Bostonist loves the biking, so we were happy to see Boston Biker's great Back To School Bike Guide. There are definitely many aspects of biking in Boston that differ from biking elsewhere, so the guide is key for bikers accustomed to zooming down large, empty, straight streets. Here, you'll have to deal with tons of traffic, one-way streets, insane intersections where seven streets meet without signage (or bike lanes), and--best of all--streets that don't really go anywhere, forcing you to twist and turn a long route to a destination that would be only a mile or two as the crow flies. Sometimes it's easiest to just stick to the Esplanade. Wherever you go, wear a helmet--traffic (including pedestrians and other bikers) is unpredictable. (And if you're in Holliston, you could find yourself bikeless if you "forget" your helmet and you're under 18.)

Here are some choice quotes from Boston Biker:

The roads here are much more interesting than where you grew up. They contain elements of adventure, excitement, and mystery. You may ride down a road one day, only to find that the next morning several gaping holes have been cut into it, and replaced with pavement that is 3 inches too shallow to cover up the holes.

The streets are the veins of this city, and you on a bicycle are its blood. Don’t be a nasty bit of fat and clog up the veins by going the wrong way.

Boston has two things that make locking up your bike interesting. One, the weather, and two, bike thieves. Leaving your bicycle locked up, outside, overnight, is a sure way to allow both of these forces to wreck your bicycle.

Boston has narrow, winding streets, that are full of cars. This might sound like a meat grinder just waiting to kill you, but wait! The poor poor bastards stuck in these cars yearn to go fast, but can’t. They are trapped in a system that was built for people on foot, and this makes them cranky. It also makes them slow, and because they are slow they pose little risk to you if you follow a couple of easy tips.

And our favorite observation of all: "Riding your bike is fun. While everyone else is having the most stressful time of their day trying to get from point a to b... you are chillin."

If you're looking for a great way to start biking in Boston without confronting traffic, we recommend Hub on Wheels, which takes place Sunday, September 21 at 8am. Choose from 10, 30, or 50 mile routes, which you get to ride mostly on a closed-to-cars Storrow Drive. Your $45 entry fee goes to support Boston Public Schools. Exercise your muscles and your charitable impulse at the same time! Your body and your mind will thank you.

This rad bike, captured by sandcastlematt, is a former Photo of the Day!