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@Brendan von Buckingham 118362 wrote:

Lots of folktales and secondary benefits of grooving the underside, but the primary reason is stability.

I don’t buy that; the small kerfs routed into flooring are going to do nothing to help expansion or contraction (life long woodworker here). Wood doesn’t work like that. There isn’t a constant stress level that needs to be relieved, every piece of wood is different. Cutting a piece of stable wood can actually result in it warping, because internal stresses that were balanced before suddenly aren’t. There is a reason those kerfs are very shallow (maybe 1/8″ on a 3/4″ piece of flooring). Once wood has been joined flat and planed to thickness you don’t really want to mess with it.

They may reduce the floorings area in contact with the floor, which may help in situations where the wood is wicking moisture from a wet substrate, but if your substrate is wet wood flooring is screwed no matter what.

The installation reason is what a few manufacturers have told me directly.

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Finally back on the bike after a week and a half off to battle respiratory demons. Uneventful commute where nobody tried to run me over. It was glorious.

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@bentbike33 118275 wrote:

Maybe NPS could investigate the engineered boards used to replace wood on the WOD trail bridges between VA28 and Ashburn Road when it comes time to redo the Trollheim and other boardwalks along the MVT. Those red boards have been there for many years and have not changed shape at all. I don’t know their coefficient of lateral friction with wet rubber as these bridges are straight shots with no intersections or curves, but maybe they manufacture such boards with different surface characteristics for different applications.

I’ve never examined those bridges closely, but they are almost certainly some sort of composite decking. The quality varies wildly on that stuff, but the good stuff is almost all plastic and has a texture on its surface that makes it grippier than wood (though still considerably slippier than concrete or asphalt). The key is to get the higher quality products, because cheaper ones often have organic fillers (like wood flour) that mold really likes.

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@Brendan von Buckingham 118274 wrote:

Scoring the wood to help traction (as also suggested here) would actually help stabilize the wood too. Floorboards, when scored along the length of their underside, help relieve the internal stresses that otherwise build up and warp wood as its moisture content fluctuates.

Floorboards are actually scored because flooring often only has one good side (meaning clear and free of defects and knots), and manufacturers learned long ago that installers suck at picking it. So they route grooves into the bad side to make it obvious that side goes to the floor.

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@KLizotte 118192 wrote:

Ouchie! Every time I read about one of these boardwalk instances I think, “there has got to be a better way.” Perhaps NPS should be looking to boat builders on how they keep their decks anti-slip.

The problem isn’t the wood per se, its the layer of scum and algae that builds up on the surface. I know the north shore MTB guys (who build lots of wood structures out of logs and local woods) generally hatch the surface with a chainsaw to increase traction. The technique is to chainsaw lines 3-4″ deep a few inches apart. Sometimes they then chip them with an ax to vary the height a bit between segments.

In extreme cases they will also staple down metal lath (like you’d use for stucco) or finer welded wire mesh (like you’d use for concrete pours).

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It pulls the entire assemble together (headset/stem/spacers) so there is no play. The stem actually holds it together once clamped. The bottom one looks like the carbon steerer versions I’ve seen, whereas you wouldnt want to use a star nut (top) on a carbon steerer.

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@kwarkentien 118113 wrote:

Wow Kathy that sucks!!!! Hope it’s just a sprain.

Not to be a downer, but as a veteran of sprained ankles (byproduct of a decade of skateboarding), I sometimes would have preferred to have broken it. Ankle sprains can take forever to fully heal.

Hopefully its a minor one and recovery is quick.

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I’ve commuted long after dark and it never occurred to me to feel unsafe, but I’m a guy, and I know things are a bit different for women. Everyone has their comfort level for what they can tolerate in terms of feeling safe, so I guess its up to each person to check the route and see how sketchy it makes them feel.

We do live in a very safe area overall (the W&OD is located in three of the wealthiest, safest counties in the country) but shit can happen anywhere.

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@creadinger 118050 wrote:

Were you out before 5am or after 9pm? I’m thinking I may head out at 2am so it would only be a problem 1-way.

I was generally home before 9, and certainly not out before 5 if I could help it.

@creadinger 118050 wrote:

Yeah, safety seems like an excuse for the closing times – It’s really to keep the riff-raff (US) away from the properties of people who live along it.

I suspect its mostly a remnant of the W&OD being treated as a park rather than commuting infrastructure. Most parks aren’t open 24/7. Cops probably enjoy it because they have an excuse to get nosy with anyone out after dark, but IME if you’re obviously on your way home and not making trouble they don’t care.

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I commuted 2005-2010 year round on the W&OD, which necessitated lots of night riding. I was never hassled (and I rode by police at crossings multiple times after dark). I was an obvious commuter though; lights everywhere, messenger bag, etc. Don’t know if that played a part in being left alone.

Safety, I can’t remember ever feeling unsafe.

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@hozn 117958 wrote:

For non-disc road hubs, I see even less need to get fancy. I would use BHS w/ Enduro bearings or Novatec w/ EZO bearings. They’ll be lighter and cost a fraction of the price, and I’d expect them to last just as long — or longer than the bike, in any event. Of course, they don’t say “bling” like CK45s.

Good deal. Link for those who want: http://www.bikehubstore.com/category-s/227.htm I figured there were some good budget options out there.

The main argument (for me) for nicer hubs is the freehub mechanism tends to be more robust and quicker engaging. Its more an issue on mountain bikes, I grant.

@hozn 117958 wrote:

Edit: oh, and there is zero value in going with CX Rays unless you are 1) building them yourself and want an easier time (no windup) or 2) just like how they look and are willing to pay an extra $2/spoke for that look

I guess it depends what you compare them to. They are a lot lighter than standard double butted spokes (like DT comps). I note that Nimbus uses the Laser spokes, which are similar in weight and a lot less spendy. They are pretty ludicrously priced, but once you’re buying CK hubs I tend to not worry about my spokes being 3 bucks apiece.

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For rims, I’d look at the HED Belgiums, Pacenti SL23, Velocity AeroHead or A23. Kinlins (XR270 or XR300) are good budget choices. I put 7k miles on my XR270 rear rim before it needed replacing. The front has about 10k and is still ok.

For hubs, high end would be Chris King R45s or White Industry T11s. Slightly more budget are Hopes. I’d also look at Shimanos hubs if you need to save more. There are probably other good hub recommendations.

Spokes, I’d go with Sapims bladed spokes. Lasers or CX-Rays. DT swiss butted spokes for a more solid economical build.

Alloy nips.

I’d probably go 2 cross 28 or 24 spoke in the rear, and 20 or 24 spoke radial in the front. You’re pretty light. But if you’re commuting loaded you might to err on the side of more spokes.

Or for pre-built, I’d look at these:
http://www.novemberbicycles.com/alloynimbus/

Good deal. I’d take them over any Mavic/whatnot at that price. They use solid, standard components.

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@mstone 117335 wrote:

damn the all-powerful boat lobby! first they sabotaged bike to work day last year, now this!

Temporary halt in the war on cars, time for the WAR ON BOATS!

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I have an old Lotus Legend that I put a 130mm hub into with zero issues. 2mm a side is barely even flexing it. I also had a disc CX bike for a while that was (for some reason) 130mm that I used MTB hubs in (135mm) with no issues.

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@mstone 116969 wrote:

slicks seem like an almost comical level of wishful thinking, no?

Theres a guy in Germantown that has done the MoCo epic (50 mile MTB ride) on a unicycle several times. I’ve seen him on the trail and he’s pretty badass.

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