[KLizotte]

Many jolly welcomes to the forum! As you can probably tell, we aren’t serious (usually) and some of us are downright nutty. But it’s all in good fun. Hopefully you can make it out to some of the coffee club meetups or happy hours. Info can be found here: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/calendar.php

And there is a really big event coming up in January to celebrate the start of the Freezing Saddles competition (which is now closed to new registrants but you should come by and meet everyone if you can).

Tuesday, January 10th from 6-8 p.m. at The Bier Baron Tavern on 1523 22nd St NW, Washington, DC. Please bring $10 to cover facility rental and finger foods. More info can be found here.

We would be curious to know what biking is like where you are from.

[KLizotte]

@lordofthemark 150834 wrote:

It felt very good to be back bike commuting again this morning.

My core body warmed up quite well – but my fingers were cold, despite my gloves (as was expected). Trails and traffic were light. Took a bit of time getting to used to the loaner cannondale. I felt more forward than on my Dew, especially at first, though I got used to that. The brake handles seem a bit bigger. The shifter has no numbers, so I was a bit more intuitive about shifting. the pedals are flat on one side, SPD on the other, and every so often after a stop I found myself on the SPD side and had to turn them around while riding. Good to have a mirror again, particularly because in the more forward position turning around is a bit less comfortable. I didn’t go fast, but my speed was not bad for a cold day, getting used to the bike, and not having ridden much for a couple of weeks. Did pick up a couple of PR’s.

Saw FFG, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Congrats on the return to biking. FYI: if you have short fingers you can have shims put in (if you have drop handles) that will bring the brake levers closer to you (I’ve had it done on my bike; doesn’t affect braking at all). Just so you know when you get your new bike.

[KLizotte]

@lordofthemark 150833 wrote:

I am not quite sure. I mean I guess one approach would be to skip the buffer, just make a wider bike lane, and let bike lane users decide themselves which hazard they think is greater. But I guess those best equipped to decide, the experienced riders (other than those choosing to take the general lane) can do that anyway, by riding in the buffer. (Also I guess the fear is making the bike lane too wide would cause some drivers to perceive it as another general travel lane) The issue is how we guide the newbies by placement of the buffer, and whether, if local govt practice prevents us from getting the buffer where we want it, is it worth biking advocates supporting the buffered lane anyway, over a conventional lane, or over a sharrows/nothing.

My sense is that many local govts see conflicts between bikes and moving vehicles as a bigger issue than dooring, regardless of data on dooring incidents. There may also be the issue that distance from moving traffic is more of an issue for making newbies comfortable riding in the street at all. So while we probably should advocate for switching the buffer side, we still need to determine what to do when local govt won’t budge on that. I tend to think that the bad buffered lane is still better than a conventional lane, because the newbs are no worse off, and some folk who might not avoid the lane entirely will ride into the buffer. And those who ride within the lane, though with no better dooring protection than a conventional striped lane, will at least have better separation from the general travel lane.

I am also not absolutely convinced that striping a bike lane has no impact on dooring behavior. I am not aware of any data on this particular question, so this is speculation, but I imagine that the presence of a striped bike lane serves as a reminder to parkers that bikes are likely to be present, and may cause greater caution. That is not to say that dooring is not a concern when designing bike infra, but that the data on overall incidence of dooring MAY not be reflective of likelihood of dooring incidence on bike lanes. (that is also why I am much more likely to take pains to avoid the door zone on streets without bike lanes, even though I will ride in a door zone bike lane in many places)

Unfortunately newbie riders have a bad tendency to ride in the door zone though I can’t say whether a bike lane makes that tendency worse or the same. I like bike lanes only when there is sufficient room for me to ride within the lane but outside of the door zone and still provide drivers sufficient space to pass me easily. Otherwise I’d rather take the lane rather than feel squeezed into an unsafe space.

There is a bike lane in front of my apartment building’s driveway. The lane always reminds me to check my right mirror when turning into the driveway for cyclists coming up my flank. I should always remember to do that wherever I am but I must admit that I often forget if a bike lane doesn’t exist.

[KLizotte]

@AFHokie 150786 wrote:

about half the time whatever I’m trying to lock up to I can’t fit inside my U-lock with the frame, but can get with the wheel. Even more frustrating is when that doesn’t fit either.

This would work for any locking method using a u-lock.

[KLizotte]

@DrP 150785 wrote:

Apologies if I was confusing. In the past I was commuting to Crystal City, so I am familiar with Boundary Channel Dr to Long Bridge Dr and thus familiar with routes getting me to Boundary Channel Dr. Getting from Boundary Channel Dr to Pentagon City is what I wasn’t familiar with. Your response showed me how to do that and it worked today.

Cool beans! FYI: Whole Foods in PC has nice underground parking.

[KLizotte]

Won’t the zoo cut through be closed after hours? Which means you will have to be comfortable going through the tunnel which has a very narrow sidewalk.

[KLizotte]

If you are going to Crystal City why not stay on Boundary Channel Drive and then pick up Long Bridge Drive? You then skip Army Navy drive altogether.

[KLizotte]

Unfortunately S Eads on the southern end still has parking meters so cars are still occasionally parking in the bike lanes. Hopefully they will be removed soon.

[KLizotte]

@DrP 150747 wrote:

Where do we get one of those?

I’ve been looking my entire life.

[KLizotte]

My Beefcake Man returns!!!

See http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?11383-Cycling-Trainer-Recommendations/page2 for reference.

[KLizotte]

And please be sure to get a better bike lock! And use the Sheldon method for locking up your bike using the smallest size lock possible. Method shown below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12985[/ATTACH]

[KLizotte]

@lordofthemark 150732 wrote:

True story.

Freezing Saddles opening happy hour, two years ago, was at Capital City Brewing in Shirlington. The convoy from DC met at the Jefferson. Somehow I was the only NoVa person present, and was selected to lead it, despite never having led a group ride of any kind before. Now I had ridden through the Johnson Grove many times before, to the Pentagon bus station. I had also ridden on Fern and Eads in Pentagon City. But I had only ridden south under I395 on Fern once – during the day, on a quiet weekend.

I led my flock through the Pentagon parking lots, and I am sure many of them considered me quite insane – needless to say it was a lot less comfortable in the dark, at rush hour. I also felt like if I had known I would be leading, I would have wanted to have test ridden that before.

btW – KLizotte – IIRC you have expressed dissatisfaction with the connection on Diagonal from the Commonwealth bike lanes to Prince Street in Old Town. I can report that that issue came up at Monday’s BPAC meeting, in the context of discussion of the soon to be striped Prince and Cameron lanes. I am not sure if there are any plans for Diagonal (we moved on fairly quickly) but people are aware that this is a gap in the network, and a particularly uncomfortable one.

Hmmmm….I don’t think it was me since I don’t use Diagonal plus it doesn’t connect with Commonwealth or Prince. Perhaps you mean Daingerfield Rd which connects the two. That section could be more bike friendly; doesn’t bother me but I could see how it could be intimidating to novice cyclists. My biggest pet peeve is the traffic light at Prince and Daingerfield does not recognize bikes if you are coming down the Prince St spur from Reinekers so you may have to sit a long time till a car triggers it from either side.

Traffic on the Pentagon Reservation is usually very well behaved due to the dominant police presence; occasionally you get a lost tourist who does a crazy Ivan or isn’t entirely looking where they are driving but the area is far safer than it looks. I expect that someday the Pentagon will close the reservation to the public but am very grateful that it is open for now.

[KLizotte]

Pffftttt. Who needs facts anyway?

[KLizotte]

@DrP 150726 wrote:

Thank you! It seemed silly that one couldn’t get from Boundary channel drive to the south lot, but the route making pages I was using wouldn’t let me, so I thought perhaps there was some kind of limited access there.

Perhaps it is due to where you are coming from, but does one have to go out to Columbia Pike and Joyce, or is Eads or Fern possible? Or are they insane on a bike due to those metal boxes with people inside looking at their phones?

I will try it tomorrow.

For some reason Google maps has a really hard time with the Connector Road heading west/south; it seems to think Connector Rd is a one way (which it is not) so it will try to divert you. You will just have to ignore Google on this one. I forgot about Google’s goofiness until you mentioned it just now; it drives me batty when I use RideWithGPS.

I live on South Joyce Street therefore that is the why I chose that route. If I’m tired or in a hurry I will cheat and use the ped tunnel under 395 that LeprosyStudyGroup mentions (you do have to walk there). I do not advise riding along Army Navy Drive in PC until you get west of S Joyce Street, then it is cyclist friendly. I’ve always been fine cutting across Army Navy Drive from the Pentagon if I’m heading to Whole Foods or elsewhere; just make sure all the traffic has stopped before you cross four lanes of traffic.

[KLizotte]

Is that you???

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