[DSalovesh]

@5555624 6902 wrote:

Once across the Geroge Mason Memorial Bridge, just head past the Jefferson Memorial and down to Maine Avenue and to M Street SW. It’s a lot more straightforward than going around the Tidal Basin, etc. It’s also an easy ride — except during the afternoons of Cherry Blossom season.

Oh, I’ve ridden it many times, but I consider Whitehurst -> E Street a good bypass across Georgetown so I’m not really a reliable judge of sensible routes for sane riders. From the Tidal Basin to the waterfront fish market there are 3-4 ramp crossings where nobody wants to stop and they’re not paying good attention to bicycles, whereas Independence or Jefferson take advantage of some signals and are fine for all riders.

@5555624 6902 wrote:

Define “happy way.” There may be no “happy way” to get to the Pentagon via Columbia Pike, but the route between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, especially to get to the George Mason Memorial Bridge (14th Street) is easy. There is a nice trail between the Pentagon and Route 27. Other than crossing the exit from Route 27 to the North Pentagon Parking Lot, there are no crossings of Route 27 or the GW Parkway.

Fair enough. I’ve driven through there far more than I’ve ridden. But starting with balletgirl1980’s apparent reluctance to ride Columbia Pike I figured it doesn’t really matter what connects there if she doesn’t want to use that road. I defer to others to say if that’s feasible or not…

[DSalovesh]

Columbia Pike is tough to ride. Here’s what I’d do:

Head north to Arlington Boulevard / 50
Continue to Lynn / Meade
Join Mt. Vernon at Lee
Head downriver to George Mason (14th St.) Bridge
Cross into DC, continue around Tidal Basin and up 15th
Turn right/east on Independence
Angle right on Washington
Turn left at D or E (depends on traffic)
Turn right on New Jersey
Turn left/east on M

Arlington Bvd. / 50 has good side trails but some difficult intersections that require more than average attention. Everything else is quite reasonable or better. If Independence feels too busy you can swap it for Jefferson, along The Mall. The route should clock in at a bit over 9 miles each way – not too shabby! The big swing up to Lee adds a few miles compared to a route on Columbia Pike, but there’s just no happy way through between the Pentagon and the cemetery.

[DSalovesh]

Uh oh.

As I understand it, in DC that would be illegal. The building probably doesn’t own the tree box (even if they provide landscaping and care for it) and all they could do would be report the bike to MPD / DDOT / DPW.

[DSalovesh]

I’d bet this bike was locked to another, by accident or on purpose. The owner of the other bike cut this one.

[DSalovesh]

Here’s a classic article that explains where titanium fits into the spectrum of what bikes are made of.

My summary is that titanium should be the crown jewel of frame materials – expensive, tricky to work well, priced over its inherent value, but ultimately rewarding in an almost intangible and sublime way. Personally, I’m using my current bikes as design tests of the titanium versions I’ll eventually have custom made.

[DSalovesh]

I’ve told this story before:

I witnessed a bike theft once, but I didn’t know it until too late. All I saw was a guy leaning against a streetlight where a bike was parked. He wasn’t even looking at what he was doing, just kinda fiddling with something I couldn’t see.

When he yanked the bike away from the light I realized what was happening, and I dashed out of the restaurant where I was waiting for a carryout order and yelled at him. He dropped his “tool” and hopped on the bike, and I ran after him for a few blocks until he got up to speed and got away.

When I got back I looked at the cable, and at the tool he dropped. The cable was totally mangled because his tool was NAIL CLIPPERS! Just sharp enough to snip a few strands at a time, and it must have taken 10-15 minutes, but in the end the cable was no protection. It doesn’t take big bolt cutters or pliers to cut even the toughest cable.

I’ve also seen the aftermath of cables that were defeated totally without tools. Apparently if you twist the cable back and forth enough eventually it’ll break on its own.

[DSalovesh]

I’ve never done it myself, and I won’t disclose methods here, but the mechanics at the shop where I work assure me that they can remove OnGuard keyed skewers. Once the method was suggested I realized I’ve used it for other circumstances so it is likely to work for this, though not without damaging the locking nut.

It would take some effort and attract some attention, though we live in a world where some thieves will chop down trees to get past a $10 lock to take a $50 bike on an open street with people passing by, so I wouldn’t put anything past them.

[DSalovesh]

I’ve been amazed at my Pearl Izumi Attack socks. I got a bunch for running, but once I saw ’em I knew they’d be good for this hot spell – so sheer on top, so comfy on the bottom.

I loved the Shimano SPD sandals before the design revision of a couple of years ago. I used up two pairs, and did most of my hot weather riding on them even when I was otherwise dressed up as a roadie. The new design added a mid-foot velcro strap and/or a liner, so they’re far less open. I tried on the original Keen SPD sandals and they were too narrow for me, but the later models are a bit wider though still very narrow.

When I must wear shoes I’m pretty happy with my Bontrager Race MTB shoes. They have a very light mesh top and they’re totally unsuitable for colder weather, but these days they’re just fine.

[DSalovesh]

Oops – doubled…

[DSalovesh]

I’ll ride just about anywhere whether it’s a good idea or not. Last summer I decided to try taking Central as an out-and-back so I didn’t have to cross town to connect to the more usual routes. It looked good on the map.

Never again.

1) East Capitol has no shoulder or sidewalk across the Anacostia and through the underpass. At 6 AM on my way out it was more or less okay, but on the way back traffic was fast (>45 mph) and heavy – it was impassible.

2) EOTR town drivers didn’t seem accustomed to seeing bicycles on the roadway. Little room was given when passing, little courtesy was given anywhere. Stops are frequent, and there are some healthy hills to cope with.

3) Into MD drivers and facilities were even worse. Conventional speeds moved up to 50 mph, passing distance shrank even more, and there’s heavy retail and commercial development (strip malls and business parks) making traffic patterns even more chaotic. There were some sidewalks, interrupted by many driveways and obstacles and sometimes just ending in the middle of nowhere. I survived LOTS of right hooks, left hooks, close passes, and many many horns were blown and comments were yelled at me for no particular reason.

I made it past the beltway, but barely, before the tension got the better of me and I looped back. I hate to generalize, but I made it out to about where Natasha Pettigrew was killed, and after seeing the road conditions out there I’m surprised that things like that don’t happen far more often out that way.

On the way back things settled down as I got closer to RFK, but in order to get back across the river I had to find my way up to Bladensburg Road somehow, through another stretch of poor facilities mixed with dead ends and culs-de-sac. I eventually found a nicer route that took me past Deanwood Rec Center and eventually to 202, but I had to spend a lot of time looking at a cue sheet to make it through there too.

[DSalovesh]

Mark’s advice is good still. I had a matter a year ago and called Doug Landau’s office first. They were unable to help me (not licensed to practice in DC I believe) but they were very helpful in connecting me with other resources that were a good match for my needs.

[DSalovesh]

Hang on a second: Cantilever brakes are generally considered the most effective rim brakes because of their awesome leverage. That’s one reason they’re used so often on cross bikes. One brand is often tagged as “powerful enough to crush your rims”, as if that’s a good thing! Side pull calipers, as usually found on road bikes, are only so-so. (Old-school centerpulls are generally the least effective, though that’s mostly due to vendor engineering instead of overall design.)

If you preferred the road bike’s brakes, there’s something else causing your troubles. If someone came to me with the problem I’d start with new pads, then new cables and housings, then new levers, and lastly new brakes themselves. The rims are probably a whole different matter.

Also, a bike’s front brakes are usually more effective at stopping the bike than the rear ones. When you brake, the weight comes off the rear wheel (making it easy to skid) and shifts to the front (holding it in tighter contact with the surface). If you put a more powerful brake on the rear you’ll stop the wheel without stopping the bike, skid, and take longer overall to finally stop. It’s best to use both evenly, and if you need a fast stop use more front. (Practice this somewhere safe – you’ll be AMAZED at how fast you can stop with the right technique, and you can flip over the bars or cause a pileup if anyone is following you.)

Lastly, you can’t -just- hose down your bike to get the dirt off. You really should remove any dirty oil and grease (more than just a hose down) and put fresh, clean oil and grease in its place. If you don’t, things like shift mechanisms, brakes, cables, and levers will wear out faster and cause things like weak braking and poor shifting. Don’t just add clean lube to dirty either because that accelerates wear.

[DSalovesh]

I seem to remember CM Mendelson asked a similar question during his recent bike/ped enforcement special hearings. Chief Burke was unable to answer on the spot but promised to provide a detailed report to the committee at a later date. I think.

Generally though, it’s debatable whether bicycle-related issues are uniformly reported to the degree that statistics are particularly useful. Apparently some of the forms and databases used lump some bicycles in with property or motor vehicles, some cyclists in with pedestrians or motorists, and some bikeways in with sidewalks or highways. This changes where cyclist citations would be found in reports, but also sometimes changes the applicable laws. Once we get raw numbers nobody can actually say how right or wrong they are.

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