[Dirt]

We had fun.

[Dirt]

@consularrider 88234 wrote:

And it’s happening all over again. Anyone feel like we’re in “Ground Hog Day?”

It was a blast today. When the squall hit, I was doing outreach in Crystal City. I had a HUGE golf umbrella. I walked with people between the Shoppes and the VRE station. They could fit under my umbrella as long as they talked about how awesome Crystal City is as a bike destination and took a map. Not sure if I made any converts, but the captive audience was kinda fun and about 15 people stayed dry on their dash to the VRE.

[Dirt]

@americancyclo 88228 wrote:

Is that a DO, or a DON’T?

Great question. I’m actually not sure about that. I always had it in the “don’t” department, but I’m kind of closed minded about such things. I’m not really down with the kids of today.

What were we talking about?

*Squirrel*

[Dirt]

Rule 9 is the one about French kissing a rabid mongoose, right?

[Dirt]

Is this a geared bike?

If so, I usually just carry a multi-tool that has a chain tool on it. I also carry at least on quick link (of a width that matches my chain…. I’ve been caught with a 10 speed quick link to fix a 9 speed chain. That doesn’t work).

If the chain breaks on the trail, I just shorten the chain by the broken link and insert the quick link. Your chain will be shorter, which means that you must absolutely avoid using the BIG/big gear.

I know that’s not too detailed, but I can go into that more when I get home tonight.

Dirt

[Dirt]

Bikenetic Urban Coffee Ride

[Dirt]

@bikesnick 87526 wrote:

I saw this park on a blog and went for a visit.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5823[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]5824[/ATTACH]

It’s good that they kind of put it back together. They were doing construction around it for a while and it was really torn up. It isn’t lovely, but it is better than it was. I hope the Time Capsule is still intact. Thanks for reminding me of this.

[Dirt]

@Harry Meatmotor 87462 wrote:

to kind of tack-on to dirt’s comments: similarly to the old work triangle adage “Fast, Cheap, Good; Pick two,” for bike wheels it’s typically, “Light, Cheap, Strong; Pick two.”

Quite true. My inexpensive and strong wheels are definitely not light. You can mix those adjectives around in any combination and the statement tends to hold true.

[Dirt]

Lots of good information here. Bicycle wheels are pretty amazing things. Well built ones are fantastically strong and remarkably light weight.

I’ve generally found that making sure that the wheel matches the rider helps a lot in the longevity of a wheel. The trend in wheels for the last decade or so is to have fewer spokes and a deep-dish rim. Wheels on less expensive bikes were made to look like the ones on high end bikes, but they may not function like their more expensive brethren. These wheels aren’t bad, but they don’t match all riders.

I’m a pretty big guy (6’4″, 200lbs) and I used to be quite a bit bigger (wider). I found that old-school wheels (32 or 36 spokes in a 3-cross lacing pattern (each spoke crosses 3 other spokes between the hub and the rim)) provided me the best ride and most durability in most conditions.

This might not be a bad discussion for a coffee club or happy hour. It is often easier to discuss these things with visuals and wheels you can touch and play with.

[Dirt]

Welcome, Jason! Always great to have people joining and contributing. Tell us a little about your bike and where you’ve explored riding so far! Hopefully you can join us for one of the coffee clubs or happy hours and we can put a face with the posts.

Catch up with you soon!

Pete

[Dirt]

I’ve been doing WABA outreach in the area for a while. One thing that I’ll mention is that I’ve met at least a dozen cyclists that have had trouble cycling around the trolly tracks on H Street. Last week at Georgetown, I met 3 cyclists in particular who had crashed while riding parallel to the tracks. For people who are not used to riding around tracks like that, they can be a bit dangerous. That’s one reason why I really like the contra lanes and sharrows on G and I.

Thanks for the video. Keep ’em coming!

Pete

[Dirt]

@dkel 87028 wrote:

I might have put down a deposit on a Surly Straggler at Bikenetic today…

Ok—I totally did!

It has been fun researching this with you. I’m almost as excited to see it as you are.

[Dirt]

@eminva 87177 wrote:

Got an ELITE new accessory for my cargo bike — a cup holder. Behold:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5801[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5802[/ATTACH]

Saturday morning errand running will be complete.

Liz

Awesome! Who makes that one? I like that it works a little better with cold beverages. My PDW is perfect for hot coffee. Thanks for posting, Liz.

[Dirt]

Has anyone ever heard of the existing 2-foot law being enforced?

I’m not asking that to be inflammatory. I’m just curious. That might give some insight to the effect of the 3 foot law.

[Dirt]

Serious thanks to RCannon for bringing out puppy yesterday. This totally made my day! Thanks for all you do with the rescue pups. I understand how much effort that takes and how much amazing good it does.

Hidden behind that puppy is the hugest smile on the face of KayakCyndi.

[Author]

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