[GuyContinental]

@vvill 37083 wrote:

I ran to the finish line from the break, and asked the officials how I could finish vs DNF, and they said I had to run another lap. After a couple mins of running, an official signalled to me and took pity on me – he said I could just run a half-lap to finish (short cut through the pits).

Dang… now I feel ridiculous for not running- but I honestly thought that such silliness would be frowned upon in the tighter sections of the race… in cross, worried about silliness… yeah. Newb indeed.

Great job Will!

[GuyContinental]

@jabberwocky 37076 wrote:

What rims? I run tubeless on my MTB, but not on anything else. Rolling the tire off the rim might indicate the tire/rim combo just aren’t holding together very well.

Older version of THESE

[GuyContinental]

@Dan_ator 37002 wrote:

I am down for this as well. Assuming I can ride every day to work, my total would be around 225 a week. As an aside, I started biking to work a few weeks ago, from Dupont to Reston. Based on what I see, most people commute the opposite. Does anyone go my way?

Yup- I do Clarendon to Sterling via Custis & WOD 3x a week. I’ll PM you- there are two other pretty stout riders and nominal BA lurkers that do Palisades to Sterling and Westover to Reston respectively that I regularly ride with as well.

[GuyContinental]

@Dirt 37039 wrote:

Guy

Awesome! I look like I’m grimacing, but I think that I was actually yelling Peeeeettttteee!

Gotta say that CX racing could be a habit- after I survived the first 5 minutes it was all sorts of fun and I think that I was still somewhere in the top 25% before I flatted out on the third lap (also right in front of Pete)… I should have kept running, honestly I didn’t realize that was Kosher.

Nice to meet Bilsko, ArlingtonRider, DCV and others. Special thanks to DCV for helping me flip my number around… newb mistake for sure. Oh and Sean, that tuck and roll was epic, the only plus of my flat was that I got to see it in person!

[GuyContinental]

@Arlingtonrider 36880 wrote:

A minute later: Just saw the note above that Strava allows manual entries. So I wouldn’t necessarily need a compatible device??

Manual entries work fine- it can be a touch awkward because you need to enter start time as HH:MM:SS but it’s not that tough. As for day to day use, I use the Cyclemeter App on my iPhone (paired with Wahoo ANT+ sensors) but if I were to do it over I’d probably do the Garmin 500…

[GuyContinental]

Not that I don’t love the enthusiasm… but isn’t this getting a bit complicated? Multiple teams, platform-specific data entry (google docs)… Why not just use the BA club on Strava and heckle from there? Allows manual entry and it’s easy to summarize (individual) miles and hours by month.

Regardless, I’d love to participate in the VA-centric 75-150 mile/week bracket (whatever that may be)

[GuyContinental]

Alright, I’m in (missed pre-reg though). CAT4 here I come (my first CX race!)- look for a black LeMond and a “Thunderbird” kit.

Also riding in starting at about 06:15 from Clarendon (any takers?), may stop and join Dirt et al in Vienna but having to register on-site will complicate timing a bit. If my captive non CX spectator decides to sleep in I may leave even earlier and do the DR trails into the park (if anyone wants to flail in the dark, let me know)

[GuyContinental]

@dasgeh 36781 wrote:

I’m pretty sure having kids didn’t affect YOUR body so much…

Yup, I learned last year that one does not belly-ache about one’s extreme weight loss with one’s noble and long suffering spousal unit (be she a rider or not).

That said, I picked up a kid wrong the last week of September and wrenched my back so badly that I was off the bike for 5 weeks, so the little buggers do have impact. (I know, I know… not the same thing)

[GuyContinental]

@Bilsko 36774 wrote:

I’m thinking of riding up with Dirt and while I’m not sure what his planned route is, I can guess as much from his user handle. You say the CCT stretch is not road bike friendly – what about a tourer (Surly Disc Trucker) with stock Conti Contact 700×37 tires? I’ve been meaning to pick up a set of CX tires for the winter anyways and maybe this is a good excuse to do so…

700×37 would probably be fine (but I’d walk the creek crossing). You might end up walking some of the climbs described by JW and there is one loose descent in that same section that might be interesting without lugs- as he said, doable but probably not much fun. Also, the early section really holds water in the cold season so you might find yourself in mud. I generally wait as much as a week after rain before busting out the CX tires.

The Ice Rink entrance would be fine- check out my Strava link above to see exactly where it is.

[GuyContinental]

@jabberwocky 36766 wrote:

See my map here: http://www.logoffrideon.com/trails/index.php?title=File:LORO_lake_fairfax_map_wip_11.jpg

What a fantastic map! Thanks! I see that although my mileage in there is high, I have much more to explore. Any more of those up your sleeve? Avalon perhaps? Non-standard ‘Shed? EF?

[GuyContinental]

@GuyContinental 36764 wrote:

It’s beginner MTB single track

Clarifying my own post- “beginner” is subjective, this section of the CCT is a solid step up from crushed gravel trails but does not have major logs or large rocks. Small roots and rocks abound and there are some stout climbs and descents on uneven terrain. Roughly equivalent to the main loop at Wakefield in difficulty *maybe* a smidge harder after Colvin Run. Also, the creek crossing is no joke, currently there is 6″ of mud on the entry and falling in in the pre-dawn hours would be… bad… (there is a pedestal trail detour) which I use when it’s super cold or the water is high.

I ride a CX in there in the dark- with a MTB and daylight, it’s no big deal

[GuyContinental]

@TwoWheelsDC 36761 wrote:

Same dilemma for me. Based on the photos I’ve seen of Difficult Run and my experiences with other sections of the CCT, it is at least mostly unpaved and probably not easy riding for regular road bikes. My plan is just to ride out to Wiehle and take that up and around the park. According to Google, it’s only like a mile or so longer, but it seems like the safest/easiest option, for me at least.

As a near-daily rider of the CCT to LFP (I do it on my commute whenever possible) entering Tamarack Park (just before HM) and exiting at Michael Faraday in Reston (Ice Rink) I can help here- It’s beginner MTB single track with a paved Difficult Run crossing that will have 4″ of water in it. There are no major technical features until you get into the park proper. That said, it is not a path for a true road bike or on slick tires (although I’ve done it).

Link to W&OD through park route: http://app.strava.com/activities/29675367

Hunter Mill as an alternate is not very bike friendly (but Sunday it’ll be better than usual) and it’s a surprisingly long ride to the park with virtually no shoulder. I’d enter at the Reston end… thing is, I have no idea how to do that without hitting the nicer (read harder) single track in the park.

[GuyContinental]

@Bilsko 36735 wrote:

Thanks for this tip- its still in the box for now. She’s only just under 19 months old…so I suspect that if there’s any chance that she’ll use it soon I’ll need to do this. I think they’re officially recommended for 2yrs and up, but I’m hoping to get a jump on that.

My brother got my little dude one at 1 yr, I set it up and let him crawl all over it as a playroom artifact for nearly 1.5 years (age 2.5) before he could touch the ground, even with the lower stand-over… that said, he may be a dwarf so YMMV

[GuyContinental]

@vvill 36730 wrote:

The first bike I put together on my Park Tool stand was my son’s super elite Toys R Us bike.

But he hardly rides it

I feel your pain… can’t pry mine loose from his Skuut. Even after I completely dismantled and overhauled a “curb-alert” 12″ Giant for him:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2110[/ATTACH]

FWIW, if I never rebuild another coaster brake, it will be totally fine by me.

[GuyContinental]

@Riley Casey 36726 wrote:

Largely because I haven’t done any of the installs you’ve just done and are contemplating I gotta ask. Once the rear wheel was pulled and the new wheel and cassette ready to install isn’t the substitution of a new chain for the old a relatively minor addition of time and effort? Cluelessness demands illumination as the cassette and chain on my Coda are getting flakey ( only the third chain in ten years ) and my iphone bike repair app makes it all look sooooooo eeeeeeeeeasy.

It’s pretty easy but kind of messy and if you don’t like chain packing grease (which I don’t) the preliminary cleaning and re-lubing can be time-intensive (yes, I know that some folks swear by the OE grease but I can’t stand it. At all. So into the sonic cleaner it goes).

Cut old chain
Use old chain to measure new (if using quick link, measure one link short)
Spend 45 minutes cleaning and deep-lubing already clean chain
Install new chain, ideally with quick link to reduce time for future chain OCD-ness

[Author]

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