[Geoff]

@Terpfan 90463 wrote:

Green and white shirt? If so, I was sitting next to you. I was in the far upper right corner. I did have a way to identify myself sort of–I was wearing a Maryland Athletics shirt .

I’m red-green colorblind. I don’t actually know what color shirt I was wearing. (I used to drive around in a blue-green car with a purple canoe on top. I thought it was a blue car and a blue canoe.)
But I’m tall, thin, short grey hair.
I think the guy you are thinking of was sitting between us.

[Geoff]

@Terpfan 90433 wrote:

I thought it was a pretty good class and saw Kathy there. Of course, this morning I decided to play with the barrel adjuster a little. The problem was I didn’t pay attention to which way I turned it and so I stopped 3 or 4x to adjust back as close to normal as I could get. Good I learned it, but bad I forgot Jake’s (instructors) comments about it while riding.

I’m thinking of doing their paid class although the volunteering route also sounds good. I’m more interested in just getting good at providing myself with tuneups more than anything else. So the little things like changing brake pads, cleaning drive train assembly, installing new cables, etc are valuable. I doubt I will figure out trueing the wheel nor am I sure I want to.

I was there also, sitting in the front right, directly in front of Kathy.
I sometimes wish there was a way to identify ourselves by forum handle at places where forumites are likely to show up.

[Geoff]

Me: riding north on the 15th street cycle track, just south of F St.
You: Pedestrian walking in the same direction, also on the cycle track, on the left side (so, the wrong lane, assuming there is a correct lane for a pedestrian in a cycle track).

I called my pass and then, since there was another cyclist bearing down on you from the opposite direction, politely suggested you should not be in the cycle track. You responded with “Thank you very much, @$$#0!3” and continued with other abuse about F’in bicyclists etc.

I was very glad not to be waiting at a red light with you. I was also pleased that you had the attention of about 4 cops riding bicycles.

[Geoff]

@rcannon100 90393 wrote:

Another option is to volunteer for Phoenix Bikes (or Velocity Bikes). Tuesday night is Volunteer night where volunteers help fix bikes up for sale. I have already learned how to true a tire and repack a hub. Have also learned some cute tricks on working on brakes.

Hadn’t thought of this but it sounds like a really good idea.

[Geoff]

@Arlingtonrider 90388 wrote:

I’ve been to several similar programs at REI and am sure it will be a demo in the training room in the back of the store.

That’s what I expect also. 45 people is too many people, in too little time, for any meaningful hands-on.

REI does have hands-on sessions. If memory serves, there will be an all-day session, run by one of their mechanics, for maximum 8 attendees on Saturday 7/26. Registrants will bring their own bikes and will pay $150 for the class.

[Geoff]

On the other hand, there was an article yesterday about a possible link between the amount of time a man spends biking and his chances of prostate cancer. 😮
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-finds-link-between-mens-biking-and-prostate-cancer-erectile-issuse-not-found/2014/07/14/34cbda54-0847-11e4-8a6a-19355c7e870a_story.html

[Geoff]

@Emm 90210 wrote:

…all the time when I’m on my hybrid. This is because…

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

[Geoff]

So, I’m at a crosswalk. Car approaching from the left is slowing to a stop. I wait to see what the car on the right does; it rolls right through the crosswalk. Let’s see what the next car on the right does; OK, it’s stopping. Both cars stopped, I start to cross.

But no! The driver on the left, the first to stop, has grown impatient and now is going through the crosswalk! Startled, I stop and give thanks for avoiding a trip to the emergency room.

[Geoff]

@americancyclo 90062 wrote:

not so missed connection from the other morning. The ped was ok, a bit of a scraped arm. The cyclist seemed ok, but her handlebars were turned around and stuck under her brake cable. I advised she get it looked over at her LBS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-SpZTHsoM

Probably either the pedestrian or the cyclist could have avoided this with just a little more attention. What scares me is that any of us could be the one who causes an accident by a moment’s inattention. I nearly caused one myself, earlier this week. I was so focussed on where I needed to go I almost made an unsignalled left turn, without checking behind me first. Just then, another cyclist made an unannounced pass. We were saved from a T-bone by timing; he passed just before I started my turn. I muttered a prayer of thanks for avoiding a collision and made my turn when it was safe.

[Geoff]

@jrenaut 89939 wrote:

Is anyone else kind of terrified by the number of heat and cold records we’ve broken in the last year-ish?

Well, yes, and I am convinced it is on the whole caused by a changing climate. With the caveat of course that no one event can be conclusively tied to climate change.

I also believe that even unusual cold spells may be related to global warming, because periods of change produce all kinds of swings.
But I don’t believe we will muster the political will to do anything about it.

[Geoff]

Dear Miss Manners:
On a recent ride on a multi-use trail I came to an intersection with a street. I had a green light, so I proceeded into the crosswalk. At the same time a driver, eyes glued to a phone, pulled into the crosswalk directly in front of me.

I wanted the driver to know I was there, to take her eyes off the phone, and to realize she should not have been blocking the crosswalk. So, as I manuevered around her car, I swatted the car. Might have even hit the hood.

It felt good at the time but now I’m having second thoughts. Was I being a bully? Did I escalate the motorist-cyclist wars? Do I deserve to have a broomstick stuck in my spokes?

Sincerely,
Bike Ninja

[Geoff]

@dasgeh 89825 wrote:

While there were some comments about height…

Whew! Being a “person of height” I thought for a moment there was an attack on taller than average people!

[Geoff]

@tdebruyn 89708 wrote:

I signed up a while back. I’m riding, but will suffer as I have not been able to ride as much as I wanted. I just moved this past month, that and the kids sports schedules have put my way behind. Hoping to cram in long rides in the next few weekends.

Great! Glad to hear someone else plans to take part.

I’m planning to ride with my brother, who still lives in Michigan, but I’m not sure he’ll really be ready. He did it once before, so he knows what is involved, but he doesn’t seem to be training very hard. Hope he surprises me, I would like us to ride together.

[Geoff]

Me: riding slowly behind another rider, who was riding slowly behind a big knot of joggers, on Custis, just before a bend that completely blocked the view of oncoming traffic.

You: woman cyclist who blew past the lot of us, cheerily calling “on your left!” as you went by.

Wow! If anyone at all had been in that oncoming lane, it would have been ugly. And your hair is as gray as mine; you should have known better.

We all do bone-headed things sometimes so I hate to judge, but there are too many threads on this forum about people getting hurt.

[Geoff]

My wife, Cathy, and I rode down to Occoquan for lunch on Sunday. A good part of the way was on the Fairfax County Parkway Bike Trail.

Someone on this forum described this trail as being “utilitarian.” I think that is being kind. It is paved, but badly needs to be swept to rid it of sand, gravel, broken glass and other broken car stuff. Next, the vegetation needs to be cut back in many spots. There are places where half the trail width is unusable because of overhanging shrubbery.

If we could take care of those issues it would almost be up to the level of the Custis. Like the Custis there are sections that need to be repaved, but we can deal with that. The permanent problem, IMHO, is simply it is the Parkway trail and as such is quite close to the cars. Riding with traffic on country roads is one thing, riding with a steady stream of cars roaring by is something else.

After all that griping I admit we will likely ride it again, just not very often. I’ll probably take my commuter bike next time, not my nice road bike. But is there any way to get it swept?

[Author]

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