[eminva]

@KLizotte 11130 wrote:

I have found some shoes to go with your helmet:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]487[/ATTACH]

Oh no, that is just WRONG.:eek:

Liz

[eminva]

It was so much fun to meet everyone and give out free stuff! I was amazed at how receptive our audience was. Harkening back to an earlier thread, one woman told me she was hit by a car while on foot on Columbia Pike, and when she got to the hospital, the physician said, “So, you hit a car?” Hopefully we are helping a few pedestrians stay safe.

I have my supply of lights in my trunk bag and will report back when I convert my first ninja, or ninja chihuahua.

I agree with Pete, nice to ride home with him, Ann and Tim.

Liz

P.S. Ann, I think a lot of those guys last night were tall! I usually don’t feel so short in a group that size.

[eminva]

I also think this is a great idea and the calendar looks free for a change. I’m coming from Vienna, so I guess I will meet you all at Eastern Market and take it from there. I really want to visit Proteus so I’ll return to College Park with you after the markets. By my calculations this would be about 63ish miles for the whole trip, which is within my range, but if I got to College Park on both ends that will add 20 more miles, which may be a bit much. Ann, are you doing it this way or are you doing the whole slog?

Thanks for organizing this! Sounds like fun.

Liz

[eminva]

I have not had a lot of motorists yelling at me in my years of commuting. Sometime in the last year, one guy did yell, “The rules apply to you, too!” right as I was taking my turn at a four way stop, having dutifully come to a complete stop with a dropped foot. I think what he meant to say was, “According to my interpretation of the rules, you, cyclist lady, should wait to go until all motor vehicles have cleared the intersection.” Anyway, this wasn’t even that hostile.

Only once did I take the extraordinary step of talking to a motorist a few years ago when a driver cut me off not once but twice in a one block span. I caught up with him at a red light and asked him to watch out more carefully for bikes. He was almost in tears apologizing and promising to be more careful.

I often wonder if I get a different response because I am a woman? Any other female cyclists have any insight?

I am thinking of running a test of buying a bunch of reflective bands and giving them out on the W&OD after dark (because heaven knows I’m not getting out there early enough to give them out on the morning darkness shift) and see if the ninjas are more receptive to these gifts from me, who looks like Mrs. Claus by the time I’m all bundled up for my commute.

Liz

[eminva]

@Dirt 10941 wrote:

I’ll lug the leaf blower on next week’s commute a few days and clear out some of the bad areas.

Anyone else posting this, I would think it was a joke. Dirt, I’m not so sure . . . .

Liz

[eminva]

For drying shoes, I recommend:

http://www.dryguy.net/DG10.html

Liz

[eminva]

Hello — I will be there. This will give me a chance to bike somewhere I have never been — a new adventure! If anyone has tips for biking there from the 18th & L area, besides what Google maps recommends, that would be great.

Liz

[eminva]

@DismalScientist 10770 wrote:

Cleaning? What’s that?

If one of the forum senior elders has already done a post on cleaning a bike, could someone link to it? Otherwise, would it be too much to ask for a thread on this topic?

After last week’s rainy commutes, my bike was a muddy mess, so I spent a good chunk of Sunday afternoon cleaning it. I dutifully used the comb and brush tool on the cogs, put the little washing machine on the chain, etc. However, I’m not sure how often to do this task, whether you need to do such a thorough job each time, etc.

I can appreciate the advantages of a fixed gear bike. Never tried one, but I’ve always suspected it would be more of a workout than I can handle. So in the meantime, I try to keep this more complicated bike in good working order.

Liz

[eminva]

I see quite a few commuters with child seats on their bikes, but they have a backpack rather than a kid sitting in it. In other words, they are using it as a rack rather than a child carrier. I wonder if all of them even have a kid!

Liz

[eminva]

@Riley Casey 10713 wrote:

/me snorts indignantly

Oops. Mea culpa. And thanks for the cover, Mark.

Liz

[eminva]

Hello Glenn —

Thank goodness you seem to be recovering well. I find the response of other cyclists reassuring. It is good to know that our fellow riders come to our aid in our moment of need.

I would also encourage you to seek medical care tomorrow — to check on both the head injury and your arm. Many years ago I had an accident unrelated to cycling and it was only the next day when I thought, something is seriously wrong here. I went to the ER and it was a broken collar bone. Even if all is well, it is good to get things checked out.

Take care.

Liz

[eminva]

Nice photos! I didn’t even know about it. However, I believe the fashion aphorism applies: if you are old enough to have embraced a style or trend the first time around, you should avoid it the next time. And I actually did own an internal hub three speed bike back in the day (and still do, though it is on multi-decade loan to my mother).

Liz

[eminva]

Looks like the folks who post comments on Colorado blogs are just as opinionated/suspicious/provocative as those who post comments on Arlington blogs.

But my question is, why 8 mph? Was 7 mph deemed too slow? 9 mph too fast?

Liz

[eminva]

Great, I sent you a private message with contact info.

Liz

[eminva]

@Dirt 10567 wrote:

Hell no! I’m already plotting the next velo play date.

Do tell when and where! I have a 10-year-old; lots of raw materials to work with in our house.

Liz

[Author]

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