[bobco85]

@Steve O 170810 wrote:

But will he and other far-distant riders be able to end up with 79 days instead of 78? That’s the question.
Not that 10 points will make any difference, but perhaps a special pointless prize for time warping could be awarded.

As the ONLY competitor to ride 79 days in the 78 day competition (I can’t reveal my secret), I am ready to claim my prize 😎
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Also, I came SO CLOSE to winning the “Steve O’s Worst Day Points Proposal” prize, too!
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[bobco85]

I rode some Fains Point (faux Hains Point) laps tonight in spirit with everyone doing laps at the actual Hains Point to close out Freezing Saddles 2018!

Here are my pics from tonight. Freezing Saddles was fun, even though I wasn’t in the DC area to enjoy it with y’all. However, I will be returning for a week from Saturday, April 28 through Saturday, May 5, so I hope to ride with y’all then!

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[bobco85]

Resurrecting this thread since it’s Seattle-related, I did a grand tour of Seattle’s neighborhood greenways a week ago. There are many aspects/ideas that I think the DC area could benefit from, as the greenways here are very comfortable to ride on (even with the hills!).

For more information, here’s the page on the Seattle government site with information on the greenways: https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/greenways-program

(left) map of current and future greenway projects; (center) map of my route; (right) me
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(top-left) I really like these painted bike compass arrows as they are easy to understand from any angle; (top-right) curb bulb and traffic circle combine to slow traffic; (bottom-left) yes, a 20 mph neighborhood street!; (bottom-right) pedestrian crosswalk improvement to reduce crossing distance while maintaining the bike lane
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(top-left) entry restrictions that allow cyclists to pass; (top-right) one of the greenways’ hills with a view of the Cascade mountain range; (bottom-left) advisory bike lane at crossing; (bottom-right) neat greenway counter
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(top-left) cool pairing of little free libraries; (top-right) gap between center medians being used for a bike left turn lane; (bottom-left) wayfinding signage goodness; (bottom-right) traffic circle tree decorated with birdhouses
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(top-left) bicycle beg button accessible from the street that activates the flashing lights at a crossing, also note the not-gonna-eat-my-wheel sewer grate; (top-right) goats, decorations on one of the greenways under a bridge; (bottom-left) just because it’s a greenway doesn’t mean there aren’t a few hill climbs; (bottom-right) set of stairs connecting two cul-de-sacs at different elevations has a ramp for wheeling up/down on the greenway
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[bobco85]

I’m testing Bell’s new line of helmets; it protects me using my thoughts and prayers!

/political

[bobco85]

I’ll be riding with y’all concurrently from across the country!

I created a loop route near me that is close to the length of a Hains Point lap (~3.2 miles) and close to the elevation gain, too (as flat as I could find, only 20 feet). The route is half-trail, half-moderate traffic roads, and runs mostly along a river in an area that quiets down traffic-wise at night, so it’s similar enough.

I will head there at 8 pm PST (11 pm EST, your time) and bike laps until 9 pm (midnight for y’all). I might a phone call, too, to say hi to folks who came out for the finale of BAFS 2018. See ya!

[bobco85]

I just finished a video of biking Chilly Hilly 2018, a Cascade Bicycle Club event ride (first of the year) that takes cyclists on a tour around Bainbridge Island in Washington State. It’s about 32.4 miles in length and has over 2100 feet of climbing with at least 15 separate climbs, the most difficult one being the Baker Hill climb which took over 6 minutes to ascend! I and some 2,700 other cyclists took on the course, and though it was difficult (had a flat, too), the chili feed at the end was well worth it.

I took the ferry to get there from Seattle which allows bicycles (you can ride onto the ferry which is really cool) along with vehicles (I’ve seen school buses on it). It was hosted well, with many Outriders (think ride leaders who were there for support), SAG wagons, and police presence at major crossings.

My birthday was the day after the ride, so it was a nice gift to myself. Enjoy the video!

[video=youtube_share;feEcRkyzLmA]https://youtu.be/feEcRkyzLmA[/video]

[bobco85]

He never understood why his pics of his coffee were so off, and we didn’t have the heart to tell him he needed glasses.

[bobco85]

@ginacico 175510 wrote:

With paper on the windows

Hmm, paper is made from wood, wood comes from trees, trees get cut down by…

…AHA! I know the culprit behind Cap City’s closure!

It’s Judd! And I’ll bet that he used the reemergence of the MVT paper-shredder to distract from the paper he was amassing with which to cover the brewery.

Why’d you do it, Judd? Why? WHY?!

Also, I am sad that I do not have a place to get my beloved Red, Wheat, and Blue beer (made with fresh red raspberries, white wheat malt, and ripe blueberries, a good dessert beer) when I return for a visit later this year.

[bobco85]

@bobco85 175406 wrote:

I can upload a copy of it to Google Drive and post the link this evening (read: late tonight for y’all).

Here’s a link to a 2017 version of the spreadsheet in Excel format: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13R3pedDBCWHoXt6m0YlBDkarNTjqgpzR/view?usp=sharing

P.S. There’s a lot going on in it, but let me know if you have any questions.

[bobco85]

The new amphibious assault vehicle was found to be… less than intimidating.

[bobco85]

I’ve kept a spreadsheet going for the past 6 years tracking my mileage (odometer) for each bike, a few other stats (year’s mileage, month’s mileage, daily average), and a category for notes on any mechanical changes (flat tire, chain/cassette replacement, spokes, wheel installation, repairs, cleaning, etc.). I update it with a new entry probably once a week. It’s incredibly useful to be able to track what’s going on with each of my bikes, especially in my case for flats as a sign of tire wear.

I can upload a copy of it to Google Drive and post the link this evening (read: late tonight for y’all).

[bobco85]

@Zack 175227 wrote:

In terms of bicycle friendliness, what do you think of that Washington versus this one?

The word that comes to mind when I think of biking in the Seattle area versus DC area is: rugged.

Think of it as there being a 3 tier system of bike friendliness ranked from 1 (best) to 3 (worst). For Tier 1, there are just as many bike trails, routes, lanes, infrastructure, etc. in the Seattle area as there are in the DC area, although I’d say that Seattle’s infrastructure is a bit more bike friendly in each and every aspect (e.g., planters/concrete curbs so cars don’t park/drive in cycle tracks). For Tier 3, there are just as many bike unfriendly areas where it is much more challenging to ride in both areas.

The big difference is in that Tier 2 area, the routes that are fine for confident, experienced cyclists but are not fine for newer, less-confident cyclists. The Seattle area is far more rugged in these areas with steeper, longer hills, and there is usually a higher likelihood of some amount of precipitation. Living here and dealing with these challenges has left me feeling like a stronger, more rugged rider.

I hope this explanation makes sense.

P.S. – I know of and am currently in the process of creating routes for exploring the area, so hit me up if you need a route/tour guide 😎

P.P.S. – …or you can just watch my videos :p

[bobco85]

Having constructed a nest for her young, the mother Bee aggressively fights off intruders. She will not leave their side until the arrival of the spring rains.

[bobco85]

I just finished my video on my morning bike commute here in Seattle! After getting a job in November and learning that they had a bike cage in the building, I was able to eventually figure out a nice route for biking the 13.5 miles from my apartment in Tukwila to my building in downtown Seattle. Haha, this video shows the route I use now, and I have not gotten a single flat while taking this route.

I had wanted to make a video of my commute, but I couldn’t figure out how best to show it until I started reviewing the footage I had collected over commutes during November, December, and January. There was such variety in the sky, daylight, weather, and more that it would be cool to show the changes between each on the same stretches.

This is the morning bike commute I make every Monday/Wednesday/Friday (I take the light rail on Tuesday/Thursday). Enjoy!

[video=youtube_share;GnsXQ93QA8o]https://youtu.be/GnsXQ93QA8o[/video]

[bobco85]

Here’s a quick follow-up to the long saga that is the love between broken glass and my tires: I. actually. got. a. flat. on. the. Schwalbe. Marathon. Plus. Tire.

So, I took some pics of it before and after removing the piece of glass, and in honor of Judd’s amazing ride (that I sadly was unable to attend; don’t worry, I’ll make him do a re-run when I return), I added some metal of a certain Illinoisian for a sense of scale.

Macro mode: engage!
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Luckily, when I got my flat, the tire itself was thick enough that I was able to nurse the flat home for about 9 miles, stopping to reinflate the tube (which lost its air in a matter of minutes), without any squirreliness in the tire itself as its tube ran out of air.

I replaced the tube (standard) with a stronger one (puncture resistant), so we’ll see how far I can get with that!

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