My Evening Commute

[Dickie]

Was not my finest. It started OK as I stopped off at Bikenetic to see Dirt and talk new cross/commuter tires as mine are completely shot and flatting all the time. Dirt was not around but Jan was glad to help out. I left informed but without new rubber for now. Back on the WOD and being careful to elude the dreaded FCPD I slowed at the Grove St. crossing only to be passed by a dude with absolutely no regard for the stop sign. He flew through the intersection just as I was getting clipped in without even a look. He then pulled the ultimate DB move, passing (and nearly clipping) two woman with strollers as they crossed paths with a gentleman walking towards them… yep, four abreast with him at speed. The gentleman yelled and put his hands out for protection and the ladies screamed. I slowed, apologized for his behavior and chased the scum down. As I got next to him (and gestured for him to remove his headphones) I became possessed by a sudden calmness (weird). I decided to politely explain what I had just witnessed and suggested better methods for future situations… he tolerated my intrusion and then I flatted. DANG IT! Luckily it was directly in front of the “Free Air” station on the WOD so I rolled my bike to the station, leaned my steed against the air machine (you can see where this is going), started taking off my back pack when I watched my bike slowly roll forward and fall against the pole…. result:

Needless to say, wasn’t a great ride home.

Topic

[drevil]

@josh 194251 wrote:

Not much in the way of tread, but I like Rene Herse tires (formerly Compass). I’ve used the standard casing Barlow Passes (38mm width) and they’ve been great. hozn is a fan as well.

Did you use them tubeless?

[josh]

@drevil 194254 wrote:

Did you use them tubeless?

Yup, never with tubes. Was going to link you to this thread, but then realized you started it . I’ve also enjoyed the G-One all-arounds (38mm) for a little more grip cornering, but still not bad on pavement.

There’s also a lot on this thread (not sure if you’ve posted on it).

(sorry for continuing the thread hijacking)

[Birru]

@Emm 194220 wrote:

Fun fact: This happened AGAIN. This time to the front tire, so of course it’s out of warranty :mad:. I’m replacing it, but the staff at the bike shop wasn’t helpful on figuring out new tires since I’m not sure I trust this model anymore. They claim it might just be a “bad batch” since the front tire and failed rear one were bought together. I’m not happy though.

Dang, that sucks. It’s worth keeping the bad tire. There should be a serial number/lot number screened inside the carcass. Could be worth letting WTB know, especially if you experienced the same failure mode on two different tires. It’s a popular OEM spec tire too, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for similar bulges. So far I haven’t seen it on mine or the OEM models.

If you’re looking for something different I’ve used the G-One Allround 38c and Donnelly Strada USH 40c. Both worked without issue for me. The G-One feels a little lighter and suppler and the Strada USH is thicker in the middle and may be more puncture resistant. I did have a G-One deform and fail for a customer and in the past they haven’t paired up brilliantly with Stan’s rims.

Compass tires have their fans. They’re supposed to be incredibly smooth and supple, but also delicate. They also offer a durable compound. I haven’t ridden them so can’t comment firsthand.

[dbb]

Observed last night on the new fenceposts at DCA.[ATTACH=CONFIG]20500[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]20501[/ATTACH]

Although the airport isn’t getting much service from the new fence, it is good to see somebody is finding it useful.

[Judd]

@dbb 194274 wrote:

Observed last night on the new fenceposts at DCA.[ATTACH=CONFIG]20500[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]20501[/ATTACH]

Although the airport isn’t getting much service from the new fence, it is good to see somebody is finding it useful.

Saw that guy feasting on a pigeon at Gravelly Point last Saturday.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ursus]

@Judd 194282 wrote:

Saw that guy feasting on a pigeon at Gravelly Point last Saturday.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The guy on the left or the guy on the right?

[dbb]

@Judd 194282 wrote:

Saw that guy feasting on a pigeon at Gravelly Point last Saturday.

pigeon – even more natural than a Kind Bar

[komorebi]

Me: slowing to a halt in front of my condo building after a dark, wet ride home.

You: driver in a maroon SUV that had been behind me at the last traffic light, now slowing down next to me and rolling down your passenger-side window.

Me: reflexively tensing up, expecting verbal abuse or worse.

You, brightly: “I like the reflectors on your bike! You’re really easy to see on the road!”

Me, caught off guard: “Oh! Um . . . thanks!”

It later occurred to me that I should have asked her to be more specific. Paranoid cyclist that I am, I had nine different illuminating or reflective things on my bike or me: headlight, taillight, hi-viz Ortlieb panniers, reflective stripes on my rain pants, Monkey light on my front wheel, FS zipper pulls, reflective bits on my bar mitts, reflective slap bracelet, and plastic spoke reflectors. Possibly overkill, but at least now I have independent confirmation that *something* is working.

[cvcalhoun]

My evening commute last night was hellacious, thanks to Jump! I had two rides:

For the first one, I rented a bike to ride from my office to the Georgetown waterfront. When I parked there, I got a popup message saying it was in an impermissible area and I needed to move it. I checked the Jump app. The app didn’t show any red lines anywhere showing no parking areas. There were lots of other Jump bikes in the area.

So I called Jump. They told me I was indeed in a prohibited area, but that I could uninstall and reinstall the app to see where the prohibited areas were, or I could look it up on their website.

So I uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Still no red lines. (I even took a screenshot to show them.) I went to the website. There is a tiny little map that shows the outer boundaries of the permitted area, but does not show areas like the Mall that I know are off-limits. And it certainly didn’t show the Georgetown Waterfront as prohibited.

So I put a support message in on the app. I explained all this (including the two unhelpful suggestions the phone rep had made). And got back a message saying, “We see that the phone rep already helped you with this, so we’re closing this support request.”

As icing on the cake, the red lines were back on the app this morning–and showed that where I was parked was not a no parking area.
But wait, there’s more! After a drink with Freezing Saddles teammates, I decided to take that same bike up to Friendship Heights. I checked on the app, and it said the battery had 11 miles left. The whole CCT is less than 11 miles, so I knew I’d be fine. Except that 3.61 miles up the trail, the e-assist stopped.

So at that point, I had to call Jump support again. They did agree to end the ride, and to waive the fee for parking in a prohibited area (the CCT). However, at that point, I was at the little rest area just over the bridge near the Dalecarlia Reservoir. Off in the distance, I could see a road. But when I tried to walk toward it, I discovered there was a huge government installation surrounded by a fence with barbed wire on the top. So I had to hike back over the bridge and down the trail until I could get to the cut-off to Potomac Avenue.
So basically, the Jump bike left me on a deserted trail, at night, having to hike out a considerable distance in heels to where I could call an Uber (which I would not have needed if the bike hadn’t broken). And they still charged me for the ride, minus $2 “for the inconvenience.”
So I put in yet another support request, saying I didn’t think I should be charged for that ride at all. I wrote out the whole long and sad story. And got back a message saying, “Could you give us more details.” Um, yeah, all the details were already in that lengthy message.

After numerous messages back and forth last night and this morning, they have eliminated the charges for parking in a no parking area, and the charge for the ride that dumped me in an inaccessible area of the CCT in the dark, so I can’t really ask for more support. However, the support messages have given me no confidence at all that anyone is paying attention to the problems. For example, one of them told me I should make sure to park at least half a block away from a no parking area–after I had said (and proved with a screenshot) that the app was not showing the no parking areas. And in two instances, when I said I’d had a problem and that telephone support had not helped, they said they were closing the report because they could see telephone support had already dealt with the issue.

[GP_Slowride]

Riding in mist is certainly not my favorite and there was plenty of that, and showers, headed east on the W&OD and Custis.

I got blinded by someone on the Custis who legitimately looked like they had three or four lights. What looked to be a Lumos style helmet, definitely a light or two on the bars and one other somewhere else. It all blended into an wall of light so bright I couldn’t even make out the shape of the cyclist behind them and had a hard time seeing another cyclist right behind them once I passed. I know this isn’t a new complaint but this was particularly egregious.

[GP_Slowride]

Still not many people working I guess!

Started communing on the regular more often and noticed that the W&OD and Custis have been less crowded the past two weeks compared to May, June, and July. Perhaps everyone who decided to go outdoors early pandemic tired of the sun and heat? At any rate, it has been empty enough that I have been taking the trails home instead of streets.

I had a negative interaction with a SUV (looked like a CRV) north on West St. and Broad St. There were two cars stopped at the red light at Broad St. and I got next to the first in line and as the light changed, the first car quickly passed me and I kept straight with the aim of getting on the W&OD. As I entered the intersection, I heard a honk from behind and as I exited the intersection a lot more honking right behind me. I was all the way to the right the entire time and the SUV passed me, half crossing the double yellow. His windows were up but he was yelling something and pointing at me. His lack of attention almost caused him to rear end a car stopped at the W&OD letting pedestrians cross.

[cathy liang]

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my experience with the Gaciron KIWI-1200 bike front light, which I’ve been using for my evening commutes. I’ve been cycling through the city for years, and as much as I enjoy the freedom of evening rides, the lack of good lighting can be a real safety concern. That’s when I decided to try out the Gaciron KIWI-1200, and it’s been a game changer!

The 1200 lumens brightness really makes a difference. I ride through a mix of well-lit streets and darker, less illuminated areas, and this light ensures I can see clearly without blinding oncoming traffic. I’ve had it for about 6 months now, and I’m impressed with its performance in all conditions—rain, fog, you name it! I especially love the multiple light modes, which let me adjust the brightness based on how dark the surroundings are.

One of my favorite stories is from a night when I was cycling through a park after work. It was pitch dark, but the KIWI-1200 lit up the path so well, I felt totally safe, even though I was the only one on the road. Plus, the battery lasts for ages—on my regular commute, I only need to charge it once a week.

In terms of mounting, it’s super easy, and the light stays in place even on rougher roads. Overall, I feel much more confident during my evening rides now. If you’re looking for a reliable, bright, and durable bike light, I can’t recommend the Gaciron KIWI-1200 enough!

https://www.gaciron-shop.com/products/kiwi-1200-anti-glare-bike-front-light?

[cathy liang]

The weather has been nice lately, so it’s relaxing and cool to go out for a night ride. Gaciron’s bicycle headlights and taillights have improved my nighttime riding safety, with the front light providing illumination and the tail light providing warning. They are great products.

https://www.gaciron-shop.com/

[Author]

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