[dplasters]

Using public parks for your pipe dream training…. Where have I seen that go wrong recently?

[dplasters]

If you have the time to spare you could just decide to sit broadside in front of one of the cars (the red suv/crossover looks like a good one) in the bike lane. Overly aggressive and not the responsible solution though for sure. But its what the devil on my shoulder tells me.

[dplasters]

I just watched the 8 minute video and learned a few things for sure. I would have probably freaked out approaching a 3 lane round-about before.

I would have so little faith in the people in the right lane actually “getting out” of the circle at either the right turn or the straight.

Although living near Fairfax Circle, I’d take a two/three lane round-about any day. That thing (it is not a “circle”) is a complete cluster %$@&.

[dplasters]

Patagonia is doing 50% off.

[dplasters]

@Drewdane 95704 wrote:

Yeah. If some stranger yelled out “You really need to _____” at me, my immediate impulse would probably be to yell back “You really need to @#$% off!”, even if the other person is right.

My inner Dirt is closer to an inner Jabberwocky.

I agree on phrasing. I had to veer off to turn left and just wanted to get a word in and that is sadly what came out. I’m not on Cedar for very long and it is one of the most dangerous parts of my ride. The section of Lee Highway I ride on feels safer. No street lights, no shoulder, narrow lanes, bumpy bridge pavement, two lanes, wildly impatient drivers.

I felt compelled to try something and pedal as I may, I couldn’t catch up to him before I had to turn.

[dplasters]

After four full months of bike commuting I FINALLY was lucky enough to get to share about a mile and a half of commuting with a very nice gentleman who rides from Vienna to Alexandria everyday.

It was a pleasure, sir. I’m glad you liked my belt drive. I enjoyed the bit of company much more.

[dplasters]

The difficulty is not getting lost in the minutia of the various different types of facilities upon which one can ride a bike and the specific nomenclature of each.

Is it a cycletrack because there are two directions of bike traffic running parallel with no motor vehicle traffic between them?

If it is a protected bike lane then what is on Hayes St? They look very different. Both could be called protected. Does it matter that they are entirely different yet have the same name?

A trail must be a trail or a path, since it allows various types of traffic allowed upon it.

I consider what is on Hayes to be a protected bike lane. It is a lane that has been separated from the rest of the lanes of vehicular traffic. I consider what we are talking about here to be a cycletrack. Although cycleway is a better term that I will now adopt. Perhaps a cycleway can be a type of protected bike lane, but not all PBLs are cycleways.

Lane = Convential road structure
Anything else = we’ve done something different.

My 2 Cents.

@dasgeh 95641 wrote:

Not to mention that cars seem to be even more annoyed when there is a bike lane and a bike is in the main travel lane, even if the bike lane is obviously blocked (like FAIRFAX DRIVE BY GEORGE MASON LAW AND THE EQUALLY AWESOME SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY EVERY DAY!!!)

Corrected for appropriate naming.

[dplasters]

I am so invested into jrenaut winning this auction. I literally have it open in a tab watching the clock tick down.

I have no idea why. I only do this when trying to get a deal on a driver. I haven’t purchased a club off ebay in like a year. So maybe i’m just addicted to watching the countdown.

[dplasters]

You: The cyclist I passed on Cedar Ln on the bridge over I-66.

Me: I gave you a quick “You really need to get a taillight and a headlight” before turning left onto Hilltop.

Because it was 6:10am and other than the reflectives on your pedals, you were impossible to see form behind. I really hope you got where you were going safely. But seriously, please get some lights.

[dplasters]

@dkel 95087 wrote:

I had a similar problem recently. I kept getting this squeaking sound, and I adjusted everything and tightened everything, and couldn’t get it to go away. Took it to the LBS, where every mechanic in the shop rode it and heard nothing. I realized later that it was my shoe squeaking; of course no one else could hear it!

I had heard the squeak in different shoes. If I’m honest, I was lazy and never fixed it. Then I rode in the big rainstorm last week. Squeak stopped. I guess you really do clean the Gates Carbon drive train with rain/a hose.

[dplasters]

Too many new purchases. Too many low prices.

New shoes. (Awesome, especially for $30)

Winter Shoes. Got them a half size big to fit nice thick socks. They breath like a plastic bag. I’m excited. Did I mention the low price yet?

Backpack. That I am absolutely in love with. Pockets just where you need them. Waterproof/Weatherproof. Breaths much better on my back.

S-Blade. Just ordered today.. Much cheaper than a new waterproof jacket with better lower back coverage.

I’m feeling pretty good going into Fall/Winter. Might pick up the built in winter kit for my Bern helmet for the winter and some clear lenses for my sunglasses.

[dplasters]

There is a recent review by a cyclist minded individual of the intersection (can’t find it now). His review as a cyclist is rather less “good”. The biggest complaint seems to be that there isn’t enough room/a dedicated lane for cyclists to filter in the slow moving queue towards the intersection. I’m not sure why you couldn’t just use the now huge sidewalks and then enter back into vehicle traffic once in the shared space.

He also talks about how it is very difficult to “take” a position once in the circle but I find that a halfhearted criticism when the traffic is moving at a very very reasonable speed. But certainly something to consider about the flow and encouraging other modes of transportation.

In British fashion the review is him on a Brompton.

[dplasters]

@baiskeli 95388 wrote:

Actually, this video was produced to demonstrate how the improvements at the Intersection of Doom will work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vzDDMzq7d0 let me know when they try this

[dplasters]

@hozn 95379 wrote:

I have the Novara eVent jacket from a couple years back. I love the orange color, but that’s about it. It is the sweatiest thing ever (no pit zips). My best jacket for rain is the Endura Venturi jacket I bought last year; I’m convinced that the only reason it’s great is the pit zips. It’s highly likely that the DWR will wear off — we’ll see this winter, I guess. I have a lightweight Adidas rain jacket that is nice and light but lets water through for anything more than light drizzle.

I also have Endura rain pants … and Showers Pass … and Gore …. They all suck as far as I’ve been able to tell. When it’s really cold they are ok, but they are just too hot otherwise.

its all a bunch of sweat boxes. Which always gets me talking to myself. “Why not just make a PVC jacket with armpit vents?” It would be like 20 bucks and durable like hell.

No matter what it says, if it is waterproof, it will not breath.

Edit – that didn’t take too long to find.

[dplasters]

Not that I have super amounts of experience but from other activities combined with my few bike / rain run ins my thought process is typically this:

Up top – if you want to be dry (from the outside), its probably not going to breath at all (its all lies). Wear very little underneath. Gore-tex Pac-lite is a favorite of mine but I absolutely wouldn’t purchase it at full price. My max was $200. I avoid DWR because I’ve had poor experiences with it coming off either due to rubbing/washing etc. I’m assuming/hoping cycling is much like golf and that if you’re willing to deal with a less than awesome color or last years “style” you can do this without too much issue.

Pants – Same issue as up top.

Shoes – I don’t even try. You would have to stop water from coming up from the road, from the side (assuming there is any wind) and also from running down your leg/pants. I wear lightweight/mesh shoes. They are about 1/2 dry right now from this morning. If I had a longer commute I might look into using the same type of shoes but with a sealskinz sock or the like to keep from losing toes.

Never tried the cape. I’m afraid I’d be like a sail in the wind…..

eVent is suppose to be an up and coming Gore-Tex direct competitor. Never tried their stuff but it gets good reviews. It can be hard to find though.

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