[consularrider]

@Diane Kean 265 wrote:

Wow, thanks for all the feedback!

My commute is mainly roads or paved trail, depending on how fast I want to get to work. I have a space to park the bike in a parking garage that is relatively safe for the most part. I don’t want to spend more than $500 or $600 dollars. I will need to carry a lot of things with me: change of clothes, shoes, make-up, etc so I would be interested in panniers or something so I won’t have to rely on my backpack. Right now my bike is HEAVY, so I will definitely need to look for a lighter bike. Does the style of wheel make the bike heavier? Currently I have knobby mountain bike tires, thinking I would like something a little smoother but not the thin road tires.

Probably most of the weight in your bike is in the frame. That said, the wider tires and rims of a hybrid or mountain bike are generally heavier than a road bike. Also, if you have a suspension fork that will add weight.

I recently bought a 2009 Giant Transend LX for $450 at Papillion Bikes on Columbia Pike. It’s a reasonably light 24 spd hybrid bike that comes with the base Shimano drive train components, mechanical disc brakes, fenders and a rack. I think Performance Bike had a GT or Schwinn with similar set up and there is the Trek Allant, but without disc brakes. My new bike really is for commuting since I have a vintage road bike I take for my longer weekend rides.

[consularrider]

I’d rather not have to deal with rush hour traffic around the Pentagon on 27. I frequently take Garfield across Rte 50 and then over to Highland into Clarendon and then take the combination of Clarendon/Wilson down to Lynn St that then goes across Key Bridge. From Barton, you could cross 50 on Walter Reed/Fillmore, the only problem being that it is rather narrow from from S 2nd St to Rte 50. I cut from Fillmore to Highland once I cross Pershing to take advantage of better traffic lights.

[consularrider]

@Dkeg 252 wrote:

Deb, I was out in Hamilton this pass Sunday. The WOD was clear around Leesburg but not at Hamilton. Hope this helps a little.

The trail at the boundry between Arlington and Falls Church also has snow and ice problems. I have seen reports on other fora that while passable, there are still problems west of Arlington. http://wandodtrailreport.blogspot.com/

[consularrider]

@AJsinVA 257 wrote:

Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself or other might ask you.

1. What is your price range? Inexpensive means different things to different people. My new bike I will use to commute is around 2k.
2. Can you ride paved trails or road all the way? This may determine what type of bike you need.
3. Will you need to carry a lot of things with you on your commute?
4. Does speed matter?
5. Is the guy answering this making things more difficult than they need to be? Just Kidding.

6. Are you going to be a year round/all weather commuter? If so, you should probably look at a bike that can take fenders and a rear rack.
7. Will this be your only bike that you will take on rides other than commuting?

[consularrider]

My direct commute starts from near the 4.5 mile post on the W&OD and ends in Rosslyn. I’m on the trails about an hour after you.

[consularrider]

Thanks for your efforts. Yes, the trees at N Vernon on the Custis were cleared Friday afternoon. There were still a couple of significatn snow patches on the Mt Vernon Trail between the Humpback and Memorial Bridges (remember, the Humpback sidewalk is now only one lane, about three feet wide!) and there were snow dumps on the wooden walkway under the Roosevelt Bridge. Also a snow dump under I-395 on the new 4 Mile Run underpass at Shirlington, hard to see in the dark under the bridge. Finally, a big snow patch on the W&OD at about the 2.5 milepost.

[consularrider]

If you are going to be working in Crystal City, you have a broad range to choose from. There is a trail acess from the Mt Vernon Trail into Crystal City at about the 14 mile post. Also, it is easy to get there from the 4 Mile Run/W&OD Trails. That opens up a broad range of neighorhood options that are easily commutable by bike depending on what else you want in your living arrangements. When you talk about an 18 mile/25 minute commute, I have to assume you are talking about driving. How far are you willing to ride? Most of Arlington would be an easy commute as would much of Alexandria.

[consularrider]

Actually, when I got home last night the acess path to the W&OD from 4 Mile Run by Ohio St had been cleared a show shovel’s width. I still went back and chopped out two yard long ice patches on it. While many of the patches seem relatively easy to clear, the melting has created ice streams that need a harder/sharper edged implement than your standard snow shovel.

[consularrider]

From my rides yesterday and today, it does not appear that any of the access trails to the W&OD or Custis Trails have been cleared. Since I live near one, I will undertake to clear it tonight. Any more volunteers?

[consularrider]

I rode the Custis this morning from the W&OD intersection until just east of Glebe. There is still a downed pine tree completely blocking the trail as you turn right from the I-66 exit ramp crossover near N Vernon St. Just west of Glebe you are dodging two downed trees that partially block the trail. Also, at the Fairfax Dr access just east of George Mason, there is a ten foot stretch of snowy slush that was ice this morning. With temperatures around freezing in the mornings, the meltoff has been refreezing, leaving lots of black ice.

From my rides yesterday and today, it does not appear that any of the access trails to the W&OD or Custis Trails have been cleared. Since I live near one, I will undertake to clear it tonight. Any more volunteers?

[consularrider]

Is there a place to lock up your bicycle? Indoors or outdoors? Yes, two indoor bike racks on one of the parking garage levels.
Can you take your bike in the building and up to your desk area? No.
Is there a place to store and change clothes? Store, no; change yes.
Shower? Yes
Are there many other bike commuters at your workplace? Probably five or six who ride in better weather, maybe two in less pleasent weather, and only me year round.
Have you formed a club? No.
Does your employer offer the $20/month bike benefit? No, they are fudging that it is not cost effective to offer.
Any other bike activities through the workplace? No.

[consularrider]

I seem to bridge the clans depending on the weather and how far I want to ride. When the trails are clear I tend to ride a combination of the W&OD, 4 Mile Run and MV Trails. Since the December snowstorm I have been a VC commuter along Washington/Wilson/Clarendon Blvds.

[consularrider]

@Darren B 160 wrote:

I wrote to the NPS, regarding the Mt. Vernon Trail (they own it, not Arlington Co). They do not plow, saying that they want to accomodate cross country skiers, and that the wooden bridges can’t be plowed.

The cross country skier thing is bunk, since the trail is pockmarked with holes from where users are attempting to walk, ruining the tracks and rendering it pretty crappy for XCskiing. If they plowed a three-foot channel, walkers/bikers could use the cleared portion, and skiers would have the remainder untouched. Everybody wins. Not to mention the fact that a multi-use trail shouldn’t try to accomodate every possible use if doing so excludes others, as they are doing now.

The bridge sections (of which there are none between my house in Pentagon City and the 14th Street Bridge, and there is also NO other bikable connection between those two points) could at least be snowblown with snowblower deck height set higher to prevent bridge damage. Had they done this, snowmelt would have made the trail passable by now.

But of course, they don’t. The Parkway gets full treatment, because it is for transportation. But the MtV Trail gets neglected until the snow melts someday, and I am stuck riding the stupid train to work.

If you also think they are shirking their responsibilities to accomodate all users (including people with mobility disabilities) on their transportation facility, write to them.
http://www.nps.gov/NCR/sendmail.htm?o=%3B3%29%2B6JZ%2B%20NJR1J1JA%5B1%2AEJ4%2E34J%5D2II%5F16%21%22X&r=/gwmp/contacts.htm

I also think you have to remember that these trails are all multiuse trails, not soley bike trails. I am also a cross country skier and can assure you that during the December and February storms I have been out using the W&OD and 4 Mile Run Trails until the snow melted too much. Since I live almost right on both trails, I can also tell you that even as late as this weekend (February 21) I was seeing skiers using the trails.

It does not appear that any of the local jurisdictions even have snow removal equipment that would be appropriate for the trails or sidewalks. Clearly Arlington County has no plan to clear most of its own sidewalks and was asking area residencts to help get public walks cleared so the kids could get to school last week. I too would like the the NPS/NVPA/county/city/whatever to finally take responsibility to clear bike lanes after the snow stops instead of leaving a snow berm and to clear the trails once they are not skiable.

[Author]

Posts