[lordofthemark]

To the dad who was riding with his little girl on training wheels, in the I Street bike lane this AM. That was absolutely adorable.

[lordofthemark]

Dare I say the best commute yet? The Pentagon Bus station is long, my bus unloads far from the end, and you pretty much have to walk your bike through parts of it, so I can either time it from actually getting off the bus, or from near the end of the bus stop. From the latter – I left at 7:28, made to M and 3rd at 8:04. only 36 minutes. Even timing from getting off the bus, it was about 39 minutes. Thats my best time yet. Its getting close to the metrorail trip on a bad (but not dsastrous) day.

It sure helps to have recently fully inflated the tires. The hills (Connector Rd, Humpback, and 14st bridge) are getting a tad easier.

I look forward to doing this on a more suitable bike.

btw, LBJ grove and MVT were open and had plenty of cyclists (and runners on the MVT)

[lordofthemark]

@Tim Kelley 65814 wrote:

From Twitter:

http://hushmagazine.ca/culture/i-am-not-a-cyclist/

Thoughts?

too much in there to unpack quickly. As one of the least elite riders on the forum ( I think), I would love if I had a commute (or even a local utility ride) where I did not need at all to mix with cars, or to ride up hills. But thats not my reality. I really do like the Dutch cycling model of biking integrated into ordinary life – and I have (and expressed earlier) some concern about the implications of terms like cyclist (though IIRC I was trying to reclaim “cyclist” from racing.) But if biking is an ordinary activity, then its silly to poke at people who do things that are purely functional. I certainly dress more carefully for the weather for a long walk than for a drive, and there are shoes I will ride the subway in, I would not wear for a long walk. And I would hardly discourage someone walking where I do from wearing reflective clothing.

Not all of the US (or Canada) is like central Vancouver – or like Amsterdam. We may try to change that but that is the reality we face. To pretend its not, is as much an escape from reality, as someone riding the Custis Hills and pretending they are in the Tour de France.

[lordofthemark]

@mstone 65760 wrote:

You misunderstand, this isn’t about non-car commuters: the same subsidy applies to parking. That’s why I suggested simply raising the standard deduction–the only people who can’t claim anything are those who don’t work or who walk to work. It’s just a giveaway, not a way to incentivize certain behavior (except that cycling or walking, and especially telework, are disincentivized). So, make it a general “getting to work” subsidy (which will still disproportionately benefit SOVs,) or give everybody free money without making them find some way to justify it as related to getting to work, or just scrap the idea because it’s just a stupid regressive giveaway with a lot of overhead (a tax benefit is most useful to those in the upper income brackets).

In addition to teleworkers and walkers there is another effectively unsubsidized group – those who drive to work in places where the market clearing price for a spot is zero, or trivially different from zero. The complete exclusion of free parking from taxable benefits is a way to avoid placing the burden on individuals, firms, and/or the IRS of evaluating the actual value the free parking spot. It also makes it easier for firms in places where charging for a garage spot would add administrative costs out of proportion to the value of the spot. But that ended up being effectively a subsidy to driving/parking in those locations where the value of the parking spot is particularly high. The transit subsidy was added, IIUC, to balance that. And yes, the bike subsidy goes further for balance.

Eliminating the exclusion of the parking benefit (and transit benefits) from taxable income, while increasing the standard deduction by roughly the same amount as the value of parking in places like downtown DC or Chicago (please lets not even think about Manhattan) would be a net loss of tax revenue to the govt, and a windfall to the folks who drive to work in places from small towns in North Dakota, to exurbs of major metros. The advantage of that would be that it would simplify some things (though it would mean folks who drive and park for free in places where parking has value would now have to estimate that value, or their employers would have to, and IRS would need some way to verify/audit that) but the revenue would have to be made up. If you set the increase in the std deduction at something lower than the price of parking in downtown DC – say at the price of parking in downtown Omaha, or in Tysons Corner – you would lose less revenue, but you’d also piss off the folks who do park for free in places like downtown DC, because they would be net losers.

In short, MStone’s analysis is well reasoned, insightful, and completely correct – EXCEPT that it implicitly assumes the value of a parking space is the same in all locations. When you relax that assumption, things get rather more complicated.

[lordofthemark]

@hozn 65606 wrote:

Raleigh is a very well respected brand. It will definitely be as fine on quality as other stuff at this price point. Really, quality is going to generally be fine once you are out of Walmart bike territory. You are paying for weight savings and creature comforts (like more gears, disc brakes, etc.). Most of us wouldn’t consider giving these mod cons up, but then I can’t imagine going back to a tube TV either.

well I guess I may want to test ride the raleigh too then – BTW the specs say its 28 lbs.

[lordofthemark]

Maybe he thinks the Skins have bipolar disorder? (if you, google for cycling and mental health, the top three hits are about BPD, though hits 4 and 5 are about the mental health benefits of bicycling)

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 65495 wrote:

Seems decent. The Raleigh at the bottom of that page has more gears but seems comparable otherwise. It’s $100 less, but you’d have to add your own fenders.

They didn’t have any of those in stock on Sunday. Do you think Raleigh would be fine on quality, etc.?

[lordofthemark]

@KLizotte 65482 wrote:

Make sure you take the bike up a few hills on test rides to see how heavy it is in “real life.” It would be good to take with you what you intend to carry on your commute.

I rode up the hills in the REI parking lot (not the huge one out front though). I still have some other places I want to look, but that’s a good idea before I actually buy it.

[lordofthemark]

@jrenaut 65478 wrote:

You have to move to Brooklyn if you get a bike with those handlebars.

Been there, done that, lost the accent, mostly.

I lived in Brooklyn before it was cool. In fact when it was most definitely uncool.

[lordofthemark]

@KLizotte 65486 wrote:

If they close the trails then wouldn’t they have to close all the fed highways too? We must insist on consistency!

I do not know the status of the NPS parkways.

Interstate highways, of course, are owned and operated by state govts.

[lordofthemark]

Went to REI at Baileys. No Novara Transfers (except for the fixie) Turns out the 7 speed Transfer is discontinued, only a few stores in the country still have some – they would ship it in for $60 if I wanted. (a replacement is coming, but will cost $750 IIUC) So instead I test rode a Marin Bridgeway – 700 by 35 tires, 7 speed, without rack but with fenders and chain guard. Weighs about 30 lbs. It was very nice. I liked the shift levers, and the general feel of the bike. It lists at 599, but its on sale at 478, coincidentally just offsetting the fact that as a sale price, the 20% discount coupon does not apply. As REI members we would get the 10% dividend.

Then went to Bikenetics. They had no Kona Dew’s in (no more 2013’s available, the 2014s not yet in – they will be 499 with a 5% WABA member discount.) I test road a Kona Dewplus, which I was told was the same as the Dew but different brakes, and slightly better components ($649, IIRC) It was also very nice. I rode it down the W&OD to the Arlington line and back. The Kona’s do not come with fenders, etc. They are 18 speeds.

Both these bikes were fun to ride, and I went noticeably faster than on my old MTB.

edit – confusing note – I am pretty sure at the store they said the Marin was steel, but online specs say aluminum.

[lordofthemark]

I had the seat height adjusted as part of a tune up when I started biking again, and it seems to be at the right height. Not sure what else about the bike (besides the wheels) would be an issue in terms of size. It does weigh about 35 pounds.

The Roadmaster company/name apparently changed hands a few times.

[lordofthemark]

@americancyclo 65319 wrote:

Pix pls

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3333-Post-pics-of-your-bike-thread&p=47856&highlight=roadmaster#post47856

the one below is not mine, but is a better picture

http://boulder.craigslist.org/bik/4041761931.html

[lordofthemark]

In terms of commute schedule – My goal since August has been to commute every other Friday. But that hasn’t worked out, I’ve only commuted 3 times in that period. However I find its hard to improve that way, especially if I don’t get to ride on the weekend. I am changing my telework schedule so I can commute each Friday. I would prefer not to switch to transit due to ordinary rain. I also hope to commute more frequently, at some point.

I ride in casual clothes, so I guess I don’t need a chain guard?

Carrying – so far I have done my commute rides carrying nothing beyond what I can keep in my pockets, to minimize any additional weight. Thats clearly not sustainable. I’ve ridden recreationally with a conventional backpack, which sometimes feels awkward. A smaller biking type backpack may be better.

I don’t know much about tire widths and sizes.

[lordofthemark]

more info

1. My mtb is 3X6 speeds. But I find I rarely use any but the middle 6 speeds (IE I stay in the middle gear in front) as I usually don’t think to shift to granny gear till its too late. I’m not sure I need more than 6 speeds.

2. I weigh about 150 lbs currently, and intend to lose a few.

3. My current MTB is about 35 lbs

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