA staff will be available to answer questions.

Special events at Melrose City Hall

• Free bike helmets
• Bike repair demos
• Children’s activities
• Meet other local cycling enthusiasts
• Refreshments

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Ellen Katz at
[email protected]
or
781-662-2616

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