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@DCLiz 20235 wrote:

I also have a cute clip-on pannier from Basil — it’s girly pink and white and gray.

DCLiz – what a cute bag! If we were to turn this into a “what bag to you covet” thread, I would mention this bag: http://pocampo.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/streeterville-clutch-2

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I haven’t found panniers that work on my ebike. So I’ve bungeed a ratty looking storage-crate to the back. It kinda creates a back to the seat, which is cool. And it holds a lot. Though it definitely screws up the center of gravity.

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@GuyContinental 20192 wrote:

Now I carry the itty bitty canister just in case (for this afternoon when the gods strike me down with a double flat in a thunderstorm…).

I was like you. Took off one morning on a bike that I hadn’t ridden for a while. a few blocks from my house I had the thought “I should have check the tires”, but they seemed fine. Got onto Fort Myer, right in front of the PX, and noticed one tire was dead. So I’m stuck, and late enough that there are other bike commuters around. I thought it was just a normal low-air problem, so tried the canister just to fill it up. I was wrong. So I replaced the tube, but the canister didn’t have enough to get the new tube inflated. And I was on base. I’m not military. Ugh. I tried the auto repair place, but they didn’t have the adapter to fill up bike tires. After trying a few other places, I found that the only place with a pump was the PX. Long story short, they finally allowed me to buy a hand pump. That travels with me everywhere.

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@brendan 20137 wrote:

Would it still be the right thing to do if she was running in a standard traffic lane with oncoming motor vehicles?

Not if there’s a sidewalk. And if there isn’t a sidewalk, the runner should still stay as far to their left as possible, so the cyclist would have pulled to his/her left to ride by.

I don’t know what it is about runners in Arlington ditching the sidewalks to run in the road. I find the sidewalks here pretty nice, and I just don’t get it.

[dasgeh]

One of my favorite things about cycling is really being outside — and hearing all the wonderful and crazy sounds is part of that. The birds chirping, the cars in the distance, the planes over head. Even in the city, for me it’s just part of cycling. Of course, I don’t go on really long rides, so maybe I would feel differently. (And I think the bike-speaker thing is cool, as long as you keep the volume reasonable).

Running is a different story. Maybe because I’m slow and gasping for breathe, but I don’t hear the glorious sounds of nature/the city when I’m running. I just hear my heart saying “I’m working really hard”, my feet saying “pound, pound, pound” and my knees/hips saying “ow, ow, ow”. (Ok, it’s not that bad, but I do mostly hear my own breathe and my feet hitting the pavement). So music is a welcome distraction. I do keep in both earbuds, but I make sure the volume is pretty low.

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A good friend at work drives from PG County to the tourist lots near the Jefferson Memorial/Haines Point, and bikes from there to work on a folding bike. The ride ends up being about a mile each way — and no judgment from me. We bond over the riding he does and how beautiful (or not) the weather is! It doesn’t save much driving in traffic, mostly just gets him free parking…

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I should add that my 19-month-old daughter wore her super-stylish pink mohawk helmet to the Rosslyn pit stop. I confess, for me the best part of bike to work day is having my wonderful husband and daughter bike (most of the way) to work with me!

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I went to grab my purple 2011 Bike to Work shirt, and grabbed my purple Piggly Wiggly shirt instead

Too bad I had to throw on a jacket over it (I’m a wimp with weather)

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Would have been fun for Bike to Work Week/Month to chalk the roads… But with what?

I’ll start the list

Sharrows — EVERYWHERE!

Put Down the Phone

Biking is More Fun

Enjoy Your Commute [Bike Sign]

1 [Bike Sign] = One Less Car

[dasgeh]

I know I’m too late for this thread, but you can skip that entire Columbia Pike mess. From Memorial Bridge, head up towards the cemetery, then take the right on the trail along 110 to the Iwa Jima. Continue straight on Marshall Drive onto the base (need an ID). Take the first left onto a real road once you’re on the base. After a while, that ends at a T, take a right. That takes you to the gate at 2nd Street South, from which you wind through a quiet neighborhood (aim southwest) to the Drafthouse.

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Maybe some nice moderator can help you change it (though not today — I think all the nice moderators are out at Pit Stops!)

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@5555624 19794 wrote:

Years ago, I saw an advertisement for a small bike-mounted radio. It was a tempting idea for my morning commute, but I like the peace and quiet more.

Good point, though I’d love one for my evening commute. There’s no peace and quiet, and it may help the peds who can’t seem to grasp what “on your left”, “heads up”, “nice evening, please share the trail” mean. In fact, I overslept this morning (whoops) so rode in much later than usual. The Arlington side was wonderful — much fewer cars. Once on the other side of ANC, however, was another story. Masses of tourists, cars and buses clogging up EVERYTHING. Luckily, I didn’t have long to slog through that mess.

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That’s definitely an awesome thing about being out in Iowa — TONS of people are training to do RAGBRAI. Unfortunately, while they have some great trails, the people who don’t live those trails seem to drive to places they can bike. Definitely not consistent bike infrastructure, at least in DSM.

[dasgeh]

This morning, while biking along the South side of the Lincoln, a cab almost hit me, while I was crossing in a crosswalk (and yes, I actually did stop at the meaningless stop sign before the crosswalk). Not more than 100 feet away, three PP officers were standing around, enjoying some coffee. I rode over them, described what had happened (the cab was now about 20 feet away, dropping off passengers). Their response was “we ticket it when we see it”. I mentioned that they had positioned themselves in a way that they wouldn’t be able to see the crosswalks. The Sargent was very rude, but the other two officers actually seemed to agree with me (on the side, when the Sargent wasn’t looking). Anyway, yes, NPP sucks.

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I realize this is totally bad form, but I was just on the “tales of woe” thread, and the idea of a ride of silence just sounds like it’s going to get hit by a bunch of U-Turning Ninja runners.

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