[cyclingfool]

@jrenaut 69177 wrote:

Right, I guess I just thought you two were missing each others’ points. Maybe I was the one missing the point.

Regardless, I don’t think any of us are really disagreeing.

Yes we are. This is an Internet forum. Clearly, someone must be disagreeing with somebody else!

[cyclingfool]

@ShawnoftheDread 69072 wrote:

I’ll never get out before 7:00. It sucks, but at least I’m aware of such limitations.

I rarely get out of bed before 7:00. It’s awesome, but at least I know it.

[cyclingfool]

You: Ford Transit Connect vehicle belonging to Classic Heating and Cooling of Beltsville, MD who honked and then buzzed me around a blind corner by an active construction site.
Me: WTF?! Don’t worry. I already sent a well written letter of complaint to your company.

You: Guy on a single speed passing me this around 8:45 AM on the MVT near Gravelly Point, “On your left” [muffled by a balaclava]
Me: Didn’t get a chance to compliment you on your cool balaclava with the image of a skull face on it. Nice balaclava.

[cyclingfool]

Started off “great” when I got buzzed by an HVAC company’s Ford Transit Connect less than a mile from home. (I didn’t get the opportunity to commit the license plate to memory, but I did note the name of the company and that the plates were MD, so I tracked down contact info and have a letter in the mail already to complain). Maryland theme continues as I become vigilant about traffic for the rest of my on-road riding into Crystal City: I notice five cars that are going particularly fast in the next mile or so, and a couple of them pass a little too close for comfort, though not to the point of it being a buzz job. All five cars have MD plates. No surprise given my experience both behind the wheel and in the saddle over the last 10 years. Sorry, Maryland, your drivers are hands down the worst in the region IMHO.

I shook off the early incident and enjoyed my commute in, despite a strong headwind for the second day in a row. First commute since the spring with tights on under my athletic shorts, too.

[cyclingfool]

@Rando Guy 69020 wrote:

Dude! My son is the same age and was going to let him play with this one soon. Can get this brand at classic toy shops. Hope this helps! BTW- I think these are ZIPP wheels he’s using.

Thank you! This is AWESOME! That’s exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. Looks like it’s on the smaller side and might have to be a supervised toy for now, but that’s the best I’ve seen so far. Thanks!

[cyclingfool]

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/bik/4188125177.html

Surly Cross Check – 56cm – stock – Frederick MD

[cyclingfool]

@bobco85 68938 wrote:

It’s good that the half-block stretch of trail along Abingdon will be widened. I frequently see people salmoning in the street because things get too tight.

I do wish that they would also do tree root removal for the accompanying trail that runs between Abingdon and the corner of Royal/Bashford. Whose jurisdiction is it? I don’t think the apartment building would shell out the money for a paved path, but the one there needs to be fixed, too, due to all the tree roots that make the path really bumpy and unsafe when it’s dark.

That stretch is city of Alexandria’s jurisdiction, and while I haven’t ridden it yet (or am even sure of it’s timeline), Alexandria’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager indicated to Alexandria BPAC at the end of October that “The City is working on [a] paving project on [that] section.” Might already be fixed…?

In the same email she mentioned a separate project related to the sidewalk and connection up to Slaters Lane, presumably the VDOT work in the OP.

[cyclingfool]

@consularrider 68936 wrote:

Quite the struggle riding north on the MVT this morning.

Yeah, the legs got a good workout but the rest of me didn’t get the sense of speed to make it seem worth the effort as much.

Sadly I didn’t get any of the fast riding Jason B talked about because my entire ride was into the wind with a few brief segments of crosswind interspersed. Looks like the wind, while slightly diminished, will still be around this afternoon, so I’m looking forward to a speedier, less strenuous commute home. If I could rig up a spinnaker to my bike I might not have to pedal at all!

[cyclingfool]

@OneEighth 68781 wrote:

It looked even better from on the water.

@OneEighth 68781 wrote:

I launched a little after 6 and headed North. Docked about an hour later. The upper stretch past Georgetown is absolutely amazing as the sun comes up and paints the Fall leaves that crowd the riverbanks.

Nice.

And I thought the view that direction while crossing the 14th St Bridge was nice this time of year… the view on the water must be spectacular.

[cyclingfool]

Very interesting question! I hoped a quick Google search for keywords on Crazy Guy on a Bike might yield some clues from touring cyclists’ experiences, but no dice it seems.

I’m horrible about knowing stuff like this, but I’d say $5ish is what I’d be inclined to give, unless they had to jump through some kind of ridiculous hoops to store your bike for you securely. But that’s just a shot in the dark made so that in pour collective wisdom we can crowdsource a response for you… If our n is large enough, you could just tip the mean.

[cyclingfool]

@KelOnWheels 68533 wrote:

RoadID is having a sale through tomorrow: http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx?referrer=24852

If you wear an XS you can score one of their last season’s jerseys for $25.

Thanks for the heads up. Took this opportunity to finally pick up a RoadID bracelet, which I’ve been meaning to do for a couple years… and saved $5!

[cyclingfool]

Not that I have room, money, or time for it, but I immediately saw the potential in this bike ^^^^^^^^
for a nice tweed ride/city bike. Nice head tube badge, too. Mustache or albatross bars w/ leather grips or twine, a Brooks B67, a 1x?? setup using an IGH in the back, and some other little changes, etc., I’d wanna make. If only I were rich, had lots of storage space for a bike, and a lot more time on my hands, I would definitely look into this as a potential project bike. And it’s my size.

[cyclingfool]

My bike stays in the basement/storage/laundry area of our apartment building, so it’s one step up through the entrance door for the building, and then down a half flight (split level entry to our apt. bldg.), or approximately 8 steps. In the AM it’s the reverse, so up about 8 steps to get it outside.

At work there are no steps involved. I can walk in and out of our building’s lower level to either of the streets it borders w/o using stairs.

[cyclingfool]

@Dirt 68399 wrote:

If you’re following someone for any length of time, dim your light. You don’t need as much if you’re second in line.

Unless their lights are woefully inadequate, in which case it’s probably better to leave them all powered up. Case in point, I had someone thank me last night and compliment me on my light after reeling them in and following them briefly. I helped to light their way, too. They asked for info on my headlight, which I was happy to share. Maybe they’ll pick one up on Amazon as well and be able to see better in the evenings, too.

[cyclingfool]

@CPTJohnC 68308 wrote:

I have one of the diffuser lenses on my clone and it distinctly alters the beam pattern, making it a wide, flat beam instead of a round spot. It still bleeds some light up, but far less than the original spot. I like it for general use in the dark, so it is on my bars.

After last night’s commute, from 5:45-6:30, I would concur with all your statements about the performance of the lens. I was worried it was going to scatter the light too much and make it less bright to an unacceptable degree (based on a few online comments), but those fears turned out to be unfounded. My only wish is that it threw a little more light further up the trail to help me see the ninjas, but the lens is nice. Much better light coverage than before, and in the dark of the evening commute during Eastern standard time, it is plenty bright.

I partially covered my light with my hand for oncoming cyclists and got a few thanks for that. Maybe it was other forum members…

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