[elcee]

You: two urban riders on K street late last night.

Me: driving in the right lane, waiting for the light to change.

The light turns green, and the SUV to my left and I both start moving. The two of you suddenly appear, crossing from left to right, having not bothered to heed your red light. Only my spidey-sense allows me to brake and simultaneously observe your deer-in-headlights stares.

I can’t save you if I can’t see you. (Remember the SUV? Big vehicle.) Try not to blow through intersections when you see traffic.

[elcee]

Also be aware of “apparent wind,” which in short, is the vector sum of the wind and your bike’s velocities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_wind

Short answer: because you’re moving forward at speeds comparable to a typical breeze, anything other than a tailwind +/- 45 degrees is going to feel like a headwind.

[elcee]

@vvill 23116 wrote:

I tried this out on the way home today. I didn’t expect any traffic but first a car in front of me stopped dead in the road before the sharp right turn and people started getting out. It is a VERY narrow road so I don’t blame them (and they were probably wondering what a cyclist was doing there, assuming they live there or know someone who does). After I’d gotten around them (I passed on their left), a big white Verizon truck came down the turn! So definitely 0 momentum going up. It was steep indeed but very short. I think N Pollard or N Lincoln (both sort of parallel) are tougher climbs.

Yes … many dastardly climbs in that neighborhood. 😡

[elcee]

@GuyContinental 23170 wrote:

…

So, I had such a great time (arrived at work an hour late muddy, bloody and grinning ear-to-ear) that I bought the bike (a well used Lemond Poprad) from the owner for a MTB detour/foul weather commuter. Now I need to upgrade the brakes, ’cause I ain’t digging this not gonna stop thing. Frame does not have disc bosses so I suppose that there is some sort of v-brake setup that will work.

Ignoring weight & mud clearance and keeping in mind the lack of disc bosses what is the best way of amping up CX braking? I’m willing to spend some cash for performance.

I have a couple of bikes with cantis – one with Avid Shortys on it. In both cases, the best upgrade was to install Koolstop Salmons, and both bikes stop as well as the sidepulls on my road bike.

In general, though, cantis require a lot of fiddling to get right. You’ll have to play with pad toe-in, straddle cable length, different hangers, etc. to find the magic combination of stopping power and quiet operation.

I haven’t tried any of these, but there are V-brakes that are compatible with road levers:

http://paulcomp.com/minimoto.html

http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1040&catid=185

http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1120&catid=185

(Remember that brake levers have slightly different pull ratios, so certain combinations of V-brakes and levers won’t work as well as others.)

P.S. If you haven’t read this yet, here’s all that you need to know about cantis:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

[elcee]

In case anyone wonders what this looks like in real-time:

[video=youtube_share;8R-Egu8r_8w]http://youtu.be/8R-Egu8r_8w[/video]

[elcee]

@KelOnWheels 22486 wrote:

Today was my first time riding drop bars ever. My hands had no clue where they wanted to be!

I just saw this useful article:

http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/06/drop-bar-hand-positions-introduction.html

[elcee]

@consularrider 18844 wrote:

The Glencarlyn section has three tough climbs, two are the 4MRT and one is the road from up from parking by the bathrooms to Jefferson. If you are heading east on the W&OD you take the first right after passing under Arlington Blvd, this climb on 4MRT isn’t so bad, maybe 10 to 12%, but if you take the fifty or so feet on the access trail up to Harrison St, I’ve had a reading of a 30% grade and then you’ve got another half block climbing up Harrison. The other two climbs are heading west, if you take the road up from the parking it is longer and not quite so steep, I think I got a reading of about 20% or so at its worst. The 4MRT next to that tops out at about 25% in the middle of the climb.

One of the issues with the 41st St climb is that it is two or three times longer, probably averaging around 15% and then you hit the 28% grade when you have to turn right onto the path which is slightly longer than the path to Harrison in Glencarlyn.

Well, I finally got to try this infamous climb from 4MRT to Harrison St., and I have to say that I found it easier than 41st St. On 41st, I’m less able to keep a smooth rhythm, as the road is dusty, rough, wet, or a combination of the three. (Not to mention the occasional car coming down the hill.)

For the hill-aficionado, there is a short but very steep road on the 4000 block of 22nd Street North, just off Military Road across from Cherrydale Library. It’s narrow, rough, and the sharp right turn is guaranteed to kill any momentum.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4000+22nd+Street+North,+Arlington,+VA&hl=en&ll=38.899183,-77.107769&spn=0.007164,0.009688&sll=38.899139,-77.107745&sspn=0.001799,0.002422&oq=4000+22nd+stre+arlington+va&hnear=4000+22nd+St+N,+Arlington,+Virginia+22207&t=m&z=17

[elcee]

I think it boils down to TwoWheelsDC’s personality:

1. patient tinkerer –> upgrade components, with the possibility of going backward before moving forward
2. needs immediate gratification –> buy a new bike

[elcee]

Levi’s ice hump:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/bikes-and-tech/ask-nick/ask-nick-levis-hump-saddle-woes-and-derailleur-pulleys_220702

[elcee]

L Street, two lanes narrowing to one – I look over to the left for a gap, and the car alongside my bike slows down and gives me lots of space. At the next light, I give the driver a thumbs-up, and he gives me one in return. Small gesture, big benefits!

[elcee]

I, too, had lost the skill, but I was able to relearn. Here’s how I did it:

• Ride the most stable bike you can find.
• Find a smooth road with plenty of space.
• You need some speed – at least 15 mph is good. Then smoothly transition from two hands, to one hand, to a couple of fingers, then no hands.
• If the bike wobbles, gently clamp the top tube between your knees. Eventually you’ll be able to steer the bike doing this.
• When you gain confidence, just start pedaling.

That’s it!

[elcee]

I don’t do triathlons, but aren’t the pads on tri suits thinner than those on bike bibs? So tri suits work for both running and cycling, but won’t be as comfortable on bikes as pure bike bibs.

[elcee]

@dasgeh 17950 wrote:

AND HOW COULD I FORGET HEIDELBERG BAKERY (Culpepper & Lee)? BEST BAKERY EVER.

Very off-topic, but I have to plug Natalia’s Elegant Creations in Falls Church. Their cannolis, made with very fresh cream, are simply divine.

http://g.co/maps/z849u

And it’s just a few blocks from the W&OD!

[elcee]

@mstone 17161 wrote:

That’s one that’s quite clearly configured to not interfere much with motorists. It will not give pedestrians a signal more than once ever N minutes. If you see the cross signal lit while you’re approaching, you know you’re screwed because it’ll be red by the time you get there and you’ll have to sit a couple of minutes. Yet while it makes sure cars don’t get inconvenienced too much, it has a very short cycle for pedestrians, and quite often there’s a scramble to clear the road when it’s backed up on both sides. …

There are now traffic light controllers that can automatically track cars, bikes, and pedestrians. Gallows Road and Lee/Lynn are just crying out loudly for such systems.

http://www.aldiscorp.com/solutions/gridsmart/#product (and others)

[elcee]

Here’s a thoughtful article on bikes with respect to mass transit as a system:

http://www.humantransit.org/2010/04/can-we-all-cycle-the-last-mile.html

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