Review: My first experience riding in Virginia/DC

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  • October 8, 2012 at 4:16 am #912210
    Nemisys
    Participant

    Hey Guys,

    I figured I would let you know how my trip went visiting your guys’ awesome city.

    For those that don’t know I was the one with 0 posts asking to rent someones bike. (Yeah I wouldn’t of either)

    Let me start by saying:

    YOU GUYS ARE LUCKY BASTARDS

    The bike paths in/around DC are the most beautiful and well kept paths I have ever ridden including sanfran and seattle. I was shocked at the bridgework that is put in place, especially on the MVT. The attention to detail is unlike anything I’ve seen and is quite the gift for cyclists. I found the signage amazingly simple to follow, and given the fact my phone was dead that day and I had to navigate like they did in the 1800’s it was quite the blessing.

    I ended up riding from Revolution Bikes in Crystal City to/from Mt. Vernon up 4mile trail to WOD, across the Custas trail, back down, then scrubbed some miles in DC and some more on the MVT to get to my 60mi goal.

    What made the experience even more amazing was the weather and the bike I was riding, bringing me to my next point.

    Those of you with full carbon bikes are assholes and I’m very jealous. The Madone 5.1 I rented seriously was like a ferrari compared to what I ride in Arizona. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to get on my bike again.

    Bike Shops

    Revolution: AWESOME!! They were very friendly and professional. They took their time adjusting my bike, and also gave me another thorough rundown of the bike routes around the city and provided me with a map.

    Big Wheel Bikes in Alexandria. AWFUL. I got a flat in downtown Alexandria, so I decided to be lazy and let someone else put a new tube in it. So I walked the bike over to their shop. And from step one whoever was working their at the time (self-proclaimed manager) was amazingly rude. Not just to me, but to everyone in the store. He straight up lost a bike sale because he was being an ass. It seemed that he was pissed off for being busy.

    Anyways, not going to leave on a sour note. Bottom line, I had an awesome time and primarily because of the help I got off of these boards.
    I’ll definitely hit you guys up again next time I’m in town.

    Thanks Again!

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  • October 8, 2012 at 5:08 am #953035
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    Glad to hear you enjoyed your ride! I think we locals lose sight of how good we have it and we tend to bitch about minor stuff, so it’s refreshing to hear outsiders’ positive experiences. Hopefully you’ll get to spend some time out here again!

    I don’t really want to rag on an LBS here, but I will say that my experience was EXACTLY like yours when my wife’s bike needed an adjustment as we were rolling through Old Town…even though my wife’s bike was purchased from one of the store’s other locations, we weren’t treated very well. My wallet won’t forget that experience, but it sounds like you had the type of experience I would expect from Rev, given their very good reputation.

    October 8, 2012 at 10:26 am #953036
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    Glad we could be of assistance. You weren’t here yesterday, were you? The weather was not so nice on Sunday, but it was very pleasant in the days leading up to Saturday evening.

    I’ve never ridden a carbon-fiber bike yet. Maybe next year…

    I can confirm that the people at the City Hub-Revolution Cycles shop are friendly and helpful. I’ve been there several times, always with good experiences. I’ve never been to Big Wheel Bikes, but I have to admit to reading some mixed reviews about that place (and about one of their other locations), along the lines of what you described. Kind of like, “No [soup] bike for you!”

    October 8, 2012 at 1:30 pm #953038
    Certifried
    Participant

    Hey, thanks for the follow up! It’s great to hear you had a good ride.

    October 8, 2012 at 1:45 pm #953040
    dbb
    Participant

    @Nemisys 33080 wrote:

    Let me start by saying:

    YOU GUYS ARE LUCKY BASTARDS

    The bike paths in/around DC are the most beautiful and well kept paths I have ever ridden including sanfran and seattle. I was shocked at the bridgework that is put in place, especially on the MVT. The attention to detail is unlike anything I’ve seen and is quite the gift for cyclists. I found the signage amazingly simple to follow, and given the fact my phone was dead that day and I had to navigate like they did in the 1800’s it was quite the blessing.

    I think that Nemisys is spot on.

    We often lose sight of the fact that the local governments and federal agencies have, by and large, provided an amazing cycling resource.

    While the relationship between cyclists and local governments is not always perfect, those relationships improve with engagement. If you are not active with your local bicycle/ped advisory group, check their calendar and attend the next meeting. While I can only speak for my experience with Arlington, you will be welcome. If you don’t want to stay local, join WABA and help them (with time or money) improve cycling in the region. Your stay at home option is to communicate with your local, state and federal elected leaders.

    Only by supporting and defending what we have will we be able to build on our successes. That will allow visitors such as Nemisys to take stories of our success back to their homes and advocate for improved cycling facilities there. The Washington area is a great example of the “build it and they will come” approach to cycling/pedestrian facilities.

    October 8, 2012 at 2:32 pm #953044
    Terpfan
    Participant

    We are lucky with our network of trails and it’s a testament to the city’s layout and the advocacy and cooperation of local governments throughout the years. This morning I laughed as a friend said “I’m waiting 23 minutes for a Metro train.” I said, “yep, no one on the paths and only a slight breeze so my whole commute is about 8 minutes longer.”

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