BioBus Bike Blog

When, in the course of human events, it becomes self evident that gas prices have risen to unaffordable heights, traffic has clogged to unbearable snarls and the quality of our environment has fallen to unbearable lows, there is only one option - to ride your bicycle.

I consider myself lucky to live here, in Boston, birthplace of the American Revolution. I love meandering down the narrow alleyways where the history of our great country was shaped. Even more than that, I love to be a part of this new revolution, the bicycling revolution, bringing bikes to people all over so that they too can ride through our historic streets, as they themselves make history, riding with Urban AdvenTours, who recently received a number 1 ranking from Trip Advisor.

Yes, it has become self-evident that Urban AdvenTours is making things happen, getting some good pub and creating a lot of buzz - which is great for me, because I am getting tricked out. Look for me - I’ll be the superfly biodiesel bus with new decals, green lights and an especially distinctive horn. I won’t be shouting, “The British are coming!” but I will be heralding the arrival of a bike wheel revolution.

Also of note is the commencement of the Tour de France. I don’t go in for all of that France bashing (they were our great friends during our fight for independence) and so I’ll be heading on down to Redbones at 9 am on the 14th and the 22nd of July to enjoy some amazing breakfast while I watch some of the most amazing athletes in the world ride through some of the most amazing parts of an amazing country. It’ll be…amazing.

So, fellow citizens, I urge you not to forsake this wheel revolution, not to forgo your exercise nor forget your connection to our Earth. The revolution will not be motorized…the revolution will be wheel.

Oh boy - I am hot, hot hot. Being a truck ain’t easy these days, what with the high temperatures and high gas prices - I feel like I’m about to overheat. At least I’m not putting too much of a dent in Urban AdvenTours pocket, since I run on recycled veggie oil. So my boss at Urban AdvenTours should be happy - especially since Urban AdvenTours is getting a lot of action these days…

• First off, UA is blowing up in the press. National Geographic Traveler’s Intelligent Travel blog features our favorite green company prominently this week. Of course we here in Beantown know that Boston is quickly becoming a green city, with companies like Urban AdvenTours at the forefront of the green movement, but now the rest of the country is starting to pick up on the buzz. Our fair city offers incentives to green builders, eco-friendly food and clothing, and lots of environmentally friendly things to do - one of which is an awesome Urban AdvenTours bike tour of Boston. The word’s out now. Maybe this is the start of something beautiful.
• Yours truly, the BioBus, is blowing up on the streets…look for me! And holler! I’m rocking a new Landry’s Bikes decal these days and delivering bikes all over the place…if you don’t know you better ask somebody! There’s no better way to get exercise in the summer heat than bike riding - you create your own breeze. And if you want to organize a group activity, get around the city, head out to the water, or just cruise at your leisure, give Urban AdvenTours a call and get me to bring bikes straight to your door.
• Boston Natural Areas Network is using my services, having me deliver bikes to Boston schoolchildren so that they can explore the green places in and around their city by bicycle. The guides at Urban AdvenTours are happy to work with the kids, and the kids are happy to zip through the parks and trails that their city has to offer. Everybody wins - the kids learn about bikes and their city’s natural areas, Urban AdvenTours brings smiles to kids’ faces, and I get to do what I love to do: bring bikes to people who want to ride!

So, yes, the heat’s tough on the old BioBus, but I’d rather be out and about, moving and hustling, hauling bicycles and representing Urban AdvenTours on the streets. It’s better than sitting idle, or complaining about the weather, or (let’s not even think about it) shoveling snow.

Hey everyone, it’s Memorial Day weekend, and you know what that means. It’s driving season - time to get gouged at the gas pump. We’re getting close to 4 bucks a gallon over here (lucky for me, I run on recycled veggie oil, which is still free). Industry execs say they don’t know what’s going on, while analysts predict a 6 dollar gallon before the year is up. So while you’re stewing in your hoopty because you’ve Shelled (ha!) out an Exxorbitant (ha-ha!) amount on gas to sit still on a snarled and overheated expressway, en route to Aunt Gladys’ cookout, remember: there is another way!

Get on your bike! Use your legs for fuel and feel the breeze in your face. You don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to ride a bike, you just have to have a bike and a desire to have a little fun. And, in case you missed it, here’s a little taste of the fun bikes bring.

The pictures were taken at Redbones 13th Annual Bike Benefit. There were a ton of cool bikers and cool bikes, some great food and some great prizes. All the bike characters were out and having a blast talking about bikes and showing off their new rides. Some people even won new rides! And what will those lucky winners do with their new bikes?

The same thing you should do - get ready to ride in the Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon. It’s coming soon - June 8th - but you can start training now. The Bike-A-Thon’s bigger and better this year, with the Green Roots festival for an after party, tons of riders, tons of cool speakers and three ride lengths to choose from. Of course, all the money you raise (see how many sponsors you can get) goes to a very worthy cause - helping Bikes Not Bombs teach people how to use bikes in order to promote peace and stewardship of the Earth, across Boston and the rest of the world.

When you’re done with that ride it’s time to start thinking about the 270 mile ride from Boston to New York to raise money for research to fight ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). It’s called the Tri State Trek, and it’s not for the novice rider. It is for a very worthy cause, however, and it looks like a very fun 3 day ride. It kicks off July 18th and so you should start thinking about it (and start training). More on the Trek soon…

So there you have it folks. The answer to all your gas related problems is right here: bikes! Ride your bike! Pull it out of the basement, get it tuned up, and get going. You’ll feel better, your wallet will feel better and you might even make a little difference in the world. Peace.

It’s not easy being the Urban AdvenTours BioBus. I mean, sure, I’m colorful, sure I’m a green machine (I run mainly on veggie oil) and yes, I offer a smooth ride. But here’s the thing…I can’t ride a bike. I know what you’re thinking. Why would a truck want to ride a bike? Well, if I could ride a bike, I could participate in some great events going on around town. Here are three things I’d definitely do on my bike…

• I’d ride over to the 12th annual Bike Party and Benefit at Redbone’s. If I had two legs and a rear end that fit on a saddle I would pedal over to this outdoor BBQ festival and have my bike parked by one of Redbone’s excellent bike valets. I’d then check out some fellow bicyclists and their rides, get a plate of BBQ and a cold beer and listen to some great music. I’d probably also buy a few raffle tickets, and I know I’d win a sweet prize. But instead I’ll be parked somewhere nearby, envying you humans with your bicycles to ride on, mouths to eat with, ears to hear with. Anyway, I’ll be there, In Davis Sq., on May 19th, (new date due to weather) from 5 to 9, so come on down and show a truck some love, why doncha?
• I would also register NOW to ride in the Bikes Not Bombs Bike-a-Thon, Sunday June 8th. You lucky humans will be able to choose between a 15 mile, 25 mile or 62 mile ride. Riders will get sponsors and raise money for BNB, helping them in their amazing bicycle mission. Of course, it will be fun, too. The Green Roots Festival will be going down at the same time, and there’ll be food, music, workshops, fun things for kids. Sheesh…you humans don’t know how good you got it.
• And, of course, Monday, the 12th of May, is the start of Bay State Bike Week, and thousands of Bay Staters will take the Commuter Challenge to give their cars a rest and ride their bikes to work. Of course, yours truly, the BioBus, will get no rest. I will be available for events for companies and organizations looking to encourage their employees and members to take the challenge. It’s noble work, I know, so I’ll be driving all over (using no gas, remember, just veggie oil) delivering bikes and helmets and spreading the bicycle love all over…ah, maybe in my next life I’ll be a bike.

Well, I gotta go, I’ve got an appointment with my mechanic (the old transmission’s acting up again), so take care, keep riding, and give me a holler when you see me on the streets.

Look at the big brain on me. It’s not all good genes - every once in a while I look at the Dictionary.com word of the day. I do it for my own personal edification. You know, it’s just a kind of melioration of my mind. Anyway, I checked it out, and today’s word is contrite, as in, feeling or expressing grief and regret for sins or offenses. That little definition got me to thinking. I become meditative, deliberative, pensive and downright ruminative. I quickly realized I was feeling a little contrite myself. Why, you ask? Well, here we go:

1. I feel contrite that I haven’t told enough people about the 12th annual Redbones Bike Party and Benefit. If you love bikes, BBQ, beer and good music, and you want to support bicyclists in and around New England, then you now have plans for Monday the 19th of May (this is a new date). This bash is an outdoor bicycle fest, replete with great music, great raffle prizes (you could win an amazing ANT cargo bike), great beer and fantastic food. It’s all going down Monday, May 19 from 5 to 9 in Davis Square in Somerville. I suggest you join us down there.
2. I have to admit folks, I also feel contrite that I have not been reading the news lately. Our favorite Boston bicycle tour company is getting some press. If I’d been paying more attention, I would be cognizant of the fact that the story of the founding of Urban AdvenTours was featured recently in The Day, of New London, CT. Read about founder Andrew Prescott’s vision for a bike friendly Boston here.
3. You know what else I am contrite about? I have not been contributing my knowledge of local bicycle routes to serve the common good. I have been anything but munificent with my expertise. All that is going to change soon, after I add what I know about great (and not so great) bike routes in and around the city of Boston. Help out all of us bicyclists by adding to the map.

So, there, I no longer feel contrite, penitent, repentant or compunctious. In fact, I feel a sense of alleviation. Maybe, even, assuagement. Writing this entry has been, well…palliative.

Tuesday, April 22nd is Earth Day. I don’t know about you, but the Earth has always been my favorite planet. It’s got oxygen and water, two things I really like, and my grandmother lives here. So, yeah, I’m down to celebrate Earth Day. And I am thinking that you cyclists must be into Mother Earth, too. I mean, she’s giving you the hills to climb, the food to fuel you up those hills, and the wind to whistle past your ears on the way down. So in honor of this special day, I offer up to you, my bike loving, Earth valuing friends, three ways to celebrate your favorite planet:

1. Cheer on the first annual Earth Day Bike Ride! Two businesses at the forefront of the Green Movement in Boston are teaming up for the day. The fine folks at Urban AdvenTours and the Kimpton Hotel Group - with the Nine Zero, the Onyx and Marlowe, they operate three of the classiest and greenest hotels in Boston - are putting on a special Earth Day Ride for their guests. The ride will run through the city and along the Esplanade. Hopefully, it will be another beautiful day and no one will get a flat. Pray to Gaia.

2. Write a Biku…it’s just like a Haiku, but it’s about bikes. You remember how it goes, 5 syllables in the first line, 7 the next, and then 5 syllables again for the last line. Yup, it’s a Biku. Here’s a beauty:

Riding down Storrow/not a car in sight tonight/wild dreams of freedom.

Or maybe you like this one:

Full body spandex/panting at every stop light/you’re not Lance Armstrong

Ok, ok, so I’m no Masoaka Shiki. Can you do better? Write one or two of your own and send it in. I’ll post the best and maybe you’ll win a prize. Who knows?

3. Get ready for Bay State Bike Week, coming May 12-18. I’ve talked about it before, but it bears repeating. Bike Week is a national event, challenging every citizen to ride his or her bike to work for a week. Here in Boston, that would mean no more stifling traffic or stinky bus rides, and with all the incentives and activities all over Massachusetts, you might even have some fun.

It’s time to start thinking about what you will do for Bay State Bike Week. Is your bike still in the basement? Get it out and grease it up. Don’t have a bicycle? Rent one! Get your mind, bike and body ready for Bike Week. It might just change the way you commute. More to come…

Q: How do you know it’s springtime in Boston?

A: Bikes are whizzing by on every sunny city street, pedals flashing and rims gleaming, riders grinning in the breeze.

I never trusted a groundhog to tell me what season it is. Those furry rodents always get my hopes up and steer me wrong with their shadowy predictions. This year I am relying on some solid proof. So, without further ado, here it is, proof that Spring has truly sprung:

• Proof 1: Everything’s budding and coming back to life. Urban AdvenTours, Boston’s own, all-bicycle, totally green tour, is back in the saddle with brand new tours and an all new website. Looks like those bicycle lovers won the City of Boston’s Bike Friendly Business Award for 2008 and, of course, they’re celebrating on two wheels, by kicking off a brand new Spring special Tour - The Funway to Fenway. Every Friday and Saturday at 6 they’ll be riding lovers of baseball and bikes (they go together like springtime and sunshine) down to Fenway to watch the game and root along at the very center of Red Sox Nation.
• Proof 2: There’s a wonderful smell in the air. Could it be…BBQ? Redbones, the world’s greatest BBQ restaurant, is hosting their annual bike party May 12 to benefit the New England Mountain Biking Association and MassBike, two great bicycle advocates in the area. All the bikes and riders in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville will be there, getting their hands all messy with BBQ sauce and bike grease, listening to some great music and generally having a good time.
• Proof 3: Swarms of life everywhere…especially at bicycle shops. Visit any bike shop (we recommend Landry’s) and you’ll find yourself in a hive of activity. Everyone’s getting a nice new ride or getting the old one out of the basement, tuned up, greased and ready to roll. Hopefully, they’ll be all set in time for Bay State Bike Week, May 12-19. The City and the Mayor are sponsoring a ton of events to get people out and riding, off to work or just for fun. In Boston alone there’ll be bike rentals, bike buddys and bike convoys for riders, pit stops and goodie zones for fun and food, and the 50,000 mile Commuter Challenge. Check it out and see what’s going on in your town.

So there you have it readers, official proof that Springtime (also known as Biketime) is here. If you don’t believe me, look outside…see the bikers? Go ahead, don’t resist the urge. Get out and enjoy it on two wheels.

It’s September already, which means the leaves are going to be turning all kinds of beautiful colors in Boston soon. But don’t worry yet, there are still plenty of days of great riding weather left. And another great ride is coming up, bringing together cyclists in the city. The Hub on Wheels Citywide Bike Ride & Festival takes places on September 23. Bike riders from Boston and the surrounds come in and choose from either a 25 mile ride or a 45 mile loop. Even cooler, Storrow Drive will be limited only to bikes during the rides for a car-free experience!

Hub on Wheels is a part of the Boston Digital Bridge Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing technology, like new computers and comprehensive technology training, to Boston Public School students and their families. You can sign up to sponsor the BDBF here.

The festival also includes food and entertainment. Last year I attended with Urban AdvenTours (we had a booth and rented bikes to loads of excited cyclists), and it was a blast. It even began to rain towards the end of the ride, but that didn’t deter all the eager riders from enjoying themselves out there.

Check out the Hub on Wheels site for all the details. The festival takes place at City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA.

By the way, I didn’t make it to the MassBike Festival due to an evil stomach bug. I was so disappointed! If you made it, please share your experiences in the comments section so I, and anyone else who couldn’t make it, can live vicariously through you.

Michelle

I am so psyched. This weekend is MassBike’s fifth annual bike festival and Pie Race, which means hordes of Massachusetts bike lovers will be heading out to Verrill Farm in Concord for a day of bike rides, food, and fun. MassBike is a cycling advocacy group working to protect Massachusetts residents’ bicycling rights, and they hold a yearly ride to bring cyclists together and have a little fun doing what they love to do: riding bikes! There are a bunch of rides to choose from—the Tour de Lincoln, the Gardens & Rivers Ride, the gastronomically intriguing Ice Cream Headache IV—covering anywhere from six to sixty plus miles. Mmm, plus Redbones lunch is included in registration.

I was at last year’s festival and it was pretty sweet. I did the Canoeing Ride ‘N Splash where I rode a few miles out to the Concord River with a good-sized group of people, meandering through beautiful, green tree-lined streets. At the river, we temporarily abandoned our bikes to hop in canoes for a refreshing paddle. It was a nice mix of scenery, going from pavement below our tires to a cool, revitalizing waterway. Back at the festival grounds, cyclists shared details of their rides over lunch, chomping down on hamburgers (or Portabella burgers for the veggies, like me). There were all kinds of booths to visit while digesting and waiting for the much talked about Pie Race. I was clueless last year (lured away by the temptation of dairy-fresh ice cream) and left before it began, but this year I plan on sticking around for the madness. The Pie Race is this ingenious battle of the bikers and of the bellies. Riders have to cover six miles with three stops where they have to dismount their bikes and eat a slice of pie at each stop. There are two pie stops mid-race and a final slice to be eaten at the finish line. Yummy.

Next week I’ll give you a little update on how the festival goes, Pie Race and all. I still haven’t decided which ride to do. As for more organized rides offered by groups in Boston, the Hub on Wheels Citywide Ride is coming up in a month. Last year I didn’t participate in the ride, but I had fun helping outfit riders with Urban AdvenTours rental bikes. They all had a blast. I’ll be passing on info on the HoW ride too, so keep an eye out.

One other thing to mention: Add Urban AdvenTours as a friend on Myspace. We like keeping in touch with our friends from Boston and all over the world. Stop by, say hello, and reconnect with us.

By the way, here’s the link again for the MassBike Festival—info can be found on the MassBike website.

Michelle

Hi friends of UA, it’s been a couple of weeks that I’ve been blogging and I can’t believe I haven’t even introduced myself. My name’s Michelle and I’ll be posting blogs once a week about what’s going on in the city of Boston as far as bike rides and Urban AdvenTours info. I love Boston and spreading the word about experiencing it on a bicycle. I live out in Cambridge and enjoy riding my bike around the city. In fact, the other day I was out on the Minuteman Bikeway, totally digging the all the greenery lining the path. There were loads of people out riding bikes, running, and walking—a perfect way to spend a summer’s day. I stopped at Spy Pond (picture above) for a little break, contemplating whether or not to try and make friends with a group barbequing so I could partake in some of the corn-on-the-cob they were grilling. Instead of mooching goodies, I hopped back on my bike and headed out to Lexington. All in all, it was a nice relaxing way to enjoy my day off. Which leads me to how you can enjoy some self-guided bike riding around the city of Boston. Obviously we believe taking a bicycle tour with Urban AdvenTours is an excellent way to explore Boston, but renting a bike and taking yourself around is another great way to do things. You can rent a bike to extend your UA tour or just do the whole Boston exploration on a bike on your own. If you’re extending your ride and you saw all the main attractions of the city with Urban AdvenTours, you can rent a bike and take a leisurely ride along scenic bike paths or ride further outside the city. If you’re going on your own, you can build a personalized route and itinerary. That’s the beauty, it’s up to you.

There are some really beautiful paths to ride in Boston that take you off city streets. As I mentioned earlier, there’s the Minuteman Bikeway, a path running 11 plus miles from Davis Square in Somerville through Arlington and Lexington all the way out to Bedford. It’s a paved pathway running behind residences and businesses, with plenty of cool places to stop and hang out like Spy Pond, Arlington Center, and the Lexington Green.

For scenic city riding, check out the Paul Dudley White Charles River Bike Path along the Charles River. It extends 14 miles through Boston, Cambridge, Newton, and Watertown. There are also the Stony Brook Reservation paths, snaking through the Turtle Pond Parkway, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park, and the Mystic River paths, covering Somerville, Medford, and Everett. Check out MassBike and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation for more paths to ride.

Also, if you are interested in getting even further outside of the city, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority allows for bikes on the subway, buses, and commuter rail trains. Recently, tons of buses have been outfitted with bike racks, which is great way for getting your bike out to the paths. There are some restrictions for subway riding so check out the MBTA bike page for rules. Also, the MBTA has a special program to get you and your bike out to the North Shore this summer for beach riding.

So how will you get ahold of a bike to rent? First, we can deliver rentals to your hotel or to any location with the Urban Mobile, our biodiesal (that’s right, vegetable oil–powered!) bike delivery truck or you can pick up rentals at Landry’s Bicycles. You can also book rentals online.

Contact us with any questions at info@urbanadventours.com. Now get off your computer, get outside, and on a bicycle!