[CCrew]

@Joe Chapline 5380 wrote:

But only for a fraction of a second.

Still counts!! You have to accept it anyway, you saw it on the internet :p LOL

[CCrew]

@Tim Kelley 5350 wrote:

Today, Wednesday July 6, the Custis trail will be detoured onto 15th Street from the Quincy Street ramp to Vermont Street.

Other construction activity is occurring on 15th Street so use caution while on the road.

Government planning at it’s finest. Detour traffic due to construction onto a road that’s under construction.

@Tim Kelley 5381 wrote:

“The contractor has informed me that they did not complete this section today and will complete the paving in the area tomorrow (July 7).”

Rumor has it they were delayed by killer pothole ducks…..

[CCrew]

@ronwalf 5382 wrote:

Is this where you mount bayonets on the tips of your aero-bars?

Unless you’re in WV. Then you simply shoot the mechanical deer and they arrest you for both poaching AND destruction of government property.

And that’s actually true – they do that.

[CCrew]

Bunch of rookies I’ll tell ya. GPS doesn’t lie. Mach 3 on a bike :

Max Speed: 2,401.5 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52498466

And don’t ask me how the heck I did it !

But all seriousness, 40mph is possible on Wilson Blvd coming down the hill from 15th St. Pretty desolate about 3am

[CCrew]

@henrymesias 5362 wrote:

I think you may be reading a bit too much into this. We are not advocating against clipless pedals at all. These drills can definitely be done with clipless pedals. We have people of different skill levels showing up to our CCC2 class. Some may have been riding for 1 year and some may have been riding for 10. For many people the drills we practice in the CCC2 class are not the type of things people are used to doing on their bicycles, so we recommend not having clipless pedals at first. Once a student can get the drill down with regular pedals and feel comfortable with the maneuver then we recommend taking the next step of performing the drill with clipless pedals.

We have had people show up to our classes before with clipless pedals who are experienced riders like yourself and do just fine. We have also had people show up to class with clipless pedals they just put on their bike 2 days before class and not do so fine.

I in the end this is just a recommendation. It does not say clipless pedals are banned from our classes on our website and we would not turn someone away with clipless pedals, nor have we ever, so I don’t believe WABA is excluding folks who ride exclusively with clipless pedals. Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

Naa, makes perfect sense. My day job has me trained to ask too many questions

[CCrew]

From your start points you’ve pretty much got it. I do M to the Key Bridge, but that would be out of the way for you. People that care about me have some issues with my splitting traffic on M in Georgetown though.

[CCrew]

@eminva 5375 wrote:

I am just trying to imagine what these would be like. Do any local bike shops sell them? Could they demo them one evening when it starts to get dark early?

I often wish the light I have were brighter, especially west of Gallows Road, but I am reluctant to increase the wattage since I have already gotten complaints. And if I added a helmet light, I’m not sure I’m coordinated enough to shut off the helmet light and redirect the handlebar light at once in the face of oncoming traffic. Also, the beginning part of my commute is on the streets of DC which has a different set of issues (visibility).

Thanks.

Liz

I’ve never seen them in a bike shop.. Not to say they’re not, just I haven’t seen them. Might be worth an email to them and ask if they know of any stocking DC dealers.

I’ll happily demo them for you one day depending on schedules. If you do the WABA class tomorrow are you riding? I’m debating doing it if only to realize I’m doing it all wrong

As to the helmet light, I’ve found that a tight beam pattern light is pretty much neutered by simply looking down and to the right of the trail.

[CCrew]

@americancyclo 5367 wrote:

Damn! We were at least hoping for some office shredder confetti. maybe we’ll bring our own. Any decent places to eat in Purcellville, or should we just chow some bars/gel and head back to civilization?

There’s a couple smaller places, including a sit down restaurant at the end of the trail, but no real places that stand out. More like a McDonalds/7-11/Grocery store kind of town.

If you’ve never ridden out that way just know that once you start the climb up Clarks Gap out of Leesburg there’s precious little between there and Purcellville. I think it’s one of the prettier parts of the trail, but certainly not if you’re looking for amenities.

Falls Church to the end and back by 1:30? You do realize that you’re talking 80 miles, much of it a slow climb on the outbound leg? Not saying it’s not doable just that you’re not letting any grass grow

Elevation profile isn’t too awfully bad though. Here’s a lot of it: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94830958

Have a great ride!
Roger

[CCrew]

If you go the Dinotte route I will say that the 800 on high is pure overkill. I bought it because after the second deer collision I wanted something that either A: would let me see them 100+ yards out, or B: freeze them in their tracks. It’s totally effective at both, but the 400 on the handlebars works also with the 400 on the helmet and allows you to spot them and if you track with your head you can keep them illuminated and it usually keeps them frozen in place. You understand how the Bubba’s spotlight deer when illegal hunting. If you don’t have that to contend with there are cheaper lights. Keep in mind that having two lights is pretty important if you depend on them to get to where you’re going. With just one, it dies and you’re in the dark. I always carry a 120lumen LED flashlight as a backup. If nothing else I can hold that in my teeth and use for a flat repair.

I went to Dinotte’s from twin halogen NiteRiders. Huge difference.

[CCrew]

@Greenbelt 5346 wrote:

Slightly off the already weird topic, but I’d appreciate tips from night trail commuters on what lights to get, and any other tips (besides watch out for critters). Next winter, I want to start riding home after dark (can’t get off work early enough to get through the trails before full dark). Do you use both a helmet-mounted light and a big handlebar mounted light too?

In a word:
http://www.dinottelighting.com/

Not cheap. Work flawlessly. I’ve had the same set with the same batteries for 2+ years. I run either an 800 or 400 on the handlebars and a 400 on the helmet. Also run the taillight

zombies fear me . Police have stopped me and asked, because they’ve never seen a bike as visible. Seriously, as a commuter that rides at night regardless of the season this is the best $ ever spent. And I flinched when I did it but never regretted once I started using them. I spent this much in cheap lights easily before I got to this point

[CCrew]

@henrymesias 5355 wrote:

WABA recommends against clipless pedals for the CCC2 class because some of the drills we practice like the quick stop and instant turn may cause a rider to dismount suddenly and may be harder for some people to do with clipless pedals. In short, some of these drills, if not done right, may result in falling and having clipless pedals could prevent you from landing on your feet or preventing a fall. Does that answer your question?

It explains your position on it for the class, but isn’t the stance paramount to saying WABA doesn’t advocate the use of clipless pedals? By inference, you’re saying that what you’re teaching may not be possible utilizing clipless.

I’m not trying to poke a stick at you here in a public forum…. but as an experienced rider that would like to believe that *everyone* could benefit from these classes, you’re effectively excluding those of us that exclusively ride clipless. 15 bikes in the garage, none have regular pedals

[CCrew]

@5555624 5339 wrote:

. I see foxes all the time, including one in D.C.

I’ve noticed that in the areas where you see lots of foxes (and cats) you tend to see few bunnies. Must really suck to be at the bottom of the food chain :p

[CCrew]

Anyone know why CCC2 recommends against clipless pedals?

[CCrew]

@SteveTheTech 5330 wrote:

I would think anywhere east of Vienna would have the most interesting of characters if characters where to be encountered.

I think alcohol was heavily involved in the shedding of the garments. My guess is it was aftermath from the 4ths activities in Vienna. They sure know how to party! I will say that there was no modesty involved in the encounter… she was quite proud of her attributes, as she had a right to.

It’s by far one of the weirdest things I’ve come across on the trail. It’s really not unsafe to ride, and I’m on it in the very wee hours (2-4am) of the morning. Sure, I see what I’d believe to be some questionable specimens of humanity, but have never really had an issue. It’s a lot safer than a lot of people would believe.

My biggest issues have really been the deer and the urban assault bunnies. Oh, and the skunk the one time. That was a very bad thing. I’ve had two collisions with deer, one that ended me in the hospital with surgery on a shoulder, but you’re talking dumb animals in a close quarters suburban setting. These things happen. I’ve gotten 1 deer with the car and did $4k damage in the same timeframe.
This is with me entering the 4th year of riding on a daily basis year round, so I really don’t think the odds are that bad. I’m pushing 1200-1400 miles a month on the bike – With that kind of seat time I’m going to see more than the average rider.

[CCrew]

@eminva 5317 wrote:

This was in Vienna? We do love our holiday revelry. Be safe out there.

Liz

Yup, on the stretch between the Community Center and Cedar Lane.

And quite obviously SOMEONE was having fun! :p

[Author]

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