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@DrP 128596 wrote:

The problem with these references is that if you go looking for “the rules” they aren’t there any more.

Here are “the rules”. It took me months to figure out whatthehell people were talking about; I’m convinced obfuscation is part of the game. Now you know too, and we can all go back to breaking rules #1-3. :rolleyes:

@Tania 128603 wrote:

Where did you get them? The only place online (with decent prices) that I’m familiar with is Chain Reaction.

I had a long chat with the Schwalbe rep at Philly Bike Expo. He recommended ordering through your LBS, good for everyone in the supply chain — I’ve got new road tires coming (no, not studs). Chain Reaction is in the U.K., though they do ship stuff to the U.S. and have decent prices.

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Peter and I did a loop up that way recently.

• MCT to Georgetown
• CCT to Bethesda
• Georgetown Branch Trail to Silver Spring
• Sligo Creek Trail to Hyattsville

This track stops at Shortcake Bakery. We actually continued on to College Park and rode Metro home, but apparently I forgot to resume my routing.

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We really just stumbled on the bakery itself, but it looked so appealing we wanted to take a break. The sign said they had just closed, but she opened the door and invited us inside while they were cleaning up. We ate several of their treats, one more delicious than the next, and felt like we’d really lucked out to encounter such great hospitality.

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So case in point, if it weren’t for the bike trail, we never would’ve stopped there. And I would totally go back again.

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@lordofthemark 126890 wrote:

Because the rhetoric, and much of the feeling (at least among church members, even if the leadership is insincere) is not about the bike lane but about gentrification.

FTW

Why The Fight Over A Bike Lane In Shaw Isn’t About Biking

“I suspect that many within the bicycling community don’t understand or know the history of the faith community in the District of Columbia,” he said. “So let’s come to the table and let’s talk. Quite frankly, I don’t think that is the responsibility of the bicycle lobby. They do what they do. That’s the responsibility of the city to make sure that happens.”

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@Tania 128287 wrote:

I haven’t yet encountered a too-bright light in an oncoming bicyclist.

If an oncoming light seems bright, I just look away (to the right edge of the trail, so I can still “see” with peripheral vision). Same reaction I learned in driving school to avoid getting scorched by high beams.

Every cyclist out there in the dark is presumably just trying to get home safely, like I am. I usually assume it’s someone I might know and I can’t spare any irritation over it. If you’ve been yelled at, it wasn’t me.

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Just interjecting some Vaya solidarity, bluerider. Mine has an Ultegra triple, which was stock for the 2014 Vaya Travel. Occasionally I’ve wished for a granny gear, when we’re loaded down for touring and climbing some unexpected hill, and I’ve not had chain drop issues at all. I haven’t really thought to change anything.

Adventure Cycling had a good article which might provide some info: The Drivetrain Dilemma.

Sorry I’m not much help with your question about the 1×10 setup. It’s an intriguing idea, and I’ll be curious what you decide.

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@Steve O 128029 wrote:

You can also do all of this on line if you set up a SmarTrip account.
If I were you I would just keep the old card for use by out of town visitors or as back up.

I got a new card today, and registered it with my SmarTrip account. The “Card Type #4” cards are the ones they need for Bike & Ride.

You can transfer $ from and old card to a new one online, but it’s under the option to Report Cards as Lost, Stolen Damaged or Malfunctioning. There’s no way to do it without deactivating the old card, unfortunately. I kept both cards, and just added $ to the new one. The steps to register for Bike & Ride also include a place to register your bike(s) with Metro Transit Police.

So the “Bike Link” card idea that he mentioned in the video didn’t happen? I don’t mind free, and it’s easier not to manage another card.

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@PotomacCyclist 127982 wrote:

These bike rooms could be very useful for outer suburban stations.

I don’t disagree with this. At the very least, I could envision bike rooms at all the same stations that have parking lots or garages. Since bike rooms take up a lot less space, I would hope Bike & Ride could be more widespread.

The bike room at Union Station is called Bikestation, which is privately run and you have to pay for a membership ($12/month or $96/year). I had considered using it when I was living in Anne Arundel County and commuting via MARC train. But I found Capital Bikeshare to be more convenient and flexible than keeping my own bike at Union Station.

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Getting a little more specific about how to register for Bike & Ride……

I received this info from WMATA today:

“Yes the Bike and Ride facility is still on track to be completed by December/January at East Falls Church. It will be free using your Smart Trip card as long as it is registered with WMATA. You can actually register your card online now with WMATA if you like so when the Bike and Ride facility is completed you will be on our pre-registered list and will be granted access immediately. Also your Smart Trip card must start with the number 0167 on the back to be used at the Bike and Ride facility.”

I have an old SmarTrip card with the wrong numbers, so I called to ask how to meet that requirement. They said just to buy a new SmarTrip card. Then if I call them back (SmarTrip® Customer Service at 1-888-762-7874) they can transfer my balance from the old card to a new one, which might take up to 48 hours, and the old card will be deactivated.

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@KayakCyndi 127994 wrote:

I love my commute!

Trying to get through Georgetown was a nightmarish lane-splitting mess. When I actually got to the barricades, it improved. I actually rode the wrong way down the middle of M Street for a couple of blocks, just because I could, and nobody blinked an eye. Crazy nutty morning!

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We rode up to College Park yesterday, and made a point to see the new Bike & Ride facility there. If the others (pending at East Falls Church and Vienna) are this nice, it will be a huge step up in secure, bike friendly accommodations for Metro.

A bike repair station, with tools and air pump, is outside. Inside is a huge, covered space with many U-racks and some of those elevator racks. Note there’s a security camera watching inside the locked gate.

You’ll have to register for Bike & Ride with a registered SmarTrip card, which can be done online.

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@Steve O 127898 wrote:

Have you been to EFC lately? That seems optimistic. It’s just a fence around a bunch of mud.

Yup, that’s still the case. The signs and the station manager are sticking to their story of completion in December.

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I’ve talked to the station manager at East Falls Church, and their bike & ride facility is under construction due to open next month. Vienna is in the works too.

Vaya is too theft-prone to lock up outside, but I’ve stalled on paying for a bike locker knowing this is coming soon. Especially in the winter, options are good. I just wonder how crowded it will get, as a lot of people bike to that station.

Agreed, I hope Metro plans to build them everywhere!

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My friend Peter went down last week as well, riding in the dark on the Holmes Run trail. One hip is still throbbing, and a Mac laptop that was in his messenger bag is in the shop getting repaired.

Clearly we’re all gonna die.

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The Cider Ride is now sold out, no waiting list. I procrastinated, now I’m sad.

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Definitely, stop as soon as you realize you’ve messed up. They teach that to kids if they get separated from their family, and it’s just as valid for adults.

And geezlouise, your description just gave me a wicked flashback. About, hmm, 20+ years ago I was taking graduate classes at GWU and driving downtown (from Virginia) after work. It was always a hassle trying to get to class on time. A full-time job plus night school, very stressful.

Anyway, one night I took that exact same wrong turn and wound up on Rock Creek Parkway, a speeding array of headlights on an unlit road headed god knows where in the wrong direction. There’s absolutely no way to escape until you get to Mass Ave, and then I was stuck among the embassies feeling pretty stupid.

I’m not one to break down into sobbing fits of hysteria, but that experience did me in. I think I bailed on class, got home somehow, and crawled under the covers. That intersection at rush hour must be some kind of Foggy Bottom Funnel for the Feckless, one lapse of attention and you’re halfway to nowhere. It seemed that way in a car, and I can only imagine on a bike it would be exponentially frightening.

@brookeewhite 127720 wrote:

Please someone else say this has happened to them, too?

Well there ya go. Good for your for not giving up, and keep us posted as you master the commute home!

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