tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post6125641435248089051..comments2024-03-29T04:01:31.445-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: The 2 Hour CommuteVelouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76641370711946172772016-10-24T19:14:09.262-04:002016-10-24T19:14:09.262-04:00Oh no! None of your photos are working!
My gawd do...Oh no! None of your photos are working!<br />My gawd do I applaud your 2 hour commute. I'm tryng to work my way to becoming a commuter as well.Moniquehttps://www.instagram.com/i_only_ride_dutch/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-73510451445324822892012-11-14T11:19:10.702-05:002012-11-14T11:19:10.702-05:00I feel your pain. My commute, by car, is 23 miles....I feel your pain. My commute, by car, is 23 miles. It takes 20 min in the car on my early days, 40 on my late days. (I live right off the highway and my base is right off of the same highway). There is literally no way to get there by train as all the trains run into the city and none across the country-side. By bus or any combination of public transport/bicycle it would take two solid hours and by bike alone, about two and a half, assuming that I ever made i there alive because, as you noted, any road in the "suburbs' that "goes someplace", no matter how narrow or windy, if chocked-full of trucks and commuters hell bent on "getting there". I attempted to convince my wife to move to a more affluent suburb closer to my job JUST so I could commute by bike. Instead, she settled on a home in a different affluent suburb FARTHER from my job! Women....Noreasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11267875702684892553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-11793076033336969472012-11-14T08:01:14.774-05:002012-11-14T08:01:14.774-05:00I wish I could commute by bike...
I live in a mid...I wish I could commute by bike...<br /><br />I live in a mid-sized town in East Tennessee, work in a small town in southwestern Virginia. Home to work, 40-miles. Great road, lightly traveled: if I drive it straight, driveway to parking lot, it takes 40 minutes. Most days though, I rendezvous with a couple of others to carpool. Could be worse.Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02799321882670631711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-44820487429374217462012-11-13T23:37:52.998-05:002012-11-13T23:37:52.998-05:00Sorry, was not intending to imply you changed the ...Sorry, was not intending to imply you changed the post.<br /><br />Was going to go into the typologies, definitions etc. of suburban settlement patterns, but on second thought... nah! :]<br /><br />Agree with NE Bicyclist above.Bifhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543158648103470697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-69542091327808152472012-11-13T16:19:03.270-05:002012-11-13T16:19:03.270-05:00My current commute is about 20 miles each way from...My current commute is about 20 miles each way from the DC suburbs in VA into DC proper. Mass transit plus bike (or car) is generally fastest, at ~1 hour 10 minutes each way, door to door, absent delays on transit (which can add substantial time, but are relatively infrequent). <br /><br />Biking is most reliable, at ~1 hour 20 minutes in the morning, and ~1 hour 35 minutes in the evening, except in the relatively rare case of snow/ice. <br /><br />Driving is the most variable, at ~50 minutes in the morning, and 1 hour 15 minutes in the evening, with a swing of anywhere from -15 to +90 minutes (or more) for accidents, road work, detours, or foul weather. <br /><br />Biking is by far my preferred method for reasons not lost on the crowd here.Chris Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12534941961887075266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-39102430334655205842012-11-13T11:24:29.108-05:002012-11-13T11:24:29.108-05:00I cannot believe you are getting snow already!!I cannot believe you are getting snow already!!Tarynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-3823605638762849752012-11-12T17:11:18.163-05:002012-11-12T17:11:18.163-05:00"How many days did you do the entire ride by ...<i>"How many days did you do the entire ride by bike?"</i><br /><br />Just 1 day. It is not a safe route, would be stupid to repeat it. No time for a longer route. <br /><br />Yes I would def need a change of clothes under hotter/wetter weather conditions, and also if my destination was more formal. <br /><br />Mark, no idea how much the boots weigh sorry : ) And I've certainly carried heavier things in my saddlebag!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-38717859078988846362012-11-12T11:38:19.941-05:002012-11-12T11:38:19.941-05:0051% of americans commute less than 10 miles a day....51% of americans commute less than 10 miles a day. <br /><br />http://www.bts.gov/publications/omnistats/volume_03_issue_04/html/figure_02.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-1730087289473814882012-11-12T06:38:47.377-05:002012-11-12T06:38:47.377-05:00Good luck. I have thought about doing the Mike ro...Good luck. I have thought about doing the Mike route for my next frame since he announced the change in his business. It won't be easy financially or to find the time. Will you get an ANT powder coat or send it down to Circle A?New England Bicyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16609454624593868118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-23170778803706075442012-11-12T06:34:14.115-05:002012-11-12T06:34:14.115-05:00This is an interesting question. Most of the area...This is an interesting question. Most of the area that I ride is in the commuting field of Boston or easily in the Boston metropolitan area. Farms are as close in as Concord but Concord see heavy Boston or 128 belt commuting traffic during commuting hours. Some very small farms are closer in (Lexington, Wilson and Busa farms) but these really don't change the suburban complexion of the area. The Route 16 corridor is far from the more rural Harvard area. I have done some rides from Holliston and it seems more suburban than semi-rural or rural, whatever your distinction might be. But there are definitely spots in that area that might appear rural to the unaided eye.New England Bicyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16609454624593868118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-21399462665964190302012-11-12T01:00:36.829-05:002012-11-12T01:00:36.829-05:00This all reminds me of a ride I did back in '9...This all reminds me of a ride I did back in '98. The only time I ever rode around Boston. I arrived by plane. My bike had been previously sent to Belmont Bike Works and assembled there, when it was still a standard hole-in-the-wall shop. I planned to ride 115 miles up to New Hampshire and had less than 8 hours to sunset. I also had no good plan for how to escape the city. The guys at the bike shop looked at me like I was completely nuts and were recommending I scrub, take a taxi, anything. John Allis walked in and said "No good route you'll find. Massachusetts Avenue. Then 2A. Lowell. Pelham. You'll find it. Keep the pedals moving you'll get there." Which is what I did. No problems at all. <br /><br />Keep the pedals moving. You'll get there. Being afraid of stuff never gets you anywhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-74230059122637794032012-11-11T23:55:54.902-05:002012-11-11T23:55:54.902-05:00You could always take a TIG welding course at a lo...You could always take a TIG welding course at a local Vo-Tech or Community College, they're pretty common and inexpensive. They are pretty basic classes typically but basic welding skills are what you need for most bike building. Tig welding is usually described by those who do it all(Oxy-Acetelyne, Mig, Tig, Braze et all) as the easiest of all welding methods to learn and get usefully proficient (include me in that group). You can get started building bikes before you dive into brazing.<br /><br />The actual welding of bikes is more or less straightforward, you're inside out of the wind, the joints are at eye-level with good access to the whole circumference of the tube, there isn't enough welding to build up a ton of heat that needs to be managed and the materials are similar thickness' except for the BB which is still not too tough. To get really pretty at it you just do a lot of it. Even Aluminum or Ti are only a bit more complicated. Welding was easier to get on top of than woodworking for me, by yards.<br /><br />The real challenge is DESIGN. I'm not intimidated by building frames but can't see how I'm qualified to do much more than copy other peoples designs. I have access to a nice Anvil jig and tube mitering mill set-up now so will probably do a little cloning for myself, but don't expect me to hang out a shingle and go head to head with the pros.<br /><br />SpindizzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-65709697300011101122012-11-11T22:39:24.759-05:002012-11-11T22:39:24.759-05:00I did not alter the post after the fact, honest. T...I did not alter the post after the fact, honest. There must be some statistical/sociological definition of these terms, I am sure. For me, Somerville is something like a borough, West Newton is a suburb, and Holliston is definitely semi-rural. I guess the ultimate distinction between boroughs/suburbs vs semi-rural/rural for me is the presence of farms. There are no farms in the suburbs. Of course, I could be wrong. Don't believe anything you read on a blog!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-70002224126117547692012-11-11T22:35:18.051-05:002012-11-11T22:35:18.051-05:00What? I guess my eyes deceived me. Wouldn't be...What? I guess my eyes deceived me. Wouldn't be the first time. By semi-rural perhaps you are refering to "exurban" or that place that exists between rural-residential (the final frontier of epic city commutes) and suburban jungle proper, and that I believe was described well enough in Dante's Purgatorio (somewhere between levels 5 and 6).Bifhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543158648103470697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-64624965626392626522012-11-11T22:13:13.345-05:002012-11-11T22:13:13.345-05:00"I carried workboots in the saddlebag and cha..."I carried workboots in the saddlebag and changed into them upon arrival."<br /><br />Priceless. How much do they weigh?Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-21276837376456161062012-11-11T21:50:20.423-05:002012-11-11T21:50:20.423-05:00Hey, I wrote "semi-rural!" : )Hey, I wrote "semi-rural!" : )Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-72952480614749252012-11-11T21:44:49.020-05:002012-11-11T21:44:49.020-05:00Forgive me for picking up on your use of the word ...Forgive me for picking up on your use of the word "rural". But I don't think any of that area between Boston and Holliston (or sadly beyond) can be considered rural anymore, at all. Density of settlement may be less out toward Holliston but its all suburbs. They simply co-opted the rural road network and use it as a one-person/one-car suburban commute conduit system, serving as feeders into the vortex…, toward or away from Bain Capital, or by way of connecting Dunkin Donuts with Friendly's and/or drive-through prescription drug kiosks. Well I don’t know where they are all going. But many of the roads are still of rural character and many of them are narrow and winding. Autos and trucks travel them at pretty high speeds. There is seldom much of a shoulder and oftentimes zero margin for error. <br /><br />The present state of land use and transportation (they go together) in the 495 swath around Boston is a complete disaster. The worst kind of sprawl combined with a completely inappropriate and inadequate roadway system. It’s a hellish auto-centric environment in which to bike-commute 25 miles. At least you are generally outbound in the AM while most of them are probably inbound, and vice versa in the PM. Hats off to you. <br /><br />You know a number of towns like Marlborough and Milford and Framingham used to have “interurbans”, i.e. electric passenger trolleys, which connected them to neighboring towns and villages (not sure Holliston). But that was over 100 years ago before we got more civilized.<br /><br />Good posts lately. Keep up the good work.<br />Bifhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543158648103470697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-8847705041089491132012-11-11T19:46:45.482-05:002012-11-11T19:46:45.482-05:00Ah-ha! You live in a University town. Rural Midw...Ah-ha! You live in a University town. Rural Midwest food choices are chains or gas station quick marts. That is until the ride takes you near a place of higher education where more often than not there is at least one pretty good place.<br /><br />Galesburg has a pretty good bookstore. Live jazz though usually means heading back to Chicago.Matthew Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10408057524387021992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-37628673212222394092012-11-11T17:07:08.543-05:002012-11-11T17:07:08.543-05:00Yes, stretchy wool is great. How many days did you...Yes, stretchy wool is great. How many days did you do the entire ride by bike? Some days one can be covered in mud or salt or just plain sweat and sunscreen. A change of clothes is often necessary. Other days, not so needed but I've found that most along my route are generally wear cycle specific clothes for the long ride.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-77227589317050893512012-11-11T16:41:49.686-05:002012-11-11T16:41:49.686-05:00On clothing choice: When I rode the Rawland, I wor...On clothing choice: When I rode the Rawland, I wore what more or less passed for "normal clothes" - wool stretchy trousers rolled up, long socks, and several sweaters. I topped it off with a cycling-specific cold weather jacket and clipless shoes. I carried workboots in the saddlebag and changed into them upon arrival. No other post-ride cleanup was necessary, since it was so cold out (it was 36F that morning, I think).Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-33943663713370000332012-11-11T15:49:02.776-05:002012-11-11T15:49:02.776-05:00I hear you Somervillain, I know we have it pretty ...I hear you Somervillain, I know we have it pretty good around here and when I visit Atlanta, Dallas or Denver and get a little taste of what you're talking about I try to remember not to take it for granted. <br /><br />If we don't give up too much in the Food and Beverage department we do in the Music, Bookstore and General progressive culture arena. Even with 2 university's, various Colleges and research facilities in town, I try to sneak out once every couple of months and spend a little time where you might actually see someone reading an actual book alone in public or hear something other than "ASS-KICKEN" Country at the grocery store. <br /><br />So, did'ja get you a dog down at the shelter?<br /><br />SpindizzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-40330052889258852012-11-11T15:38:05.420-05:002012-11-11T15:38:05.420-05:00As far as Restaurants and Coffee are concerned we ...As far as Restaurants and Coffee are concerned we don't give up too much here, I've been around a fair bit and when I stop talking for any length of time I'm usually busy eating anything new I can find. I don't think anyone with good taste needs to suffer around here. There aren't a hundred great places to eat but there are more than you can visit regularly and always something new waiting to be tried. If one gets tired of things there is always Charlottesville 45 miles away or D.C. 90 miles away. As far as Coffee is concerned I just don't like the stuff no matter what so if we suffer I'm not aware of it...<br /><br />Of course if you don't care WHAT you put in your mouth there's no shortage of Shoneys, Chili's, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Gardens and that kind of crap right here in town too. Personally I'd rather slip out to the sticks and eat Ponhoss, Grits and Country Ham fried up by a chain-smoking Gran'ma who gets to town once a month on her day off from the gas station in beautiful downtown Fulks Run than that stuff.<br /><br />Spindizzy<br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-75158236942337442392012-11-11T15:04:39.601-05:002012-11-11T15:04:39.601-05:00The two hour commute is certainly a different anim...The two hour commute is certainly a different animal than the twenty minute variety. With one, you can wear pretty much any kind of clothing and ride on almost any kind of bike. The other begs for a bike of the efficient variety and more sporty clothing. Also, I find it necessary to go the extra step to make myself highly visible since there are stretches where cars are not used to sharing the road and it can get quite scary. Combining mass transit with the ride would be great, if only there were some available :) I find that choosing to do this bicycling thing has changed my life in so many ways I could not have predicted and I'm grateful for this new path.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-88989887696735527752012-11-11T14:08:52.172-05:002012-11-11T14:08:52.172-05:00My commute is 32 miles each way, by car. But every...My commute is 32 miles each way, by car. But every so often in warmer months I do a bike-train-bike commute: cycle 6 miles (with hills) from my house to a station (unfortunately, the station a few blocks from my house is on a different rail line) and take a train for a 40-minute ride. Then, it's back on the bike for another 6 miles (and more hills). This all takes around 2.5 hours each way, so it's not something I'd do on a regular basis. Yes, I could move closer to work, but where I work is in a car-centric exurban area, and I'd be miserable living there -- where I live now, in a close-in NJ suburb of NYC, I can pretty much bike and walk everywhere on the weekends.Bob Ehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/30490050@N04/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-73470826896978218922012-11-11T13:01:41.743-05:002012-11-11T13:01:41.743-05:00My commute is 14 miles which I can do in a vehicle...My commute is 14 miles which I can do in a vehicle in less than 14 minutes, but I live in a rural setting and the town I commute to does not have all that much traffic. By bike the ride takes more than an hour and it becomes closer to 16 miles because of a needed change in route for safety. I also have to add time to spruce up a bit before starting the work day. I prefer to ride the bike, but it is certainly not an easier mode of transportation in my situation. (there is no public transportation to speak of, so it isn't an option).Ryannoreply@blogger.com