We had a special guest this week. Aaron Smith traveled all the way from Minneapolis to see if Boston drivers' reputation would in fact live up to its urban legend. Aaron survived. He may have gotten a bit lost
, or more likely distracted by all the Dunkin Donuts shops, he saw along the way to HQ but otherwise arrived unscathed. Once we had him under our care we took him to the Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington to get him highly caffeinated and then rolled out for a quick Concord loop. He actually seemed to enjoy our rolling (pothole strewn) lanes and bike paths. Unfortunately the Battle Road wasn't open as that is always a ton of fun. Most of our talk revolved around studded tires, gravel bikes and yes, even fat bikes. Minneapolis has a really cool bike scene. And Aaron was a great ambassador from that region. I am always amazed at what a common language cyclists have. Get us on a bike and its like we were friends for years. Its funny how you know a good rider the s
econd you follow their wheel or are chatting with them at 20 mph on rough tarmac and don't even for a millisecond feel nervous. Aaron is our type of rider. Nice, enthusiastic and super strong. Any rider who says he rides in -30 degree weather because it is "fun" gets it. It was only a short visit but I can safely say Honey needs to take a trip out to MPLS and investigate the bike scene in the Midwest. Whether it is for a good dose of gravel riding or some sweet fat bike riding it is going on the bucket list for 2014! Aaron works at a cool shop called Omnium Bike Shop and contributes to Minneapolis Musette. Check it out if you get a chance. Aaron thank you for coming out and getting rad with us. 