December 2013 Trail Conditions

[consularrider]

Monday, December 9
I benefited from the two hour federal office opening delay, so I was not on my bike until 9:00am. I rode a combination of the W&OD from Ohio St to Shirlington Rd, the 4MRT extention from Shirlington Rd to Reagan National, and the MVT from Reagan-National to Rosslyn. For the most part the trails were clears with on a few icy patches. The exceptions were the bridges and overpasses. All were covered with about two inches of a slushy ice. The wooden bridges were the worst since the wooded under the ice was slicker than the concrete on the others. From Ohio St to Columbia pike there were only two bike tire tracks. From Columbia Pike to Shirlington Rd there were four bike tire tracks, and from Shirlington Rd to Rosslyn there were about eight or ten. I didn’t see any sign that anyone wiped out on the Roosevelt Island trollheim wooden walkway, but clearly some riders were able to hold their line better than others.

I doubt the icy slush on the bridges and overpasses will totally melt off and where it gets in the 20s tonight could refreeze into real ice and it will be very rough. And we have more winter storm weather coming through for Tuesday’s commute. Oh joy! Glad I put the studded tires on yesterday!

Topic

[mikoglaces]

@dkel 71691 wrote:

Speaking of which, my wife and my mother are both terrified I’ll actually get those tires and ride in extreme conditions like this week (being a performing musician, I probably shouldn’t break a wrist, for example); so, how much better is it with studs? Night and day different?

I have been riding studded tires (35 C Nokian Hakkapelittas) for maybe 10 years, and they are great. Today I rode on the WOD from Falls Church to Columbia Pike, no problem. Most of the trail is clear, but there are spots where I definitely couldn’t ride without the studs. I didn’t get the studded tires to ride crazily, but for increased safety on marginal days, and to enable me to be able to ride on days when it wouldn’t be possible without them. I say go for it. But still be careful, and ride within your limits. I have never fallen while riding with them. I did fall in wintery conditions before I got them.

[hozn]

Yeah, this AM (6:30-7:30) I paid closer attention on my westward commute on the W&OD. Inside Falls Church (really most of the way west to Gallows) the trail is in pretty good shape. The Virginia Ln / 66 / 495 overpass bridges are icy, but other than that it’s probably mostly rideable without studs. Maybe 1/8th snowy, but usually there’s a small track of pavement through those sections. So definitely areas where you’d want to ride slowly and carefully pick that line (on non-studded tires), Might be one or two 10-yard sections that need to be walked.

(I remembered this being worse yesterday, but perhaps things continued to melt a bit into the evening. And/or I forgot that I had avoided the trail for side streets after my son’s daycare near Rt. 7 since he has apparently developed a delicate disposition and does not tolerate bumps in the trailer.)

West of Gallows is pretty rough, though. Probably 2/3 – 3/4 of the trail from Gallows to Maple is snowy/icy without any “pavement track” cut through. The few clear areas are the sun-exposed sections of the trail.

West of Vienna it is mixed. Probably about 50% snow/ice covered. There are very long sections of trail that need snow tires but there are long stretches of dry trail too (again shade vs. sun). And then I ride on roads west of Hunters Mill, so can’t really comment on the trail through Reston.

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[Greenbelt]

DDOT (or somebody!) actually SALTED the Met Branch trail icy spots! Kudos to DC!
In Prince George’s, the NE and NW branch trails are essentially clear — a few small icy spots easily avoided for the most part, and some crusty ice on the humpback wood bridges easily navigated with CX tires or better.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I didn’t even bother with the Custis today, but Fairfax/Wilson was nice and clear, with the exception of a nice salt-dust smog floating in the air. The downside to taking that route is that it adds about 15 minutes to my commute, but is the same distance. I also took the Veitch>Scott route (which I had no idea existed) instead of taking the I66 overpass, and I’m happy to have that in my arsenal of good bike routes…ultimately the only ice I had to deal with was the TR troll, and that wasn’t too bad.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Didn’t want to ride the studs on 10 miles of clear roads just to ride a few miles of icy trails for a third day, so I put on my multi-trail 35s and took Washington to Clarendon instead of the WOD/Custis. Saved about 12-15 minutes over my time yesterday morning.

[dasgeh]

Last night I was bold and took the TR Bridge. The TR bridge was fine. The toll bridge (wooden boardwalk underneath) was not. I took it super slow and was fine, but I didn’t even want to walk on that mess.

As noted, the bridge over the GWMP was icy, but one side was fine. The Custis up the hill in Rosslyn was fine until the bridge over 66. That was HORRIBLE. Arlington should be ashamed, and should clear that immediately. From there I took the sidewalk along Lee, which was fine — wide enough for a bike + a ped, not too many driveways (not many peds either).

This morning, I choose to not deal with the mess that is getting to the Clarendon bike lanes, and took Key Blvd. Without lights, I think it’s faster (even for me on my slow bike). I then went back to Iwo Jima (Veitch – 15th/14th – Queen – Arl Blvd Svc Road – Meade) and had the pleasure of running into DaveK again. The trail along 110 -> Memorial Bridge and through DC. No ice on any of it.

Time to put some pressure on Arlington to clear at least that bridge over I66. Suggestions on how?

Any hope of pressuring NPS to clear the boardwalk (TR Trollheim)?

[ShawnoftheDread]

@dasgeh 71768 wrote:

The Custis up the hill in Rosslyn was fine until the bridge over 66. That was HORRIBLE. Arlington should be ashamed, and should clear that immediately. From there I took the sidewalk along Lee, which was fine — wide enough for a bike + a ped, not too many driveways (not many peds either).

You made a good choice — the next bridge on the trail, over Spout Run, was even worse than the 66 bridge. I rode it last night on studs without slipping, but the bumps and ruts bounced me all over the path.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 71768 wrote:

Time to put some pressure on Arlington to clear at least that bridge over I66. Suggestions on how?

Since I can’t embed a tweet (grrr…)….

[KayakCyndi]

@ShawnoftheDread 71763 wrote:

Didn’t want to ride the studs on 10 miles of clear roads just to ride a few miles of icy trails for a third day, so I put on my multi-trail 35s and took Washington to Clarendon instead of the WOD/Custis. Saved about 12-15 minutes over my time yesterday morning.

I didn’t get to ride today (:mad:) but will again tomorrow and figure the studs will be overkill. Still got the 40s on the Viaje so that down Wilson/Fairfax seems the way to go. Should be fine right?

[americancyclo]

that’s my plan for tomorrow, although I might take Lee Highway from Veitch. It’s fast and fun, just hoping for no black ice.

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Here is what TR bridge looked like at 7:30 this morning.
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Without studs, I chose to walk most of it
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Dave

[OneEighth]

Was actually rideable on non-studded cx tires. I thought the Spout Run and I-66 overpasses were worse.

[Tim Kelley]

Just a heads up on riding technique on ice or slick surfaces:

-Slow way down.

-Maintain a smooth pedal stroke. Don’t mash the pedals up and down, but rather try to pedal in a smooth circle.

-Ride in a straight line. Turning the handlebars can make you take a spill. If you need to change course slightly, try “steering from your hips” by shifting your balance slightly.

-Get off and walk if you need to!

[johnnyhowell]

Any reports as to how the conditions CAP CRESCENT / Georgetown Branch end to end? Have to go to Silver Spring tonight and ride home to Ballston. Thanks in advance! JOHN

[johnnyhowell]

@Tim Kelley 71817 wrote:

Just a heads up on riding technique on ice or slick surfaces:

-Slow way down.

-Maintain a smooth pedal stroke. Don’t mash the pedals up and down, but rather try to pedal in a smooth circle.

-Ride in a straight line. Turning the handlebars can make you take a spill. If you need to change course slightly, try “steering from your hips” by shifting your balance slightly.

-Get off and walk if you need to!

Great tips…they work. And for me, off with the Fat Boy slicks and on with the big GEAX knobbies. Oh, and for me, I need to ride unclipped through these spots. These wooden bridges over Potomac wetlands are slick! Thanks all for the reports!

[Author]

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