[eminva]

Do you still need people? For which shifts?

Liz

[eminva]

@Tim Kelley 27408 wrote:

There was mention of this in the Missed Connection thread, but I wanted to stay on topic so I’m reviving this thread to post this question here:

I have a child seat that goes over the rear wheel. With a second baby on the way (eventually, that is–nothing yet folks, don’t get excited!), I am curious about baby seats that are positioned up front so I could easily carry two kids at once. I am concerned about safety though–in the event of a crash while moving, or tipping over from a stationary position, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of protection.

Dasgeh, or anyone else with a front carrier, have you ever had a wipeout? I could imagine going over the handlebars and crushing the little one.

My first advice is to space them out so the first one is on her own bike by the time the second one is ready to join you. Failing that, I think it’s time for the cargo bike, Tim!

Liz

[eminva]

@Riley Casey 27296 wrote:

Can I improve on this without equipment and a training regimen by simply changing my mix of home exercise or is there no way around signing up for a gym membership?

Riley — As a result of surgery several years ago, I was left with diminished upper body strength and flexibility. I got a recommendation for a personal trainer who works with people rehabbing from surgery. She came to my house and set me up with an exercise routine. It uses bands and light dumbbells — stuff we already had at home. During the session she corrected my posture and made sure I was doing the exercises correctly. A couple of days later she emailed me detailed instructions with photos for all the exercises she taught me (as well as some stretching).

I can’t remember what I paid, but it was a one time only fee and I thought it was quite reasonable. I have no other reason or desire to belong to a gym so this worked out well for me.

Liz

[eminva]

Go Tim!! Will definitely be following along.

Liz

[eminva]

I guess it doesn’t count here if I have the same Range Rover passing me with about 4″ clearance on L Street every so often?

(Yes, I can tell it is intentional — I ride smack dab down the center of the lane and he or she has to straddle two lanes to get so close to me).

Liz

[eminva]

@Tim Kelley 27269 wrote:

It wasn’t me–we take roads and bike lanes!

I know — I would have recognized you.

Liz

[eminva]

I don’t mean to be snarky at all here, but I thought this was the best thread for the following:

Dear cyclist with child in child seat on the back of your bike (Custis Trail this morning, just before 9 a.m.):

Your backpack is repeatedly hitting your child in the face. She looked a little young to tell you this herself (I think it was a girl).

Liz

[eminva]

I was once desperate when I got neck pain a few years ago just before a family vacation. My doctor suggested Thermacare heat wraps and Aleve. It got me through the vacation pain free. Mercifully, the pain did not return.

I also got muscle relaxants once and they worked like a charm.

Liz

[eminva]

@GuyContinental 27026 wrote:

not at all young (probably 45-50).

It just gets worse and worse.

[eminva]

@acc 27035 wrote:

Good Luck With That Century Ride! 😎

Yes, it gets tough when you get up there in years . . . .

[eminva]

@ShawnoftheDread 27036 wrote:

Saw eminva on the MVT this morning. Sorry I was following too closely, but your natty Bike Arlington jersey had me dazed.

Good seeing you! No, I didn’t think you were following too closely — I have to explain why I stopped abruptly. In a custom that only makes sense to me, I take a photo of my trip computer whenever I turn over another 1000 miles (in helps me, in looking back over time, to see how quickly and consistently I reach a set milestone, and whether the frequency varies by season, etc.). I just realized I needed to snap that photo the moment you went by. Good seeing you and nice Bike to Work Day shirt!

Liz

[eminva]

I did the first installment of “ride your age” for my birthday this morning and I was STILL #2 on the local leaderboard when I got to work. It’s tough to keep up with this bunch.

Liz

[eminva]

@OneEighth 26987 wrote:

Does anyone else find the original post a bit suspicious?

It was plausible and specific enough that I wanted to know more — hence my question, “did you observe anything else these last eight months?” Usually at that point commuters have gotten to, “man it’s hot here in the summer” or “I need to upgrade my commuting wardrobe” or “I need to upgrade my wheels” or something along those lines. Maybe he just had a bad day and was venting, as we do at times.

Liz

[eminva]

@Tim Kelley 26960 wrote:

I occasionally have to negotiate around the homeless gentleman in the wheel chair or the woman in the electric scooter who rides and walks her dog in the bike lanes.

I was riding west on Fairfax the other evening and came across a man salmoning the bike lane in a scooter just by the Ballston metro station. That is kind of a treacherous area with people parallel parking for the carryouts on the north side of the street, buses, etc. I can’t imagine what the alternatives were like if he thought that was the safest way to go.

Liz

[eminva]

I don’t really have an answer to your question — after eight years of bicycle commuting I’m still mystified by some of the crazy I see from all walks of life — but I am curious to know what other observations you have on your eight months of bicycle commuting. You must have started in the winter, so kudos to you for keeping at it through three seasons. I hope it has been a good experience otherwise. You will find here that we vent about other cyclists, drivers, runners, etc. but we also carry on at length about a beautiful day, running into a cycling buddy on the way to work, finding a new place to ride, and so on. I won’t speak for others, but for me the joys of bicycle commuting far outweigh the frustrations.

Take care.

Liz

[Author]

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