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@bentbike33 183342 wrote:

Proposing extended hours for HDCC on 12/5/2018 in honor of the late GHW Bush. I’m thinking of getting there maybe 8:15.

In! I’m taking my car to the shop (in Ballston) and will stop at HDCC afterwards.

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@Judd 183091 wrote:

We had a few drivers on the gravel roads in the area buzz us at speed.

While I got carted off in an ambulance, an officer was dispatched to pick up my bike and keep it in a van at the station where he met us when we could retrieve it. Turns out he runs the cops-on-bikes program in Loudoun County, and was in total agreement about the state of roads and bike safety out there. As he handed me my crunched Vaya he told me he owns two Salsa bikes with fat tires, tries to avoid cars, but that even some of the gravel roads he considers dangerous because of the drivers.

We need a Gravel Bike Comfort Map.

I am keenly aware that there are no guarantees anywhere, but where to ride with relative low stress is becoming a real question for me.

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Outcome of the case for the guy who hit me — found guilty in Loudoun County District Court, charged $100 fine plus court costs.

I could not attend this morning because of a PT appointment, my recovery is ongoing.

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@Jessica Hirschhorn 183044 wrote:

I guess the old adage “Never trust the LIVING” rings true. (Betelgeuse).

Hi Jessica!

My .02 is something akin to what you said, i.e. never trust a driver in a vehicle. Not that you did anything wrong, the only thing you could’ve done differently is wait to see his tail lights before proceeding.

Drivers act like they’re the only ones who belong on the road, and since he was the last one through the intersection he figured a turn signal wasn’t worth the effort. Not sure if he cut the corner, but he may have seen you (iffy) and not accounted for the fact you’d started through the intersection.

The only sure way no vehicle is ends your life is to avoid occupying the same space. Betting that drivers will 1) see you and 2) yield is a risky gamble. I like to hear chirping crickets before I cross, and it may mean waiting awhile.

Glad nobody was hurt, but scary nonetheless.

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@Judd 183030 wrote:

What bikey things are on your list this year?

Right around Christmas, Santa should be bringing me a Klatch with custom gearing, paint colors, and a dyno hub. Set up as a touring bike, but with big capacity for fat tires to get the heck off the roads.

Gift courtesy of an insurance settlement from my crash in September. The elves are working on it right now.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18601[/ATTACH]

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@creadinger 182778 wrote:

I always assumed that was the center of the universe, where time and space and reason have no meaning.

And you would be absolutely correct. :p

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@Judd 182779 wrote:

Somebody should definitely Lumberjack this.

Not sure if anyone did or not, but the protected lane looks sufficient to me.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18582[/ATTACH]

And the crosswalk signal is much more visible.
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@accordioneur 182738 wrote:

Gee, look, there’s already a National Landing web site!”

So. Many. Names.

Gonna need a map with overlays or something. I feel like I could stand on a street corner and legitimately be in numerous places at once. Arlington should stay out of the naming business (she says, from the corner of S Glebe and W Glebe, where S Glebe is to the north), historically they suck at it.

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Bikes make great shuttles.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18576[/ATTACH]
(Suwannee River 2015)

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So here’s an elegant solution I just learned about.

White Industries makes a crank set for gravel riding called the G30. You can get it as a 1X or 2X, and the double option lets you choose among a wide array of chainrings (called VBC) to configure the gear ratio you want. All compatible with 9, 10 and 11 speed drivetrains.

For those of you who follow our local touring icons TenMetersFromTheHut and FlakyTartDough, this is the setup they have on their low trail Waterfords, which they’re currently riding around the world. They chose 44/28t for the chainrings, which reportedly work just fine with Ultegra shifters. If it’s good enough for Kazakhstan…..

Given all the possible combinations, I went down the rabbit hole with a gear calculator. 46/26t chainrings and a standard 11-34t 11-spd cassette results in a range of 20.6 to 112.9 gear inches (assuming 700×38 tires and 170 crank arms). Still not quite as impressive as the Pinion P.18 (17.8 to 111.7) but getting close. There may be some tradeoffs in expanding the range and reducing the gear overlap, but I’m not sure what those are besides getting used to shifting such a beast — White Ind simply recommends not more than a 24-tooth gap between small and big rings.

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I have the exact same panniers. They’re lightweight, durable, easy to use with external pockets for the small stuff. They’re great for commuting and light touring. At zero cost, they’re a total win!

The only thing they’re not is fully waterproof. For a rainy trip I tried soaking mine with a commercial waterproofing spray, which was only marginally effective. Ultimately I bought a set of nylon covers.

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I’ve replaced the pads on BB7s many times, and didn’t know bedding was a thing.

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@hozn 182489 wrote:

I probably missed this from earlier in the thread, but I believe you will need a TanPan (or equivalent from jTech) to allow 11sp road shifters to work with the mtb rear derailleur. https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/derailleur-optimization/products/tanpan

If you do end up having to source these parts yourself, lemme know

Very interesting. Still waiting to see what Co-Motion comes up with, but I’ll keep this offer in mind – thanks Hozn!

As of today the Vaya is still sitting sad and forlorn in my basement. Peter wants to send the cracked frame off to Bilenky, who said they could assess and possibly fix it (replace the downtube and realign the rest). If it happens, I’d eventually be in the market for a drive train, wheels, and other things. I’m not hopeful about that project but who knows really, I just haven’t had the heart to take it apart yet and see what’s salvageable.

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@zsionakides 182467 wrote:

the PBLs and sharrow Army Navy Drive path are next to 10 (soon to be 11) lanes of I-395 with no sound wall

FYI, adding a sound wall along Army Navy Drive is in Transurban’s imminent plan for widening I-395.

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@peterw_diy 182380 wrote:

So why not keep using triples? Yes, they’re unfashionable, but so what?

It’s not an option unless I want to buy the frame and build it myself. I’ll be happy with an Ultegra double if it’s the right gear range. Still working out whether CoMo will jigger their stock setup for me, or if I’ll do that myself later.

“Orange” is way too general for these folks, the question is WHICH orange? Emm, they did just add a new pink. Alas…. mine will be neither of those.

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