My Morning Commute

[ian74]

@KWL 157162 wrote:

A smooth, dry ride in on skinny tires today thanks to the NPS MVT clearing.

Elaborate? Where have they plowed on the MVT? Between Alexandria and 14th St. Bridge? 14th St. Bridge to Key?

[huskerdont]

@TwoWheelsDC 157170 wrote:

I initially felt silly for keeping my studs on, until I got to the RCP trail at the Lincoln, which had some extended icy spots. Rideable without studs, but I appreciated the extra stability. Things were going great up the CCT….and then I had to get on the towpath. For all intents and purposes, it’s unrideable. I got by on a small sliver of untouched snow right on the edge of the embankment, but even walking on the main portion of the trail was a risky proposition. Frankly, it would’ve been okay had it not been ridden by 4 or 5 riders on Tuesday, who left ruts that froze solid…like, a skating rink is rideable if you stay upright, but throw some some criss-crossing ruts on it, and you can’t ride a straight, steady line. Then the sidewalk across chainbridge was the snow and ice equivalent of root-y singletrack. Studs actually saved me there, but it would’ve been much more comfortable with a suspension fork. Commute ended up taking me about 25 minutes longer than normal…

To think I rode that route home (towpath to Chain Bridge) sleeveless and sweating just last week. Now look at it.

[Drewdane]

I’ve always refused to ride in icy conditions, but this seems to be the year my gradually encroaching weather wimpiness has developed into full-blown Fair-Weather Riding Syndrome ™.

[Zack]

Was passed on the MVT by a guy with his seat too low and his pedaling level of effort didn’t match his speed. Spotted a bright red Copenhagen wheel around his rear axle. Anyone else ever see one of these?

[dkel]

@Zack 157461 wrote:

Was passed on the MVT by a guy with his seat too low and his pedaling level of effort didn’t match his speed. Spotted a bright red Copenhagen wheel around his rear axle. Anyone else ever see one of these?

I saw one pass by as I was getting on the trail in Falls Church. Then I never saw it again because it was over the horizon seemingly before I could even get going.

[cvcalhoun]

@Zack 157461 wrote:

Was passed on the MVT by a guy with his seat too low and his pedaling level of effort didn’t match his speed. Spotted a bright red Copenhagen wheel around his rear axle. Anyone else ever see one of these?

I’ve seen pictures and stories, but never seen one in real life. A friend asked about getting one, and was told he’d be better off with real e-assist. But that’s a sample size of one–not sure if others feel differently.

[rcannon100]

Be like

[streetsmarts]

I was thinking just that!!^^

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[cvcalhoun]

My morning commute was a lot more satisfying than last evening’s commute. With my knee feeling better, I was able to bike and not have to take Metro again. That was a lot better than last night’s experience of:

* Having the train single-tracking on the wrong side, meaning I had to go to the right side, take an elevator down, walk to the other end of the station, and take an elevator back up. (Yeah, that was a joy with the bad knee!)
* Having the platform so crowded that people were standing a floor above it and looking down rather than attempt to get on it.
* Having the sign saying single tracking was on the other side (which it wasn’t), instead of telling you when the trains would arrive and where they were going.
* Having two trains go by the wrong direction before one came going the right direction.
* Arriving at my station too late for a bus, and having to take a cab.

Remind me, why exactly would anyone prefer Metro to a bike? Other than injuries that prevented them from riding a bike?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@cvcalhoun 157681 wrote:

My morning commute was a lot more satisfying than last evening’s commute. With my knee feeling better, I was able to bike and not have to take Metro again. That was a lot better than last night’s experience of:

* Having the train single-tracking on the wrong side, meaning I had to go to the right side, take an elevator down, walk to the other end of the station, and take an elevator back up. (Yeah, that was a joy with the bad knee!)
* Having the platform so crowded that people were standing a floor above it and looking down rather than attempt to get on it.
* Having the sign saying single tracking was on the other side (which it wasn’t), instead of telling you when the trains would arrive and where they were going.
* Having two trains go by the wrong direction before one came going the right direction.
* Arriving at my station too late for a bus, and having to take a cab.

Remind me, why exactly would anyone prefer Metro to a bike? Other than injuries that prevented them from riding a bike?

I take metro+bus about twice a week. But I’m pretty lucky (well, “lucky”. We certainly pay a premium for our location) in that I live next to a stop that has extremely high train frequency (Eastern Market, so OR/SV/BL) and transfer to the bus on the same line. I’ll take a 20 minute train ride and a 20 minute bus ride over battling 35mph winds and freezing temperatures on my bike for an hour pretty much any day.

[semperiden]

@cvcalhoun 157681 wrote:

My morning commute was a lot more satisfying than last evening’s commute. With my knee feeling better, I was able to bike and not have to take Metro again. That was a lot better than last night’s experience of:

* Having the train single-tracking on the wrong side, meaning I had to go to the right side, take an elevator down, walk to the other end of the station, and take an elevator back up. (Yeah, that was a joy with the bad knee!)
* Having the platform so crowded that people were standing a floor above it and looking down rather than attempt to get on it.
* Having the sign saying single tracking was on the other side (which it wasn’t), instead of telling you when the trains would arrive and where they were going.
* Having two trains go by the wrong direction before one came going the right direction.
* Arriving at my station too late for a bus, and having to take a cab.

Remind me, why exactly would anyone prefer Metro to a bike? Other than injuries that prevented them from riding a bike?

I rode the Metro a couple of times this past winter because of rain/wind and both times I regretted it. Any bike ride, no matter the conditions is better than riding the mess that is Metro.

Today I struggled in the good bike. Haven’t felt gusts that strong all winter, but it only added 5 minutes to my commute instead of 30 minutes to an hour and the added frustration.

[cvcalhoun]

@TwoWheelsDC 157698 wrote:

I take metro+bus about twice a week. But I’m pretty lucky (well, “lucky”. We certainly pay a premium for our location) in that I live next to a stop that has extremely high train frequency (Eastern Market, so OR/SV/BL) and transfer to the bus on the same line. I’ll take a 20 minute train ride and a 20 minute bus ride over battling 35mph winds and freezing temperatures on my bike for an hour pretty much any day.

Part of the problem for me is that I tend to work very late. So it’s not just the length of the train ride, it’s the length of time spent waiting for the train. And it’s not just a 20 minute bus ride, it’s a bus that has stopped running altogether.

Plus, the bike has more flexibility. When I’m ready to go, I just go. With the bus, I have to go when the bus goes. So even when the bus is still running, if I’m ready to go, and the bus just left, I may have to wait half an hour (even assuming the next bus is on time!) to get another one. If you have to wait half an hour for a bus, your 40 minute commute is up to an hour and ten minutes, which is longer than it would take to bike.

Freezing temperatures don’t bother me. I just put on more clothes (or these days, I have the luxury of an electrically heated jacket). Wind is more of an issue, but the CCT is rather protected from wind, so I really get it only after I get onto the city streets.

[GovernorSilver]

Lesson learned: Check the weather report for wind conditions before riding on Potomac Ave. The wind blew me off the road onto the grass a couple of times. The motorist behind me was reluctant to pass me because the wind was making me swerve on and off the road. Should have ridden on Mt. Vernon Trail or Commonwealth Ave to get to Crystal City.

I found the hidden “Fitness Cluster” park which I’d passed numerous times in the evenings while riding our beloved Behind The Buildings route. I knew there was some kind of park there but didn’t know about the rings, pullup bars, etc. I took a pic but this guy’s review video is much more thorough:

[Emm]

The spring season is not my friend so far. I went all freezing saddles not loosing my gloves, shoe covers, or other winter gear. This week I lost 2 gloves somewhere in my house, and then forgot one at work Tuesday (I switched from full finger to half gloves between AM and PM commutes). No worries I figured, I just wore a mismatched full finger pair the Wednesday morning, and thought I’d pick up my second nicer glove at the office when I got there. Not only did I STILL forget my second glove at the office last night, I also left my shoe covers under my desk which led to some seriously numb toes this AM. I spent most of this morning’s ride just telling myself “at least your not driving at least your not driving…” over and over again in an effort to keep my mood positive and ignore my cold feet.

On a positive note, Saturday looks lovely, so I’m really looking forward to a nice warm ride then!

[dkel]

To the guy I saw on the W&OD out for a run on his two prosthetic legs…you are an inspiration, and you totally changed my day for the better. The next time someone tells me how hard bike riding is, I’m going to tell that person about you. If everyone lived up to your example, think of the things people would accomplish! Thank you for teaching me something valuable today!

[Author]

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