[JorgeGortex]

Not in DC, but Fairfax (near Merrifield, is Dr. Daniel Cuttica. Great guy and facility. Helped me with Achilles issues and I’m back running and biking again.

[JorgeGortex]

Add this cycling intersection with the one before it where you come up form under 395 and make the right onto the trail headed toward the section of trail we are discussing is also ridiculous. you come the little hill faced with a fence, have to zig left and then zip hard right to get on the trail along Glebe all while hoping you don’t get creamed by someone coming the other way. This is one of the most ill-designed sections of trail around IMHO. Why could they not just route the trailer straight and have it come together with the street level trail? Lunacy I tell you, lunacy! :-p

[JorgeGortex]

My grandparents are buried in ANC, and I’ve been to visit by car and foot over the years. My opinion is that there is no disrespect in riding through the cemetery as long you are quietly moving through, and not “training” as another in the forum said. If you see a burial in progress, or procession, or someone mourning, take an extra moment to slow down, or alter your route. Otherwise, enjoy the space, reflect on the lives and sacrifices of those interred, and go along your way. A cemetery is more for the living than the deceased anyway… it is a place for us to visit, remember, and reflect. Something far more easily done under our own power than in a loud, polluting, tour bus.

JorgeGortex

[JorgeGortex]

Here is my email to Mr. Townsend:

Mr. Townsend,

I have been a member of AAA since I first became a driver at 16 years old. Now at 46 I’ve counted on AAA’s services and advocacy for safety on our roads throughout, and am now appalled at the stance being taken against the Motor Vehicle Recover Act. You see, not only am I a driver, but also an avid cyclist, and proponent of walkable communities. Since the 1950’s the emphasis in our country has been the automobile, but as times and priorities change, so must our perspectives. In an age when too many people are more concerned about only what is important to them, our roads have become more dangerous. The most vulnerable individuals: pedestrians and cyclists, are treated like cones on a slalom course instead of the human beings they are. Accidents and the resulting Injuries to both are becoming more frequent, and those injuries cannot and should not be brushed aside by our police, governments, or the AAA.

When a pedestrian or cyclists is involved in an accident with a distracted driver or one in a hurry, they are dealing not with another person, but with thousands of pounds of medal and kinetic energy. The person is going to lose every time, and the time they lose is significant. They lose time to recovery to mend broken bones, disabilities, their jobs, their children, our maybe their life entirely. There will always be accidents, but drivers, with the large responsibility they have using a motor vehicle need to he held accountable. Injured pedestrians and cyclists deserve remuneration and support equal too (at the very least) that of a driver who is involved in an accident. A raise in my insurance rates doesn’t even compare to the years of suffering a pedestrian or cyclist contends with in an accident with a motor vehicle. To compare the two is absurd.

I strongly urge you to support the measures being proposed instead of opposing them. Our society and how we live is changing and adapting, and its high time the leadership at the AAA does as well. It is in the best interest of our society, people… your and my children.

Sincerely,

[JorgeGortex]

Tim,

Is an upstanding citizen going to get in trouble for helping with trail maintenance like we are discussing, if they so choose to take it on? I live on Washington Blvd. where they planted trees a few years ago along with new sidewalks, and some of those trees have branches overhanging the bike lane. I’d like to trim them for the commuters that use the lane if I am not going to get chewed for doing it.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

Thanks guys. I was just curious. I talked to Bill at Spokes about replacing the hubs in a pair of Zipp wheels I just received when I purchased with bike this past weekend. The rear hub on the rear 404 is loud (no need to yell “passing left!” I just coast instead). While I was there and chatting he showed me a Boyd 44mm rim he was building up… and it was ridiculously light. I was pondering going with a new pair of Boyd’s instead of doing all the work to the Zipps and selling them instead. Not that the Zipp’s have done me wrong other than the noise. So just looking for input since there is limited reviews of the Boyd’s out there. I guess if Bill is comfortable working with and selling them then they must be OK.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

@Tim Kelley 118628 wrote:

ArlNow picked it up in the morning notes: http://www.arlnow.com/2015/06/22/morning-notes-1209/#disqus_thread

And that means Comments!!

Yeah, I have to say I was feeling the power of the keyboard and made some comments. (Look for “George” after they get past moderation, and flame me is necessary) It just irked me so much that someone would publish this and then try to defend it. It served no purpose in uniting cyclists, new or experienced with the sport. Cycling is cycling and it doesn’t matter what you wear, why you wear it, where you are going, your race, creed, color, or sexual orientation for that matter. Its just cycling, get out and give it a try and enjoy. THAT should have been their message. Alas…

[JorgeGortex]

Funny, I had a pair that I sold through our forum here because I thought they were a bit too loose… and I have narrow feet. I ended up buying a different pair of Sidi Drako (overkill for what I use them for, but I like the wire adjustability and they are super comfortable). Originally I had hoped that the laces would offer me a better and more personal fit, but there was too much slippage in the heel. Shame, because otherwise I could tell they’d be comfortable.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

Ha! I just signed into the forum to share this. Great minds think alike. Here is another link to the story: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/06/police-use-ultrasonic-device-to-make-sure-drivers-stay-3-feet-from-cyclists/

[JorgeGortex]

Wow, the idea is crazy cool. You all have fun with it… I’ll be the guy at the top of the hill, in a chair, with a beer, calling allez! Allez!

[JorgeGortex]

Funny, I had a similar but different experience once, and one that made me think race doesn’t always make the equation (I’m a skinny white guy):

I was living at home when I first started college. At 2am someone pounded on our front door, loud enough that we thought someone was breaking in. My mother was first to the door and was confronted by an ACPD officer asking if she had a son. When she said yes he demanded to see me. I had hopped out of bed when I heard the commotion, and upon seeing me he demanded I step outside. We are talking DEMANDED. Being young and a bit startled I came into the open door way, at which point he grilled me about my whereabouts in the previous 15 minutes to which I replied “asleep until I heard you bang on our door.” Eventually he left with the other officers that were with him, who stood silently on the front lawn. As it turns out a guy who lived one block over took a cab to our house, got out to “go get his wallet” and cut through our yard to his block stiffing the cabbie. In this even my extreme whiteness did not help me. Neither has any other encounter I’ve ever had with law enforcement.

I relate this story because this is but one of several experiences I’ve had with law enforcement, and feeling threatened. In every instance I was polite and was not breaking a single law. These experiences have tainted my impression and faith in law enforcement. My father, an ACFD officer had little use for most of the ACPD based on his experiences in the field and otherwise. I think the issue with with training of officers from the get go, and partly independent of race.

Its my opinion that the officer in question in the original post was out of line. I don’t care what kind of day he was having. As an officer, someone with authority and a firearm, you had better learn to leave your personal life at the door. Clearly not enough is done to train officers in how to serve AND protect. Innocent until proven guilty, etc. Arlington is no different. You simply don’t earn respect until you’ve earned it through positive actions and behavior. Being a police officer is NOT an easy job, but the responsibilities that come with it are huge and come with the job they have chosen. Period. Live up to them, or choose something different.

JG

@rcannon100 96542 wrote:

I hate to say it: you must be white and privileged. Not everyone has the same experience with police that you do. For many, the police are innately a threat. The unfortunately reality is that the officer, with a car parked on the sidewalk blocking pedestrian traffic, who has responded negatively to being photographed (he is a public figure and citizens have first amendment rights) – has already established the tone to this conversation. Unfortunately, many have experienced situations like this with police officers – and they go south quickly.

I had a similar experience with ACPD when they drove the wrong way down a road in an unmarked car. I called the officer out on it (not even knowing at that time it was ACPD – just assuming it was another jack ass driving the wrong way down the street). That encounter ended with a 2nd officer threatening me with arrest. That matter was handled by ACPD IG.

Again, I was driving down Lee Hwy, and had an aggressive driver tailgating me. I moved to the left turn lane, the car sped (above speed limit) by. I honked. The car proceeded to make an illegal left turn through a parking lot and cut my off on the next road. Turned out – again – it was an unmarked police officer. Ironically, it was an ACPD officer who is in charge of educating about aggressive driving. He tried to be belligerent. I pointed out that he was aggressively driving and tailgating. He tried to be belligerent. By this time I had learned about the IG. I had two witnesses in the car. I looked down at his badge; he saw me look down at his badge. He backed away rather quickly.

I will challenge you to a game. We play it all the time. It’s called “Guess the ethnicity of the driver.” In Arlington, at a traffic stop, count the number of ACPD cars at the stop, and then guess the ethnicity of the driver. For decades (I have lived here 25 years), 2 police cars = non white every single time.

Your encounters with police may have all been roses. I will admit – I love ACPD. There may be some rough edges, but we have a great county and a great police force. That said – it is a power relationship – and there are lots of sociological studies about how police abuse their position of authority.

Contrary to what people are saying, they are not people like you and me. They are people with authority, who carry guns, who have the power to arrest you, and have the power to make your life miserable. This is the very reason why police forces are held accountable. This is the very reason why what Arlrider did is so important. To live in a democracy, we must have accountability and we must have the ability to curtail abuses of power (including abuses that start as small ones: I can park my car anywhere ~ and I can discourage people from photographing me.).

[JorgeGortex]

Anti/never-seize grease is the way to go. Whenever I put threaded things together I use it, especially when its dissimilar metals touching each other (i.e. steel hex bolt into an aluminium rack eyelet). I have never found this grease to enhance loosening through use, but when I want things to come apart, they do!

[JorgeGortex]

I just picked up a Trek Crossrip LTD that I plan to commute and run errands on. My commute to work is just shy of 10 miles each way via FMR trail and Commonwealth Blvd to the King St. metro area. I got tired of lugging everything on my back since only my fat tire MTB had rack mounts. Now I’ll have rack mounts and panniers! Yippee! A report here soon after I get the bike fit to me and tuned. Cheers.

[JorgeGortex]

@jabberwocky 74405 wrote:

Time MTB pedals (mostly various ATACs). Both my road and mountain bikes run them, so I don’t need to swap shoes around.

Me too. Three bikes, three pairs of pedals, one pair of shoes. Makes life simpler and I’ve always had good luck with ATAC’s.

JG.

[JorgeGortex]

@jnva 70592 wrote:

So the dog bit you, and you admitted assaulting the owner. Something just doesn’t add up. Since your wound is healing up nicely, and the dogs don’t have rabies (10 day quarantine?) then Im not too worried about his dogs. I’ve had way more bad interactions with people than dogs on the trail. Most people are nice, though.

I have to call BS on this one. The guy got bit. The owner tried to leave… multiple times. Its not about dogs vs. people, its about this particular situation and circumstance.

I’d be worried about this guy’s dogs… because if one of them bites one guy, what happens when one lunges at a child walking with their parent? Or another, smaller dog? Or grabs the leg of a runner and decided not to let go immediately?

As a partial aside, huskies are not a breed that makes a good pet. They are working dogs through and through. I’ve known several through different owners and they all had a strong dominant streak that could make them slightly unpredictable (as most dogs are at some level) or downright crazy. Maybe if this guy wants to exercise his dogs in this fashion, off his property, he should pick a place less likely to encounter other people on foot or wheel, like, say, Fort Hunt Park. Just go around the circle.

JG

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