Advice needed re bike route

[timebike]

Looking to commute between courthouse/clarendon to intersection of Old Dominion and Kirby Rd on border of Arlington/Fairfax County. Back issues, looking for least hilly route, cannot get up Military Rd. Low traffic, wide shoulders bike lanes best.

Thanks

Topic

[hozn]

Maybe ride the Custis/W&OD out to Falls Church. Then up Westmorland over to Williamsburg. The take that to Powhattan to Rockingham then down Valley Drive to Old Dominion? That is definitely hilly, though maybe not as bad as incorporating Military directly (I would imagine more overall elevation, though — certainly longer route)? Alternatively you could just take Westmorland all the way to Kirby; that is probably less hilly but also less pleasant from a traffic perspective. Ultimately, if you are not able to get up Military currently this may not be a very enjoyable commute.

I am sure someone else will have a better suggestion. Also, Strava has a new route planner that sound like it would serve you well, since it can purportedly choose cycling-friendly roads and minimize elevation.

Edit: consider an e-bike?

[bobco85]

Here’s my idea, which focuses on having less climbs: Wilson Blvd (bike lane) to Fairfax Drive (bike lane) to Custis Trail (bike trail) to George Mason Drive (sharrows/bike lane) to Old Dominion (on road).

A MapMyRide link of the route (it shows the elevation profile): http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/337114229

Considering the hills in that area, I chose Old Dominion because it is a bit flatter and there are a few sections where you could use an off-road trail or service road. The worst part of this route is Old Dominion, but I think everything else is doable under your guidelines.

[hozn]

Yeah, Old Dominion is pretty bad. I don’t think I would commute on it that far south/east, but I have not tried. The on-road suggestions are good. Those are busy roads, but presence of bike lanes helps. Definitely good suggestions re elevation.

Maybe from George Mason could cut left on Yorktown, becomes Little Falls then Powhattan and down Valley Drive? That would be circuitous, but cuts put most of Old Dominion. Probably not worth it…

[vvill]

My non-Custis commute takes me roughly along this route, but I don’t think there’s a way around the hills. There are backstreets to avoid traffic, but you will end up with climbs somewhere. Old Dominion is probably the most direct and least hilly but it’s trafficky and narrow and I don’t enjoy riding on it.

I was also going to suggest an e-bike. Another alternative could be to ride to Ballston and take the 23A/C bus to Kirby Rd, and ride back (mostly) downhill.

[dasgeh]

I would go on map my ride to play around with options and see the elevation. As a rule of thumb, I consider 5% hard but doable for kidical mass rides.

I’m not on a computer where I can go onto mapmyride, but off the top of my head, I would recommend wilson- fairfax- custis. Then I’d get off the custis at some point in the neighborhood to reduce elevation, and work my way over to Harrison. Harrison will take you pretty far North, then you can take Old Dominion or a more circuitous route.

Don’t discount using the bike on bus until you’ve worked your way up to tackling the hillier route. And don’t doubt that you can work your way up to tackling the hillier route.

And of course, e-bikes are awesome. There’s a new shop new Clarendon – I don’t think I’ve seen a review of that yet…

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[PotomacCyclist]

Can you get easier gears (cassette) for your bike? That can make hills a little easier, although they will still be somewhat difficult for a newer rider.

I’ve also noticed that some cyclists don’t like to shift gears, even when climbing hills. Be sure to shift down before you get to the steepest parts of any climb.

[Author]

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