My Morning Commute

[sethpo]

I stopped on the side of the CCT this morning to change a flat tire. Countless cyclists asked if I needed a hand. Some days humanity wins (or at least the cycling portion of humanity).

[cvcalhoun]

@Supermau 93595 wrote:

Ha! It really screws up pool season. Now it’ll get all hot, but the pool is about to close!

Clearly, you need to join our Y. The outdoor pool is open all year round!

[OneEighth]

Got my backpack ready for tomorrow morning’s commute.
Why, yes, Doc—I did have my boot on me while riding.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6534[/ATTACH]

[dcv]

@OneEighth 93622 wrote:

Got my backpack ready for tomorrow morning’s commute.
Why, yes, Doc—I did have my boot on me while riding.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6534[/ATTACH]

welcome back

[mstone]

Pretty crowded this morning. A little damp, but that just made it pleasantly cool. I guess everyone is getting a few more in before the end of summer.

[Terpfan]

@mstone 93639 wrote:

Pretty crowded this morning. A little damp, but that just made it pleasantly cool. I guess everyone is getting a few more in before the end of summer.

Definitely damp. One unlucky guy bit the boardwalk by the T intersection right before TR Island on the MVT. I would have stopped to check on him, but three people were with him and there was nothing more I could offer. The MVT boardwalks are pure evil. Little bit of frost, some mildew or just damp, they’re a bumper cars game waiting to happen.

[lordofthemark]

It was very nice meeting everyone at the coffee club. The ride from Shirlington in was pleasant. I am not used to taking the airport hills northbound (because most times I have ridden there before was doing the Arlington loop, clockwise) but I managed. Then as I came off the MVT I think – “Wait a minute, I thought this route bypassed the Humpback? Oh, this isn’t the Humpback, its the 14th street bridge, and I am almost up it, yay!) The construction at the Wharf has now closed not only Water Street, but the sidewalk on the southwest side of Maine Avenue, so I took the sidewalk on the northeast side. Got to NJ and M 50 minutes after leaving Shirlington, almost 10 minutes better than my ride in the other direction on Thursday, which I attribute to ridng more regularly this last week, but mainly to use of my air pump over the weekend.

[OneEighth]

I felt a bit like Cinderella when I successfully got my reconstructed foot into my Sidi for this morning’s ride.
It’s good to be back.

[americancyclo]

I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Bee flew in to my helmet vent and stung me on the forehead. I stopped and shook it out. Treated the sting with oral caffeine intake, and all seems well now.

[KLizotte]

@americancyclo 93667 wrote:

I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Bee flew in to my helmet vent and stung me on the forehead. I stopped and shook it out. Treated the sting with oral caffeine intake, and all seems well now.

That has me thinking whether it is possible/prudent to install lightweight netting to the vents in my helmet since I’m allergic to insects. Has anyone ever tried?

[hozn]

@KLizotte 93694 wrote:

That has me thinking whether it is possible/prudent to install lightweight netting to the vents in my helmet since I’m allergic to insects. Has anyone ever tried?

A number of helmets (my last two purchases, anyway) include optional netting liners to keep out the bugs, so definitely an idea worth trying. Will probably cut down on airflow, but maybe not a significant factor.

[jrenaut]

My morning commute was glorious. Took the kids to school and talked bikes with another parent on the way in. On the way out, two friends were moving a stroller and a cargo bike so another friend could get his kid-carrier trike out. One of them told me he’d sent a friend to me to talk cargo bikes (this is after he bought an Xtracycle around the time I got mine). While we were talking, the friend came over and we talked about cargo bikes. Then another woman came over and said she was going to get one, and we talked price, Yuba Mundo vs Xtracycle, different shops around here that stock them, whether or not you’ll kill your children on the cargo bike, longtail vs midtail, etc. Then I talked to another parent about routes around the school.

Oh, I guess I rode my bike, too.

[dasgeh]

@jrenaut 93740 wrote:

My morning commute was glorious. Took the kids to school and talked bikes with another parent on the way in. On the way out, two friends were moving a stroller and a cargo bike so another friend could get his kid-carrier trike out. One of them told me he’d sent a friend to me to talk cargo bikes (this is after he bought an Xtracycle around the time I got mine). While we were talking, the friend came over and we talked about cargo bikes. Then another woman came over and said she was going to get one, and we talked price, Yuba Mundo vs Xtracycle, different shops around here that stock them, whether or not you’ll kill your children on the cargo bike, longtail vs midtail, etc. Then I talked to another parent about routes around the school.

Oh, I guess I rode my bike, too.

I talked to a guy with a kid in an iBert at Custis & Ft Myer about Kidical Mass Arlington. But nothing like your day. You’re my hero

Oh, and don’t forget to tell them about Kidical Mass – there’s a DC one. In fact, we’re going to meet up on the next ride.

PS. I wouldn’t recommend Yuba, though you’re kinda stuck with them for mass produced midtails.

[jrenaut]

@dasgeh 93752 wrote:

PS. I wouldn’t recommend Yuba, though you’re kinda stuck with them for mass produced midtails.

What don’t you like about Yuba? I rode one and it seemed pretty comparable, just curious what you don’t like so I can give better advice (though bearing in mind that the price difference sometimes makes the quality difference moot).

[dasgeh]

@jrenaut 93756 wrote:

What don’t you like about Yuba? I rode one and it seemed pretty comparable, just curious what you don’t like so I can give better advice (though bearing in mind that the price difference sometimes makes the quality difference moot).

It’s like the Ikea of bikes, except their service at the moment is very, very bad. I bought an El Boda from BicycleSpace. BS has been amazing at fixing the problems, but my understanding is that Yuba has been no help at all, and that BS is doing this all on their own backs. At a less awesome bike shop, I would probably be SOL and stuck with some major problems (e.g. the front wheel not being disc compatible – despite Yuba saying ahead of time it was).

If someone really wants a midtail, I would suggest getting frame-only from Yuba, then building it up from scratch. None of the problems with mine were with the frame, just the build, and I wish I had just paid BS to build it up right the first time, with exactly the components I want, instead of what Yuba included. I also wouldn’t go with Bionx – just do an IGH and add a front wheel motor.

[Author]

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