[josh]

Some of us are going to Lazy Mike’s tomorrow morning around 9am for a slightly later MMPC. Come join!

[josh]

I think this is the original owner. I wonder what happened to the fork.

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I’ve got the diet down, just need to get the tattoos started.

[josh]

@streetsmarts 180617 wrote:

Going to work in rush hour, bicyclists pass me within inches on the L and R with no announcing. I could understand it if we were all going at the same speed but we’re not.

Assuming you’re all going in the same direction (after all you both are in the bike lane), I don’t think cyclists would be passing you if you were all going at the same speed.

I’m definitely an advocate of passing responsibly and I try to call all my passes, but I think there is something to be said for passing quickly. Minimize the time you’re in the opposing traffic’s lane and get it over with.

[josh]

@lordofthemark 180600 wrote:

I usually do a hand wave behind my bike (as I learned from my revered teacher, Komorebi) to indicate to following riders that I am about to pass someone ahead, I find that more comfortable than looking behind, as I worry I will hit someone while my head is turned (and I currently ride without a mirror). Of course that means trusting them to know what the signal means.

I feel like that’s just something that should be practiced then. I remember learning to drive (a car) and checking the blind spot before changing lanes, and I’d always turn the car towards the left while pivoting my upper body and my mom would freak out. I am now capable of looking back without changing my direction significantly . Maybe make a point to keep your bars turned a little to the right when looking over your left shoulder.

[josh]

josh has also reported this item.

Reason:

Quote:

Spam

[josh]

Do you live in the Washington, D.C. area and want to buy, sell, give away, or swap a bike, parts, or accessories? Post here.

I haven’t been around here as long as you, but this doesn’t seem like the appropriate place to be promoting some product you’re affiliated with, regardless of whether or not you’re directly financially compensated (and neither is the FS subforum IMO). Why not put it in this thread, considering it’s actually designed for this situation?

[josh]

I did the men’s cat 5 race because I have zero experience racing on the road (unless you count Wednesday night spins or a single alleycat) or racing cross. The race was at 1, which means the weather warmed right back up and I had plenty of time to not drink free beer before the race. Finally started to warm up around noon, and I think I got two separate laps of the course in between various races. None of them were actually at race pace though, which detracted from their usefulness. I figured I’d explore some of the nearby roads, and I did spot a wild turkey crossing the road. I did some more parking lot loops and then rode around with Birru for a bit.

My strategy was pretty straightforward: I figured I should stay with the main pack if possible, don’t take any pulls, be in the top 5 coming around the last turn, and then just sprint most of the last straightaway. I started the race towards the back, but quickly moved up to stay with the group. First 7 or so laps weren’t that bad, but I’d fall behind in the second half of each lap, and then make up time on the straightaway and in the woods. I leapfrogged with the commissaire on the motorbike probably once per lap. I couldn’t take the turns well, and ended up going out too wide and going onto the grass many, many times. Not sure how much to chalk that up to poor skills on my part versus poor tire choice (slick Compass Barlow Passes). Eventually someone made a move and the pace went up, and I couldn’t hold on to the main group any longer. I just kept going, and couldn’t really sprint the last straightaway as I had imagined. Keeping my HR pegged near my max for 45 minutes was rough (who’d have thought?), but I managed to snag 7th of 30 racers.

Takeaways:

• Get your pre-ride laps
• Use tires with some knobs on the sides
• Work smart, not hard

I’ll be back next year, and if I do cat 4/5, I could also do the singlespeed race not back-to-back (assuming the schedule doesn’t change). I’ll also use different tires, although I was better off than some. Looking at my flybys, it seems that at least one person brought a road bike assuming it was a typical crit.

[josh]

Two things: I assume the dates are actually the 17th, 18th, and 19th of August respectively. Also, the signup link indicates that the event is over.

[josh]

Really enjoyed this article about one of New York City’s most devoted Angels.

[josh]

I’m planning on doing this, looks fun.

[josh]

@Nadine 179665 wrote:

Is there gonna be one this Thursday? The calendar days to check the forum for details but…. [emoji848] I don’t see anything about it.

https://www.facebook.com/events/217214252234003/

[josh]

Dude at the top of the leaderboard there looks familiar! An inspiration to us all.

[josh]

Still haven’t actually ridden them, but hozn’s old wheels with Compass tires are finally on the bike. Can’t say much other than that they look good right now, and I’ve learned how to do a little bit more bike maintenance type stuff. I did cause a leak dropping a wrench adjusting the front brake, but pumped it up, plugged the leak with my thumb like a little Dutch boy, and ten seconds later it seemed to have fixed itself. Definitely a little worried what that says about the sidewalls.

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[josh]

I don’t have much to contribute other than to request that you’re on my FS team this winter.

[josh]

@bunnyhop 179457 wrote:

Thanks! Glad to hear about the cops, but the number of people during a weekday commute in summer is not a good sign- could be deserted in January

I feel like I’ve generally heard the opposite is problematic. Deserted in the winter is fine, it’s during the warm weather that violent crime increases. FWIW I’ve never personally had any problems on the MBT (generally between R and Taylor), although I don’t ride it often and I am a man. If I do ride it, it’s almost always at night though.

[Author]

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