[jabberwocky]

Hopefully Showerspass upped their build quality. I had one of their Elite 2.0 jackets several years ago, and while the design was nice, it fell apart in very short order, and the company was absolutely useless for support. Disappointing for such an expensive jacket.

[jabberwocky]

I second the “clipless>platforms” sentiment. I do still run platforms on the DH and DJ bikes (aka bikes I might need to get off of in a hurry), but I can’t imagine running platforms for anything I’m going to pedal for more than 30 seconds at a time. But I can see where a bike you are on and off of a lot (like short distance errands), platforms would be nice because you can run normal shoes. Even MTB shoes aren’t super comfortable to walk around in a whole lot.

[jabberwocky]

I wouldn’t get too hung up on what you’ve seen. Decide what works for you. If you prefer platforms and want to wear lycra, then ride platforms and wear lycra. Roadies will sneer at you, but honestly, I think roadies sneering at you means you’re doing something right.

[jabberwocky]

I also like using a little bit of carbon paste on things like seatposts, because it both prevents seizing and increases friction so you don’t need things as tight to prevent slipping.

[jabberwocky]

@dplasters 104507 wrote:

The comments section should be interesting….

The best thing about browsing the post with javascript blocked… the comments don’t load.

[jabberwocky]

I just need a few sections to clear off a bit more and I can switch back to the glorious, fast road bike and hang the stud-equipped touring bike back on the ceiling. Just a few more sections…

[jabberwocky]

Its probably contamination in the cables. Water seeps into the housing over time, and when its super cold, it freezes and prevents the cable from moving. Squeezing the brake lever is doable because your hand is exerting a lot of force, but the return spring on the brake isn’t strong enough to open it back up afterward. Solution is new cable and housing.

Handlebars are likely the lube or contamination in the headset bearings. Solution is to clean them and lube with a thinner grease for the winter.

[jabberwocky]

Its just the same tired “ban cyclists from roads” argument with a new veneer (pretending its about their safety rather than his desire to drive like an asshat). Its utterly infeasible and he knows it.

I’ve got an idea: every car that enters the district needs to have a device fitted that locks the top speed to 15mph. You know, for safety. Which he cares about a whole lot.

[jabberwocky]

@baiskeli 104141 wrote:

Not if you understand the whole system. 495 doesn’t run right next Four Mile Run. It isn’t inside the buffer zone that handles runoff. It has its own runoff mitigation system to help clean the water that it sheds. The bike trails, on the other hand, IS part of the buffer zone. So salt flowing from the trail into the stream just a few feet away may have a much greater impact than salt flowing a few miles through multiple ponds or whatever before it reaches the waterway. It’s not a matter of how much salt, but where it comes from.

I get what you’re saying, but road runoff doesn’t go to treatment plants or anything. It goes straight to the local waterway and eventually to the bay. I just seriously doubt that the tiny amount of runoff you get from an 8-10 foot wide MUP has a noticeable effect on local pollution. Treating trails for the occasional storm is a tiny drop in the pollution bucket. We are talking, what, 4-6 times a year max?

[jabberwocky]

@mstone 104126 wrote:

There are no benign and effective ice treatments. There are various grades of bad, in which you can sometimes substitute one problem for another. In the end, the percentage of chemicals used for treatment of MUPs vs those used for treating everything else is so insignificant as to make one wonder why this would be an area of focus.

Yeah, it seems sort of ridiculous to be concerned about the tiny surface area of area MUPs compared to the truckloads of salt and chemicals dumped on, say, 495. Ultimately, runoff is ending up in the bay either way. But every square foot of asphalt from every MUP in the entire DC metro area added together would be a tiny fraction of a major highway like 495 or 66, not even considering the thousands upon thousands of miles of smaller roads in the area.

Sure, salt isn’t great for the environment, but the decision should be based on whether we treat MUPs as transportation routes or not. If we do, they should be handled the same way as other routes (plowing, clearing and treating as conditions warrant).

[jabberwocky]

@jrenaut 104032 wrote:

Trolls gonna troll. I miss when the Post did journalism.

This. At this point he’s just deliberately trolling cyclists for pageviews, and the last thing we should do is pay attention to him. He’s not misinformed, he’s not interested in debate, he’s just an asshole.

[jabberwocky]

I have the drop bar moose mitts and they do indeed work in the drops as well.

[jabberwocky]

I picked a fun day to get back on the bike after my bout with the flu. The roads out in Fairfax were genuinely awful; even major highways were basically unplowed and untreated at 9am. I passed several lines of cars on uphills because I was the only one with traction. 😮 Slow going, but definitely an adventure.

[jabberwocky]

@PotomacCyclist 103663 wrote:

Sometimes the dogs do attack, as they did in 2012 in Arlington.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/07/arlington-pit-bull-attack-leaves-man-seriously-injured-77878.html

I was attacked by a dog (my uncles german sheppard) when I was 10. 50 stitches in my head. If my dad hadn’t been there to kick it off me I may not have survived. The dog had never attacked anybody in its life. I can still remember the sound my dads kicks made as he repeatedly tried to punt it off me and the noises it made as it chewed on my head.

Oddly enough, I like dogs just fine. I grew up with them. I’m definitely wary of uncontrolled dogs, especially ones I don’t know. I have zero compunction about giving a dog a solid kick if it lunges towards me or acts aggressive while I’m on the bike.

[jabberwocky]

I’ve never had a dog outright chase me, but I had several lunge at me while snarling while riding the W&OD. All had owners right there, and were either unleashed or on one of those 30-foot-extendo-may-as-well-not-bother leashes. I was able to avoid most, but a few got a cleat to the snout, more out surprise than anything.

Every owner exclaimed one of two things after. “He’s never done that before!” (this is why you are required to leash your dog and keep it under control) or “sorry, he doesn’t like bikes” (uh, why are you walking it on the most heavily trafficked bike path in northern virginia then?). Probably half of them proceeded to admonish me for “going too fast”.

Dog owners… :rolleyes:

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