[KLizotte]

You may wish to check area pawn shops; they may have been looking for quick cash.

[KLizotte]

Argh! We want to see the other photos!!

I strongly suspect some members of Congress would not approve of this relationship

[KLizotte]

Revolution Cycles in Clarendon is currently hiring: manager and staff. Saw it on their website today.

[KLizotte]

Any luck on tracking down your MacBook? Really surprising if they haven’t tried to get on the internet by now. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[KLizotte]

@5555624 6201 wrote:

Except for part of the route through the marina parking lot and along the Pentagon north parking lot, it’s all on trails.

The blue spot is the cross-walk we’ve been talking about.

You still have to cross quite a few very busy road crossings with poor sight lines via this route.

[KLizotte]

@CCrew 6366 wrote:

I think I’d best describe the response as apathetic.

I’m so, so sorry this happened to you and mad as heck that these thugs think this is acceptable behavior. Sadly they will probably get away with it though. Since this is the second time this has occurred to you in a short span of time, you would hope the police would try to set up a sting operation since these thugs will probaby try this again. It’s pretty ballsy to be doing it in such an open location (without the ability to run off into an alley).

Bad, bad MPD. When my wallet was pick pocketed when I was living in London, UK the police response was actually quite responsive and considerate and that was a minor offense in comparison.

Sadly, one doesn’t like to profile folks based on race but now when we see a couple of black men walking towards us who isn’t going to think the worst? Horrible situation all around.

Kudos to you for securing your Mac so well. I hope everything is encrypted and safe. Let’s hope they broadcast their position soon and that the police will respond quickly and appropriately. My renter’s insurance covers theft of personal items so hopefully your homeowner’s does too.

Other than perhaps riding in the road I can’t think of any way you could have stopped them or protected yourself better (I don’t advocate carrying firearms). I’m not even sure carrying mace or pepper spray in this case would have helped.

Time to request Guardian Angels for the bridge as well as the MBT?

[KLizotte]

Wow. The crosswalks on Wash Blvd and the GW Parkway have always struck me as government sanctioned jaywalking (at a minimum, why don’t they put in blinking lights to alert drivers?!). Unfortunately since the NPS controls the latter it is difficult to apply political pressure to get them to address the problem. Unfortunately it will probably take a truly horrific accident (with deaths) before the officials wake up and do something about it.

Perhaps it is time to organize an petition campaign to fix the crossings? Bad timing though given all the budget shortfalls…. Generally I’m a big fan of NPS and know they are doing their best but these crossings have been there for decades…..given all the money being spent on “shovel ready projects”…..Grrrrrrr

I will be even more careful when crossing from now on.

[KLizotte]

@Dirt 6133 wrote:

Good point. It was an oversight on my part. Enforcement should be done on all. Will it happen? No. It would require a lot of manpower increase and effort and might not produce much in the way of results. It’ll have to remain part of my personal “I have a dream” dream sequence.

I think the only way to improve the situation is to rely upon technology and vastly redesigned infrastructure. Need to make things as idiot-proof as possible.

The way car technology is moving, eventually all cars will have defensive radar and will automatically slow or stop when an object gets too close. Hopefully that will happen in my lifetime….

[KLizotte]

@CCrew 6103 wrote:

The bike in the picture? They sure look like V-Brakes to me…

Really? Out of pure ignorance I based my conclusion simply by looking at them and assuming V brakes would look like, well, like a V.

[KLizotte]

I should have posted a pic of my bike originally. Yes, I know what you are thinking. The handlebars are really high which doesn’t bother me if I’m going less than 30 miles though windy days are challenging. It does not appear that I can lower them via the stem so I plan on trying to lower them via the angle of the handlebar so I’m more aerodynamic. I can’t raise the seat any higher since I won’t be able to touch the ground (I’m only 5’2″).

As you can see, I already have a cushy, gel filled seat so don’t bother with padded shorts. On this bike, that would just look ridiculous!

In the city it’s a great bike to ride given its visibility and ease of control and I do load it up with commuting gear/shopping. I don’t plan on doing any centurys on it though. Need to find a more long-distance oriented bike.

This is the bike I rode on the York Heritage Trail last wknd for 30 miles and found the ride to be bumpier than I would have liked. Overall though, I do like the all-purpose tires that came with the bike for bopping around Arlington/DC.

[KLizotte]

Brendan is right. I have caliper style brakes and I’ll run into a clearance issue if I go too big.

You definitely have fitter butt muscles than me then. I was very surprised since I can easily do 30 miles on asphalt without breaking a sweat. I had put in a lot of mileage the previous two days so maybe it was cumulative tiredness. It was also my first time on crushed limestone. I should have let some of the air out of the tires. Live and learn.

I don’t think my suspension seat is all that great; it came stock with the bike and appears to only have about 3/4 inch “wiggle.” The front suspension seems to be much more robust. It’s a comfort hybrid so it’s not heavy duty by any means. Am already planning on buying either a touring or road bike if I can figure out where to store it safely. Came very close to moving into a bigger apartment for the sole purpose of securing more bike space when my lease came up for renewal this month. I am steadily sliding down that slippery path….

I plan on buying studded tires for winter riding so appreciate any and all tire advice. It’s hard to believe I put on 10K+ miles on my old 18 speed and didn’t even know how to change a tire or lube a chain.

[KLizotte]

Where on the trail does Hobo hang out? Would like to keep an eye out for him when I do go that way.

[KLizotte]

I think we should commend the govt/park folks for making an effort to improve the trails and we should do everything we can to provide useful information. Heaven knows we are are a neglected bunch as it is!

Yes, I do agree they should focus on the most dangerous intersections (e.g., North Lynn St) but any efforts are much appreciated.

[KLizotte]

@WillStewart 5931 wrote:

I went from high pressure skinny tires to Schwalbe “Big Apples”. I couldn’t be happier! The rolling resistance seems about the same but what a difference in reduced jarring.

http://schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte/tour_city/produkt/?ID_Produktgruppe=37&ID_Produkt=140

However, Big Apples don’t come in 700, so you’d need to see if any other tire manufacturer has addressed this size with an efficient balloon tire.

Here are some opinions about using balloon tires;

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-628466.html

I never realized there was so much variation in tires. The Big Apples look like a lot of fun to ride but as you said they would not fit my bike. I also realized that because I have a back rack I will need to keep clearance in mind.

[KLizotte]

Hi Pete,

Yes, I have 700x35c. If I put thicker tires on I presume I’d have to adjust the brakes somehow? 50mm would be nice. I have to bring my bike to the LBS to check on the derailleur (it has a very hard time going from 1st to 2nd gear) so I will check to see what tires can be ordered.

Should I have let some air out of the tires on Saturday or would that have been playing with fate? I should have experimented with that for the last mile but I was hot and hungry at that point.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Author]

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