[DaveK]

The problems only continue once you get off that ramp and have to ride on the sidewalk to avoid wrong-way riding in traffic. Then you’re mixing with tourists on foot, buses unloading… it’s a bad scene, especially at one of the busiest points for cyclists around the region. One progressive person at NPS could make a real difference here with proper cycling facilities.

[DaveK]

You need to figure out what type of bike you want, flat bar vs. drop bar, then figure out what size you need. Why not rent a road bike for a day or two, see if it’s really for you before you spend the money to buy one. You may find what you really want is different from what you thought. And even if you confirm that you want X or Y, then you’ll have a better idea what size.

[DaveK]

@CCrew 5149 wrote:

There’s a century in Berryville I think it’s Septemberish.

That’s the Back Roads Century put on by Potomac Pedalers. It’s all rolling, not much (if any) flat terrain. Very well run event though, the support is fantastic. I’ll probably do it again this year depending on the date.

[DaveK]

@ronwalf 5070 wrote:

If speed becomes an issue, there’s an easy-enough technical fix. Push manufacturers, by law or consumer groups, to install a speed regulator in the controller. Have the motor automatically kick out or fade around 15 or 18mph. That should be plenty of speed for the average user, and it doesn’t prevent them from going faster if the want to push.

Because no one with a 49cc scooter has ever put on a big bore kit or removed the restrictor from the exhaust… I don’t see that doing much to restrict anything and I don’t believe that we should be doing it anyway. There’s a speed limit right now on the Capital Crescent Trail which most fit cyclists are capable of doubling in the downhill direction. Should we put an automatic brake on bikes?

[DaveK]

@Dirt 5006 wrote:

Thanks y’all. I wish it wasn’t dead. The new one is great, but it is definitely not the same beast. I’ll build something fun and hammerable toward the end of the summer. This bike completely validated for me the combination of road geometry with a fixie drivetrain. The Steamroller is AWESOME for 90 minute rides, but it gets to be a handfull beyond that. You can pretty much forget using it with aero bars. It handles a spastic squirrel hopped up on caffeine and meth when you try to put serious power into the pedals while in the aero bars. I mean that in the nicest way.

http://www.somafab.com/vanness485.jpg
This may be the answer, though I don’t think there’s enough room for fenders. In theory I could run 23mm tires and a set of Honjo fenders on it.

Soma VanNess: http://www.somafab.com/vanness.html

Put a nice set of aero tubular wheels and gear it through the roof and you might have the perfect bike for the Seagull Century.

Fenders with rear-facing horizontal dropouts… is that why you rode home 8 miles with a flat?

[DaveK]

Those are speed holes.

[DaveK]

Act like everyone is trying to kill you. In their own way, texting or reading the paper or (god forbid) putting on make up, they are all trying to kill you.

[DaveK]

No problems with anything that gets more people out on bikes and out of their cars. There’s a guy I pass regularly passing by Iwo Jima in the morning on an e-bike, all dressed up (very cleanly pressed clothes I might add) that I really don’t see getting out there in his work clothes if he had to pedal up and down the hill himself. If an e-bike is what it takes to get people out there, then bring on the e-bikes.

Responsibility is for everyone, not just e-bike riders. Every single person on here (and out on the trails) is capable of putting themselves in an unsafe situation out there, be it 30 mph in the drops down the Custis Trail or weaving through pedestrians at 12 mph.

[DaveK]

@dlaxman31 4933 wrote:

New to the DC area and looking for a ride. Currently live in the Capitol Hill area and wanna find a group to ride with. Not really looking to do loops around Haines Point.

Revolution Cycles has a Sunday ride leaving from their Georgetown store that would fit the bill. Capitol Hill Bikes also has a Sunday ride (9am start at the shop on 8th St SE IIRC). Don’t know any Saturday rides but look up Potomac Pedalers, they’re bound to have something.

[DaveK]

@wanglung 4875 wrote:

Thank you all again for these advices given. I am continuing cooling down and just treating this issue as some kind of paper work to deal with it. Actually I rode my bike to work today again.

I thought of a joke last night:
The driver said: Oh s**t, I hit a person on the pedestrian crossing!
Luckily, this guy was on a bike, I am not liable for this.

If you want to legally murder someone in MD, just run them over with a car. Not joking. Of the last several cyclists who have been hit and killed I don’t think a single driver has been given anything more severe than a couple-hundred dollar fine. It’s ridiculous. Thankfully MD just passed a law making it easier for prosecutors to charge these drivers with a crime.

[DaveK]

@PotomacCyclist 4818 wrote:

Make sure the fenders are compatible with your bike. I bought a set of inexpensive fenders last year and found that they didn’t fit on my mountain bike. I couldn’t return them because the store has a no-return policy for bike equipment. (I was only out $10, so not a big deal.)

I had a road bike that wouldn’t fit Raceblades (long story) and Revolution took them back no questions. It pays to buy from a good local shop sometimes.

[DaveK]

@eminva 4823 wrote:

Another useful thread — when I bought my commuter two and a half years ago, fenders were on my wish list, but the salesman told me they wouldn’t fit on the bike I wanted to buy. It is a road bike with limited clearance. Would those SKS Raceblades possibly work?

He also said the rack would work as a rear fender, which has helped me avoid the mud stripe up the back, but I’m also concerned about getting the drivetrain dirty, thus requiring more frequent cleaning and maintenance.

Thanks.

Liz

Raceblades are designed for road bikes without fender eyelets or a lot of clearance (that’s why I recommended them since the OP said he had a Giant Defy). They will not protect your drivetrain though – they only cover from the rear brake back over the rear wheel and from the fork back over the front wheel. Your drivetrain will still get messy. Raceblades are just the best fender solution for bikes not designed for them. Don’t get me wrong though – they’re better than those floppy fenders that come off the seatpost and a thousand times better than nothing.

[DaveK]

@PotomacCyclist 4815 wrote:

View it as a rite of passage. The only way to get comfortable with clipless pedals is practice. The doorway tip is a good recommendation.

Many beginners forget to lean to the correct side. If you unclip your right shoe as you approach a stop, you have to lean your body to the right as well. If you lean to the left, then you’ll do the slow tip-over. (This is based on what I’ve heard from others. I never had this problem myself. Well, maybe once. Or twice. Or three times…)

The good news is that once you get used to the pedals, you shouldn’t have many more problems. I had a lot of issues during the first 2 or 3 weeks with clipless pedals. But none since fall 2009. Fortunately, even when you do have issues with the pedals, it only happens when you are stopped or almost stopped at an intersection. It’s unusual to have a problem with the pedal when riding at faster speeds. Normally you wouldn’t be trying to unclip in those situations.

I’ve fallen exactly once in clipless pedals, several thousand miles after I first started using them. I thought I was immune. Then I pulled up to a stop sign outside one of the largest bars in Tampa, FL (and that’s saying something), unclipped on the right, and leaned left. About a thousand people yelling “Nice one, Lance!” really helped encourage better pedal discipline. Haven’t done it since.

[DaveK]

SKS Raceblades are what you want. It’s worth the extra $$$ over the beaver tail fenders.

[DaveK]

@Greenbelt 4766 wrote:

OK, I think we’ve got a winner, at least in the fantasy price range (and assuming very secure parking):
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/06/bikes-and-tech/dirty-kanza-tech-nick-legans-salsas-vaya-ti_178867

Told ya so

[Author]

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