My Morning Commute

[AFHokie]

I don’t think that switchback was built with bikes in mind. It should’ve been, but it looks like its only designed/built for for handicap access.

[Emm]

@AFHokie 113959 wrote:

I don’t think that switchback was built with bikes in mind. It should’ve been, but it looks like its only designed/built for for handicap access.

Agreed. Even going slow with CX tires and disc brakes I have to be really cautious on it so I stay upright, which is why I get so amused by people FLYING up and down it and then crashing. You can tell it wasn’t designed for bikes just by looking at it–so you’d assume it should be treated with caution.

[Terpfan]

The Case Bridge crossing is like that too on the L’enfant plaza exit side. I’m not a fan of switchbacks and will intentionally wait way high up if I see someone coming. Lucky for me, they’re rarely in my routes.

[Steve O]

@Emm 113945 wrote:

The switchbacks at Potomac Ave/MVT strike again!

According to this post and this post (see below) a permanent connection was supposed to be built to replace the temporary one. No later than the end of 2015.

Does anyone have news on that?

@jonathankrall 83525 wrote:

(posted April 2014) I didn’t notice this thread until today, so it didn’t occur to me to take careful notes at the meeting. Based on my shaky memory…

– Detour should be gone by end of June, hopefully sooner.
– Switchback ramp down to trail is slated to be replaced by something better (or at least designed to last), to provide access from Potomac Ave to the trail. This should happen soon, but I don’t recall what “soon” means. The basic idea is to do this while everything else in that area is being worked over, so by the end of 2015 at the latest. Arlington is building it, so maybe the Arlington BAC has info on the design.
– The entire 4 Mile Run restoration needs to be finished by the end of 2015 (I didn’t record the exact deadline–they said “18 months”), or the money goes away. The project will cause occasional trail disruptions on the Arlington side (moving equipment back and forth across the trail) but no trail closures.
– On the Alexandria side there will be a months-long trail closure and detour, but I didn’t notice the time line. The closed area will be near Mt Vernon Ave and the detour will connect the existing trail over to Bruce Street.

[chris_s]

The new trail connection is NOT part of the restoration project and is on a different timeline.

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[dplasters]

My wheels didn’t touch pavement this morning. I believe I arrived to work on the backs of crushed earthworms. R.I.P. I am sorry.

[Terpfan]

Argh, my damn spoke seems lose on rear wheel, but it’s the replacement rear wheel and I just had it tensioned last week when it occured. It must be my fata– on the damn bike. Going to need an even better wheel.

Of course the real highlight of my commute was a woman deciding to see if she could both scare and piss me off simultaneously by cutting me off twice on a fast downhill stretch of Beacon Hill Rd and then proceeding to windshielf wash me like a bug.

Some days you just can’t win.

[mikoglaces]

Great commute in today. Instead of riding on the W&OD to the Custis, I rode to Chain Bridge and in on the C&O to Georgetown, ignoring the CCT. Rode on my cross bike and hit every puddle. It was glorious. Nothing like playing in the mud.

[mikoglaces]

@Terpfan 114167 wrote:

Of course the real highlight of my commute was a woman deciding to see if she could both scare and piss me off simultaneously by cutting me off twice on a fast downhill stretch of Beacon Hill Rd and then proceeding to windshielf wash me like a bug.

Some days you just can’t win.

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_rbjg2k6cI

[wheelswings]

OMG, that song is perfect for me today. A large bug collided with my eyeball last night when I was riding…I could barely see for blocks. I killed it, so I’m the lucky one, but my eye is still smarting from the impact. Guess I’m the windshield!

[americancyclo]

Second time on a fixed gear (borrowed). I figured why not just jump on in, right? The first three minutes were frightening, and I almost turned back to get a shifty bike. The next ten minutes were better. By the time I was half way in, I felt pretty good. Looking forward to the commute home, and I’m glad there is a front brake.

[Dickie]

@americancyclo 114205 wrote:

Second time on a fixed gear (borrowed). I figured why not just jump on in, right? The first three minutes were frightening, and I almost turned back to get a shifty bike. The next ten minutes were better. By the time I was half way in, I felt pretty good. Looking forward to the commute home, and I’m glad there is a front brake.

I wondered why you had the hipster pant leg pulled up, and a total look of fright on your face…. makes sense now.

[OneEighth]

@Dickie 114207 wrote:

I wondered why you had the hipster pant leg pulled up, and a total look of fright on your face…. makes sense now.

Zen. Dammit. That’s his zen face.

[dkel]

@americancyclo 114205 wrote:

Second time on a fixed gear (borrowed). I figured why not just jump on in, right? The first three minutes were frightening, and I almost turned back to get a shifty bike. The next ten minutes were better. By the time I was half way in, I felt pretty good. Looking forward to the commute home, and I’m glad there is a front brake.

You’re drinking the cool-aid, you know. #oneofus

[lordofthemark]

Maine and 7th is a mess this AM. I decided to take the lane on Maine SEbound, in part to see construction progress – from across the street I had noticed people heading contra traffic there and wondered if it was actually the long rumored cycle track, unofficially open – alas it is not, it is just a partly repaved general traffic lane, however the conditions on this morning (relatively light motor vehicle traffic most of which stayed to the left) made it very useable even for a somewhat less confident rider like myself. I planned to make a box left at 7th, rather than fight across two lanes of traffic to make a vehicular left. Lo and behold, there is major construction going on where the east crosswalk crosses the median, and trucks in the general lanes just west of that. It is nice they are repaving the crosswalk, it looks great, but I had to dismount and walk my bike to get across the median, and thus across Maine.

[Author]

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