Dipping my toes in

[dbb]

Try a short term membership in Capitol BikeShare. Would give you an idea about the ride in the District with little hassle. I own a couple of bikes but often use CaBi to get across town.

[jrenaut]

Yeah, assuming you can consistently get a bike, this sort of commute was made for CaBi. As an added bonus – if you can comfortably do it on CaBi, you can do it on a single speed.

[ginacico]

@Whoisthefly 139627 wrote:

I’m a MARC commuter with a 2.5 mile stretch from Union Station to around Farragut North.

That was me a year ago, when I still lived in Anne Arundel County. As if it wasn’t long enough on a GOOD day, if any part of that multi-leg commute broke down it was a time-sucking nightmare.

I often rode a Capital Bikeshare bike from Union Station to Farragut North. It took about 20 minutes, I never had a problem getting or re-docking a bike, and I rode in work clothes. The best route I found was along the Pennsylvania Ave cycletrack to 15th Street and through Lafayette Square. I got to enjoy it so much I stopped needing the excuse that metro was delayed, and rode CaBi anytime I could. They’re great for lunchtime and after-hours adventures too.

Many MARC passengers have folding bikes, and are adept at using them. Don’t let us talk you out of one if that’s what makes you happy! But having a CaBi membership saved me the hassle of bringing my own bike. Some companies or government agencies have discounts on bikeshare memberships, but even if yours doesn’t the cost is still less than a new folder.

As a backup, there’s a Circulator bus that leaves from Union Station and runs straight down K Street past Farragut Square.

Oh, and welcome to the community!

[jrenaut]

@ginacico 139631 wrote:

Many MARC passengers have folding bikes, and are adept at using them. Don’t let us talk you out of one if that’s what makes you happy!

Just to clarify (and I can’t speak for dbb but this was probably his point, too) – I wasn’t trying to talk you out of a folding bike. But whenever anyone asks “I want to start/restart biking and don’t know what bike to get”, my first answer is usually “you should start on CaBi”. That way you can get a feel for the ride with a pretty small initial investment.

In many cases (most?), the first bike you buy will not really be the one you want. It will be the one you THINK you want, but after you ride for a while you’ll realize that something else will be better. For example, I started on an aluminum road bike. Then I realized I wanted fenders, which are tough to fit on a road bike. Then a rack, which is really tough. Turns out what I really wanted was a steel cross-in-name-only bike. Now I realize that what I really REALLY wanted was a steel cross-in-name-only bike with hydraulic disc brakes.

Also, I don’t know anything about folders, so I can’t contribute to that discussion.

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