[eminva]

Do you know anyone in the property management office and have you spoken with them? I work in a big building downtown (my company is one of many tenants) and I have had to go to property management from time to time for both bike and non-bike related issues. I found that if I explained what I wanted to do and why, they were very receptive, and at least found a workaround that satisfied my goals or allowed me to bend the rules. I remember seeing a brochure from WABA (I think) for employers about how to encourage bike commuting (or at least how not to be hostile to it) and what constitutes adequate parking was one of the issues addressed. If you could bring something like that into your conversation, that would be helpful.

Good luck.

Liz

[eminva]

Come to think of it, the only person who didn’t call out a warning yesterday was a fellow female. So maybe bike etiquette is dead, but chivalry is not, although I’d best not inquire into its motives.

Txgoonie, are you talking about on the trails or the road?

Liz

[eminva]

Clarification: When I said the whole thing was speedier than I thought, I meant the process for the warranty claim. Time will tell if the new frame makes me ride any faster (I had to stop at the grocery store this a.m. so I wasn’t on my regular route for comparison purposes).

Liz

[eminva]

Wow, you guys are in rare form today! Thanks for the humor.

Anyway, I kept count on the commute this morning — I was passed by three cyclists, and two called out warnings. So I stand corrected — I am getting 66.7%. I wonder why I perceive that I get a higher percentage of warnings than others? Do I look like one of those “tentative” cyclists that everyone warns?

I also wonder why all the animosity in our area? Are we that stressed out?

Liz

[eminva]

Ouch, sorry. I do hope you get a promotion though.

Don’t know if you have drawer space, but I fold up sweaters and scarves and put them in my filing cabinet. I also put spare gear there in case of drastic weather changes between morning and evening. Since we went paperless, I don’t have much use for them otherwise.

There is also a coat closet by the entry to our department that no one was using, so one colleague and I hang up our towels from the locker room there. Possession is 9/10ths of the law, right?

Liz

[eminva]

I’m getting a lot more than 10%, probably more like 70% warnings on the W&OD and Custis.

Haven’t ridden in the bike lanes of Arlington enough to guesstimate a percentage there.

I agree — warnings are valuable. I often hear the bicycle approaching, but not always, and especially not with auto traffic around. Better safe than sorry.

Liz

[eminva]

You would also not believe how many hangers of clothes you can fit on a hook on the back of your office door. There are dry cleaners all over downtown so for me, some items just live in the office rather than my home.

Good luck!

Liz

[eminva]

Thanks, Pete, that is an excellent suggestion. What I didn’t mention earlier is that it was already time for the drivetrain parts to be replaced when the crack in the frame was discovered. So they are replacing that and they also suggested replacing the cables, to which I agreed. So yes, I will be in for a little more than the fee for rebuilding the bike, but it will be good as new!

Will post a picture when I get it back.

Liz

[eminva]

Update:

I took the bike in on Saturday and today I learned Jamis will replace the frame and fork and I am even getting upgraded to the next fancier model. I will owe City Bikes a modest fee to rebuild the bike. I should have my “new” bike next week. Thank you for your advice and I see I needn’t have worried. I am very grateful to both City Bikes and Jamis for resolving this so quickly and so well.

In the meantime, I’ll be lumbering to DC and back on the mountain bike — Cherry Blossom time is NOT a good time to be on metro.

Liz

[eminva]

Thanks. The manufacturer is Jamis and according to the website, the frame is warranted for life. However, there are some exclusions and I’m sure there is room for interpretation.

The dealer is City Bikes.

Liz

[eminva]

I don’t cross this bridge often, but when I have, I notice that east bound there is a lot of “jockeying for position” among bicyclists in the Roosevelt Island parking lot. No one wants to get stuck behind a slower moving cyclist when crossing the long but narrow bridge to DC. I assume that is even more of an issue when the weather is nice and lots of recreational cyclists are out. Wonder how that will work, forcing all that onto the path.

Liz

[eminva]

Congratulations and thank you!

For those of you who are slow (like me), you can still donate at Pete’s link above — it says through the end of the month.

Liz

[eminva]

Wow, interesting.

Based on a quick, superficial review, bike commuting rates are high in vacation spots (Florida Keys, Cape Cod) and college towns (Blacksburg, VA, Champaign, IL).

Although there are a few big counties in what I presume are less populated areas of some western states . . . wonder what’s going on there? Mountain bikers bombing down the mountain to work?

Will be interesting to see if and how this changes over time.

Liz

[eminva]

I’m curious to know, too. I am not often out before dawn, but am out after nightfall for pretty much all of standard time. I’ve never seen the police. However, I exit the trail shortly after entering Town of Vienna.

I think the Police Department does a lot of bicycle policy stuff in Town of Vienna. A couple of years ago I answered a survey about bicycle/motorist/pedestrian safety from the PD. I gave them oodles of great suggestions, but I don’t know what came of it. There are some new bike lanes in the last couple of years, so maybe it is all part of the same initiative.

Hmm . . . unusual work hours . . . office somewhere near the White House . . . work ID takes the wind out of the sails of local police . . . I’m beginning to wonder if you are the person who answers the red phone when it rings.

Liz

[eminva]

That was interesting — I had read all about the new bike lanes on PA Ave, but I don’t get over to that side of town very often, so thanks for the action shot!

Liz

[Author]

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