My evening commute

[Vicegrip]

Was coming back east from the Reston area in the dark and also saw a long strip with a string of bikes. Little wiggly pools of white and white blinking with red blinkers in back and a group of 3 bikes that looked like a moving Christmas tree with white red and one with a blue wheel spinner. Was dogging it home with a grumpy right knee and an overworking left leg taking load off the right and got dropped by the rolling carnival .

Plenty of ninjas too including two 20 something ladies both in black yoga type clothing. Had the headlight turned down to keep from frying the eyes out of oncoming traffic and the only thing I saw was a single tiny reflector tab on one ladies shoes. Ticked that I did not have any blinkies left in the 3rd pocket. My M.O. has been to slow down before passing, light up a pair and and roll by slow with a “Hi ya doing on this fine evening? Please have these for free so we don’t meet by accident the next time” So far no one has freeked out but I have gotten the “what are you up to?” look from some but all have accepted the offer so far.
The headlight went in the downtrack position. I am making a flip down cover from some welder glass to mount to the front of the headlight. It is easy to flip down and back up and you dont have to move the light or ride with a hand over the light. It blocks all but a pool right in front of the bike. Some light makes it through the glass and it looks kinda cool.

[DaveK]

@essigmw 37234 wrote:

I have never noticed this before, probably because I ride the W&OD in the morning, and get to the busier spots once the sun has come up, and I tend to ride home from the Pentagon on the bus in the fall/winter, but it was the coolest thing ever. When I got to the Lee highway crossing on the W&OD in EFC heading west and the trail straightens out, there were about 12 red blinkies up the 1/2 mile of visible trail in front of me (kind of like runway lights) directing me home. It was truely breathtaking and made me very happy to be part of it.

Because my commute is reverse, when I take the long way home I go up the MVT from Four Mile Run to the 14th St Bridge. As I pass Gravelly Point I can very often see a line of high-wattage LED front lights that look just like the landing lights of planes lined up on approach to National Airport. When the two coincide on a clear night like tonight it makes me wish I could take pictures worth a damn.

[aflapr]

@essigmw 37234 wrote:

When I got to the Lee highway crossing on the W&OD in EFC heading west and the trail straightens out, there were about 12 red blinkies up the 1/2 mile of visible trail in front of me (kind of like runway lights) directing me home. It was truely breathtaking and made me very happy to be part of it.

Amen. This is another reason why I love commuting by bike – the “we’re all in this together” attitude from most riders. As anyone ever had the same sentiment while driving in a car?

[Dirt]

I’m betting he’s gonna swerve first…

[GuyContinental]

@Vicegrip 37239 wrote:

I am making a flip down cover from some welder glass to mount to the front of the headlight. It is easy to flip down and back up and you dont have to move the light or ride with a hand over the light. It blocks all but a pool right in front of the bike. Some light makes it through the glass and it looks kinda cool.

Let us know how this goes- I’ve been playing with something similar (the welding glass i s a great idea!) with the addition of a spring and a cable trigger so I can pop it into place without leaving my hoods. Having to choose between blinding others (and possibly creating a dangerous situation) or bike control/braking sucks.

[culimerc]

@Vicegrip 37239 wrote:

Was coming back east from the Reston area in the dark and also saw a long strip with a string of bikes. Little wiggly pools of white and white blinking with red blinkers in back and a group of 3 bikes that looked like a moving Christmas tree with white red and one with a blue wheel spinner. Was dogging it home with a grumpy right knee and an overworking left leg taking load off the right and got dropped by the rolling carnival .

Plenty of ninjas too including two 20 something ladies both in black yoga type clothing. Had the headlight turned down to keep from frying the eyes out of oncoming traffic and the only thing I saw was a single tiny reflector tab on one ladies shoes. Ticked that I did not have any blinkies left in the 3rd pocket. My M.O. has been to slow down before passing, light up a pair and and roll by slow with a “Hi ya doing on this fine evening? Please have these for free so we don’t meet by accident the next time” So far no one has freeked out but I have gotten the “what are you up to?” look from some but all have accepted the offer so far.
The headlight went in the downtrack position. I am making a flip down cover from some welder glass to mount to the front of the headlight. It is easy to flip down and back up and you dont have to move the light or ride with a hand over the light. It blocks all but a pool right in front of the bike. Some light makes it through the glass and it looks kinda cool.

I must have been just in front of you. I saw those -2- just as the trail start to narrow after the little rest stop at Hunter Mill.

Either way, I spent 1/2 my time last night, good naturedly saying, “wow, your really hard to see” as I rolled past the multitude of ninjas that where east bound on the WOD. There was one point near VA ave where a group of walkers dressed in dark blue where out for an evening stroll 3 wide at the bottom of the hill, with a rider coming down fast behind them, “ninjas ahead”. I think the rider understood, I didnt hear any crashing, twisting of metal, screams of terror or the like.

[Author]

Posts