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@PotomacCyclist 16947 wrote:

We now have Capital Bikeshare. That levels the playing field against the Dutch.

That might be wishful thinking! (Current population of the Netherlands is around 16.7 million.) I tried to find primary sources for statistics but there’s very little that’s in English.

Among the snippets of data cited in the article:

• The Dutch cycled 14.9 billion kilometres in 2009 …
• The Netherlands has around eight deaths per 100 million km cycled …
• The typical Dutch person cycles 800 km per year …

Update: found a primary source.

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Aside from Tim Johnson and Allen Lim being genuinely nice guys, I was most impressed with the unicyclist who rode in with us from College Park.

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@Arlingtonrider 16681 wrote:

I’m inviting anyone interested (lurkers included) who would like to ride metro to get to Proteus to meet me at the Greenbelt metro station (just outside the tunnel toward College Park/Lackawanna Street) for a short and easy bike ride to the shop. We’ll leave the station promptly at noon.

Bikes are allowed on metro after 10 a.m. (and until 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. for anyone planning to metro home from DC).

Metro has scheduled track work all this week.

Green Line

• Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, trains will single track between College Park and Greenbelt for rail, fastener, tie and insulator renewal. Customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.

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@jrenaut 16303 wrote:

We have two meetup spots so far:
19th & L NW between 11:15 and 11:30
9th and T NW between 1130 and 1145

Then the plan is to make our way over to the MBT, so we can pick up others along the way if people want.

I also plan to start at 19th and L – looks like we’ve got us a convoy.

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First make sure they’re the correct screws. If they are, loosen the screws completely. The shifter bodies should then separate from the clamps, and you’ll be able to see why they’re stuck to the handlebar.

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Any idea when you’re going to hit College Park? I might Metro to there then ride down to DC.

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A good LBS can really help out here. You could try different makes on a bike trainer, which is much safer than being on the open road.

I myself like SPDs, because I like to walk during my bike rides. All my bikes, whether road or trail, have SPDs, which makes it easy to get on any bike. There are 2 kinds of SPD cleats, one that releases in multiple directions, and another that only releases laterally. The release tension is quite adjustable, and there’s enough float for me. Cons: (1) some people have complained about hot spots because it’s a small cleat, though I never experienced it and (2) bike snobs poo-poo such things on a road bike.

From 2nd-hand experience:

Speedplays – Pros: very low profile, and double sided. Cons: float has very little friction, so it feels like you’re on ice while pedaling?

SPD-SL – Pros: the choice of the roadie, and very popular (so you can ride your buddy’s bike). Cons: slippery, bulky, cleat wears down if you walk on it too much.

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@americancyclo 13940 wrote:

12 mph is a respectable speed for a commute! …

More than reasonable. There’s a lot more anecdotal evidence vs. hard studies, but here’s one about the French Velo’v system in Lyon, where the average speed was about 13.5 kmh (8.1 mph).

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The salmon Kool Stops, at least to me, are much more progressive than the blacks, which tend to be grabby in the dry. The salmons are also consistent in variable conditions.

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@TDB 13105 wrote:

… is there a reason not to mismatch front and rear wheels?

In certain cycling sub-cultures, this might actually earn you style points.

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Dyads are pretty wide rims (I’m building wheels with these right now) and are better with wider tires. If you want to mount tires narrower than a 700×28, you should consider narrower rims.

You can solve the hub/cassette/derailleur problem by either (1) using spacers to align the cassette exactly where you want them or (2) get wheels with the same hubs as what you have now.

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I don’t know if these meet your criterion of “mid-level race wheels,” but Handspun builds 650c wheels with a decent paper spec: Mavic Open Pro rims, Shimano 105 hubs, DT Swiss spokes 3x 32H. Handspun is a QBP spinoff that, as far as I can tell, machine-laces then hand-tensions their stock wheels. They can also build you completely custom wheels if you prefer.

Bikeman has these for $153/$175 front/rear.

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@Greenbelt 13092 wrote:

Would the cantilever brakes on a cross bike work on these wheels? Would the diameter of the rims be the same, so I could switch out the wheels without adjusting the brakes? Would the wheels fit into my dropouts (are they standard sizes)? Are there other reasons why wheels might not be easy to just mix and match on different bikes?

A 2009 Supernova? If so, then Tim’s wheels will most probably fit. The rim diameter is the same – both 700c wheels. Dropout spacing is the same – 130 mm for both road and CX bikes.

Aside from these two factors, you also have to consider: (1) rim width (might need to adjust the brakes), (2) rim material (carbon vs alloy require different brake pads), and (3) cassette (9, 10, and 11 speed have different spacing; Campagnolo vs Shimano/SRAM are different spacing as well). What else did I miss?

When you switch cassettes, make sure your chain length is OK. For a small change you shouldn’t have to modify it. I only raise the point should you want to use a bigger cassette – in which case, you definitely want to lengthen the chain!

Quote:

I’d also like a cassette set up for lower gearing and higher speeds than what I’ve got on my cross bike.

That might be a problem. I believe your smallest rear cog is 12T. I’m somewhat certain that 11T is the smallest you can get, which is only an 8% increase in gearing.

P.S. I should also mention that you have to consider whether the wheels are going to be suitable for your application, e.g. smooth vs rough roads, heavy vs light rider. There’s always a tradeoff between weight, construction, and strength.

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Bicycle Space DC does a “Cupcake Ramble” on Saturdays. During the warmer months it’s led by Sol Schott, who’s an actual baker. The rides are 10-15 miles long; the last time I went, we rode to the Arboretum, had Sol’s deliciously decadent chocolate brownies, then rode back to the shop. You do have to be comfortable riding on city streets, but there’s usually not a lot of traffic in that part of town.

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@dasgeh 12640 wrote:

I’ve never used that site, but in my head you had to ride all of those routes to get that data. Don’t correct me (or I’ll waste far too much time playing around with routes).

Not so – you can “map” a route just by pointing and clicking. Same with mapmyride.com.

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