[DaveK]

@DCLiz 87752 wrote:

How’s the weight? I have decided to buy a city commuting bike (which to me means step-through, fenders, rear rack, internal hub gear, upright seating position), but one of the current problems I have is getting my bike in and out of my walk-up apartment with a narrow, winding stairwell.

I have taken to leaving my hybrid Trek 7200 locked to a sign outside of the apartment, as this is the only way I will consistently ride it, but would be reluctant to do that with a nicer bike.

I realize trying to get a lightweight “city” bike is going to be a challenge.

I wouldn’t call it light but she can lift it up and down our basement steps without too much of a problem. Maybe 30 pounds? Our basement stairs do involve a tight turn which she does have some issues negotiating. I think that would be true with any bike though. I always move my bikes holding the bars with them standing on the rear wheel, but the fenders on hers don’t really allow for that.

[DaveK]

My wife bought a Breezer from Daily Rider recently and loves it. Highly recommended. Hers has a derailleur but she always says how easy it is to ride. She’s almost always in the highest gears on it so I don’t think range would be a problem.

[DaveK]

@hozn 87549 wrote:

PM me; we should meet up some time. I ride from Westover to Reston Pkwy. Usually am leaving around 6:15 but my schedule is fairly flexible.

Pre-work commuting intervals for time trial season! D – he will only break you because he cares.

[DaveK]

You won’t be able to expect more battery life from an 800 if you’re following a course. In fact, probably less. This track ended at just over 10 hours of on time because my battery died – http://www.strava.com/activities/137558154

Most of the Total 200 idiots I know (and I mean that in the nicest way) use the Garmin backup battery.

[DaveK]

@KLizotte 86937 wrote:

Very good points. The first might be problematic since I seem to drink more than a normal person.

You’re going to love it there. I’ve never rode a bike in anything but casual clothes there, because all my rides seem to end at breweries and distilleries. You can make a great bikes and brews day of Avery, Twisted Pine (really great tap room), Boulder Beer, Mountain Sun/Southern Sun, Upslope, and then if you’re feeling ambitious (and you should definitely do this) you can hit up the Boulder Distillery where they make 303 vodka and whiskey and serve homemade infused spirits and cocktails. Seriously, Boulder is an alcoholic cyclist’s dream. You can even try and hook up with the Thursday Boulder Cruiser Ride for a rolling parade of fun.

Can you tell that Boulder is my favorite place on earth? Because it kind of is.

If you want to do some SERIOUS BUSINESS cycling you should climb Flagstaff Mountain just outside of town. You’re likely to run into a whole host of pros training there like Taylor Phinney (although not right now), Lucas Euser, Nathan Haas, and half the Garmin team. Garmin’s home office is just off Foothills Parkway, you can see it from the road and the bike path.

Watch for prairie dogs, they’re everywhere along the paths!

[DaveK]

Vince, what did you do now?

[DaveK]

/thread

[DaveK]

@83(b) 85047 wrote:

Maybe a group of DC residents is protesting law enforcement agencies’ annual mardi gras, where they act like they’re confused about (1) their jurisdiction having ended several states ago and (2) DC’s open container laws, noise ordinances, and intoxicated driving laws applying to them!

I used to live behind Kelly’s Irish Times and every year their bacchanal overlapped with my final exams. You haven’t really plumbed the depths of humanity’s capacity for rage until you’ve been woken up by bagpipes at 3AM and had MPD dispatch tell you there was nothing that could be done.

I also had an extremely unpleasant interaction last year with a motorcyclist from Pittsburgh who was awfully sure that because his bike still had working blue lights attached to it that he was allowed to cork traffic for an unpermitted parade through my neighborhood. This all comes to mind because this morning a few visitors from NJ flashed their lights as they made an illegal U on Penn Ave. Sure I was well over a block away, but still, DC residents already have to put up with too many overlapping law enforcement agencies to be expected to tolerate that crap.

This borderline-unhinged rant brought to you by Righteous Indignation^TM. Righteous Indignation^TM, because being correct and being a jerk aren’t mutually exclusive!

I completely agree with and endorse this post, on the basis of the last four years of the Law Enforcement Corvette Owners Group blocking the streets on Capitol Hill for some reason.

[DaveK]

It’s probably the Police Unity Tour. Don’t know why they called it a protest.

[DaveK]

@rcannon100 84675 wrote:

I am waiting until The Kid is old enough to do these type of things. I figure its probably about a decade before this is safe to try.

(BTW The Kid is working every weekend now at Revolutions. Please feel free to go in and embarrass him. I hear he was harassing Bike Arlington employees Tuesday evening. )

He’s a beast on the bike (and in running shoes!). Someone needs to get him into a racing development program.

[DaveK]

Yes. Back seat down, front or both wheels off, you shouldn’t have a problem. My bike fits in my wife’s Scion xA with only the front wheel off and that’s about the smallest thing I would consider a car.

(Smart cars are not either of those things)

[DaveK]

I want to know where the Paypal link is to donate to his defense fund.

[DaveK]

@83(b) 83747 wrote:

I’ve since rebuilt the Litespeed as a city bike with decent cargo capacity.

I know that bike! I’ll say hi next time I see you on the Hill. I’ve seen several riders misjudge how quick you move with the e-assist on there.

[DaveK]

@Geoff 83587 wrote:

Sorry to ask such a mundane question… what do people do about lunch?[/quote]

The route stops twice at the Italian Store, easily enough time to shotgun half a pizza.

Quote:

And other, ah, necessary stops?

See that bush over there? Yeah, that one.

[DaveK]

@Brendan von Buckingham 83636 wrote:

That’s a good route, but alternative #2 could be: left on Penn to right on 7th to left on East Capitol. That puts you past Eastern Market (which augments the DC experience for a temporary resident). Crossing North Carolina looks difficult on map, but street view shows its no problem for bikes/peds.

Easy to cross NC Ave/Independence on a bike but riding with morning traffic into the city on Penn is not an experience I’d recommend. The 11th St route is much more comfortable. It’s easy to go north from the bike lane on to the Lincoln Park sidewalk and stage half a block north in the crosswalk to get on to East Capitol St.

[Author]

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