[KayakCyndi]

Had to laugh at the pic of the Apex front derailleur. My Viaje has 21,000+ miles on it now and I’ve replaced many things on it (and admittedly I think I clean it a wee bit more than you do). However the Apex front derailleur is not one of them. That just keeps on chugging.

Watch, it will die tomorrow.

[KayakCyndi]

@ian74 141792 wrote:

Ok, I think between spamming it on Strava, Facebook, and Twitter most of my BikeArlington friends have seen that I got my N+1. I saved money, sold my video games, and fed Mr. Coinstar and got enough for a bike I test rode and really liked.

I went with a a Salsa Marrakesh, a steel touring bike. So, I might not have taken everyone’s advice, but I did buy a bike that I love. I love the way it looks and rides, which will keep my riding away on it for quite a while. The weight is definitely noticeable, but ride is so smooth, with big cush 38mm tires and a Brooks saddle (my first!), that the trade off is worth it. I love the Brooks saddle without a doubt. I’ve already put 200 miles on it since I picked it up last week and based on my strava times, I’ve lost about 1 mph on the commute in and 0.5 on the way home. Some days a little more, some days a little less. I’m still playing with finding the best tire pressure that rides the line between squishy/slow and harsh/fast. Thanks to the forum members that gave advice, and Tania, Eminva and Cyndi for letting me test ride their bikes. It was very much appreciated.

But look at it! It’s so pertty!

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I LOVE the way that looks! The Marrakesh is a cool bike. I’ve tried to talk my SO, who strangely doesn’t have my same bike love, into one but no luck. That is a bike that is capable of taking you far!

[KayakCyndi]

@huskerdont 141365 wrote:

Life is too short to ride crap tires.

Yep, return the conti’s. For road tires, I’m loving my Schwalbe Pro Ones. If you need more puncture resistance my Schwalbe Duranos have been nice too …. I haven’t had any trouble mounting them and they roll so much nicer than my old Gatorskin Hardshells.

[KayakCyndi]

@Emm 141073 wrote:

For those who really like or need music, they make small bike speakers out there that do a good job of projecting music right at you, but at a low enough volume that you can hear even the quietest of bikes coming up behind you, and not annoy everyone around you*. I find mine to be WAYYYY less distracting that earbuds because it doesn’t block out any of the surrounding sounds. Generally though I think music should be avoided during commutes on busy trails. I tend to use my speaker while doing laps around Hains Point, and then turning it down or off when I get to the MVT.

*exception is at traffic lights or crosswalks. I swear to god every time I have a bike speaker on the most inappropriate song by pitbull, eminem or someone else on comes on right at the moment I’m stopped with a group of joggers and cyclists. Luckily most bike speakers also have easily accessible “off” buttons for those moments

The bike speakers are a great option for cyclists however I’ve found that it is runners/walker with ear buds that pose the biggest issue largely perhaps partially due to our variance in speeds. They aren’t ever going to stop using music and hence the reason I said “low enough to be aware of your surroundings”.

[KayakCyndi]

@OneEighth 141068 wrote:

I would add a fourth ask—use only as much trail as you need. Put another way, stay to your right.

Totally agree with this. I’ve seen way to much riding down the center-line this week.

[KayakCyndi]

@sethpo 141057 wrote:

My boss was taken out this morning inbound on the Custis on one of those narrow blind curves w/ the retaining wall on one side and Lee Hwy on the other. He was passed by a fast-moving cyclist who cut back in front of him and took out my boss’ front wheel. Boss man hit a light post pretty hard and tore up his knee (only road rash fortunately). The guy stopped and apologized but quickly took off w/o making sure my friend needed help.

If you insist on riding recklessly and your recklessness causes a crash please remember that there are no team cars or medical support vehicles so, you know, be a decent human and stuff.

Sorry to hear that but I’m totally not surprised. The Custis has gotten much worse IMO the past two weeks or so — many more cyclists of varying speeds and lots of runners. It also seems nearly everyone is wearing earbuds and a little on the oblivious side. The Custis is already tricky with bad sightly lines and hills to speed up/slow down rides. All of this is just making it worse.

Yesterday I opted to for the canal as my way in. This morning I rode W&OD/FMR/MVT. Both of those were much better. Pretty soon I’ll just going to revert to my former “winter” route down Washington Blvd.

If we could get everyone to do three things — don’t pass on blind corners, call your passes, and keep the music low enough to be aware of your surroundings — it would accomplish so much. Question is how to we reach them? Posting here is just preaching to the choir.

[KayakCyndi]

@ian74 140246 wrote:

Thanks for the offer Cyndi! Based on what I’m riding now and the geometry on the Volagi site, the 53 might be a good fit for me. Then again, I might be completely riding a bike too big for me (I’m 5’4). I test road a 50 once (Bianchi that I have now) and it felt kind of cramped.

Let’s meet up for you to test my 53 Viaje. We’ll see how that fits. If too big we can try to get you on a 50. I’ll probably be on it Thursday and Friday. Live in Falls Church and commute into DC. Message me and we can coordinate.

[KayakCyndi]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

Those short people test riding blues….

I’ve been at shops test riding.

Also weighing in on the Volagi Viaje too, Bikenetic had a 57 in stock and I saw it yesterday. Lustworthy for sure, and probably the lightest steel bike I’ve picked up yet. But too big. I hate to buy a bike without test riding, but one of those bikes might be better. Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?

I get the practicality of not stocking every bike in every size, but sometimes, being on the short end of things can be a real drag.

Between eminva and me we could probably get you on a Viaje in the “right” size. I’ve got a 53. She has the 50. What do you want to try?

[KayakCyndi]

@huskerdont 140149 wrote:

That looks like Monster Cross dirt.

Nope. It is a West Virginia variety of mud courtesy of this weekend’s wet Mountain State (very) Dirty Double.

[KayakCyndi]

So this is clean enough right?

[KayakCyndi]

@Tim Kelley 139901 wrote:

There are people in this world who will spend $100K in a bike shop over the course of 6 months…

God I hope those people are part of the DC Used Bicycle group on Facebook!

[KayakCyndi]

@Steve O 139371 wrote:

Also, if you are carrying pizza on your bike, be sure to keep it flat, which can be tricky if you don’t have the right kind of rack or crate or something attached.

Like this:

[KayakCyndi]

@Tim Kelley 139360 wrote:

If you don’t want to spend the $10 and do a walk up that’s fine…but the money does go to help allow WABA put on this type of programming in the future. (guilt trip)

And I assume, for those of us who need to be day of but still want to support WABA, we could either give some $$ there or just make a contribution online correct?

[KayakCyndi]

Oh, this sounds like fun and I need to find dinner that night anyway. If all goes well I’ll meet you at Clarendon but, like accordioneur, it will be a bit of a game time decision.

[KayakCyndi]

@DrVoidberg 139308 wrote:

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Our current weather is making the MUPs better for turtles than people. 😡

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