[Brendan von Buckingham]

Going home from Ballston to Takoma, is actually the time to use Chain Bridge and the trails.

Rolling hills of north Arlington will take some getting used to, but the downhill to Chain Bridge is in your favor. Though it’s so steep, even going downhill freaks me out…brakes don’t fail me now. After that though it’s an easy constant grade along the trails up to Takoma.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

For Takoma Park to Ballston, the challenge isn’t distance, it’s climbing. The climb from Chain Bridge up to Glebe is one of the most challenging climbs inside the Beltway. Going to Key Bridge is longer, but the climbs–up to Key and then up out of Rosslyn–are more managable, if just barely.

Riding in traffic isn’t for everyone, but in this case could save you distance and even out the climbing. I’m not sure about every connection, but I’d try to cobble something together using:

Kansas Ave, wide, calm, low traffic, and easy circle for practice, to
11th Street, a virtual hipster bicycle highway with a dedicated bike lane to
R Street, another bike lane westbound, to
Florida/23rd Street, traffic is tighter, there’s no bike lane, but during a.m. rush you have a nice downhill and can keep pace with cars, to
M Street, not the easiest traffic, but it’s flat, to
Key Bridge

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I’m disappointed in this group. A thread that starts out about calf muscles and not a single picture. Granted. taking a photo of your calf is about as easy as kissing your elbow, but still.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Requirement? Ridiculous. How about we require them in cars first, umkay? God knows there’s enough bells, whistles, tvs, toasters and usb ports in cars nowadays. Even cameras on the rear to protect your bumper and first born. Why not put a forward facing camera on to to go with the rear camera.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Still nearly impassable, but crews and heavy equipment back to work. Reduced to one lane with flagmen. If you’re inbound, on downhill east to 110, the approach to the bike trail is blocked off by cones and barriers so that there’s only 2 small spots to enter. Reduce speed so you don’t miss them or skid out on the slick metal plates. This restriction applies whether you use Marshall or loop through IJ to get around construction.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Still terrible. Essentially impassable. Lumpy and washboard temporary paving, steel plates with parallel seams and ridges, large areas of sand and gravel instead of hardtop. Stay away.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

They should make it into a circle again.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I’m bummed. Snapped my derailleur right off on Friday so bike in the shop. I missed a Top 10 day and was stuck in Metro with the mole people. Gloom.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@jnva 23029 wrote:

I do think it’s always the cyclists fault.

And right there, that’s where you invalidated any worth you have in this discussion.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

In general, our treatment of German POWs as a whole was pretty progressive and brilliant. We separated hard core political nazis from apolitical German soldiers. We didn’t do much with the sequestered Nazis, but the others were offered many opportunities. The Army drafted university professors to teach the Germans English, democracy, and American history. The aim was to accept the fact that someday they were going to have to let these prisoners go and up until then the ordinary German had a very tainted exposure to concepts like democracy. Many of the German POWs went home to Germany and became pro-western bulwarks in the new West Germany.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

A finger. When Lon Andersen gets eating at one of those power lunches he can’t tell a hot dog from a finger. Just ask Robert “Stumpy” Long, Executive Director of the mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association. Lon Andersen eats fingers.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Not really. What do other frames on CL go for? It looks worn. Derailleur and chain probably need replacing. Who know’s about the chain rings. It takes money and time to get all the components on the frame and a bike’s value is mostly in the components anyway. It’s plausible the owner wants to keep his $400 wheels and put them on a new bike and not necessarily give them up.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

This sort of engagement happens to me maybe 5 times a year. Words are exchanged–usually quickly and full of adrenaline–then we catch up with each other. It’s either the next light, or I’ve turned around to catch up with someone. Most times, heat ramps down to an actual conversation: why’d you say that, why’d you do that, well because I was trying to do this, I didn’t know, now I understand. Most times it’s positive. Lots of times there are apologies and courtesies at the end. Once I even got a pledge from a driver to do better next time.

This one yesterday though went straight to Crazy Town.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

There’s more than one crossing there. I use the one just south of the circle. Others have problems at the crossing for cars going under Memorial Bridge. Both suck. According to GSV the last MPH sign before the south circle crossing is 25 MPH. Ha! I find I have little problem in the morning; most everyone is in their everyday routine. Cars and bikes know the drill and volume keeps speeds near 25. Afternoon is very different. Routines are scattered, cabbies and tourists are flying out of National Airport, and speeds are closer to 50.

Even though I will follow over dead when I see it, an NPS patrol car enforcing the speed limit just before these crossings will have an effect. No need to get NCPC approval for a signal or road redesign. No need to wait for a capitol budget. Just an officer assigned to protect and serve one hour every evening rush hour.

Hell, while I have my expectations set at Yeah Right, I’ll throw in repaving of the south side of the Memorial Bridge sidewalk. It was a mild winter, but the paving got worse anyway. Cement patches are popping out of the large aggregate concrete, which is what happens when you mix incompatible materials with different rates of expansion and contraction.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

My life passed before me on the 15th Street bicycle track yesterday. I had just took F Street wb and with the green went through to the the 15th St cycle track to go north. I had gone about half a block in the track when I said to myself: what is that red O with the buckeye leaves doing in the cycle track? Why is it getting bigger? Why is it attached to the grille of a bus touring couch?

That’s right, in the cycle track I came within 10 feet and a split second of a head on collision with a tour bus.

The Ohio State bus was pulling over into the cycle track. It was rolling about 10-15 miles an hour as the driver, inexplicably, was focused on his rear view mirror and not seeing me 40 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet right in front of him.

So I stopped dead in my tracks and yelled as loud as I could. The driver looked up and veered back into the traffic lane with about 10 feet to spare.

I almost never use cycle tracks. I think I’m going back to my vehicularist comfort zone where it’s safe.

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