[bobco85]

This past Valentine’s Day, I showed my love for biking and did a somewhat impromptu commuter train bike ride (I had my idea for the ride, but I hadn’t planned the route until that day). Don’t have a car and are looking for an idea for a longer bike ride involving places you’ve never been to? Take a commuter train and ride back. It’s a fun extension of an after-work ride, and I did it here in Seattle by taking the commuter train (the Sounder) from downtown Seattle north to Edmonds, then riding back through Seattle to my home in Tukwila (south of Seattle).

My trip took me 35.5 miles from Edmonds to the northern section of the rail-trail Interurban Trail. The trail is in 2 sections as it kinda fades away into bike routes as it enters Seattle from both the north and south. I’ve been on the entire southern section but hadn’t been on much of the northern section, so I decided to add it to my route. I did manage to get a flat on my new Schwalbe Marathon Plus rear tire that I nursed for the last 9 miles to get home (I have pics that will go on another thread).

(top-left) map of my ride; (top-right) my bike on the Sounder commuter train which has straps for each wheel to hold 1 or 2 bikes securely in place; (bottom-left) bidding the 2-floor Sounder adieu to start my ride; (bottom-right) at the Edmonds commuter train station
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(left) by chance, I headed to the shore to view the sunset and happened upon Olympic Beach; (right) watching the last of the sunset’s light across Puget Sound from a public fishing pier
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(left) watching the Edmonds-Kingston ferry loading up just before it left; (right) this boat bites
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(top-left) the Interurban Trail, basically the W&OD equivalent here; (bottom-left) cool color-changing bridge on the Interurban Trail; (right) tsunami memorial to the earthquake, tsunami, and reactor disasters in Fukushima (you can ring the bell, and I did)
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(top-left) sculptures of animals made from road signs; (top-right) neat windmill sculpture; (bottom-left) PBL next to the Amazon Spheres; (bottom-right) sometimes you need to take some time to ponder images like this
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[bobco85]

@amcebbers 174749 wrote:

What do I have to do to get bike lanes on George Mason in the vicinity of Leesburg Pike? I ride there every day on my new-ish commute and every day at least one car gets way too close to me as it passes. I’m wondering whether anyone knows if there has ever been any discussion of extending the northern bike lanes on George Mason farther south, or who I should start pestering about making this happen. I imagine the jurisdictional lines criss-crossing this area are part of the reason it is a t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e place to bike.

I used to live in the Mark Center area and would bike commute sometimes on that stretch, usually going from Alexandria/Fairfax into Arlington. Depending on where you’re headed, folks on this forum know some good alternative routes you can use (like Dinwiddie-Walter Reed Dr or Columbus-11th-Frederick) to avoid parts around that stretch.

The stretch of George Mason Dr between Seminary Rd and Route 7 needs bike lanes. It is wide enough for bike lanes (the lanes are seriously VERY WIDE). Heck, for part of it, the extra wide parking lane almost passes for a bike lane (I’d use it as such when I would pass through there). Bike lanes should be easily added without any loss of parking. So, let’s just put the paint (and flexposts) down already!

The stretch of George Mason Dr between Columbus St and Route 7 needs bike lanes, especially for those traveling up the big hill. One of the most uncomfortable biking situations for me, a cyclist who is squarely in the “strong and fearless” category, is climbing a steep hill with sharrows where I am moving very slowly, trying to catch my breath, and I have drivers zooming around me, sometimes in my lane, sometimes passing at ridiculously close distances (I don’t want to feel the wind from your vehicle as you rush by me with less than a foot to spare!). Screw the parking lane with poor visibility for parallel parkers; they need a climbing lane!

[bobco85]

@streetsmarts 174640 wrote:

Had anyone else had a bungee cord (which was attached to the rack) come loose while riding and wrap around the axle?

Well it happened to me tonight. I used to like to keep my u-lock on the rack..sometimes under those bungee cords.
After tonight’s debacle (i eventually had to take the back wheel off and oh so carefully undo the stuck bungee cord. But it was really stuck..came off while riding in traffic near Dupont Cir. trying to avoid a car ) I worry about ever using bungee cords!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Aw, man, that sucks to hear! I’m glad you were able to untangle it. I’ve had an evil raspberry (I love raspberries, btw) vine with thorns get wrapped around one axle, and it was a pain (both figuratively and literally) to unwrap it. (Also, this is why I bought those pruning shears)

Might I suggest getting a cargo net and/or geartie as opposed to a bungee cord? I’ve had really good experience with using both, and they don’t take up much space. Here are the ones that I use (I highly recommend the longer gearties, I’ve used them for so many things):
Cargo net: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/bike-tools-transport/packs-racks/transit-cargo-net-00-5910
Geartie: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SHBNE6G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

P.S. (thought of this just before I submitted the comment) – you could try storing the bungee cord in a cheap small bag (sandwich bag, mesh, etc.). That way, it wouldn’t fall and/or get tangled in anything.

[bobco85]

That’s a nice article that has a lot of useful information. However, it is a bit lacking in the snow and/or salt removal department

I keep a small brush and pruning shears on my bike to clear small spots having debris and rogue vines, but the group clean-ups are really effective in making the trails a lot nicer to traverse.

@ChampionTier 174433 wrote:

I cannot stress enough how nasty poison ivy can be; I learned the hard way that the roots and stalks are just as bad (if not worse) than the leaves.

I hate poison ivy more than Judd hates standing trees. I had to take a steroid medication to recover from an allergic response to poison ivy at one point last summer.

[bobco85]

My helmet is sweating. WHY IS MY HELMET SWEATING???

[bobco85]

I started off the new year with an awesome ride along the entirety of the SR 520 Trail which runs from Seattle (about half a mile from University of Washington and the Burke-Gilman Trail) across Lake Washington on the world’s longest floating bridge into Bellevue and eventually Redmond. The trail has lots of climbs, but if one goes all the way to its eastern end at the Sammamish River Trail in Redmond, one can easily go to Marymoor Park and the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome. The full trail has been open only since December 2017 when the final portion connecting Seattle to the Evergreen Point floating bridge was completed.

I was a bit delayed on making this video since I was deep into my 2017 in Review video, but I am happy to have this one completed. Enjoy!

[video=youtube_share;3wUjJ78eAdk]https://youtu.be/3wUjJ78eAdk[/video]

P.S. – someday, I hope to be able to stay up on the banked curves on the velodrome, but for now, I am le scrub.

[bobco85]

@Greenbelt 174142 wrote:

Back on the commute!

[IMG]https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/27625350_1610836552316389_5754198104481914829_o.jpg?oh=0034381ddee39e3888b033e5ca8a139b&oe=5B1EA869[/IMG]

We all know that trees don’t come down on their own, so it must have been…

Judd Fitzgerald* Lumberjack, look what you did! Clean up your mess right now!

* totally made up middle name but sounds great when scolding someone by their full name

[bobco85]

It’s not every day that one gets to fulfill one of their childhood dreams, but I am happy to say that I did that on Sunday! I’ve been a Nintendo nerd for nearly my entire life, and I’ve always wanted to visit the Nintendo of America building. Now that I’m living in the Seattle area, Nintendo of America is reachable because it just so happens to be in nearby Redmond. I also checked out some other interesting things along the way, and somehow I lucked out in the weather changing from a dreary, overcast day with light rain to a partly cloudy day with the sun even making an appearance (temperatures were in the mid-50’s (F), too!).

(left) bridge being built for the future expansion of the Link light rail, this line will connect Seattle to Bellevue to Redmond; (right) interesting turn-off from a bike lane near Microsoft HQ to a trail access ramp for the SR 520 Trail (runs from Seattle to Redmond)
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(left) Microsoft Visitor Center (closed on the weekend for some reason); (right) little free library on the Microsoft campus; Also, I should mention, the Microsoft campus is as big as that of a major university!
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(left) that’s pure joy on my face as I fulfilled a childhood dream to finally see Nintendo of America! (center) a Guardian (from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) attacked me, and as someone who has been attacked by them in the game, seeing a real-life nearly full size version (this was about 7 feet tall) was pretty intimidating; (right) bike and Nintendo sign garden; Also, the Nintendo of America is only about 2 blocks away from the Microsoft HQ!
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(left) in the state of Washington, I have come to see many uses of a bike lane and separate pedestrian lane in lieu (cough, cough, being cheap) of a sidewalk; (right) Lake Sammamish as a beautiful blue sky took over
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(left) I rode on the West Lake Sammamish Parkway which is an interesting bike lane-based opposite-side-of-the-lake counterpart to the East Lake Sammamish Trail and became quite nice with a clearer sky, riding amongst the evergreen trees; (center) I rode on the Mountains to Sound Trail of which the I-90 Trail is a part; (right) Olympic mountains (about 50 miles away) visible with the Bellevue skyline
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[bobco85]

I had my first bike commute back in high school. During the summer, I would work at the pool snack bar, mini golf, and batting cage areas of Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington.

Since it was so close to my house (just 1 block south on Manchester St from Bluemont Park), I decided one day to try biking on my mountain bike up the multiple hills to get to work. I had traveled part of this route years before during summer camp two years as a 2nd/3rd grader when we would walk from Ashlawn ES to Upton Hill to go to the pool.

It being summer in Virginia, of course I was drenched in sweat nearly the moment I started up one of the many hills (the hills seemed much bigger back then). I locked my bike up, changed in the pool changing area, and went to work in the snack bar. It probably took me about 10-15 minutes to bike to work, but only about 5 to get home (yay for downhills). Also, I know that as a teenager, personal hygiene was not a priority (I did not put deodorant on after biking to work, so I know I smelled, but I did at least wash my hands before handling the food!).

While typing this, I decided to map out the route in Strava. It was 1 mile with 242 feet of climbing. Seriously, I thought that was a huge deal back then!

Over the years, I would bike commute sometimes to my job at REI (the bike shop folks would tease me about my cheap $100 Hechinger’s (remember that place?) bike and tell me to get a “real” one) in Baileys Crossroads (about 15-20 minutes). Later, while at JMU, I’d bike to work from my on-campus dorm then off-campus apartment to various places on campus (Festival & Lakeside Express were the usual places, about 10-20 minutes). After moving back home, I would again bike to REI at Bailey’s Crossroads from my parents’ house, then Marymount University (30-35 minutes), and eventually E*TRADE in Ballston (about 15 minutes). My commute dropped to around 7 minutes when I moved near Ballston, and during that time I became involved in this forum. I remember feeling like I couldn’t relate to any of my fellow bike commuters because my commute was so easy and short (I had to go out of my way just to get a sleaze ride during my first year of BAFS!). My commute increased to 35-40 minutes when I moved to Alexandria. Now that I’m in Tukwila, my commute into Seattle takes around an hour and 15 minutes.

From 1 mile in 10-15 minutes to 13.5 miles in an hour and 15 minutes, my bike commute has grown quite a bit, but so have my confidence, experience, and skills riding as a result.

[bobco85]

Here’s the video I made of last year’s President’s Day Ride. It was a lot of fun, and I’m disappointed I won’t be there to join y’all.

[video=youtube_share;6mLL8wkM6Ew]https://youtu.be/6mLL8wkM6Ew[/video]

P.S. – Someone else will need to make a video of this year’s ride. I look forward to seeing it!

[bobco85]

@Judd 173617 wrote:

Despite our differences in opinion on the Washington Blvd Bike Lanes, I think we can all agree that it’s a pretty big tragedy that none of you have invited me to ride my bike over to Westover to have a beer with you.

My bad, I thought you said “ride my bike over West to have a beer with you.” I mean, I’m already there :p

[bobco85]

@lordofthemark 173619 wrote:

Obviously traffic calming involves some vehicles going more slowly. In Alexandria IIUC we have defined that as decreasing the number of vehicles going far in excess of the posted speed limits. That is why many sources use the word slowing in the context of traffic calming. In general the road designs are designed to be comfortable AT the speed limit. And since traffic signals are typically set for driving at the posted limit, that is why I make the distinction (as well as the impact of incident related congestion on average speeds). The GOAL is to calm traffic – to reduce the excess speeds, often wasted, which are particularly dangerous. The goal is not to reduce the average speed (assuming that is at the speed limit, or not far above it). Though the techniques to reduce the fastest speeders DO involve slowing THOSE drivers, of course.

Now, in Alexandria we HAVE reduced speed limits on a few arterials. That is traffic slowing. Where the speed limit remains the same, and physical changes are made to discourage driving far above the speed limit, I think it is misleading to call it traffic slowing. I have heard the distinction made, but can’t find a good quote for you right now.

My favorite example of this is when Alexandria reduced the speed limit on Quaker Lane between Seminary Rd and Duke St from 35 mph to 25 mph. IIRC the average speed before was around 45-47 (very dangerous), but after the reduction the average speed went to around 35. In the end, they got exactly what they wanted which was for people to obey the original speed limit!

[bobco85]

Kitty, you weren’t using the “In Spirit” filter (I was there all along)!

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[bobco85]

Well, this is worth a story, so here goes:

After stopping by the bike shop on my way home from work today, I picked up a tire bead jack which would help me finish putting the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire on my rear wheel. I also bought some new tire levers to keep on my bike and at my apartment.

Excitedly, I went right to putting the tire on when I got home. I took the tire bead jack out of its packaging and immediately used it on the tire. On the first attempt, I was able to get more of the tire on the wheel than ever had been before. On the second attempt…

*SNAP*

The tire bead jack’s arm snapped off, flying about 10 feet across the room. The look on my face was that of shock as the possibility that I wouldn’t be getting the tire on by myself was becoming a reality. I decided, you know what, I’ll just try one of these new tire levers, break one or two, and take it to the bike shop tomorrow so they can fight with the darn thing.
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So, I set to work with the tire lever, using as much of the techniques that I could from the how-to videos, and voila, the tire was on! It looked beautiful with its reflective wall, and I was somewhat surprised to get the tire on having fought with it the previous day. All right, let’s pump this baby up so I can put the other new tire on the front wheel and go for a ride! I attach the valve to my floor pump and send some air into the tire…

…but it’s not inflating. Why isn’t it inflating?!?! I… …must… …have… …*gulp*… …pinch flatted the tube.

As the world turned grey, I curled up into a ball on the floor. Time stopped. A baby somewhere cried. A person spilled wine on their brand new white blouse. Everything was horrible in the universe.

Eventually, I came to my senses, gritted my teeth, and decided I was going to put a new tube in tonight whether my already-raw thumbs fell off or not. I had little trouble getting the tire off, putting a new inner tube in, and went back to work trying to get the last part of the tire on. Eventually, I succeeded, and after some pumps of air, the tire stayed inflated. It was glorious, I tell you! I then put the Gatorskin tire on the front wheel, almost not even needing the tire lever save for the very last bit of tire, and then I went on a ride to test out the new set-up.
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I went on what is becoming my go-to route for a quick 12 mile loop that has some hill climbs to get my blood pumping, comfortable roads including a two-way PBL that operates more like a parallel bike path, passes by a grocery store I like to peruse, and a couple of wheeee inducing descents. And best of all, they had my favorite flavor of ice cream at the grocery store, and I hadn’t seen the flavor on the shelves for a few weeks!
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The Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire definitely has a different, heavier feel to it, but I’ll take the added protection. So far, 12 miles without a flat. Starting small, but I’ll take it! Thank you all for the advice!

[bobco85]

Well, based on the suggestions on this thread, I went out and bought a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire for my rear wheel (I had already bought a Continental Gatorskin which will go on my front wheel). And…

…a few hours later, much frustration, and 3 broken tire levers (even my BikeArlington one!), I will let everyone know how it is once I put it on Wednesday evening after I stop at the bike shop to get a bead jack tire lever so that it’s actually possible to put the tire on the wheel. I tried watching a few how-to videos (including some that don’t use tire levers at all, it’s witchcraft, I tell ya), but I was unable to work the last part of the bead over the edge of the rim.

Oh, the flat count is now at 15 (3 front, 12 rear), as this morning I discovered a slow leak in the rear wheel that flatted it overnight.

The most frustrating thing is that I’ve gotten flats on roads, bike lanes, and trails alike, and back home in the DC area, I did ever-so-slightly less biking and managed to only have a handful of flats per year. The saga continues, but I’ll try to be more assertive in calling for pothole repairs and street-sweeping (I’ve reported one instance of a particularly bad road section).

In the meantime, I used my new camera to take some macro shots of each of the tires on my chinook bike that will be replaced tomorrow. I put the interesting parts of the images together into a collage to show the aftermath of 4 months of biking in the Seattle area. Check out my tires’ battlescars!

Front tire (~2,000 miles on it)
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Rear tire (~800 miles on it)
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