[ColumbiaHeights]

@vvill 86028 wrote:

K/L St & 19th NW and up to Dupont is my favourite.

Any good places to sit?

[ColumbiaHeights]

@DismalScientist 68768 wrote:

They have also outlawed hills in Holland as well.:rolleyes:

You have a point. However, I know Amsterdam in particular is known for some vicious winds. Here in the DC metro region where it’s a bit more hilly I see E-Bikes making a presence over time to help deal with hills.

[ColumbiaHeights]

In Holland, the answer is almost universally ZERO stairs. Building codes are so stringent that nearly everyone has ground floor storage rooms 6’x9′ or larger. Everyone thinks the Dutch bike so much because they have the cycle paths, etc, but there’s much more to it than that.

Also, nearly all Dutch bikes weigh 50 pounds. This is one of the reasons that ground level bike parking is ubiquitous. Without ground level bike storage I doubt you’d see all the small children and elderly biking in Holland.

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yDFp0msbMw

[ColumbiaHeights]

@Hancockbs 57613 wrote:

I stay on Water street, turn right on Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy merge left on Ohio and head in toward the Jefferson Memorial and Hains Point.

I hope to try out this route sometime soon. Just out of curiosity, do you bike on the street for the portions along Water, RCP Pkwy, Ohio? Thanks.

[ColumbiaHeights]

Dear Bike Manufacturers,

All of the people writing in this post, myself included, are in dire need of bicycles that come with chain guards. Some or us may ride for recreation, but all of us ride for transportation as well. The same goes for every single person who has ever ridden a bicycle in the history of time.

We are currently scouring the internet and writing in bike forums in desperate attempts to find pants that resemble normal clothing but won’t get dirtied and/or caught by our exposed chains.

Below you’ll find pics of cheap 21-speed bikes by Huffy and Schwinn that are made with chain guards. If they were able to design such bikes with chain guards, why can’t you?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2723[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]2722[/ATTACH]

[ColumbiaHeights]

@jrenaut 48738 wrote:

Don’t know Mt Rainier, but are you aware we have something similar on Saturdays right here in Columbia Heights? Are you familiar with The Bike House?

Thanks for the quick reply. I did have the pleasure to check out the Bike House a few weeks back. They helped me replace swap out a cracked pedal. Now I have a wheel that may require a “rebuild” (I was told). Apparently I may have crushed the bearings in the wheel when I overtightening the bolts after putting on a new tire. I’m not sure the Bike House would be appropriate for this. Even if they do have the tools I’d feel guilty trying to do such an extensive repair at a place that is only open for three hours on Saturday. I know they get busy. I’ve tried Velocity Co-op in Alexandria as well. I may go back there but I’d like to check out Mt. Rainier first.

[ColumbiaHeights]

@dasgeh 48629 wrote:

Lots of great advice. I’ll just add that the first car of almost every Metro train I’ve ever been on is the least crowded. So if I’m at all worried about crowding, I head to the front of the platform.

And while we’re griping about the elevator situation, just think about what it’s like for people who _have_ to use the elevators (wheelchairs, strollers). Seriously, Metro, you can do better.

I agree that I’m being a little self-centered when there are people who are wheelchair bound who TRULY rely on the elevators. What I don’t understand is, why are the elevators and escalators out of service so darn frequently? The location of the elevators is also marked very poorly. Looking for the Chinatown/Gallery place elevator at street level is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I asked a security guard if he knew where the metro elevator was and he replied that there “was no elevator.” It turned out that there was an elevator (next to the dunkin donuts), but it was hardly marked. You could easily walk past it a hundred times and not realize it was there.

Not to get too off topic, but does anyone know the underlying reason why the trains run so deep underground? I timed the escalator ride at Dupont Circle. It took almost exactly two minutes. NYC subways are much, much closer to ground elevation.

[ColumbiaHeights]

Wow! What type of tires/tubes do you have, and where do you do most of your riding? Thanks!

[ColumbiaHeights]

Thanks for all the tips guys. In the summer I know there will be times when I travel with no bag, etc, so I think I’m going to try out the aqua seal. I’ll put the map in my back pocket (balances out the wallet!)

I don’t have a smartphone, but I do have an Ipod Touch. It’s basically an iPhone, but there’s no 4G, so I can only access internet and GPS features if I’m in a wifi zone. I may be able to save a PDF or image of the DC bike map to my Ipod Touch, in which case I wouldn’t need internet to view the map. I’ll toy around with this on my own unless someone can provide any tips. Thanks again guys.

[ColumbiaHeights]

Thanks guys!

[ColumbiaHeights]

Thanks Dave. Generally I’m looking to connect from Chinatown area to Stanton Park area. It appears that there are few good east-west connections between NW and NE DC. From Chinatown, it looks like E St NW to Mass Ave is the best bet. During off-peak hours, when on-street parking is allowed on Mass Ave, I’d feel comfortable riding between the parked cars and the dashed white line; almost like having a bike lane. During peak hours, however, I imagine it’s hairy with the added car lanes.

By any chance, are there any cut through connections along C St or D St near 1st Ave, or some other way to bypass Mass Ave? Thanks!

[ColumbiaHeights]

Here’s a copy of the flier they’re handing out: http://1.usa.gov/Vr0hJE

[ColumbiaHeights]

Type “cabbie” into Google Images and you get a bunch of photos of yellow taxis. I’m from New Jersey. In the NYC area “cabbie” tends to refer to the driver more so than the actual taxi. “Cab” is commonly used to refer to a taxi. When apartment searching in DC I spoke to a guy renting out his apartment. He mentioned something about “cabbie” as one way of getting around in DC. Over the course of the conversation he mentioned that he had a bikeshare membership. I still don’t know if the “cabbie” he was referring to was bikeshare or taxis. I think he was from NC.

[ColumbiaHeights]

@KLizotte 40604 wrote:

I would call Revolution Bikes if I were you. They were selling Trek Allants for about $200 not too long ago and those are good commuter bikes.

Thanks!

[ColumbiaHeights]

I stumbled upon the photo of the bike below. This is pretty much my ideal bike (minus the quick release levers and the cable lock!). I imagine the Giant brand would make it expensive, however, so I’d be open to a less expensive brand.[ATTACH=CONFIG]2277[/ATTACH]

[Author]

Posts