My Morning Commute

[DaveK]

@fuzzy 59332 wrote:

I feel 10 inches tall for getting passed by a chick in a business skirt barely pedaling….. Then I noticed as she pulled away, she had a electric motor on the back tire… I tried to catch up so I could yell aloud ‘CHEEAAATTEER’ but she was running red lights….. She looked to be under 35. I hope her battery died on the big 15 street hill.

If a woman under 35 in a professional skirt on a bike passes me, generally the first thing I think is not “Cheater”… it’s usually unprintable.

I want a girl with a short skirt, and a loooooooong jacket.

Rock on, business lady. Just stop running reds. Or at least stop before you do.

[dasgeh]

@acl 59406 wrote:

Would purchase of an e-bike count towards my new year’s goal of getting better at hills? hmmm….

Yes, definitely. Depending on the motor and the setting it’s on, you definitely still work on the hills. You’re welcome to try out the loaded eBakfiets. I tried it on Culpepper on Saturday. That hurt.

[rcannon100]

@CPTJohnC 59380 wrote:

I have the same lack of sympathy problem with handicapped parking spaces, and folks who appear to have nothing, whatsoever, wrong with them as they walk the 10 steps into the shop… I’m a bad person.

Yeah, I hear that one too. And this is a serious response. While handicap abuse burns me up (and we have a lot of it around my office), I have a good friend who has a disc missing from his back. He can walk those 10 steps into the shop…. but he cannot walk the 11th. It’s difficult. On the one hand, I wish there was better enforcement to nix the fraud; on the other hand – what it is that is going on with that person is not always readily apparently to the rest of us.

[Rootchopper]

The parking spaces along L’Enfant Promenade were once filled with cars with handicapped tags, often the kind hanging from the rear view mirror. I am certain that unless L’Enfant Plaza was a mysterious cluster of handicapped people, that many of these were bogus. What a shame that this sort of abuse ruins something that is obviously needed by the few among us who are impaired.

[dasgeh]

@Rootchopper 59424 wrote:

The parking spaces along L’Enfant Promenade were once filled with cars with handicapped tags, often the kind hanging from the rear view mirror. I am certain that unless L’Enfant Plaza was a mysterious cluster of handicapped people, that many of these were bogus. What a shame that this sort of abuse ruins something that is obviously needed by the few among us who are impaired.

IIRC, the issue in DC is that handicap tag = free on street parking, and there aren’t very many “reserved” on street handicap spots. I get how the moral quandary is different: I have this handicap tag that I don’t deserve (either it’s someone else’s, or I did need it and now don’t), and I could use it but then I’ll take a space from someone who really can’t walk the 11th step v. I could use it and all that happens in DC Parking gets less money.

I still think it’s abusing a system, and you shouldn’t do it, but the victim is different.

Moral of the story: DC parking sucks. It’s due in large part to having so many federal buildings (which don’t offer public fee-based parking), but the DC parking regulations don’t help.

[Terpfan]

There is only way to “cheat” on a bicycle and that’s by shoaling. (I guess two ways if you knocked people over, but let’s not go there). I get passed by the people on cabis at lights all the time. Men in full suits, women in long flowery dresses with sandals on and then I end up passing them 7 feet later. Then the cycle starts anew because somehow being on a bicycle to them means there is no line. The downside is it often causes me to miss a light cycle because I can’t pass them without endangering both riders. Now those are the true cheaters.

[fuzzy]

@run/bike 59363 wrote:

The attitude she gave you while passing aside, I’m just curious as to why you think she’s a “cheater”? I’m under 35, in good shape, and commute by bike with an electric motor. I could write a much longer post listing out why I go electric, but it basically boils down to: no shower at work and the bike allows me to keep my focus on running competitively and putting in the miles necessary to do so.

In the future instead of thinking (and god-forbid yelling) “cheater”, maybe consider that her fitness goals are different from yours. I’d be pretty ticked off if someone yelled “CHEATER” at me on my commute into work, especially since most days I’ve already wrapped up a running workout before hopping on the bike.

.

I feel that after I moved over to let her by she didn’t have to keep ringing the bell as if I could have went faster, after all she was moving on mechanical/electric power while I was running on human power. Me catching up to yell cheater would have been me attempting to make small talk & be flirty but with that look on her face she probably would have pepper sprayed and quickly take off leaving me on the ground doing a bike-copter.

[jnva]

Wow this is amazing this turned into a discussion about ebikes! Apparently I don’t own a ” real” ebike though so I won’t comment.

It’s pretty cool, though that I can pedal my “moped” close to 30mph with no electric assist, though.

[mello yello]

@Terpfan 59465 wrote:

There is only way to “cheat” on a bicycle and that’s by shoaling.

Yes, because that’s how Lance wins.

[americancyclo]

Took the long way in this morning and was rewarded with a few sightings and latching on to some fast, but scary riders. These two guys were hauling and sticking real close together, but there was tons of wheel overlap and one sat in the middle of the trail most of the time. Definitely some dicey passes, but a good pace.

Also got to see the pfar on MVT!

[dasgeh]

@Terpfan 59465 wrote:

There is only way to “cheat” on a bicycle and that’s by shoaling.

Eh, shoaling when the person is slower than you is annoying, but I wouldn’t say shoaling = cheating. I’m not that fast, especially on my commuter bike. I’ll often stop a little farther back and way to the right to allow those faster than me to move ahead at lights. Every once in a while, someone slower than me takes advantage and goes ahead of me. Meh. I still get to ride my bike. I may miss a light cycle, so the whole thing costs me 45 seconds (maybe a minute). But all in all, it’s not dangerous. It’s not scary. I’ve got way more important things to worry about.

[lim]

@americancyclo 59499 wrote:

Took the long way in this morning and was rewarded with a few sightings and latching on to some fast, but scary riders. These two guys were hauling and sticking real close together, but there was tons of wheel overlap and one sat in the middle of the trail most of the time. Definitely some dicey passes, but a good pace.

Also got to see the pfar on MVT!

Now that’s a loud bike! Those front wheel tubes must be special order.

I see bike arl’s fb cover photo has been updated appropriately too

[mello yello]

mornings like this are what make life worthwhile. I’m really enjoying the cool temperatures – this is what summer should always be!

Sad that I had to drive yesterday morning, and will have to again this evening. Had to get my car to work, re-stock snacks and SSR, as well as get my car to work for Tuesday errands.

[dasgeh]

Spotted near Rocklands a few months ago, but forgot to post:

A modern penny farling?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3379[/ATTACH]

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 59510 wrote:

Spotted near Rocklands a few months ago, but forgot to post:

A modern penny farling?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3379[/ATTACH]

That guy lives over near Mark Blacknell and has another gas powered bike that is equally interesting. Mark will have to share the story…

[Author]

Posts