[jabberwocky]

This is the only bumper sticker I need. Covers everything.

[img]http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0149/3544/products/opinions2_1024x1024.jpg?v=1417629423[/img]

[jabberwocky]

How tall are you? 51cm is a pretty small road bike (I’m 5′-6″ and thats around what I ride). A road bike shouldn’t fit like a hybrid, and if it does its probably too small.

[jabberwocky]

Basic skateboarding shoes (vans, etnies, DC, es, etc.) are perfect. Flat, grippy sole and the shoes are generally comfy and not expensive.

For fancier with insane levels of grips, a climbing shoe (the 5.10 impact is popular) works very well. I have a pair for the DJ/DH bikes and they are almost impossible to move once you’ve set your foot on the pedal. But I think thats overkill and probably counterproductive for learning to ride a new bike.

[jabberwocky]

I like tubeless, but I find that I dislike real low pressure anyway because the tires squirm too much under hard cornering. I run ~28ish psi on the trail bike (2.4 Maxxis Ardents on flow rims) and maybe 25psi on the DH bike (2.5 Maxxis Minion DH on Mavic 823s). Both are full suspension bikes though, so I’m not looking to the tires for any cush.

I’d say (good) suspension is the best thing after clipless pedals. But its really expensive. And takes time and effort to dial in.

[jabberwocky]

@Tim Kelley 122781 wrote:

What do you think?

Its a solution in search of a problem.

[jabberwocky]

Tubeless is nice, but I wouldn’t say its necessary. Especially at Lake Fairfax/Wakefield/similar trails. If you’re pinch flatting there regularly you need to evaluate your tire pressure and/or riding technique.

@TwoWheelsDC 122778 wrote:

With tubeless, were you able to just re-inflate after the sealant did its thing, or do you have to put a tube in?

It depends on the system, but usually there will be some sealant in the tire on a tubeless setup, and if the sealant doesn’t do its thing you’re probably gonna have to stick a tube in it. I’ve known people who ran valves with removable cores and kept a small bottle of sealant that could be squirted in, but thats only gonna help if you were dry in the first place. I personally carry a tube and if I get a flat I just pop the tire and put a tube in, then figure out the issue when I get home.

Note that seating tubeless tires without a compressor is a pain in the ass. Sometimes impossible, depending on tire and rim. I can get my DH tires seated with a floor pump usually because the sidewalls are stiff and stay against the rim alright, but the trail tires on stans rims I run on the trail bike are almost impossible to seat without dragging the pancake compressor out.

[jabberwocky]

Mountain bikes are a bit less size sensitive than road bikes and CX bikes, just because the geometry is more relaxed and you’re moving around so much when riding anyway. Still, try and test ride and get a feel for what works if you can.

I won’t get into the 26/650b/29er debate, other than to say I think its a bit overblown. I mostly ride 26ers and have had a few 29ers. I don’t personally care all that much, though I prefer old-school 26ers for that bmx feel (I’ve not ridden a 650b bike though). The market has definitely shifted towards the bigger wheels over the past few years.

Pretty much anything with fat tires is gonna wipe the floor with a CX bike when you go offroad, and Wakefield/Lake Fairfax are hardly demanding trails. No idea about Sunday River (I’ve snowboarded there many years ago) but I imagine the trails are a bit more technical.

[jabberwocky]

I used to ride there occasionally, but after getting regularly harassed by the security guards on a few occasions I stopped. They clearly don’t want bikes there, and I’m happy to patronize businesses elsewhere.

[jabberwocky]

@americancyclo 122046 wrote:

This has always been a question of vulnerability when dealing with cars, and I don’t see it any differently here. If you have the vulnerability of a cyclist, you should be treated as one.

Arguably, the vulnerability of motorcycles is similar to cyclists (at least as far as cars are concerned) but they are treated very differently because their vehicles are heavier and faster. They require proper licensing and registration and their access to infrastructure is different (they can use interstate highways that ban bikes, and can’t use bike lanes for example).

[jabberwocky]

The “right on red at speed” is something I’ve observed as a longtime issue, and I’ve had many close calls over the years because of it. I warn new riders to always be careful in crosswalks at intersections, because its very common for right turning motorists to only look left as they approach a red light, and if its clear of cars to gun it and go without ever looking right. I’ve had many situations where I was crossing with right of way in a crosswalk and was almost struck by a car in those situations (either I was to the left and they just didn’t notice me because they were focused on cars in the traffic lane, or I was on the right and they never even looked that direction).

[jabberwocky]

@run/bike 121746 wrote:

I had no idea that “E-Bike Ride” was one of the categories you could select on Strava. This is honestly huge for those of us (like myself) who ride e-bikes but also want to have some log of their data.

@83(b) 121748 wrote:

I think this must be somewhat new. I definitely looked into an option to flag my ebike commutes the year before last.

Its definitely a fairly new option. When we last had this discussion a year or two ago I looked at the same page and it simply said basically “rides done on e-bikes shouldn’t be uploaded, and if they are flagged we will delete them”. Cool of them to give the option.

[jabberwocky]

Strava on e-bikes:
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/21577916-Uploading-E-bike-motor-assisted-or-non-conventional-bike-data-to-Strava-Guidelines

[jabberwocky]

@cvcalhoun 121684 wrote:

Ah, yes, my original comment was on state law, not the specific NVRPA rules.

The NVRPA rules are a bit bizarre. They refer to “electric-assisted bicycles (commonly known as mopeds).” But of course, under general Virginia law, electric-assisted bicycles and mopeds are different vehicles. I have not examined the extent to which NVRPA has the authority to make regulations that conflict with state statutes in this regard.

To be fair, I think the VA code is more concerned with license and registration than exactly where e-bikes should/should not have access. The “under 1000 watts is a bicycle” is probably to make it clear that they don’t need to be licensed and registered and operated by someone with a proper license the way mopeds and motorcycles are.

[jabberwocky]

@cvcalhoun 121680 wrote:

Okay, apparently the page I attempted to link to appears differently depending on what you searched for to get there, so I wasn’t seeing the same page you were. But here’s another page with a link to the relevant stuff.

http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp#Electric Power-assisted Bicycles

I get what the general VA code says, but I’m talking about paths like the Mt Vernon and W&OD. They aren’t governed by the motor vehicle laws of VA (where e-bikes under 1000 watts are considered bicycles), they have their own rules.

I linked the NVRPA rules and regs (they govern the W&OD) that explicitly says motor assisted bicycles are only allowed where motor vehicles are allowed. Since the W&OD doesn’t allow motor vehicles, it doesn’t allow e-bikes either. This jibes with the “no motorized vehicles” signage on the trail.

[jabberwocky]

@cvcalhoun 121676 wrote:

It also defines an e-assist bicycle as not being a “motor vehicle.” Check further down that page.

I see nothing else in the NVRPA regs about bikes. Cite a section?

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