allstondave's bikepage     My New Bike A couple of weeks ago, (April 6th, 2006), I bought a new bike to replace my five-year-old Gary Fisher Tiburon. My new bile is a Gary Fisher Zebrano. It has an aluminum frame, and RST front shocks. It's actually lighter in weight than my old bike. It has 700 x 42 tires that have a pretty smooth tread in the center but more aggessive tread on the sides of the center strip. I bought a new rack, new fenders, new locks (both a Kryptonite U-Lock and also a 6 foot cable lock) and a small lock cable to lock down the suspension seat post and seat. All told I spent about $550.00 US. I love my new bike. It has Shimano lever quick shifters, brakes and drive train, a Bontrager Crowbar handlebar and Bontrager Camino rims. Here's some photos.             I DO NOT even own a car! The bicycle is the BEST mode of transportation ever invented. Bikes don't pollute, they can be parked anywhere (with a good lock, of course) and you don't have to worry about parking tickets. Even the nomads of Outer Mongolia have discovered the advantages of bikes which they use for herding their flocks. They don't have to be fed and watered, or sheltered and they won't run away if some one leaves a gate open. Bikes will still be around after the fossil fuels run out and the planet is too polluted to allow cars. On this page I will be posting news and my thoughts about biking and cool places to ride. There will also be links to other interesting bike sites.   To make a long story short, I moved to Melrose, MA, from the Allston neighborhood of Boston, in October, 2001. I still work at The Top of the Hub, but now I bike to the "T" (Subway)(about a mile). The drivers around Melrose are mostly very considerate of Bike riders. They won't squeeze past you in narrow situations, and they'll wait for a good time to pass. (Most of them!) I try to stay out of their way, but if I Need the road, I seize it! It's more fun dodging wet leaves than broken bottles! And, now, in August, 2009, I moved to Winthrop, MA, a small town situated on a peninsula that forms the Northern side of Boston Harbor. There is water all around - the Atlantic Ocean to the Northeast and Crystal Cove to the South. At the East end of Winthrop is Point Shirley, (referred to by locals as "the point"). Just East of the point, is Deer Island, site of Boston's wastewater treatment plant. The plant is state-of-the-art, modern and doesn't smell. All around Deer Island is a nice wide paved bicycle path which runs for about three miles. It offers great views of the ocean, ships entering and leaving Boston Harbor, and fantastic views of the Boston Skyline! It's especially nice around sunset. "Specifically, we fund projects planned and executed by young adults. Over the past 7 seasons we have donated $2,305,345; built for more than 63,500 hours; pedaled over 4MM miles; and engaged more than 1000 young adults in spreading the word about the affordable housing crisis in America" Massachusetts DOES Have A Bicycle Policy! I was amazed to discover that Massachusetts does indeed have a Statewide Policy regarding Bicycles on Public Streets and Highways. New regulations are being put into effect that will require plans for new construction or upgrades of roads to be bicycle friendly. [Edit] Unfortunately, Mass Hyway's bike info page has been taken down and not replaced.   Portland Oregon has a great bike policy! Notice the "BLUE lane" and the "Yield to Bikes" sign... The city of Portland, Oregon has a great bike policy, backed up by a committee that answers to the city council. Click on Portland, Oregon,to see their great bicycling policy site. Boston would do well to copy this approach to solving the many bicycling problems that we have here. I plan to email Mayor Menino soon to ask what he is doing to improve the dreadful bike situation here. I did email the mayor, but never got an answer. Selected Links to other Bicycling Websites

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