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I second the recommendation to do Military Rd to Custis trail, Memorial Bridge, cross mall. (Here’s a map of that: http://goo.gl/maps/CfIDL) Last I tried it, chain bridge had stairs on the DC side. Not sure if that’s changed. As a regular Custis/Rosslyn Rider, I find them easier to traverse than Glebe/Chain Br. Personally, I would take Indep Ave, but that’s not for the faint of heart!

Ride on.

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@dbb 30041 wrote:

I don’t think I would recommend riding on Maine in the roadway.

Welcome back to the cycling community!

Depending when you come in, Maine isn’t too bad for that short stretch. Then there’s a bridge over Maine right before the Mandarin Hotel, with a footpath. 15th to Maine to said footpath would probably be one of the most direct routes, but I believe it also involves stairs. I’ve only tried it once, and I don’t remember well. At any rate, it puts you out at Maryland and what would be 13th SW.

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@rsewell19 26969 wrote:

I have seen the rest of your folks when I ride in earlier, but mostly I am leaving Rosslyn around 7:30, hitting Merrifield around 8:15, and heading back home around 5:30, but because I own my own business my times vary.

You may occasionally see me heading outbound from the capital via Custis, Wash Blvd, W&OD in the evening – leaving at 5:30 to WFC. I’m generally a blue novarra jersey, yellow backroller classic on Black 400 Elance. I miss being a regular! and all the regulars I used to see on the MVT.

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@jrenaut 26842 wrote:

He shouldn’t have yelled, but I agree that runners shouldn’t be in the bike lanes.

Um, he raised his voice to be heard… not exactly a mortal sin. I’m sorry he didn’t have the patience to slow down and explain to you (OP) why runners shouldn’t be in the bike lane. You may very well be a bike commuter, but you were not acting like one. You were being a runner (I think – not really clear in the original post).

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@vvill 25888 wrote:

Lower tire pressure => more comfortable ride, smoother over bumps. I doubt higher pressure actually makes the bike move faster beyond a certain pressure, especially for imperfect surfaces such as a everyday riding roads.

Prolly just my (mis-?)perception, but it certainly feels like it!

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@elcee 25798 wrote:

What I would do:

1. Check tire pressure. You may not need as much air as you think:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1378[/ATTACH]

http://www.michelinbicycletire.com/michelinbicycle/index.cfm?event=airpressure.view

I’m confused why anybody would use such low pressure as it recommends. I like my wheels full of air, and this chart recommends not quite as much. The bike handles better, and moves quicker with higher inflation.

@KLizotte 25803 wrote:

I also wouldn’t wear a backpack. All that weight is bound to cause problems irrespective of fit for some people.

When I got panniers, it made a huge difference in the back stress.

@vvill 25835 wrote:

Would you miss having your GT set up as a road bike (for say, faster group or weekend rides)? If not, and if the frame can take wider tires and racks then I’d just add those. You could also get a different angled stem for a more upright riding position.

How about just getting another set of wheels with thicker tires you can switch out, and a rear rack that attaches and detaches easily? That way you could transform your bike back and forth easily…

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You make me feel like a city rider. Same thing happened to me about a month ago: stem puncture, flat kit glue dried out, and no spare tube. Only I was traveling a metro to metro route, so I abandoned bike and picked it up after work. Route modified, but no 40 minute wait!

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@DismalScientist 23611 wrote:

I generate so much heat when riding that I create my own microclimate. The resulting localized updraft lowers the air pressure around my body, which sucks in the air surrounding. Thus, I always have a headwind.:rolleyes:

Wow, do you levitate too? I thought I was the only one!

@MCL1981 23545 wrote:

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KDCA/2011/1/1/CustomHistory.html?dayend=31&monthend=12&yearend=2011&req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

Soooo much better than weather dit.zy(/dot) com. I’ll have to use wunderground.com from now on. Thanks, MCL!!

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@jordash 23238 wrote:

I live by Wunderground’s radar. They have a hybrid terrain and map overlay, which is pretty precise. Animate the map and you can determine roughly how quickly the storm’s approaching and if it’ll hit you, how strong, and if there’s lightening, etc.

Thanks! I’m heading out to brave it now… White House area to WFChuch…

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Thanks, TwoWheelsDC!

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@Tim Kelley 22707 wrote:

Another update:

“The Custis Trail will be closed for a probable 3 days starting 6/19/12 between the Lyon Village Shopping Center and Cherry Valley Park (near Quincy St) for the purpose of repaving.”

@RESTONTODC 23081 wrote:

No, not the whole Custis trail. They repaved only from 18th street to S curve.

Hi, does anybody have an update on the paving situation? I’m planning to ride this evening for the first time all week, and I need to know how long I need to plan for.
Thanks to our daily riders!

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@essigmw 18716 wrote:

I ride from the Pentagon Transit Center (bus station) to the Navy Yard in SE washington every day, and back across the bridge to the Pentagon every afternoon. If you are interested I can meet you at the PTC one morning and ride with you across to your office. If you want to use CaBi from the PTC it is about a 15 minute walk to Crystal City to get a bike, but I can show you that too. Just send me a PM if you are interested. I usually arrive at the PTC by 7:30-8:00 and try to get to the PTC in the evening by 5pm to catch the bus home.

-Mike

I don’t know if it’s your preferred ride, but for the directness, I usually take Boundary Channel drive up to 395 and across the 14th St. Bridge. Not the most comfortable, but the shortest.

Have you explored overnight bike parking at the PTC? I’d ride there, but currently I ride PRTC, so can’t take a bike on the bus.

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@SpokeGrenadeSR 16487 wrote:

does anyone else commute to tysons corner?

Tales from the Sharrows blog had a post on Tysons Commuter(s) a couple weeks ago. I did it myself a couple years ago, but I don’t work in Tysons anymore.

@eminva 16484 wrote:

If anyone needs a buddy to get from Vienna to the Farragut North area on Bike to Work Day or any other day, to arrive about 8:45 a.m., feel free to contact me by PM.
Liz

I usually arrive much earlier, but I’m curious how you take to get from Vienna metro to get to the W&OD in an efficient manner to head into DC. I’ve gone the 123 Nutley route before, but that seems more distance than necessary, and Rt 29 isn’t exactly a breeze in the park. Options?

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I love
saving money,
saving time,
getting exercise,
being outdoors, and
most of all,
leapfrogging the cars and laughing at the drivers stuck in traffic!

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@americancyclo 14592 wrote:

I didn’t even know there was car parking at union station. Have you tried calling? Please report back on what you find!

http://www.unionstationdc.com/store/union-station-parking-garage-llc/2137040037/2138814663

They don’t have a designated area, but they don’t care if you lock your bike in there. Apparently a lot of people do.

[Author]

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