[FFX_Hinterlands]

@DismalScientist 9691 wrote:

Khakis, with a rolled up cuff down to about 30 degrees. :p
I don’t do rain.

Ha, Ha. I’m with you. My work Khakis are fine between 55 degrees and 30. Colder than that I might wear long underwear under the pants. Or maybe I’ll just wear thicker pants.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@eminva 10230 wrote:

This sounds very interesting; who offers it and where/when?

Thanks.

Liz

See more here: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/ The search interface is pretty bad, but the class info is there. You can also find the classes on the WABA website. http://www.waba.org/education/calendar.php

I found out about the classes from Bruce Wright, Chairman of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). He’s also an League Certified Instructor.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@eminva Funny that the best informations about commuting bikes seem to be listening to your peers on places like this forum. I contribute to a blog called “Bikes for the Rest of Us” where we focus on choosing transportation bicycles. Bike shops are often no help, at least out here in the suburbs.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve taken the TS101 class (Traffic Skills). It included basic stuff on parts of a bike, safety, etc. There is a classroom (online) and hands-on part that includes safety drills, riding in traffic, etc. I highly recommend the class and I plan on taking the LCI (League Certified Instructor) class at some point.

The best way to get people to take the course is to make it easy and free; however, the class takes at least 8 hours of hands-on activity. The class is really, dollar for dollar, the biggest bang for your buck for your safety. No fancy helmet, day-glow outfit or $400 LED lights are going to make up for proper training when it comes to safety.

That being said, I rode behind a neighbor this week on my way to work. He took a shortcut through a row of parked cars, salmoned the wrong way on the road multiple times, was a gutter bunny, ran through lights, etc. These are choices that put you in danger and generally make cyclists look bad. The training tells you where you’re exposed to dangers, and it’s not always intuitive.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Platform pedals with hiking boots and wool socks works for me. The whole overboot/shoe cover thing seems fussy to me. How do you stop off at the store for milk wearing those things?

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I purchased a Timbuk2 Classic Messenger for about $20 from Moosejaw a couple of months ago. It took forever to ship to me but it was worth the wait.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

This is great. I would love to see a regular Cargo ride out here in the suburbs.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Has anyone ever used a rain cape? It seems to make sense because it’s more ventilated and keeps the rain from running down your jacket onto your crotch.
http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html

Personally I have an e-Vent running jacket (REI Brand) that works very well. It has breathable stretchy panels under the arms. It’s breathable enough to wear as a windbreaker on cold winter days. I have rain pants and waterproof low hiking boots as well.
I’m riding an upright 3 speed with platform pedals, which is a rare combination in these forums, I think.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Lights on your dog.. makes me think of the Phineas and Ferb song “Squirrel in your pants.”

Here are some reflective dog products from my favorite dirt-cheap-led-light website:
http://www.dontgethit.com/reflective-pet-wear.html

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Kathy,
About a month ago I asked the twitter world and came up with this post on Lovely Bicycle.
http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2010/11/fondness-for-bottle.html

Here’s a test of dynamo output:
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/dynotest.html

I’m on the fence between rebuilding a perfectly good wheel with a dynamo hub or just installing a bottle dynamo. Velo Orange has a cheap $20 dynamo and Velo Fred has the mid-grade $30 Axa bottle dynamo. The B&M seems to be one of the best ones out there from an adjustment, drag and slippage perspective. The good news is if you buy switched lights you can always add a hub dynamo later and keep your lights.

If anyone is wondering I’m thinking about the B&M Lyt (25 Lux for $50). You can get a cheapie 10 lux basta light at velo fred for $17. I think 10 lux is about the same output as 1 watt Planet Bike Blaze? The decent $100 lights are about 40 lux if you’re going fast in the dark.

Tom

[FFX_Hinterlands]

The official response makes me cringe as well. Way out here in Eastern Loudoun County we have 4000 people who work across an arterial road from a major shopping center (grocery store, shops, restaurants). VDOT removed a signalized crosswalk from one side of the street, forcing peds to cross additional times to get to the shopping center. Their answer was similar… they didn’t want cars to be kept waiting so the removed the signal. The message is clear… cars come first. I don’t like it.

I should also mention that this shopping center is about 1/3 mile from the W&OD. The road that intersects the W&OD is 4-6 lanes with a median, 45mph. No sidewalks, Shared-use paths or bike lanes. Thanks, Loudoun County and VDOT. As it turns out new bicycle commuters intimidated by 45mph speed limits, 4 lanes and no shared-use path. We do our best to educate riders on taking the lane and holding their ground.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

James,
Thanks for sharing. Love it. Smiths Switch Station should be on there, somewhere. +1 on fitting into landscape, somehow.

Tom

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Tire pressure and width make a hugh difference on gravel, but the easiest change might be the saddle. You could get a suspension seat post or a sprung saddle and try that out. Velo Orange makes very nice leather sprung saddles at various widths if that interests you. In general the higher your handlebars with respect to your seat height, the wider the saddle. This is because your pelvis rotates forward when you “lean over” to reach handlebars, so you can take a narrower saddle than if the handlebars are up higher. Unfortunately most sprung saddles you find in LBS are wide (for cruiser bikes) and may not be appropriate for your bike.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Roller brake, dynohub, wheel lock (is that abus or axa?). Love it!

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve been riding around on a patch for over a year… I keep *meaning* to replace it. Anyhow, I prefer to patch since I can sometimes do so without removing chainguard, shifter cable, coaster brake arm and wheel nuts. I forgot my pump today, though, so I’ll probably get a flat later.

[Author]

Posts