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Currently I use tiny little zip ties (3 of them) for my rear brake cable, and carry spares plus a little pair of snippers in my travel tool kit. (A Swiss Army knife also works, which I generally have anyway.) Having a reusable velcro option could be nice!

My two derailleur cables are coupled with little barrel splitters.

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Happy to share the enthusiasm, and I can’t wait to hear about your first adventures!

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@hozn 159843 wrote:

Which case do you recommend? Is the Copilot worth the premium?

I’m to the point where I am looking at cases.

Based on the two styles we have, the Copilot definitely wins. Having wheels and a handle is just a lot easier while lugging the bike through train stations, to hotels, etc. It has sturdy handles on all four sides, for whenever you need to hump it into a luggage rack. It’s made of a durable fabric with hard plastic internal supports, which means it’s less likely to be crushed during travel, but it’s still flexible enough to accommodate the wheels and frame. Large pockets on the outside are nice for tools and accessories.

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@mstone 149791 wrote:

It’s definitely not a spur of the moment “I think I’ll throw the bike in the car” kind of serendipity

Sometimes it is.

This past weekend we’d planned a trip to Lynchburg VA, for the primary purpose of a train excursion pulled by a historic steam engine (J-611). We took Amtrak so we wouldn’t have to drive (and because you just can’t ride enough trains in one weekend). Our hotel was in town, but about 5 miles from where the trip started, and 2 miles from the Amtrak station. We’d figured out the local bus system and found a reliable cab service to get around. But since the train excursion was Sunday and we had all day Saturday to goof off and explore, at the last minute we decided to take our bikes — last-minute meaning the day before we left. Packed them up, took them to the King Street station, and hauled our bikes onto Amtrak as carry-on luggage.

Having bikes for transportation within Lynchburg was a lot nicer than not having them. Lynchburg is nicknamed Hill City for good reason, but the streets are fairly quiet and there’s also a few bike trails. Saturday we were up early to watch the steam engine crossing a trestle, then we visited museums, a historic home, climbed the famed Monument Terrace, and snacked at the community market. The parts we didn’t want to ride, we just locked up and walked. Near the end of the day we took the trail out to Percival’s Island for a nature break and views of the (very flooded) James River.

Sunday we were out even earlier to join our trip at 6:30 AM (early morning hill ride on vacation). We packed up the bikes that evening for Amtrak on Monday morning. I didn’t get a chance to put my bike together again until before work today, but I had a little extra time, and I think it took less than an hour.

Before:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14734[/ATTACH]

After:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14735[/ATTACH]

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@DrP 159297 wrote:

It is only mildly better than a set of townhouses. The traffic on that road will get crazy. I can see why neighbors are complaining.

Nah. With that prime location, you wouldn’t need to drive 90% of the time.

I want one!

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@KLizotte 159287 wrote:

You’re not planning on riding her and getting her all messed up are you?!

@Vicegrip 159276 wrote:

It is a guy too. No pomp, no muss no Rules.

Beautiful restoration! That gem begs to be ridden.

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@KWL 159119 wrote:

It is good to keep in mind accusations of jaywalking was a way for motorists to delegitimize pedestrians. http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-76-the-modern-moloch/

Exactly. As continues today, with motorists trying to delegitimize cyclists wanting to use the streets. No question, the idiot behavior of the guy blowing a red light endangers lives. But kowtowing to unreasonable standards of perfect law-abiding behavior (when the laws were written for motorists, and when drivers aren’t held equally accountable) won’t move us forward. It’s a long and stubborn history to have to turn back, if we truly want our streets to be a multi-use environment. We have to keep advocating for our own rights and safety, to undo the revolution that created this car-centric culture in the first place.

“Before the advent of the automobile, users of city streets were diverse and included children at play and pedestrians at large. By 1930, most streets were primarily a motor thoroughfares where children did not belong and where pedestrians were condemned as “jaywalkers.” In Fighting Traffic, Peter Norton argues that to accommodate automobiles, the American city required not only a physical change but also a social one: before the city could be reconstructed for the sake of motorists, its streets had to be socially reconstructed as places where motorists belonged. It was not an evolution, he writes, but a bloody and sometimes violent revolution.” (The book, referenced in KWL’s article above, is a great but exasperating read.)

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Already 90 people registered for Climate Ride ‘Red White & Blue Ridge’ ride. 25 SPOTS LEFT. Three days of riding along the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, and into Washington DC. September 24-26, 2017.

WABA’s information meeting is tonight.

Or if you can, join the NatGeo team for lunch tomorrow! Just let me know to expect you.

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@scoot 158948 wrote:

And the most important point: if we want to “Ride The Drive” again without motorized traffic, we need to provide a lot of positive feedback to NPS.

I also heard that the mayor of Front Royal was not especially enthusiastic about supporting the event, and he could use some gratitude regarding provision of their facilities for parking as well as encouragement from any cyclists who spent money in town.

Done, and done.

@huskerdont 158960 wrote:

I was ready to ride, and it really was fine.

Then why does Judd keep calling you “the guy with bad knees” :confused:

Cars and crunchy joints or not, I’ll be back to ride SNP!!

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For anyone considering this year’s ride through Shenandoah…… Do it!!! I participated with Climate Ride on the NYC to DC route last year, and I can’t say enough good things about the whole experience. The Climate Ride team took excellent care of us, and we had nothing to worry about besides riding our bikes and thinking about saving the Earth. Evenings were fun and great opportunities to make connections. The fundraising was not as daunting as you might fear.

WABA is having a Climate Ride meet-and-greet at their offices this Wednesday evening. And the NatGeo team is doing one at lunchtime on Thursday, if you happen to be downtown.

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@AFHokie 158910 wrote:

Hate to say it, but knee issues have me out. Have fun tomorrow everyone

Solidarity! I’ve been coping with a torn meniscus, actually tried to ride yesterday, and bailed before I got to Dickey Ridge. Peter went on, while I went for a walking tour in Front Royal (after sobbing in the parking lot — okay, not really, but I kinda wanted to). Thinking that arthroscopic surgery just might be the faster way to recovery, though I’ve been avoiding it and just doing PT until now. Hope you figure out what’s going on and find the path to feeling better.

The first climb wasn’t awful, but had I taken my road bike I wouldn’t have just been grinding uphill in the lowest gear. Not sustainable on sore knees.

NPS did a bang-up job, the rangers were super friendly and supportive. And since we did visit a bookstore, had excellent brews at the Beer Museum, dinner at a restaurant, and ice cream cones, the mayor of Front Royal will get my thanks as well.

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@huskerdont 158851 wrote:

I’m amazed at that as well, but I’m more amazed at how often drivers seem to be angry at the person they hit or almost hit.

I think that’s a fear response, manifesting inappropriately.

In Europe where the negligence laws are different and responsibility almost always lands on the driver (opposite of the U.S.), it might actually be anger.

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@drevil 158600 wrote:

Arrived after sunset but was still able to set up my tent in the afterglow.

Ahhhh, nothing like a solo shakedown trip. So fun!

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@drevil 158517 wrote:

Anyone know if the water pumps are turned on/have handles yet (or know who I can call/email to find out)?

Peter and his kid did a mini-tour on the C&O Sun-Wed this week. Handles were on and water available from DC to Harpers Ferry, but above Antietam things were dry (he stopped in Williamsport). Seems like they’re in the process but haven’t gotten all the way yet.

Rimas is riding Pittsburgh to DC this week, so he may post updates.

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I wonder when they’ll stop parking ART buses at the south end of Eads across from the bus depot? Considering it’s Arlington Co poaching their own bike lanes, it’s especially annoying.

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