[Dirt]

Hey Mark.

I’ve been distributing some nifty Bike Arlington reflective velcro straps for your pant legs. I’ll stop by your place on my way to work tomorrow to give you one. Don’t be surprised by someone pounding on your door at 0520. It’s just me.

I’d also like to thank you because you gave me some great material for my “can’t we all behave like adults?” rant for Bicycle/Pedestrian Awareness Week.

Sorry dude. You honestly didn’t need me being a sanctimonious wanker. (Did I spell that right?) We all make mistakes now and then. Thanks for posting yours. It helps the rest of us. We’re not the only ones that are imperfect.

Love,

Pete

[Dirt]

Awww Joe. now you got me all sentimental for my 1983 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser station wagon. It was a gas guzzler, but dang was it fun doing mountain/road bike road trips with 6 people and 14 bikes on the car + gear.

I love living car free. I kinda miss wrenching on freak mobiles though. Gonna get back to working on my car soon so that I can drive it some time if I want to.

Sorry to go off topic. I was enjoying a little road trip down memory lane.

[Dirt]

Benefit #9 (or is it 11?): Very little chance of Ms. Tire getting scorched by Mr. Tailpipe.

I haven’t heard of anyone being pulled over for JUST that. I think most cops will give you the benefit of the doubt. Believe me, the topic will come up if you get pulled over for anything else, however. You’d really only get cited for it if you behave very, very badly.

I’ll ask a few friends in law enforcement what their reaction is. If I hear anything good, I’ll let you know.

Happy Monday.

Pete

[Dirt]

I’ll lead you out for the final sprint, Mark.

Totally kidding there.

But seriously, I’ve got this on the calendar. Bike Advocacy + malt beverages = a good thing in my book.

As for suggestions, I suggest a Pale Rider Ale… and/or an Amber Waves. Have one of each and we can discuss their virtues/vices.

PS: No humans, animals, bugs or public property was damaged in the final sprint for the Open Sunday State Inspection & Emissions Classic, though Sean’s ego took a serious beating because Chris totally snookered him leading into the final turn. He’ll get over it.

[Dirt]

I need to find the sign up for the Car Free Decade.

I actually drove a car this weekend. It was pretty fun. Kind of nice every now and then. My wife got tired of me sitting in the passenger seat making engine noises, so she made me drive.

[Dirt]

Welcome. Sorry that the bike thieves got your Haro. May it be replaced in your stable soon.

Commuting becomes easier when you really learn your way around… what streets to avoid and which ones get you where you want to go. Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria and Washington DC all have pretty good maps of cycling routes. They help, but are not the end-all. There are plenty of good routes out there. Find a balance between your sense of adventure and self-preservation and hit the town to explore. This ends up being a pretty good place to ride.

Mountain biking is also very abundant. There are some good local resources to help you with that. Down South there is the Cycling Central Virginia group: http://www.cyclingcentralva.org/forums/

Closer to home is the Mid Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (aka MORE): http://www.more-mtb.org/

A significantly less reverent (and personally, more down to earth) group can be found at Log-off Ride-on (aka LoRo): http://www.logoffrideon.com/forum/index.php?action=forum

All three groups have very active groups that ride often. There are lots of good resources on where to ride and what to expect.

Hope that helps.

Pete

[Dirt]

I’m slowly getting my sources of road info together. Having y’all, FABB, WABA, etc on twitter helps. Chicks dig guys that retweet. Right?

[Dirt]

Oh yeah… I forgot. Check out the tire clearance on the fork crown on that first rolling shot. Part of why Tesch’s bikes handled so well was that he rocked that fork crown as low as possible. There’s barely 1mm clearance with 23mm tires. I had more than one race where a doinked rim parked me for the day.

[Dirt]

@SQ: Depends on the terrain. The Dummy accelerates like a Prius with a faulty accelerator pedal on the right kind of hill. The Tesch is definitely a joy to ride. I keep saying that I’m not going to ride it until I get the frame restored… and I keep getting it out of the basement and riding it. I love that bike. I’m gonna have to break down and buy another steel bike so that I can send this one off to cycle-art.

@Mark: I got my first Tesch in 1989. This one I think is from 1990. I had a third that I purchased in mid 1991. The first was a lugged “101” model. That bike was amazing.. quite possibly the nicest bike I’ve ever ridden. It died at the hands of a crazed woman with a chevy blazer full of chinchillas. It would be funny as hell if it didn’t come at the cost of that lovely bike. Tesch was one of a few frame builders that really pioneered the use of TIG welded steel in a high-end racing frame. The lugged steel 101 frame was replaced by this TIG welded S-22 frame. By today’s standards it is a boat anchor. The ride and handling is really amazing.

I’ll stop drooling now. Luckily they make me wear a lobster bib at work.

[Dirt]

Coolness..

[Dirt]

Cool! I’m actually looking forward to checking it out tomorrow. I missed it today since my commute took me in the opposite direction.

[Dirt]

@Tim: Thanks. I’ll pass that info along when I talk to my daily ninjas.

@SQ: Thank you, sir. My attitude doesn’t always last. After a while I get impatient and grumpy about this stuff too. Most of the time the positive interactions are enough to keep me being positive. If I have a string of grumpy ninjas, my sarcasm level can go WAY up. I had a lovely conversation with Mr. “I’m gonna walk on the left side of the trail so I can see traffic coming at me” yesterday. I left not long after the conversation had degraded to me asking if he drives on the left side of the road so he’s better able to see approaching traffic. He didn’t see the relevance.

I know that I’m not going to change people’s minds. Sometimes having a positive interaction with a cyclist can be a good thing. It is good for me because it keeps me thinking positively about most of humanity.

Unfortunately I seem to have attracted another stalker/aggressive driver in Falls Church/Arlington. That is another topic for another thread.

[Dirt]

I saw the cones and detour signs this morning when I rolled through at 0600. They were done with their work. The machinery was parked at the side and the Custis was open.

The location is the Western terminus of the Custis trail… Right at the point where it connects with the W&OD. I’ll document it photographically tomorrow. I was distributing reflective gear this morning and didn’t have a spare hand to hold the camera.

[Dirt]

@Coureur.Rouge 927 wrote:

No idea if there are any plans on making Route 7 more bike friendly.

Rt. 7 isn’t really even car-friendly anymore.

I go to a shop in the same area as the Target at 7-corners. It is easily accessed from the W&OD, though the climb up McKinley definitely makes for a bit of a workout.

[Dirt]

Coolness. Good to know. I’ll keep an eye out as I head to work tomorrow morning.

Thanks!

Pete

[Author]

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