My Evening Commute

[drevil]

@Emm 169186 wrote:

Last Thursday was my first ever aborted commute, but I turned it into something positive. Multiple spokes broke on my rear wheel while I biked through Old Town, making it so that even when my rear brake was disengaged, the wheel was so out of true it still rubbed against the disengaged brake. I also didn’t have a bike lock with me, so I called the person I’m living with to pick me up, and after 20 minutes of not reaching him, slowly biked to Belle Haven park with the idea I could hide my bike behind a tree and Uber home. The last 2 miles of my commute have a big uphill and some downhill segments on a busy road, so I did not feel safe biking on a very untrue wheel with no rear brake. Luckily I got called back and picked up right as I opened the Uber app. The fix at Spokes Etc was fast too. They just installed my spare wheel since we decided this wheel wasn’t worth salvaging–this was not the first spoke issue I’ve had…

So this weekend I turned the broken wheel that ruined my Thursday night into a pretty Christmas wreath. It’s a little larger and heavier than your standard wreath, but still fits on a door.

Yours came out really nice! This is the second time in a week that I’ve seen a wheel wreath, having never before seen one. I’ll be digging up old wheels from my basement to make a few of my own

[Zack]

@streetsmarts 169001 wrote:

riding up 11th street. bikes ahead of me just blow past stop signs.
there was a pedestrian. waiting for someone to stop so she could cross.

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Helped make up for this AM. I was slowing to yield to a person in a mid-block crosswalk but noticed the car next me did not. Luckily, I shouted a warning and the person walking stopped in time.

[Zack]

Had a such nice ride this morning and such an awful one on the way home. Any regular Mt Vernon Trail folks, watch out for this guy. http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?12698-Angry-cyclist&p=169231#post169231

[Drewdane]

My evening commute would have been nicer if so many of my fellow cyclists hadn’t apparently been intent on BLINDING me! Geez Louise folks, cover your headlight for oncoming cyclists, would ya?

That said, it was quite nice otherwise. Temp was just the right level of bracing, and I saw a bunny.

[cvcalhoun]

My trip home could have been a bit warmer (17 degrees actual, 5 degrees with wind chill). But I spent my time on the Metro getting bundled up enough to deal with it, and didn’t get cold at all on the three miles from Metro to home. I’m just considering this practice for Freezing Saddles.

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[cvcalhoun]

Because I didn’t leave the office until 11:30, I decided to take Metro to Bethesda, and ride home from there.

When I got to Bethesda Metro, the elevator was out of service. Last time this happened, they had told me to take my bike on the escalator, so I did the same thing this time. There is a reason that isn’t allowed. Bike bumped against the side, pushed me headfirst down the escalator, then flew over me. I struggled to get up (which wasn’t easy from the head down position), afraid I’d get to the top and my clothes would get caught. (People have lost body parts that way.) I was screaming, but no one could get to me. A tail light and my phone cradle broke off. A pannier, my phone, and a headlight flew off. I finally righted myself before the top, but the bike was now behind me on the escalator and got stuck, and I couldn’t get to it for a long time.

The one bit of good news is, station manager says if this ever happens again, I can use one of the free shuttle busses they always say are just for senior citizens and the disabled. I don’t actually have to wait until I become disabled by their escalators.

[CBGanimal]

@cvcalhoun 170223 wrote:

Because I didn’t leave the office until 11:30, I decided to take Metro to Bethesda, and ride home from there.

When I got to Bethesda Metro, the elevator was out of service. Last time this happened, they had told me to take my bike on the escalator, so I did the same thing this time. There is a reason that isn’t allowed. Bike bumped against the side, pushed me headfirst down the escalator, then flew over me. I struggled to get up (which wasn’t easy from the head down position), afraid I’d get to the top and my clothes would get caught. (People have lost body parts that way.) I was screaming, but no one could get to me. A tail light and my phone cradle broke off. A pannier, my phone, and a headlight flew off. I finally righted myself before the top, but the bike was now behind me on the escalator and got stuck, and I couldn’t get to it for a long time.

The one bit of good news is, station manager says if this ever happens again, I can use one of the free shuttle busses they always say are just for senior citizens and the disabled. I don’t actually have to wait until I become disabled by their escalators.

OMG. Hope you are feeling ok this morning…that is just awful. I thank you for the warning though…I would not have thought twice about getting on an escalator with a bike in similar circumstances!

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[reji]

@cvcalhoun 170223 wrote:

Because I didn’t leave the office until 11:30, I decided to take Metro to Bethesda, and ride home from there.

When I got to Bethesda Metro, the elevator was out of service. Last time this happened, they had told me to take my bike on the escalator, so I did the same thing this time. There is a reason that isn’t allowed. Bike bumped against the side, pushed me headfirst down the escalator, then flew over me. I struggled to get up (which wasn’t easy from the head down position), afraid I’d get to the top and my clothes would get caught. (People have lost body parts that way.) I was screaming, but no one could get to me. A tail light and my phone cradle broke off. A pannier, my phone, and a headlight flew off. I finally righted myself before the top, but the bike was now behind me on the escalator and got stuck, and I couldn’t get to it for a long time.

The one bit of good news is, station manager says if this ever happens again, I can use one of the free shuttle busses they always say are just for senior citizens and the disabled. I don’t actually have to wait until I become disabled by their escalators.

That sounds absolutely terrifying. I hope you are feeling ok this morning.

[kwarkentien]

Wow! Sounds like you were very lucky. Hope you’re feeling OK today.

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[wheelswings]

Holy smokes. That sounds terrifying. Hope you are not badly hurt from the flip. (Also sorry that you were stuck at work ’til 11:30 pm…ugh!). Sending hugs. w&w

[cvcalhoun]

Well, banged up knee seems to be the extent of my injuries. But the shock of it all was enough that I didn’t actually notice that I was bleeding for a couple of hours.

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[streetsmarts]

@cvcalhoun 170277 wrote:

Well, banged up knee seems to be the extent of my injuries. But the shock of it all was enough that I didn’t actually notice that I was bleeding for a couple of hours.

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that’s terrible!. sorry to hear but glad you weren’t hurt any worse.

re taking a shuttle bus…would that mean taking the metro back or forward a stop and then getting a shuttle bus?

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[cvcalhoun]

@streetsmarts 170307 wrote:

that’s terrible!. sorry to hear but glad you weren’t hurt any worse.

re taking a shuttle bus…would that mean taking the metro back or forward a stop and then getting a shuttle bus?

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Yes, that would be the idea.

[n18]

Sorry about hearing that you got hurt. I hope you get well soon.

In the few times I used metro, I learned to use my brakes while on the train, so my bike doesn’t move around. That’s easy to do for short trips. If I was a daily commuter, I would use Velcro straps to squeeze the brakes. I used the escalator maybe one time or two, in one I carried my bike(I know that this less of an option for you, since you have an e-bike loaded with panniers), in another, I used my brakes, with one hand on the bike, and another on front brake. It didn’t feel ideal because now I can’t hold the rail.

[cvcalhoun]

@n18 170324 wrote:

Sorry about hearing that you got hurt. I hope you get well soon.

In the few times I used metro, I learned to use my brakes while on the train, so my bike doesn’t move around. That’s easy to do for short trips. If I was a daily commuter, I would use Velcro straps to squeeze the brakes. I used the escalator maybe one time or two, in one I carried my bike(I know that this less of an option for you, since you have an e-bike loaded with panniers), in another, I used my brakes, with one hand on the bike, and another on front brake. It didn’t feel ideal because now I can’t hold the rail.

Mine is not an ebike, but it does have panniers, which are typically loaded with heavy stuff.

[Author]

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