[eminva]

Thanks — 32 spokes. The wheel is a Maddux DC 3.0 Disc. I know this is not a high end bike, but he likes hybrids and you probably wouldn’t want to park a nicer bike in front of a high school on Route 7 everyday.

Appreciate the insights.

Liz

[eminva]

Congratulations and best wishes! Thanks for the photos.

[And obligatory plug for the ELITE-ist of bicycle transporting vehicles — a minivan. No need to even remove the front wheel — just wheel up to three of those babies right in the back hatch. Maybe more; we’ve never tried, being a family of only three.]

Liz

[eminva]

@Lt. Dan 124262 wrote:

Will this be a beginner bike? If so, I have a 16″ Novarra that may be going up for sale shortly…

Yes, it is for a beginner.

Thanks — would be interested.

Liz

[eminva]

Well, this can continue indefinitely.

Once he could ride on his own, I could pull just far enough ahead to not hear him complaining.

Now, he can ride away from me at will when he doesn’t want to listen to me yelling at him.

And he has no need for me to get him to school.

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Liz

[eminva]

In case you are a woman, size XS, XXL or most especially L, and are in need of a jacket for the season, there is some bizarre pricing anomaly going on at Amazon.com for the Gore Bike Wear Element jacket at the moment. The retail is $219.99, but easy to find online for $149. I think the price under $80 is quite a steal and under $50 — !

This seems to be the latest generation of the jacket I have. I love it; have used it since 2012. It held up well.

Liz

[eminva]

@eminva 120787 wrote:

Hello —

Okay, my old Exposure Diablo charger died, taking the light with it. I’ve never been totally happy with it — the light works fine, but I’ve never gotten anywhere near the promised battery life, even after a long trip to the UK for warranty service.

So, in the three years since I bought it, has technology improved? Anyone find something they like better? This would be for commuting year round between DC and the wilds of central Fairfax County. Thanks in advance.

Liz

P.S. If you have an Exposure light and your smart charger starts to alternately flash red and green, do NOT, under any circumstances, plug it into your light! You will have two problems instead of one.

As the person who started this thread, I just realized I forgot to give you an update.

Shortly after I wrote this, I remembered I have a USB charger. I plugged the light into that and it came back to life! Also, I contacted Exposure and they sent me a new charger — free! So their reputation for excellent customer service lives on. As does my light.

To be fair, it is a good light and more than adequate for my needs (1 hour 20 minute commute at the most). It is tough and has survived several falls. The mounting system is great and I am invested in three mounts at this point. It looks sleek and the black with red accent color scheme matches both my bikes, and we all know how important that is. If I were doing some crazy 24 hour mountain bike event I would want a couple of backups, but otherwise, I can recommend this light.

Liz

[eminva]

OMG!!!! I’m the #1 Justin Beiber Fan Club Member!!! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji173]️[emoji173]️

[eminva]

Got this at the beginning of the month. Love it so far! It is a Volagi Viaje. Thanks Bikenetic and Pete/Dirt.

Pete took these before the pedals went on:

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dcv took this one; shows off the black on black matte/glossy paint job:

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In the wild (North Central Rail Trail, a.k.a. Torrey C. Brown Trail in Cockeysville, MD):

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Liz

[eminva]

Sorry to hear it, Kathy! Hope it heals quickly and doesn’t spoil your summer.

Liz

[eminva]

Hello —

Here are some suggestions for garage bike parking a couple of blocks away:

1801 K Street — the garage entrance is actually on the L Street side of the building. There is a cage (which gets pretty full), but you need a key card to access it. However, you can lock your bike to the outside of the cage. It should be pretty secure; there are always attendants there. Not sure how late it is open, but when I worked there, I never got locked in and I can work pretty late sometimes.

Arent Fox Building — 1717 K Street — this has ample bike parking, well lit and very secure. The lobby is open 24 hours so if you stay so late you get locked in, you are allowed to bring your bike up the elevator and through the lobby to exit.

There may be buildings closer, but these I definitely know about.

Liz

[eminva]

Trollheim claimed another victim last night. It was wet, but not raining. I crossed Roosevelt Bridge (westbound) and was coming down the wooden boardwalk toward the parking lot for Roosevelt Island. Two tourists on CaBis were coming up the MVT and turned left in front of me without stopping at the stop sign. I tried to brake but crashed, as did the cyclist behind me. The bike is okay. My left hip got the worst of it and some road rash along my left side.

Couldn’t really talk to the tourists as they spoke very little English.

Liz

[eminva]

Did not see much cycle chic out in the suburbs, unless you count the photo bombing guy in the photo (a small portion of which you’ve already seen).

W&OD cyclists in action. That’s my son on his way to high school.

Liz

[eminva]

Visited seven pit stops and saw too many forum friends to list. It was great!

On behalf of my son I’m sorry we rolled through Dunn Loring too early to get Chinese food. That was his only pit stop before the turn off for high school. He got a bagel, however (to supplement the two veggie burgers he ate at home . . . did I mention his new bike is a size XL Cannondale Quick???).

Otherwise a big thumbs up for the volunteers, entertainment and food, especially the Shirlington grub. Thanks, Best Buns!

Got less swag than last year, which is fine — owing to the much improved weather, there were a lot more folks to share it with. Hopefully some newbies got some stuff they can put to good use.

However, I didn’t see too many patch kits. I was hoping to snag a few for the Boy Scouts I’m training this year. Anyone have a line on where I can get a half dozen or so cheap/free patch kits? Thanks.

Thanks again, everyone. Have an enjoyable ride home!

Liz

[eminva]

It took six months, but I finally got them! I went with the Ortlieb Front Rollers. Supported a local business, Bikes@Vienna.

Thanks, as always, for your insights and assistance.

Liz

[eminva]

Not my bike but my brother’s; he inherited it last night from a friend who is moving away. I am visiting him now in The Netherlands. I think this is an old German brand, Hercules. The rear derailler is Sachs Huret. The shifters are Rival ARS. I think it is from the 1980s.

Liz

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