Minuteman ramblings

This weekend I thought I would finally explore the Minuteman bikeway. It was nice to not have cars whizzing by but there were still a dozen traffic crossings. Overall it was a pleasant ride but on a Sunday afternoon it was a bit clogged with family rollerbladers and weekend warriors.

I've been car free for the past 3 years and in that time I've learned a few things that weren't immediately obvious when I started using the bike as my primary means of conveyance.

• Lightweight windbreakers work wonders keeping you warm - one good gust of cold wind can cut right through several layers of cotton and chill you right to the core.


• Sunglasses protect your eyes from more than just sun - there seems to be constant construction around my apartment throwing up all kinds of dust and other particulates, sunglasses keep it out of my eyes. Cold and windy days can also cause my eyes to tear up making it difficult to see. Sunglasses can help prevent this.


• Toe clips help increase power transfer but limit the shoes that you can wear while biking - When I added toe clips to my plain flat pedals I noticed a reduction in the effort required to maintain a particular speed. I do find it difficult, however, to easily slip in and out of the clips when I'm wearing my running shoes because they are wider from the toe box to the arch and can sometimes get stuck. My sambas and vans do slide in and out quite easily.


• Helmet hair looks ridiculous - Your standard expanded polystyrene bicycle helmet has several vents to help keep your head cool, vents that can also create areas of low pressure coaxing your hair up into them and upon removal of the helmet your hair will be flattened where it was in contact with the helmet and have a windblown, straight up in the air look everywhere else. A look that not even the sex pistols could pull off. My solution is to wear a cycling cap underneath my helmet and depending on the helmet a regular baseball cap will work as well.

As I think of more I'll post them, below is the route I took on the Minuteman bikeway.