Update on Hub

Harris has decided that they're going to try to offer relubrication service for Shimano Nexus/ Alfine hubs.
They're going to get the kit on Thursday, and test it out with a hub they already have and then hopefully do mine over the weekend if I can get the bike out there before work on Friday morning.   Good thing I've got Minerva mostly up and running -or more importantly stopping, or at least stopping better than before.  But that's another post!

I know that there are an increasing number of people out there with these hubs,  so just wanted to pass the info along.  I'll also report back on how it works after the relubrication and whether it solves the problem.
I looked at the hubstripping place in Seattle that Steve A sent the link for, and it was pretty scary.  I hope that those scarily rusted  hubs they showed "after one year"  were bikes that were living outside.

I do ride through the winter, but I don't actually think my bike gets terribly wet.  I try not to ride in downpours (although I have a handful of times)  and my bike is pampered by living under cover both at work and home.  If this relubrication works out,  I'll probably add it to my yearly service routine- getting a wheel rebuilt with a new hub would really be a killer.

Silver City and the importance of meaningless awards

The League of American Bicyclists announced its rankings of Bike Friendly cities today, and Boston jumped right in for the first time, skipping Bronze entirely on its way to a "Silver" designation.

Interestingly Somerville is listed as being a first time "Bronze" recipient, but Cambridge is nowhere on the list.  What's up with that?  I wonder if there's a population cutoff that keeps Cambridge from counting as a "city"  vs a "town".   I know that you also have to apply for the designation, I wonder if they just didn't bother.

On one hand it's a bit of an empty certification-  Cambridge without a certification is still a better place to bike than Boston (IMHO), but I think that it helps build political support when Nichole Freedman can say to council members, et al-  "with your support we've achieved this national recognition- let's see if we can go for Gold next year! "    We see that a lot with LEED certification- it doesn't really "mean" anything, but businesses want it, even though they could do the same environmental upgrade without the certificate.

I think it's all for the good when we celebrate the implementation of better policies,  but the better policies and their translation into more riders are the real reward.

Missed Connections

Me:  Riding happily down the new Watertown Greenway on a gorgeous day, enjoying getting from Mt Auburn street to Arsenal without dealing with all the icky cars.*

You:  A mall full of shops, anchored by a national store that some call Tar-zhey.  So close and yet so far, the lovely new bike path circled your  perimeter, and even had signs pointing to you  saying "Mall", but no access pathway to the door so tantalizingly close.

If you're reading this, maybe you can make a 10 foot connector from your parking lot to the path, put in some bike racks on that side of the mall,  so we can get together and I can get some shampoo and new curtains, and you can get my money!



All humor aside,  I did talk to the manager at Target about the possibility of getting some kind of connection. She was interested and suggested that I also write the general manager.  I'm sure it actually depends on the mall, but if their anchor tenant is supportive, I hope they will be too.  I might cc DCR who actually manages the path to explain that even though the mission is recreation, there might be some side benefit to helping provide transportation too.

*(Ok,  that's not actually me in the picture- it's a kid who was biking by while I was standing in the parking lot)

formulaic

I saw this bike parked at the Livable Streets Spring Member Social on Wednesday.  I was cursing the fact that I had left both phone AND camera at home that morning.  Thanks to Jackie Douglas at Livable Streets for lending me her phone and emailing me the photos!
Someone has spent a lot of careful time covering this bike with mathematical formulae.  It's incredible!

I would be afraid to scratch the paint on this kind of art-bike, but its an amazing thing to admire.  I like that it's subtle- from a distance it just looks like a pattern on black.

Advice please?

Anyone out there in the Biking in Heels readership have experience with doing an oil-bath on a Nexus IGH?

I think that Gilbert is due for some maintenance on his rear hub, which has in total about 3 years of year round riding on it.   It feels a bit like there's gravel in the freewheel.  I thought that this was a service that Harris Cyclery would offer since they see more IGH's than the average shop, but it seems that they don't.

I don't want to get into hubstripping.  I'm sure I _could_ do it, but I don't think I have the patience or finesse for it.  Just reading the hubstripping site gives me hives.   However, others on bike forums and other sites indicate that just removing the guts from the housing, dipping it in the magic oil and then reassembling it is not that complicated.  I would have to buy the package of magic oil and maybe the special cup (handy for storing the oil I suppose).  I'm trying to convince Harris that this is something they should offer, but I don't know if they have the market for it.

Interestingly, the guy I spoke to in service said that I was the second person who had called him (I forget if he said this week or today) asking about this kind of service.  Maybe there's a market for it after all :)

Has anyone done this themselves?  I'm fairly handy, but not looking for a intense mechanical challenge.

Advice would be most welcome!

In an update, Jim from Harris emailed me back to say  that  after checking out the links I sent him, he thinks they might start offering the service, will check it out with the higher ups,  so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Private Bike Share

In an increasing trend, I saw these bikes, part of a private bike share locked up on my way home at the Ames Hotel at Government Center.  I know that the Charles Hotel and the Liberty Hotel have been offering bike share for a while, so it must have some appeal if this place is also offering them.
They're Public bikes,  in a nice cream with red accents color scheme,  and with a special sticker saying where they belong.  A couple of them had racks and baskets.

The doorman said that they're free for a certain amount of time to guests, but there are late fees if they're brought back late.  I forgot to ask the time limit.
Anyway, nice to see that these hotels feel that traveling by bike is a thing that their guests would be interested in, and that they would support.

On the way home I noticed these poor trees- blooming their hearts out between the Longfellow construction and a parking lot.   This parking lot is slated long term to become an extension of the river pathway up to the hospital,  so hopefully more people will be able to enjoy them up close.

brrrrr

I've been trying not to complain about the cold and blustery "spring" we've been having, because, in all honesty Spring in New England is always tough. Normally though it's tough because we'll get 2.5 gorgeous 65 degree days where every flower in the universe is blooming its little heart out,  and then we'll have 4 days of 34 degrees and rain.  Instead,  we've just been having 42 degree days, day after day, with a couple of 42 degree rainy days thrown in for variety.

It's mostly been cold and sunny though, and Thursday was no exception.

The day started out inauspisciously when I came across the aftermath of a bike accident.   I was close enough to the event that no one else had called 911, so I did.  When I arrived there was a biker huddled on the ground rocking in pain, with 4 people standing around her.   I stayed just long enough for the police to arrive (3 cars, sirens blazing) and to get the license plate numbers of the "witness" cars.  By this point the biker was up on her feet, with some pretty nasty scrapes.  I gave her a cookie (just happened to have 2 dozen with me) to try to get some sugar in her to prevent shock,  gave her a note with my phone number and a note about the license plates,  and headed off.   I overheard the first part of the police interview, and it sounded like she'd been doored by someone exiting the passenger door of a car in the travel lane next to the bike lane.  The couple from the car seemed nice enough- they were being very solicitous to her, but I hope that the passenger got a ticket anyway.  I thought about saying to him- let this be a teachable moment to you, and share with all your friends-  look before you open your door into a bike lane!

The victim at the right in the mustard colored skirt.  Based on the tire mark on the door, I think she may have been stopped at the light slightly in front of the car.

After lunch I ducked out of work to go to the announcement of the bike share program at city hall.
I didn't stick around to hear all the speeches,  but there was a good crowd of what I would estimate at  75 people- 25% news media and 75% bikers.  Although I don't think I'll use the bike share much myself, I am cautiously optimistic that it could have a positive effect on the bike culture of the city, as it has in Paris, Barcelona and Montreal.   I would definitely use it for "last mile" transit connections,  although it might be a while before it's at the size where it can really support that kind of usage.

There were some great bikes/ cyclists in the crowd-

The ride home was CRAZY windy.  I was being blown all over the place by unexpected gusts from all quarters.  Wind is one of my least favorite elements of biking downtown.  A steady headwind is no fun, but you just duck your head and grind it out.  The gusts that emerge from between buildings will blow you sideways in their unexpected strength.  I was glad not only that I had gloves, but a fairly warm coat, and it was nice to get home and have a nice warm dinner.