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@dkel 70941 wrote:

A similar thing happened to me this morning: the gentleman was moving leaves from his yard on one side of the WOD to the curb on the opposite side of the WOD, and didn’t hear–or didn’t understand the significance of–my bell (twice).

It must be a yard work thing, I was almost clotheslined this morning by somebody trying to put spear-sized branches into their trash along Gallows. The branches extended horizontally out through the width of the bike lane as he swung them into position. With traffic on my left, I had to lock both brakes to stop in time.

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@NicDiesel 68395 wrote:

Hats definitely help as does riding with contacts and a pair of light colored (orange or yellow) protective anti-reflective glasses.

Seconded. I wear “rose colored glasses” during my commute in the dark. This helps a lot, plus it also helps keep the cold air out of my eyes.

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Thanks for posting this! We took our 4 year old daughter out to see this and we were able to make out both the ATV4 and the ISS. This made my day, thanks again!

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@hozn 65729 wrote:

Is that the guy that wears 80s-style radio headphones? I see him most (every?) morning closer to 495 overpass. It has been interesting to see the shirt (de)volve.

I’m pretty sure that’s the same guy. He’s usually out there both in the morning and in the afternoon on that stretch between the Beltway overpass and Gallows.

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The cheapest way to shave weight from my bike is to remove it from the rider.

Or.

My bike, like its rider, is built for comfort – not speed.

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If I’m going to call others out, I need to call a foul on myself…

Me: Heading east on the W&OD at the Sandburg Street intersection.
You: Attentively driving near the path crossing.

The parked cars blocked my view of the road, but I should have come to a complete stop or slowed my roll. I was able to use both brakes to stop before entering the road, but I’m sorry I caused you to panic stop. Thanks for paying attention and I deserved the “horn”.

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Tim – thanks for the tip. Fairfax County refers you to VDOT’s site, which is here:
http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/citizen.asp

I just used it to report debris in the bike lane on Gallows between Cottage Street and the W&OD trail. Very easy to use.

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I’m Matt – I ride a green Kona with “nav light” pedals (red on the left, green on the right). As you are passing me – and I’m confident you’ll be passing me – you may notice the red “Ampelmannchen” on my CamelBak. I commute from Falls Church to Ballston.

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@rcannon100 38764 wrote:

How is it “custom” if you dont do it yourself?? :rolleyes:

Touche!

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Custom paint job for the bike.

Speaking of which…any recommendations for local places that will do this?

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There have been a few trial rides over to the new complex, you might be able to find some info on the CG Portal St E’s page.

If you send me a private message, I should be able to hook you up with folks who live in Alexandria who are planning to continue to bike in. They may also be able to point you in the direction of others who live in Arlington, DC, MD. I’m in Ballston and we’re not moving, so I’m not much of a help.

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@essigmw 37234 wrote:

When I got to the Lee highway crossing on the W&OD in EFC heading west and the trail straightens out, there were about 12 red blinkies up the 1/2 mile of visible trail in front of me (kind of like runway lights) directing me home. It was truely breathtaking and made me very happy to be part of it.

Amen. This is another reason why I love commuting by bike – the “we’re all in this together” attitude from most riders. As anyone ever had the same sentiment while driving in a car?

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@mstone 36689 wrote:

As a motorist, I suggest putting the light on the bike and using a long strip of wide-angle reflective fabric/tape on the bag. A lot of the cyclists I see while driving have bag blinkers pointed at sky or ground, and aren’t really visible from a car. That’s hard to check on the bike, also.

Agree – I have a rear light on my seatpost, but after reading the post on improving your visibility – I festooned my bike/helmet/bag with reflectors, reflective tape, and I like adding the extra light. With the cold weather gear, I’m close to looking like Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd when they dressed us as the “aliens” at the end of “Spies Like Us”…

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@Dirt 36658 wrote:

…

As for packs… now that my shoulders are both relatively functional, I like using a backpack over messenger bag. If I’m dancing with commuter buses, I like a little extra security of having two shoulder straps. Inexpensive packs work. Getting a really good one will make it last longer and help with waterproofing. Ortlieb, Osprey and Thule make my favorites. I have a few of each that I use for different purposes at different times. Lots depends on what you want to carry.

Keep visibility in mind. If the pack you choose isn’t reflective, get some stickers, tape and/or flashy light to make it much easier to be seen. I’ve also used a reflective vest over the pack to be visible.

I’m lucky because I generally don’t have to transport my work clothes nor do I have a laptop, but I’ve been using a Camelbak similar to the 2012 Alpine Explorer. It should be big enough for a normal laptop (though I would put the laptop in a sleeve for added protection), it is waterproof, and I like that it makes it easier for me to grab a drink plus it has an easy to reach compartment for my phone. (I don’t listen to music, but I do use MapMyRide and I like being able to turn it on and drop it in.

I second the recommendation for added visibility. The pak has slots to slide on a rear blinker and I’ve used zip ties to add on a reflective red Ampelmann for visibility and flair…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelm%C3%A4nnchen

I didn’t like the waist straps on the pak, so I cut them off. Also, I the bag is big enough for me to carry food (breakfast and lunch), skivvies, etc in the AM and it holds all the cold weather gear I don’t need in the afternoon.

If you don’t like weight on your back – the pannier is the way to go.

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Ouch – no schadenfreude, I don’t want to risk the bad karma…

I wear baggy/mountain bike shorts with a long legged, mid-weight LL Bean/polartec base layer underneath. It’s kept me warm where it counts, even down into the 20s. I rode for 90 min (0615-0745) with no crotchal issues today.

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