[dplasters]

@alexisglenn 133807 wrote:

Could you show me where I compare a bike to a child? Like actually pull the quote?

I compare the SPACE a bike takes to the SPACE a stroller takes up. A stroller is a mode of transportation for a person, as is a bike, and believe it or not, people do use bikes to transport their children also. 6′ x 2′ bike? What model do you have??

I think you are well aware of the difference between a stroller and a bike. I think the transportation requirements and options of a 6 month old and a 36 year old are also obviously different. I think equating those things is just silly and counter productive to your argument.

Space and dimension – Google tells me so.

Opinionated/Vocal? Don’t look up the ELF thread…..

[dplasters]

Comparing your bike to a human child is not a great way to start an argument with a transit agency. Particularly one that caters to tourists and families during much of the year. I believe we have gone down that route here before.

Your bike, as well as my bike, belt drive or not, is a dirty filthy thing. Your luggage, is not. Your luggage is also not 6 feet long and 2 feet wide.

I was denied entry to metro on black friday around 4:30pm at Union Station. Was I bitter? Of course. Those trains were silly empty with little to no actual ‘rush hour’ that day. Do I get why they do it? Absolutely. You’re going to take a bike on a train in Rosslyn at 5pm? Right. They don’t allow it because people are wildly inconsiderate of each other. If you ask people to make a judgement call, they are going to judge that their convenience is more important.

See road traffic in the region.

*And of course –

Folding bicycles that are folded are permitted inside railcars at all times. During peak periods, folding bicycles must remain folded and securely fastened while traveling through the system.

[dplasters]

@vern 133352 wrote:

My plan is to take the Metro from Reston to EFC and then ride my bike the rest of the way to Crystal City. I plan to get to the Metro between 9 and 9:30. I know that bikes are forbidden between 7-10, but thought peak ridership will actually be around 10 because of the FEDS late start. I also anticipate that the Metro station manager won’t follow my logic and will literally follow the rules and make me wait.

I picked up a bike in DC on black friday and tried to metro out from union station at around 4:30pm. They refused to allow me entry despite the 3/4 empty trains.

Good luck.

[dplasters]

@CaseyKane50 131975 wrote:

It has happened to me twice.

First time, I was riding my bike on Joyce headed to Army-Navy Drive. I was in the bike lane, but needed to move over to the far left lane. I signaled and moved over from the bike lane to the next lane. Again I signaled to move to the left lane. I had to slow down to wait for the lane to clear. Meantime, a car came up behind me and veered into the bike lane and sped off to the red light at Army-Navy Drive.

Second time, I was eastbound on Janney’s Lane in my car going the speed limit of 25 MPH. A car was right behind me and as soon as the bike lanes appeared he passed me on the right by using the bike lanes.

Speeding aside, the usage of a bike lane that is empty for someone to pass a turning/merging vehicle seems a perfectly allowable usage under Arlington law and in my mind as well.

[dplasters]

Hold on to your face, weather underground says we are in for a bumpy ride this evening.

*for specificity:

Wind Advisory remains in effect from 4 PM this afternoon to
midnight EST tonight…

* timing… late this afternoon through this evening. Strongest
wind gusts will be between 7 PM and 11 PM this evening.

* Winds… west 20 to 30 mph with gusts around 50 mph.

[dplasters]

@mikoglaces 131897 wrote:

What if a car comes into the bike lane suddenly (as often happens for example when I am riding on Williamsburg Blvd and car swerves into bike lane to go around car waiting to make a left turn notwithstanding that I am in bike lane), driver has a right to do that? That is, he has a right to enter the bike lane and drive on it to pass cars? If he hit me, it appears I cannot argue that he was driving in a bike lane prohibited to cars because VA law doesn’t say it is prohibited. I could argue negligence, but driver will of course say he didn’t see me. I can see what the law says but find it shocking really.

If you take the example, and remove the word bike lane, its still illegal to recklessly merge into another road user. Indeed, they didn’t see you. Just as if they didn’t see a car in their blindspot. Same thing if a car merged into you while you were taking a full vehicle lane. If you come with the law of “no cars in bike lanes, unless turning” you end up with a “no bikes in car lanes if there are bike lanes, except for turning” (I think that is the political reality of the situation, not the idea being pitched by the forum). I’d prefer that not be the case. You’re welcome to guess as to which population would receive more tickets. N=1 on NYC cycling blogs has me in the cyclists receive more tickets camp and gain no actual safety. Protected bike lanes/ways/tracks are another option but space makes it less likely.

People double park, idle, weave and generally do weird things on the road; bike lane or no bike lane. Cyclists are more vulnerable road users so we care about the oddities more. What we are really looking for is a law that says “Use the roadway considerately.” I doubt its ability to be passed and enforced.

Critical mass and shifts in awareness/mindset are likely better options.

[dplasters]

Hello Everyone!

I’m Daniel Plasters. I live on the south side of the Vienna metro. I ride a single speed belt drive bike… my less than secret goal is to take the top average speed prize on a single speed.. because gears are for suckers and belts are inefficient, right?

Dkel I’m sorry to hear about your knees! We could have been team belt drive!!!!

I don’t typically ride on the W&O since I think riding at speed on it is not a responsible thing to do, but if we need miles… we need miles…. and I’ve never been to Caboose despite living so very very close….

Rule 9.

[dplasters]

I was excited for this morning. Yesterday I saw the high was going to be in the 40s. I hadn’t looked at the 6am temperature. Hello 14 degrees.

Again.

[dplasters]

@hozn 130519 wrote:

My impression is that this is a lot more common spec on UK bikes.

I was really interested in Mason before they announced their pricing. £1500 for a frame is titanium territory; heck, custom ti (from Habanero).

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Side note – the B’Twin Alur 700 is so wildly pretty and affordable. It is a shame they put a stupid pressfit system of their own making on it.

[dplasters]

@vvill 130514 wrote:

Yeah there’s a difference between a bottom bracket, and a bottom bracket shell. You are looking for a British ISO/threaded standard BB shell in your frame.

You can put a number of different bottom brackets in there. Including a square taper, Shimano Hollowtech, SRAM GXP, etc. That build just happens to have square taper.

I’ve converted three of my bikes from square taper to Hollowtech in the past few years. Not difficult, although probably better to do it before you put a bunch of miles on the existing crank/BB set.

looking at the components on all the levels of the mango bike, i’d probably just go with their cheapest one and just do a full replace for 105 or ultegra. so there would be very few miles indeed.

It even has mounting points for full mud guards… I could actually look like a year round commuter if i wanted too!

[dplasters]

http://www.mangobikes.co.uk/bikes/point-r-road/point-r-shimano-1058

It was perfect… then it said square taper. I am so far down the frame rabbit hole.

The bike will be found!

…… and i watch a youtube video on changing out square taper and converting to hollowtech…. as always, I will leave my ignorance open for all…. possibilities!

[dplasters]

Ridley also makes an option that is now in the running.

[dplasters]

Beltdrive bikes can be nice. I have two as of now. It can be a bit tougher to work on the back wheels on them and can be compounded if you have an IGH involved. I’d suggest getting the time in with the LBS and really being comfortable with the rear triangle system. That is if you want to do anything yourself. This particularly gets freaky when you start reading into making sure that the belt is tensioned correctly because a poorly tensioned belt is bad news bears.

This is where the belt drive kinda falls flat. If you clean and maintain your own bike, you’re going to get dirty, chain or not. The road is a filthy thing. If you are ok with using the LBS you’re probably looking at a once a year service and then if you get a rear flat. The components are pretty bullet proof and you’re not looking at any type of replacement for a long time.

I’m honestly looking into getting a conventional chain driven road/endurance bike right now.

[dplasters]

@Steve O 130151 wrote:

Shouldn’t whatever conveyance is used have a “saddle?” That can freeze?

I shall tackle this with the slight of hand of the idiom “back in the saddle“. See the saddle that is referred to is not required to be physical. What is meant by the concept of a freezing saddle is that one does not want to be put in a position to have to be “back in the saddle” come spring time. Indeed, by freezing on this less physical and more metaphysical saddle through winter, you have a warm and perhaps slightly damp theoretical saddle to carry you through spring and into summer.

The saddle is a metaphor for the human struggle of soft flesh vs harsh winter, Steve. Everyone knows this. It is also up for debate at this time how often the metaphysical saddle will actually be frozen this winter.

I’m inspired by the academic paper on the crabon and masculinity. Next week:
Why Dura-ace is actually popular only because it keeps you going mentally, like Duracell and how capitalism is causing the communal spirit of cycling to collapse around itself in a reverse Schumpetarian crumbling walls due to mega corporation marketing schemes.

[dplasters]

@americancyclo 129843 wrote:

Are you sure you can get a 32c tire on a Roubaix?

the internet tells me yes on disc brake. no on rim brakes. thus the disc brake model in the link. i’m a bit meh about the disc brakes other than they offer more clearance. i’ll take it.

as I said, it is shocking to me that the only bike i found so far is indeed made of the crabon. it was not what i went searching for. just what ended up meeting the other requirements. I had expected to find an alloy frame that met the list. And I did… But I can only get it as close as Mexico.. stupid Canyon.

the internal routing is because of my insane obsession for ascetics. i am aware that there is no technical reason for it. I am pleased by the fact that most if not all reviews of modern Specialized cable routing has them doing a very ‘good’ job in that it has guides in their runs and that it makes it less of a PITA. Something I am concerned about. My current bike has one internally routed cable and it is done nicely and has been a non issue in doing work on.

Foundry looks nice, but also out of the budget.

Chinese Carbon is an option. I worry about getting a frame that has all that cable routing loveliness. I don’t know that I want to get that deep into it all. I was honestly very close to just going with the Nashbar Cr5 but for the bb30. It is so lovely and not covered in print/ads/crap.

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