[honestmachinery]

@Pietro Pinarello 166178 wrote:

Around 4:30 this afternoon, I was southbound on the Mt. Vernon trail around Reagan airport. Going northbound were two walkers. A northbound bicyclist decided to pass them just as I was approaching them. He was in the middle of my lane inches from me. I’ve been biking on this trail almost every work day for over 32 years and this is the second time I had to go off the trail onto the grass. Ironically, as I approached Old Town, there was two pedestrians ahead of me and a slow rental bike approaching towards me. I yielded to the oncoming bicyclist. Sometimes you have to slow down and wait- it’s the only safe thing to do.

I saw lots of stupid passes around 530 too. It is the season. Lots of fair weather types. Bell ringing does not alter time and space, and I saw several attempts.

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[honestmachinery]

@Judd 166097 wrote:

The High Life Low Life must have had a very refreshing vacation to have been so ambitious last night.

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Maybe he was locked up. Hard to imagine that he walks the line off the trail.

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@ian74 166126 wrote:

Odd. I just checked, it’s a 36 spoke wheel, there are 9 spokes that have cracks where they enter the rim (1/4) and every one of them is on the drive side. How did this happen? I must be a torque beast putting out sick watts. I wonder what my VO2 max is.

I will adopt and care for any shimano hubs with used up rims. 10000 miles on a wtb rim sounds like pretty good luck. Angular contact bearings forever.

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[honestmachinery]

@dkel 165926 wrote:

Yeah, that’s pretty much my experience. Plus the stink of that transmission fluid.

I unscrewed one side of a 3 speed hub in a moment of youthful indiscretion. The guts came out like a springy snake in a peanut can, and it took many allowances and extra chores and a grudgingly helpful shop to put it back in order. I remain committed to external gears.

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[honestmachinery]

@huskerdont 165776 wrote:

You occasionally see the argument that bicycles need to be required to have license plates so that scofflaws can be caught and punished (not that it works for cars, but nevermind). I could see the proliferation of motorized bikes adding fuel to that.

If they ever require license plates for bikes, I will become an outlaw.

@huskerdont 165776 wrote:

If they ever require license plates for bikes, I will become an outlaw.

Except for the ring of that truncheon thing, likewse.

I’m not ringing any bells, either. If I can’t pass courteously, I’m reaching for brakes and waiting my turn, a method lost on some drivers.

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[honestmachinery]

@Left Field 165300 wrote:

Interestingly enough, I also had an encounter this morning at o’dark 30 this morning. It’s dark, I am usually the only out there and along comes a rider. No call out. Okay, after last weekend on W&OD, I am prepared for that. Except as he passes about 2-3 inches from me while we are on the MVT, he is not pedaling. Wait, huh? No coffee, dark, semi-groggy, I took a moment to process. I realized he was riding a throttle bike at about 20-25. So of course, I am now in hammer mode, as much as one can be at that time. I catch up and mention that A) call your pass, do not pass so close, and C) too fast for the trail at even that hour. I received a rather inappropriate hand signal; I of course took the high road and responded with an appropriate equal personalized retort to the hand gesture with a comment regarding his parentage. Not a proud moment, but I hope he got the message.

These examples are going to be more numerous than we can be bothered to write about. The only saving grace is that these ebikes will die young, leaving their owners to question the capital investment to repair or replace.

Bad shoals and incomplete or close passes are not reserved to ebikes, and get equal disrespect from me. Off my wave.

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[honestmachinery]

@anomad 165202 wrote:

Put a little Stan’s in your tubes and it won’t be a problem at all. (tubeless riders are already yawning)

I talked to one of the NPS guys emptying trash at Gravelly Point a couple times and he said someone was doing this years ago on the Mount Vernon Trail. Some people just don’t like bicyclists.

NPS eventually had staff out walking the paths pushing wide magnetic bars suspended between little wheels. I took to using Mr. Tuffy tire liners. Perpetrator used black carpet tacks.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1993/07/19/tacks-still-a-concern-on-bike-trail/acfe1f83-1d41-42cf-842c-81b7a7051cf4/?utm_term=.d8801431c843

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[honestmachinery]

@sjclaeys 164852 wrote:

Yes, VaDOT is taking no responsibility for allowing a faulty design or not consulting with trail users earlier, so of course VaDOT blames the potential trail users.

Lies. It is incredible to suggest that the MUP could stand in the way of this $2.3B foregone conclusion. This MUP was designed for budgetary elimination, and lobbying efforts to improve the facility require those caught at this game to attempt to shift the blame for the eminent domain takings to those with the temerity to argue against it.

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@The Five Eight Five 164549 wrote:

Is it possible to get a road bike with Shimano 105 or SRAM Apex components for around $1000 or less at any of the local bike shops in Arlington and Alexandria? Maybe this Fall when newer stuff comes out? Every time I’ve checked out a new bike shop and tell them my price point, they show me ~$1000 bikes with Claris or Sora.

I want to support LBS, but it’s tough when I see 105 and Ultegra on Bikes Direct for less than $1000. Am I much better off just ordering from BD or Nashbar at this price point? Thanks in advance!

Nothing wrong with Sora or Claris, either. Good luck wearing it out. Unless you plan to fix your own bike, get it from the LBS, and take advantage of the service after the sale. On the other hand, as most members of the choir preaching here have affirmed, learning to fix your own is the way to salvation.

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[honestmachinery]

@anomad 164497 wrote:

Combination locks are nice. Keyed locks that only allow you to lock with the key are nice too.

I learned that lesson once after swimming laps in Phoenix Arizona late at night. Luckily the folks at the pool had a big ass pair of bolt cutters for the locker room that made short work of my lock.

This would work too:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15381[/ATTACH]

That would do it. As would a $50 cordless angle grinder from the big box, plus five minutes. Any lock, pretty much.

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[honestmachinery]

@gibby 164476 wrote:

Our friend does venture further south some nights. This morning the glass is in the underpass at Airport Access Road, along with new bits of torn up paper.

Left message with Jeffrey Hitchcock (at the Tony M. number). Spoke to (a very chipper) person at the 289-2500 general number, who said the park police are in the process of setting up cameras. Spoke to park police who said “we are getting moving.”

Yep. Glass on CC connector overpass bridge at 0830, as well, this Thursday morning.

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@anomad 164355 wrote:

Good information. I will add that to my case record in the off chance the NPS law enforcement takes me up on my offers to help inform them. I might have to just go there and request an audience?

The farthest south I have seen glass is under the Smith Boulevard bridge here 38.847099, -77.048594 And the torn paper almost always starts here by the water fountain 38.847836, -77.048079 So I have been thinking that Miller (for short) crossed over the 26th street/ Airport Access Road bridge to begin his morning. There is a McDonald’s restaurant right across the Airport Access road bridge, that may be where he’s foraging in the trash.

Yes, agreed on the likely route. He probably returns via Crystal City connector, or u-turns at the end of the north airport bridge, back onto the airport sidewalks. Sleeping in the airport or on the grounds?

There are two overhead cameras on the fence between the airport exit and Gravelly Point.

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@Rootchopper 164217 wrote:

This has been going on for the last couple of months. Bobco85 is right. The glass is nearly always on one of the trail bridges or underpasses where glass can be smashed against a wall. I don’t know if someone is throwing the bottles out of a car. Hitting the bridges on the fly would be hard to do. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but I saw two bicyclists fixing flats this morning.

Shredded paper, french fry and ketchup packaging, piles of cigarette butts, and, lately, beer bottles. I’ve seen these things for many years on the trail between the old “A” terminal and Gravelly Point. In the 90s, the mess regularly extended as far north as the 14th St. Bridge ramp. I think it’s all the same hard luck character. I don’t think it comes from cars. It is someone walking the trail late night or early morning.

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@f148vr 163980 wrote:

http://theconversation.com/the-real-reason-middle-aged-men-in-lycra-dominate-cycling-its-not-a-mid-life-crisis-82167

What the heck is countryside? I prefer to think of my riding as a full-life crisis.

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@huskerdont 162942 wrote:

I was really hoping for something more nefarious, perhaps something justifying the Secret Service closing Lafayette Park more often. Rocket launchers and such.

There will be dangerous jury-rigging and questionable fashion choices.

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