Bike Log

[jim_p]

Back in the saddle again. Stopped riding last summer when things got crazy, then the weather got bad. When the weather got nice again, I was determined to get back on the bike. Last sunday I went on a quick test-ride around the neighborhood to shake the cobwebs out of both the bike and my legs.

Today I did 2.8 miles around downtown Natick.

I miss the Nashua River Rail Trail... beautiful paved trail, I could do 11 miles out and back and feel great afterwards. No rail-trails nearby... there's talk of one but it's been vaporware for a long long time...

What's the Minuteman Bikeway like? I've heard stories that it's really crowded and overrun with Massholes-on-bikes, but is it really that bad? Are there better times to go on it?

Comments

[chhotii.livejournal.com]

It's better if you can manage to do a weekday. Probably not worth it to go out of your way to go to it on a weekend-- indeed, it does get crowded then.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

The minuteman bikeway gets crowded on weekends, but it's still doable on a bike (unless you want to zoom at 16 mph). The Massholes aren't the bicyclists, though; the 2 baby strollers side-by-side "get in the way" but the biggest problem is the inline skaters -- they take up a lot of the trail because they push off side-to-side. Bikers, particularly the experienced ones that ride in a straight line, are not an issue.

[ceo]

I was out there today with Benjamin in the trailer, and while it was somewhat crowded, it wasn't horrible. Really, you'll only have a problem if you're trying to howl along at 20mph passing everybody (which is why the hardcore roadies stick to the, er, roads). Arlington west of the center is generally the most crowded stretch. Note that there's a long gradual grade between Arlington Center and the Maple St. overpass in Lexington, so if you come through there from the west, you'll have to work harder on the return trip.