[CCrew]

@acc 4781 wrote:

I just came back from a weekend at a race track and it seemed odd to me that the men did not shave their legs. That will be your next step…

LOL. Be careful, it’s a slippery slope too!

But as to whether it’s necessary, no it’s not. But having the accessories designed for the sport does sometimes make it more pleasurable. If you don’t like tight lycra however there’s always the MTB stuff, which works too.

[CCrew]

@eminva 4760 wrote:

Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but you specified a commuter — which means you will likely be away from it for 8+ hours — you should make sure you have a secure parking facility and a good lock if you are spending big bucks on a bike. If you have to leave it at the public rack on K Street, get something that would not be thief bait. I see a lot of old 10 speeds along there.

We have a secure bike cage at our building and I notice everything from soup to nuts there — cheap hybrids to fancy road bikes. I think it’s pretty secure, but one of my fellow commuters told me a bike had been stolen from there so even secure facilities have their limitations.

Liz

All good points. I take for granted my secure bike cage is also called my office sometimes. I’ve seen a lot of bikes stripped to naked frames on the street in front of the building.

[CCrew]

@ronwalf 4753 wrote:

That’s definitely two seat posts welded together (probably has a shim inside). It’s a bit mini-velo-ish.

Still fun no matter which way you look at it

[CCrew]

Actually that’s the minimum insertion line for a cheap seatpost..

Cheap for a Full Sus MTB though!

[CCrew]

Bonzai Sports for the fitting. Not cheap.. Expect a couple hundred $ but they know their stuff on fitting you to a bike.. http://tribonzai.com/

[CCrew]

@DaveK 4734 wrote:

Salsa Vaya Ti. Ultimate do-everything bike. I really, really want one. More real-world choice would be a LeMond Poprad Disc but they’re discontinued and pretty rare. Bikesdirect sells a Ti cross bike with discs that seems interesting.

I have the regular Vaya. Nice bike, but it’s no speed demon for distance. I’d best liken the Vaya to a blend between a touring bike and a 29er MTB. My Fuji Cross Pro is still first choice for commuting and I run 32mm cross tires still.

Given the discs requirement I’d give the Soma DoubleCross DC top billing http://www.somafab.com/frames.html Cross geometry, steel frame, with a tall head tube for a more relaxed ride.

Buy the frame and build the exact bike you want to the rest of the specs. I’d definitely agree with the Poprad disc though. I still kick myself for not having bought one. Keep in mind though that “too many gears for commuting” isn’t necessarily too many gears for other purposes if it’s an all-around bike. 2×10 compact will get you a lot of capability. 7 or 8 speed you’re going to have issues getting brifters you want, everything’s 10 speed these days.

One thing I’ve found … the “do everything” bike is a misnomer. It means it does a lot of things and usually none of them as well as a bike that’s specific for a given purpose.

[CCrew]

@KLizotte 4723 wrote:

BTW: Fab moon view along the MVT last night. I’ve never seen a pink moon before. Dirt would have approved.

Twas the eclipse wasn’t it last night?

Speaking of Dirt, where’s that rascal been?

[CCrew]

@eminva 4708 wrote:

Okay, some of you have engineering or technical backgrounds while I have the total opposite, but wouldn’t the normal procedure be to put in the drainage pipes first and then the pavement??

You’ll never make it in government either :p

[CCrew]

@ronwalf 4699 wrote:

So true – It’s why I’m always looking up to avoid pianos and anvils dropped from apartment windows.

We welcome Wiley Coyote to the discussion! LOL. Sorry, that just instantly came to mind!!

[CCrew]

@acc 4696 wrote:

*cough* On behalf of your wife and her injured knee I’d like to point out it is possible to reach Carolina Brothers by car. Just sayin’.

ann

BLASPHEMY I tell you!

[CCrew]

@acc 4695 wrote:

Went out to the bridge today and all the barriers are in place, plenty of fencing on both sides. The entry/exit seems ok, it is a moderate curve. The bad news is it will be torn up again starting Monday. The guys working over there today told me the drainage pipes were not placed before the asphalt was poured.

I vote acc for construction supervisor

[CCrew]

I just ride like a drunk through the middle of town :p
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92771998

[CCrew]

@JimF22003 4677 wrote:

It looks like they might be getting ready to lay another layer of pavement from the bridge ends down across the part where they added the strip on the side. Hopefully the part with the strip is just a temporary base for the new layer.

Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. Especially since they’ll have to demo the old bridge approach and blend and landscape the new one in.

[CCrew]

@Bruce Wright 4662 wrote:

While the new bridge opened today, final paving won’t occur for a while (couple of weeks?). Also, the fence that is supposed to keep cyclists from dropping into the abyss isn’t in place either. Seems like the ribbon-cutting should have been delayed until the job is really complete.

The alignment isn’t good, with two turns into and out of the bridge. Everyone needs to be cautious when first using it.

Yeah.. As of 3am this morning it had the orange PVC construction netting up along the abyss, so you should get a good idea of what the permanent fence is going to look like because it would make sense to follow the line that’s there now.. New bridge is certainly at least 3-4 feet wider. I’m not quite ready to condemn them yet, looks like the east side of the trail has been widened 18″ on each side down to the first footbridge, and there’s all that utility piping on the west side which leads me to believe there’s still work to be done. Since there’s still orange markings on the east side marking potholes I think that the 3′ they added to the width may get topped with another layer of asphalt. Certainly hope so, because what’s down there now is pretty pathetic from a quality standpoint.

Now if they run with what’s there they deserve everything they get.

I don’t like the dogleg but it’s workable. Speeds can get kind of interesting in that stretch and it might calm them a bit.

[CCrew]

@PotomacCyclist 4656 wrote:

I wouldn’t be as concerned about the crash at Walter Reed Drive this year. It seems like that cyclist was going way too fast and making a blind turn at speed. If you maintain a safe speed and look for cross-traffic at the intersections, it doesn’t have to be a dangerous crossing.

Yeah, not to speak ill of the dead but that one came across self inflicted. As much as I hate to say it, I think we’ve all seen some bonehead behavior from cyclists and I have to wonder if this didn’t qualify.

[Author]

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