January 2015 Trail Conditions

[Dickie]

Custis was pretty slick this morning at 6:30. I was on studs so I didn’t notice but I saw one runner go down (she was fine), and another later on nearly lost it too…. I’m thinking it was worse than I realized (as my bike made crunching pretzel noises beneath me).

[ian74]

This morning around 7 am. MVT airport bridges were coated in ice and slick. Rest of the trail fine.
14th St. Bridge, clear and dry
Capital crescent from G-town to Bethesda was coated in lots of patches of crunchy ice, be careful and go slow. I would say the majority of the ride up was slick, but I managed on my 25 slicks just by keeping a steady pace. Saw plenty of people heading southbound at paces that were concerning, so maybe I’m just a big chicken

[colleen]

This morning there is ice on the wooden bridges on the WOD between Columbia Pike and route 50 underpass. MVT from Old Town to 4MR and 4MR to Shirlington are clear except for a few patches.

[dagamon]

Can we sticky a poll at the top of this thread that resets every day at midnight. Something along the lines of:

Today’s Tires
( ) Slicks
( ) Knobbies
( ) Studs

Then people can dive into the forum for the details if they want. I don’t know how to implement this, but it might add something to the forum.

[dkel]

@dagamon 107029 wrote:

Can we sticky a poll at the top of this thread that resets every day at midnight. Something along the lines of:

Today’s Tires
( ) Slicks
( ) Knobbies
( ) Studs

Then people can dive into the forum for the details if they want. I don’t know how to implement this, but it might add something to the forum.

This would also need to have a route associated, because so many of us frequent different roads and MUPs, and because they are treated and cleared quite differently depending on jurisdiction. I like this idea, though.

Edit: It might also need a rating. I rode some of the W&OD on slicks today, thought it was a bad idea, and bailed out; I know Hozn did the same thing, but seemed to think it was fine (he’s made of much stouter stuff than I am).

[dagamon]

@dkel 107033 wrote:

This would also need to have a route associated, because so many of us frequent different roads and MUPs, and because they are treated and cleared quite differently depending on jurisdiction. I like this idea, though.

Edit: It might also need a rating. I rode some of the W&OD on slicks today, thought it was a bad idea, and bailed out; I know Hozn did the same thing, but seemed to think it was fine (he’s made of much stouter stuff than I am).

Well, it would be a poll, so 25 people rode studs, 5 people rode knobbies, and 1 person rode slicks. Then you can clarify and expand in the forum proper.

[PotomacCyclist]

There is still some slush on the overpass (one of the GWMP ramps to the airport, near the Crystal City connector), mostly on the northbound side, which was shielded from the sunlight by the concrete wall. The southbound side was mostly clear but wet. The rest of the MVT to the 14th St Bridge is clear, as reported above.

[rcannon100]

@dagamon 107029 wrote:

Can we sticky a poll at the top of this thread that resets every day at midnight. Something along the lines of:

Today’s Tires
( ) Slicks
( ) Knobbies
( ) Studs

Then people can dive into the forum for the details if they want. I don’t know how to implement this, but it might add something to the forum.

I really really think we can do better than this. This isnt really that informative. A more informative scale might be:

Rule 9 Rider Scale:
( ) Only DIRT is out today
( ) ELITE Riders like ARLINGTONRIDER and WHEELS&WINGS will brave the travails of the trails
( ) RCANNON and other FREDs may be found on the trail
( ) Such a beautiful day even MATT AUNE and THE KID may emerge from their Suffercaves and dare to go outside

[Arlingtonrider]

That’s REALLY funny, lol. I’m the biggest scaredy cat of all of us!

[Tania]

@rcannon100 107043 wrote:

I really really think we can do better than this. This isnt really that informative. A more informative scale might be:

Rule 9 Rider Scale:
( ) Only DIRT is out today
( ) ELITE Riders like ARLINGTONRIDER and WHEELS&WINGS will brave the travails of the trails
( ) RCANNON and other FREDs may be found on the trail
( ) Such a beautiful day even MATT AUNE and THE KID may emerge from their Suffercaves and dare to go outside

YES. Just because you’re out on slicks doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want studs and my full face helmet and my knee/elbow guards.

[dkel]

@dagamon 107034 wrote:

Well, it would be a poll, so 25 people rode studs, 5 people rode knobbies, and 1 person rode slicks. Then you can clarify and expand in the forum proper.

As a limited poll, it might be an amusing curiosity, but if I’d have to go to the forum to understand the data, then I’d be more likely just to start there for what I need. For me, seeing unqualified data about who rode studs might be misleading, since most people commute eastbound through well-maintained Arlington, and I spend all of my commute in the icy wasteland that is the W&OD westbound from Falls Church. Don’t get me wrong: I still think the poll idea is a good one, no matter how it’s executed.

[Dirt]

@TimV 106940 wrote:

I went from Falls Church to Herndon this a.m. on studs. A lot of the trail is clear, but there are sections where it’s not good. The pic is westbound W&OD at Wiehle. I hopped on the adjacent gravel portion in several spots where it was really icy. It’s pretty crappy most of the way to the town center. Gallows to Park is still a mess too.

I’ll be heading back through tonight and can give a status later.

Have an update of what the trail is like out west?

Thanks!

Pete

[hozn]

There are a few sections of ice still, near the golf course between Whiele and RTC. I rode it on slicks today, but there were several moments that I could not describe as “confident” (or maybe even particularly wise). But on the whole the trail is in pretty good shape. I would ride it again on slicks, though Gallows to Cedar had a few iced-over sections too. I can’t comment further west of Reston.

[dkel]

Rode to Alexandria from Falls Church tonight…it was fabulous! Barely a trace of snow and ice. Wish it didn’t suck so bad out in the sticks (Falls Church and points west), since I have to ride that way all the time!

[Tania]

Sunday AM

W&OD Whole Foods in Vienna to Bikenetic:

Fine until you reach the “leaving vienna” sign then probably 60-65% glassy ice to Gallows. I walked all the ice. Even that was sketchy although I might have attempted to ride the crunchy snow covered grass on the shoulders if I had knobbies. And adult supervision to goad me on.

Bridge over 66 on Virginia Lane had some ice but rideable for a chicken like me. Then fine til you cross Shreve – a short stretch of ice that I walked. The wooden bridge over 7 had ice but clear lanes of travel.

I’m an ice chicken.

[Author]

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