[jabberwocky]

Unless your local roads are unusually smooth, 150psi is not only harsh but slower as well. Overinflated tires don’t conform to the road surface and actually increase rolling resistance.

Check http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/tour-de-france/tour-de-france-tech-wet-weather-preparations_181775

Perry Moarman, HTC team mechanic, said that normally the team will inflate to 8.0 bar (116 psi).

Pros are running under 120psi (on tubulars, no doubt). The correct pressure for you will depend on the tire, your weight, and what your local road surfaces are like. But 150 is almost certainly excessively high.

[jabberwocky]

@Mark Blacknell 8115 wrote:

I wrote a related piece, today, on the gap between the ACPD’s enforcement standards and the law, when it comes to crosswalks:

http://clarendon.patch.com/articles/matching-enforcement-to-the-law-in-crosswalks

I read your piece earlier and was pretty astounded the police took the interpretation they did. The law seems pretty clear, I’ve always thought. :confused: I mean,

Pedestrians crossing highways at intersections shall at all times have the right-of-way over vehicles making turns into the highways being crossed by the pedestrians.

is about as clear as laws get.

[jabberwocky]

@Dirt 8090 wrote:

Yarp. That’s an old photo. I love it because the smile on Chris’ face really means that the wants to light me on fire and warm his hands over the flames engulfing my charred corpse. He’s nice like that.

That day still stands out as the most miserable day I ever spent on a bike. Out for nearly the entire day in 35 degree, soaking rain. I got home and my bike frame was full of water almost to the top tube. I spent like 45 minutes in a hot shower trying to warm up.

[jabberwocky]

Just to add, the officers I’ve spoken to at Fairfax have all said to report drivers if possible. They might not be able to do much (no citation or anything without a witness) but it does get kept on record, and if the driver does hit someone or is reported by someone else it will show up.

[jabberwocky]

I’ve reported drivers to Fairfax County PD before and they’ve been surprisingly responsive. They can’t really do much with no witnesses, but they’ve been happy to take down the drivers info and send an officer by their house later on to let them know they were reported and give them some “advice” on proper driving technique around cyclists.

[jabberwocky]

@Dirt 8034 wrote:

I love you too.

I get an involuntary nervous tic everytime you say this to me.

[jabberwocky]

@Dirt 8032 wrote:

Enjoy.

As someone who has ridden this loop with you a few times, I just want to say that I sometimes watch CSI just to get pointers on how to kill you and get away with it.

[jabberwocky]

Rain when its 75 degrees out isn’t that crazy. You just get wet.

Now, rain when its 35 degrees out? That takes dedication. And also fenders and good rain gear.

[jabberwocky]

@Dirt 7873 wrote:

That is a common problem for many of us… on and off the bike.

To be honest, I’m not totally clear on that myself. :p

[jabberwocky]

I love that thing. Cars almost always slow to a crawl and follow for 5-10 seconds before passing. I think they get confused about just what the hell I am.

Seriously though, I definitely recommend people get the best, brightest lights they can afford. Front and rear. I’m amazed at the number of cyclists I see only running cheap, dim blinkies around here. The PB superflash is a good, inexpensive tail light, as is the Cateye ld1100. You’re competing for the attention of frequently distracted drivers, in an area with lots of visual clutter (signs, lights, reflectors). You want to stand out as much as possible.

[jabberwocky]

Dinotte 400L taillight and 800L headlight for me, both on steady. I generally add a planet bike superflash set to blink as an attention grabber too.

[jabberwocky]

@eminva 7824 wrote:

As much as the turning motorists hate the mad dash by cyclists across Lynn Street, I imagine it would drive them even more batty if we all took the time to dismount and walk our bikes across the intersection.

Agreed. I’ve just always wondered, if push came to shove and it ended up in court, which way it would go. My old commute was down the 7100 trail and W&OD so I crossed a lot of trail/road intersections. I’ve heard people opine that “walk” means walk, implying that it isn’t ok to ride through at speed even if you have the signal. I couldn’t find anything in the Virginia code definitive either way though, at least back when I looked.

I definitely grew to hate some of the intersections. The 7100-New Dominion trail intersection holds a special position of hatred in my heart, even with the signal there.

[jabberwocky]

I’ve always wondered about intersections like that (where there is a signal as well as a stop sign). I also wonder whether its legally ok to ride through such intersections when the walk signal is lit (as opposed to walking). I know I tried to figure it out a few years ago, but I couldn’t find anything definitive in the Virginia code at the time.

[jabberwocky]

High 16s to low 17s average moving speed these days. I’m only going 7 miles each way, but its fairly hilly with some stops (Reston to Great Falls).

[jabberwocky]

You are looking for a delta trike (as opposed to a tadpole, which has two wheels in front and one in back). Most (though not all) deltas are upright. Look at something like a Sun X3 or Greenspeed Anura.

Bikes@vienna has definitely had some in there when I’ve been in, though its been a while. I think they even rent them.

Recumbent tadpoles are definitely more popular. Has your wife tried one? They are pretty comfy.

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