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When I bought my bike, this is the lock that the Arlington County police recommended when I asked. Similar to the on guard one mentioned above–its a u lock for the back wheel and frame, and cable which goes around the front wheel.

http://smile.amazon.com/Kryptonite-Kryptolok-Standard-Bicycle-FlexFrame/dp/B005YPK8G2/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406124538&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=onguard+bulldog+u-lock+with+kryptonite+kryptoflex+double+loop+cable

Downfall–it’s really heavy. I leave it at work since carrying it home every night would be miserable. They make a mini one too which I guess is even better since it eliminates space for the tools that are used to break a ulock, but I couldn’t fit that around the back wheel, frame, and thick bike rack at work, so I didn’t get it.

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@cyclingfool 90731 wrote:

Depending on frame material (might not be advisable if carbon), you could get a couple of p-clamps from the local hardware store. Get the rubberized kind or use some pieces of old inner tube wrapped around the seat stays to keep the clamps fro scratching the frame. That’ll cover the lower connection point for a rack. Then you could use a seatpost clamp rack mount for the top/front mounting points.

All of that is assuming you’re not interested in just keeping the clean look, which I couldn’t blame you for on a new road bike.

The frame is aluminum, but the rear fork, seat stay and the seat post are carbon…so I think I may be stuck with it how it is. Some of the options mentioned above could work…but it seems odd to add a rack when I already have a bike with a nice rack for days I really need it. The cleaner look of the road bike is also really appealing–my hybrid is super functional, but not very pretty. I’d like to at least try to keep this bike pretty.

I did realize that one night this week I’m stuck with the laptop in the backpack since I’m “between” houses right now while I finish moving all of my stuff to Del Ray, and I left my hybrid at the home I wont be at until Saturday . Whoops…The shoulder pain I’m going to experience will hopefully teach me a lesson!

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Today was my first commute using my new road bike. I wanted to be sure I could ride it safely before I tried it in DC traffic, since it really rides different from my hybrid.

Things of note:
-On the trail, I definitely go much faster. Sadly, since 50% of my ride is in the city, I don’t save much time by using the road bike (only ~3-5 minutes).
-For the first time EVER I went the entire trip without being passed!
-I like panniers more than backpacks. Sadly, my road bike can’t take the back rack without drilling new holes, so backpack it is… I’ll have to keep using the hybrid on days I transport my laptop.

Overall, compared to my hybrid I think the road bike is more fun to ride, and it takes much less effort to tackle hills on it. It lacks the utility (e.g. pannier bags) of the hybrid though, so I think it’s good I have both bikes.

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Congrats! I have the verve 2, which is nearly identical except a year later’s model. It’s a super comfy ride. You’ll never go very fast (it takes me the same level of effort to go 13mph on the verve as it does to go 20mph on the road bike), but for city riding, running errands and hauling groceries, its ideal.

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I find these articles amusing, but not at all surprising. “Science” has been used to keep women and minorities out of sports for a LONG time. Although I think things are vastly improved from where we were, there are still issues going on. E.G. The fact women’s ski jumping has now just become an Olympic sport, although only the shorter jump. Officials at the international ski jumping organizations and high-level coaches made comments to the effect that ski jumping would screw up a women’s uterus (google it, it made a splash around the time of the Olympics). Women have only been allowed to run in marathons in the Olympics since the 80’s, Boston marathon since 72.

And don’t even get me started and how hard it is to find a good selection of women-specific bike clothes…

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@Geoff 90215 wrote:

I’m missing something. Why does this only happen when you are on a hybrid? Do jerkfaces show more respect to roadbikes?

Honestly, it tends to be guys*, on fancy road bikes that shoot the gap most often in my experience. Not the commuter types, but the “I look like I should be racing” types (the commuter types tend to be seriously polite…). I’m guessing when I’m on a road bike, they assume I’m going fast enough that shooting the gap is a bad idea.

And so far it hasn’t happened to me on a road bike, but I’m sure it will. And when it happens, it will be way worse since my hybrid has more stopping power than my road bike and the ability to off-road.

*I admit, there are sampling issues here. I see maybe 2-3 women per bike trip, and 10-15 men. This means, based on pure chance, it’s more likely to be a man than a woman doing ANYTHING, good or bad.

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me: woman on a road bike with AWESOME HOT PINK HANDLE BARS coming up fast behind a jogger on the MVT.
you: Guy with an adorable baby on the front of his bike coming the opposite way on the MVT.

Instead of trying to shoot the gap and potentially kill your baby, I slowed down to let you go by before passing the jogger. It’s cool–you had the right of way AND a cute baby. When you slowed to almost a stop to let me pass the jogger, you confused the daylights out of me.

At first I was a little ticked since instead of just slowing down I was now stopped and unclipped…but then I realized: I do this to people on road bikes all the time when I’m on my hybrid . This is because on NUMEROUS occasions people on road bikes have knocked me off the trail or nearly knocked me off the trail while shooting the gap around joggers. After nearly getting knocked off the MVT and onto GW parkway a few months ago by a road biker shooting the gap, if I see a road bike coming up fast behind joggers, I now slow down to let them pass instead of staking my claim to the right-of-way. Just like you did for me…

So yea…now I’m paying for other bikers being jerkfaces. Thanks jerkfaces*.

*Assuming none of the jerkfaces are on this discussion board

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I didn’t know REI offered these, thanks! I can’t make this one, but I should try for an upcoming class. The drive train is one area I usually refuse to mess with.

I figured out brakes/fixing flats/cleaning chains with the help of youtube. A bike that wont stop, has a flat tire and a rusty chain is really good motivation to figure out basic repair skills

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I GOT A NEW BIKE! I’m excited. 2006 trek pilot 2.1.

This is a follow up to this post. I finally took the bike my finance gave me to Revolution Cycles in Clarendon last week. They checked out the sizing, and said it would work. So I got a tune up, and replaced the chain, cassette, and bottom bracket. I also switched the saddle to be a woman-specific one, and partly to make sure the fiance doesn’t try to reclaim the bike and partly because I pink…I changed out the handlebar tape and water bottle holders.

In about 2 weeks I have an appointment with Clovis at Fresh Bikes for a fitting.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6176[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]6177[/ATTACH]

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There’s a 17 inch 2012 womens trek 7200 for $225 or $250 being sold by a tenant in my building (Rosslyn). I think it’s purple. I haven’t seen it, but if your interested let me know and I’ll get the info for you. I might be wrong on the model, but I’m pretty sure it’s 7200.

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@krazygl00 89930 wrote:

Moral: Don’t Fall For Helpy’s Tricks.

Strange, the moral I took my from my morning commute was “let pedestrians enter at-grade crossings before you so you look polite and they get hit by the cars first”.

When I’m pedestrian-ing (that’s word…I swear) I will now make cyclists go in front of me at at-grade crossings so karma can’t repay me for the previous sentence.

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Fun ride in this morning:

You: jogger right in front of me crossing the at-grade crossing of Washington Blvd and the path that gets you to memorial bridge from 110.
Me: Right behind you, but giving you space since it’s not worth passing 10 ft before this crossing comes up.
2 cars came up to the crossing. One stopped, the other blew through, almost hitting the runner. Runner screams an insult about the driver being a female dog who sleeps with mothers, and gives the middle finger. The next car stopped and the jogger (and me) proceed with our journey.

You: (different) jogger right in front of me crossing the at-grade crossing after memorial bridge on the DC side.
Me: Right behind you, but giving you space since it’s not worth passing right before this crossing either.
Once again, 2 cars came up to the crossing. One stopped, the other blew through, this time accelerating and almost hitting the runner. Runner screams an insult and gives the middle finger. The next car stopped and the jogger (and me) proceed with our journey. This is a totally different jogger than the first one, although they both were male, and probably between 25 and 35 y/o.

Me: Cyclist who got onto the mostly empty sidewalk at around 3rd and E st SW so I could get into the parking garage at my work which is a block away but hard to enter from the road due to traffic from the 3 parking garages within the same block.
You: pedestrian who yelled at me to get off the sidewalk. You probably read the angry Washington Post article yesterday, except you probably didn’t know the “illegal to be on the sidewalk” line in the article only referred to the central business district, and not SW DC…esp not this 2 block section where the sidewalks are at least 20 feet wide and sparsely populated in the AM. We each had 10 feet to ourselves and I was biking slowly. Trust me, you were in no danger. I haven’t even come close to a pedestrian in the 4 months I’ve been biking this route.

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Sorry to hear If you have renters or homeowners insurance they may cover the bike theft. My renters policy with liberty mutual does, and I know state farm and a few others do as well. For an expensive bike, it may be worth filing a claim.

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I agree with KLizotte. Thats ALOT to carry back and forth daily… I leave a makeup bag and work. It cost me $80 to put together a full 2nd set of makeup, and it’s money well spent.

My only “take with me daily” items are a spare tube, mini air pump, tire repair kit, a tiny first aid kit, and my eyeglasses since I ride in wearing contacts. Fits into the bottom of a pannier bag, or a very small backpack. Everything else (clothes, ulock, makeup, spare contacts and toothbrush) I keep at work, and only replenish when I need to. I even keep a spare set of undergarments at work so I don’t need to transport those daily. I keep everything in the 1 cabinet that I lock since I tell my staff they can dig through the other cabinets when they have emergency coffee/snack needs

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*sigh* Didn’t win again. I won something in the Bike Arlington post-bike-to-work-day raffle though, so that will comfort me until August…

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