[jabberwocky]

From DC to ~Falls church is uphill and a bit slow, but from there out its a pretty easy ride. I know I can hit EFC from my place (which is a few miles further out than Wiehle metro) in about an hour at moderate effort, and I’m far from fast. I’d be surprised if it took you much more than 1:30. Maybe 1:45.

[jabberwocky]

Theoretically, women’s bikes are designed better for womens different body proportions (longer legs and shorter torso than a man of equal height). I know that while my GF and I are the same height, she finds my road bike completely unridable because her legs are so much longer than mine. She ends up having to reach much further for the bars and it doesn’t work. Womens bikes also usually come in smaller sizes (since women are, on average, shorter than men) so they can be easier to fit to shorter ladies than small mens bikes (which are sometimes still too big).

That said, there is really no rule about womens vs mens bikes. Not all women fit the “different than men” body proportions rule anyway. Best way to think of it is as an additional option to consider, but the test ride is the key. If she finds one she likes the fit of, thats what matters. At almost 6′ tall, she probably will be fine on “mens” bikes as long as the TT length is proper for her.

[jabberwocky]

@PotomacCyclist 116863 wrote:

If this gets built, I think it’s probably better to patronize the bouldering gym before patronizing the beer garden.

Better yet, they should put the beer garden at the top of the most difficult climbing wall.

[jabberwocky]

@hozn 116859 wrote:

This is awesome; you’ve convinced me that I should try this. What’s the worst that could happen !? (Probably dented rim, honestly; that’d kinda suck.) I’ll probably skip the newer more technical north sections.

My favorite “cross bike offroad” story is the time I had a last minute client meeting in The Reserve (between Georgetown Pike and Old Dominion Roads sort of between McLean and Great Falls). My bike and I got a ride there with my boss but was on my own to get home because he had a plane to catch. In my full work clothes, with a huge roll of architectural drawings sticking out of my panniers, I rode down Old Dominion to Georgetown Pike, then to the top of the CCT and all the way down to Lake Fairfax and on to the W&OD, all on my old Redline CX bike with road slicks.

I think that one trip fully cemented my intense dislike of drop bars offroad.

[jabberwocky]

@hozn 116856 wrote:

I was thinking that one of these days I would actually ride the 25mm tires through Lake Fairfax for fun. I might take a spare tire with me, though, since I think that’s pushing my luck.

I actually rode my old CX bike with 28mm Paselas (at ~110psi) through Lake Fairfax many times. Its doable, though I do think people who actually find that fun are mentally ill. :p

It did teach me to be VERRA CAREFUL picking lines through the rocky stuff over by the lakeside campground though.

[jabberwocky]

I’d be really tempted to treat those like bowling pins and go for a strike. If I didn’t get them all, I could just tell the officer I’ll pick up the spare on the way home.

[jabberwocky]

Prior to cycling, I was a skateboarder for over a decade.

Pros of cycling:
-Cops are nicer to me
-I spend way less time in hospitals
-Doesn’t remind me on a daily basis how quickly I’m getting old
-The scenery is prettier

Cons of cycling:
-Adrenaline rush isn’t as fun
-The equipment is a billionty percent more expensive (though it does last longer).
-I sometimes have to interact with roadies

[jabberwocky]

@DismalScientist 116560 wrote:

Would one of you shorter people that can use a 56 cm frame buy this bike to keep it from taunting me much longer?

The fact that this is apparently for shorter people and yet is like 3 sizes too big for me either amuses me or makes me feel bad. :p

[jabberwocky]

Either “on your left” or a bell are acceptable. Some people just can’t be pleased.

[jabberwocky]

@Emm 115429 wrote:

Not sure if this works for steel, but when I crashed my aluminum hybrid a few yrs back the bike shop told me to put some clear or colored nail polish over the spots to inhibit rust. I did, and the spots never showed any signs of rust. This bike got run through all sorts of wet conditions too–the chain and cassette was constantly battling rust since I am terrible about drying my bikes off after rainy rides. So unless you’re really concerned about the look of things, it seems clear or colored nail polish can be a very cheap, and workable alternative to expensive paint jobs.

Nail polish is usually just nitrocellulose lacquer, which was popular as automobile paint for decades, and is still commonly used on furniture and wood instruments.

[jabberwocky]

Regarding countdowns, If I think I can be safely across before it reaches zero, I go. I don’t know what the specific rule is, but I think its sort of crazy to only go on the walk, since thats such a short part of the cycle. Seriously, some of the intersections I cross, the walk signal barely lasts long enough for me to clip in and start moving.

[jabberwocky]

FWIW, I had a buddy a few years ago I rode DH with who ran a Diamondback of some sort. I was surprised when I saw it, but it was a high-end build and seemed like a nice enough bike. I think they at least dabble in high end stuff.

[jabberwocky]

As someone who dabbles in running in addition to cycling a lot, I find them to be pretty different. I think cycling actually hurt my running at first, because I had the cardio to push myself far more than I should have. Running is much harder on the joints and supportive tissue than cycling is, and I found I went too hard too fast at the beginning and developed joint issues. After taking some time off from running I got back into it with a more measured approach and did a lot better.

I think there is some translation (some of the muscles are the same and a strong circulatory system helps all exercise) but walking/running certainly hits some muscles that you don’t use much on the bike.

[jabberwocky]

@kcb203 114912 wrote:

Most of the trail between Sunrise Valley and the W&OD was repaved in the fall, but it’s totally covered with sand and debris now.

They did a really bad job repaving. They did the section north of the W&OD near my house, but they didn’t totally repave, they just picked sections (that vary from a few hundred yards to a few dozen feet) and repaved those. And the new sections are very uneven. The old trail was frankly better, at least up near me.

[jabberwocky]

@mstone 114896 wrote:

1) it’s not too dangerous to be useful, I use it on a fairly regular basis. I hate that VDOT couldn’t deliver something better, but it’s still the safest and most useful way to cover long north/south distances in western fairfax county

I do use it a lot (I live right across the street from the path north of the W&OD and ride around Reston often). There are only so many places to cross 267 in Reston, and the path is better than trying to ride on the parkway (though I should note that I do occasionally see cyclists riding the shoulder or even taking the lane on the parkway). Its usable, but its quite obvious that it was a total afterthought. The road intersections are universally awful, and many of them are deceptively dangerous. The path itself is poorly maintained and often covered in dirt and gravel. I’ve only ridden as far south as Stringfellow, don’t know what its like past that.

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