[DaveK]

It was still closed when I checked it around 8:30. I’ll check on my way back across the bridge tonight.

[DaveK]

Very cool. I think I’m going to steal this idea for my night-time riding. Was it someone in this thread I saw riding down 15th St towards the 14th St Bridge? Or else there’s yet another slammed Honda Civic of a bike out there (and I mean that in the nicest way).

[DaveK]

@Tim Kelley 1946 wrote:

Chasing Legends, done by the same film crew lead by Arlington resident Jason Berry, is also extremely good too!

I was going to post the same thing – really great “on the ground” look at a Grand Tour you’ll never get from Phil and Paul on Versus. And I love Phil and Paul.

[DaveK]

I agree with Tim that 105 is where you really want to be. Also in my experience, a compact double crankset will cover every possible grade and hill in the area while being easier to keep in adjustment than a triple.

My experiences with low-mid range road bikes is that in that price range, given equal components, they are all pretty much even in terms of quality. My brother has a Trek 1.2 and loves it, I have a Specialized Allez and also love it. I’ve had it for 4 years and have put thousands of miles on it first as a weekend toy then the last couple of years as an (almost) daily commuter. I make no adjustments to it to commute or for fun, just swap out the wheelsets for the weekend and head off into the country.

If you’re comfortable working on your bike yourself and know how everything works, by far the best thing to do is hop on Craigslist and wait for the right bike. Your budget applied to a used bike can land a featherweight carbon ride with Ultegra or even Dura-Ace if you look hard enough.

If you’re new to biking, what sets bikes apart in this range more than any other factor is the sales, service, and support you get from the local bike shop where you make your purchase. The right shop is more important than which stickers are on the frames (that were likely built in the same factory as each other).

[DaveK]

@Blind Pilot 1316 wrote:

If you want something more bike specific, a lot of people on bikeforums.com rave about he MagicShine light sold on geomangear.com.

I have a Magicshine light and love it, however you can’t currently buy them as the battery packs have been recalled. Something about catching fire… I still use mine every day. The only drawback is that there is no direction to the beam pattern. They put out a measured 550 lumens (900 is wishful thinking but 550 is still pretty damn good) but there’s no cutoff to help avoid blinding people. I still love my light and would recommend them to anyone, once they fix the whole spontaneous combustion thing. They run about $90 IIRC.

Incidentally, to the people who pass me and complain about my light being too bright, sorry but I don’t feel like riding in an unlit area with only a Knog Beetle light on the front of my bike (as seen on Mt Vernon last night) is a great idea. I try to shield it with my hand but sometimes you need both hands on the bars.

[DaveK]

Rosaryville is my favorite of the close-in local trails, I take my mountain bike and my friend can ride it on his cross bike. Not too many rocks so it would be good for your bike. Much nicer setting and better flow to the trail than Wakefield IMO, you’re actually out in the woods at Rosaryville instead of mostly in a power line easement.

[DaveK]

If you’re buying new, commuters don’t get much more ideal that this – http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott_wt5.htm. It’s a couple hundred more than their bargain-basement singlespeeds but you get the 5-speed SA internal hub for the hills. Not to mention mounts for fenders, racks, etc, etc. It’s still almost $500 though.

/edit to clarify – You still have to do final assembly on these so if you’d rather not true wheels and similar tasks it’s best to stick with a bike shop.

[DaveK]

@AJsinVA 352 wrote:

Oh and here is the route on MapmyRide… http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/va/huntly/825127014565769876

That route isn’t great – Lee Highway through that area is a 4-lane high speed (55+) mph facility. If you’re driving that far out, just go to Skyline Drive. Much slower traffic, more cyclists, and views that you can’t beat for 1,000 miles.

[Author]

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