[brendan]

I like how they tried. They really really tried…

Brendan

[brendan]

So…health insurance?

Ah, ok, looked at the blog…semi-explained: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/11/01/our-new-237-per-month-health-insurance-plan/

[brendan]

@ShawnoftheDread 50295 wrote:

This is the other end of that sidewalk, and the first real opportunity to leave it the path before getting to the bridge.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Roosevelt+Bridge&ll=38.891472,-77.052791&spn=20.444441,28.256836&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hq=Roosevelt+Bridge&t=m&layer=c&cbll=38.891472,-77.052791&panoid=mUJecX7YhjgWF2e1j1L79A&cbp=12,290.05,,0,4.27&hnear=Washington,+District+of+Columbia&z=5

Oh, I see. No problem then. That A-frame Traffic Barrier makes it clear not to go that way…

Brendan

[brendan]

@elcee 50271 wrote:

The strange thing about the L St. cycletrack is that I found it awkward to set up for a right turn. You have to leave the track and then cut across a couple of lanes of traffic. I’m much more accustomed to biking on the right-hand side of a street, then cutting across to make a left turn; I think my neck is more flexible looking to the left and back than to the right.

I had trouble with that as well. I ended up just putting the pedestrian hat on and using the crosswalk to go south. There’s a bike staging area in front of eastbound traffic at some intersections, but what happens if you try to get there from the cycletrack and the light changes on you?

At this point, I try to remember to get over in traffic a block or two early. And I remain confused.

Plus merging into the general traffic lanes from the cycletrack feels more dangerous than merging from traffic lane to traffic lane. I doubt the cars expect me to come over from the left, ever.

Brendan

[brendan]

@ebubar 50269 wrote:

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I made it to the metro (~2 miles) without incident. I’m thinking i’ll take the tire in to a LBS to get their opinions on long term rideability. Might just need a Park boot (those are nifty looking, definitely picking some up for the flat-pack) if i’m lucky. I’m heartened to hear that they can work “longer term” for a small little blemish like mine. Also might try those tubes that I can fill with the sealant. If I end up getting a new tire, any suggestions from the folks on here?

More unsolicited advice.

I’ve run tire boots on hybrid and balloon tires until the end of life of the tires. I agree one should be treat them only as a temporary limp-home fix for more narrow tires. They’re also have a noticeable effect on ride quality when you use them on narrow tires.

If you do use sealant *please* tell the staff at the bike store when you bring your bike in for work/maintenance. They’ll probably look angry, but at least they’ve been forewarned to be careful not to get explosively slimed.

I’m a fan of kevlar-lined tires. Not kevlar bead (foldable) but kevlar lined for puncture protection.

While I’m babbling…

My in-the-field kit includes: topeak alien ii, a tire lever (technically redundant with the alien ii, but more comfortable), a glueless patch kit, one or two extra tubes, two tire boots, a couple cables (tandem length for the cargo bike), some housing ferrules and a few kmc quick links that fit the more common chain sizes. On the dummy i also keep all that in a waterproof box with some more touring type material. Well I did until it was stolen along with my bar mitts…and favorite hat and gloves. Anyway, that box usually also contains: fiber fix spoke, temporary derailleur hanger, tiny lockring remover, zip ties, extra bolts and washers for loose accessories/racks, etc.

I bring the quick link because I’ve been known a) to pop the pin out when I’m pushing it by mistake and at that point it’s nearly impossible (and definitely unwise) to try to push it back in and b) to crack the outer plate pushing a pin back through. With the quick link, just push the pin all the way out and discard it. Also, you can sometimes can use the quick link in such a way to decrease the loss of chain length when repairing a broken/damaged chain, depending on where it is broken/damaged.

The addition of tire boots and quick links to a pretty standard kit (tool, patch kit, lever, tube) would cover the vast majority of in-city commuter needs. The addition can prevent a required detour to the bike shop on the way to/from work. Assuming you ride with two brakes and two derailleurs, the more touring-ish stuff is nice but not really necessary…unless you’re headed out of metro range. Which some commuters are…

Brendan

[brendan]

@GuyContinental 50275 wrote:

Ha! I’d never noticed that:

http://goo.gl/maps/uMyBV

Wide, wonderful sidewalk to… nowhere

Funny, but if it’s possible to get there by mistake, a serious safety issue for lost pedestrians, such as the one headed that way in the picture.

Brendan

[brendan]

If it’s on the front wheel, a caution: I’m a bit more likely to trash a problematic tire if it’s on the front wheel, simply because a blowout on the front wheel is much more dangerous than on the rear wheel.

If it’s on the rear wheel and you do buy a new tire, move the older front tire to the back and put the new tire on the front.

A bit OCD on some maintenance issues due to some close calls (and volunteering to fix bikes for other people).

Brndan

[brendan]

Thanks y’all for the tons of info. Going to take a little time to process it.

Two-ish initial questions:

1. Should I be looking into external bottom brackets with roller-bearings? I see that there are a few relative newcomers to the market that tout the use of rollers instead of balls.
1. Are the phil wood “shimano-compatible” (aka hollowtech ii/x-type) external bottom brackets roller-bearing based or ball-bearing based? I see that the internal phil wood bottom brackets often use rollers instead of bearings, but I don’t think the external ones appear to. Should I care?

Brendan

[brendan]

@TwoWheelsDC 49924 wrote:

So my wife and I are planning to get a trailer to haul our dog and/or groceries and maybe camping stuff for an overnight trip. I’ve been looking at used kids trailers, but I get the sense that the way they’re configured would make it difficult for the dog (45lbs hound mix) to sit/lay in it comfortably, particularly if we wanted to carry extra gear. Instead, I was thinking of picking up a cargo trailer, like this, so we could just lay the dog bed in there for cushioning, along with any other gear we need. Problem is, I’ve never seen any in a local store and I’m hesitant to just order one online, sight unseen and based only on some short reviews. Are there any shops/stores around here that carry them in the area? Ideally, I’d love to take one for a short ride to see how the weight is, but it’s not a deal-breaker if I can’t.

Thanks!

If you haven’t already ridden with a trailer attached (esp. if you’re considering pulling one for loaded camping overnights), I think it might be useful to go to the ABCs of Family Biking event and try out the feel of trailers in general, loaded and unloaded. Biking with a dog counts as Family Biking too.

Brendan

[brendan]

@KLizotte 49925 wrote:

Are you carrying a red gas tank thingee?!

“Always Prepared.”

Brendan

[brendan]

@dasgeh 49875 wrote:

Love the sharing the way posters, but they’re too complicated for users to digest in a quick glance. I really like the idea of signs with a single, simple message, maybe on flags or something. Things that runners, cyclists and peds can all grasp at a glance… The more you put on the sign, the more it will be ignored. Sorry.

Exactly. Something like these would be vastly more effective, esp. when wearing sunglasses!

Brendan

PS – but perhaps with more MUT-appropriate messaging, of course.

[brendan]

@rcannon100 49859 wrote:

* Signal before you pass
* Pass only when safe
* Keep to the right
* Adopt a rescue dog

Something along those lines.

My favorite real W&OD safety sign is one of a set of four near Ashburn, some of which are similar to the above suggestions. The amusing one, while I understand what they were intending to communicate, makes me giggle every time: “Slow when passing”. I often respond, out loud, “How does that work, exactly?”

Brendan

[brendan]

Re: church parking

Localities have historically been quite accommodating to houses of worship for their once-a-week parking needs: e.g., P Street just east of Wisconsin is almost too narrow for two way traffic any day of the week, and yet the north side of the street allows several hours of Sunday parking for churchgoers, turning it into a two way street with room for approximately one lane of car traffic in total.

I doubt Arlington is willing to stir up a hornets’ nest and if anything gets changed, it might simply be the addition of signs to allow church parking on Sundays!

Brendan

[brendan]

@jnva 49830 wrote:

This was my close call this morning on L street.

Ugh. Van was clearly making an illegal (and dangerous) turn. But I’d bet the driver didn’t understand the merge-into-cycle-track-before-turn requirement (or if so, realized it too late to merge legally).

Also, not a good idea to shoot between the two cars in the intersection. Not that I’d probably do it any differently.

Brendan

[brendan]

@nikki_d 49809 wrote:

Last year I biked there in sequins and heels! Just watch out for places you could snag your nylons. A well placed band-aid on the bike frame here or there never hurt anyone.

Dirt might have some extra Hello Kitty band-aids…

Brendan

[Author]

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