[Mark Blacknell]

@hozn 171348 wrote:

Thank you so much! — I had forgotten about the JB Alpine Loop; I’ve heard that is a lot of fun. (I guess that works on a normal road bike?)

I’ve ridden it several times on a road bike with 25s. Which is exactly how you’d want to ride it (well, except faster than me).

What, you want something longer? Well, I suggest you revisit something you’ve appeared to notice on FB already https://www.facebook.com/events/1583483341702188/

(That would be such an awesome way to spent a few days)

[Mark Blacknell]

@huskerdont 140219 wrote:

Care to elaborate on BWB? I had decent luck with them, and they are on my way home.

From my 2010 Yelp review:

Quote:

[FONT=&amp]I would push my bike home with a flat rather than give this shop my business. I cannot say enough bad things about the Arlington location of Big Wheel Bikes. Over the years, I have personally witnessed:[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]1) a hard-sell for an obviously wrong-sized bike to a customer[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]2) an attempt to send a bike out on a test-ride with a loose stem[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]3) bait-and-switch rental tactics[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]4) ridiculously rude behavior to customers
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]And that’s just my direct experience. There’s not enough room on this page to repeat the stories of other people’s experiences with this shop. There is not, as best I can tell, a single redeeming thing about this place.
[/FONT]

That covered my experience with them from the late 90s until then. Looking at their Yelp page, it doesn’t seem like anything has changed. And if you ask cyclists who have been riding in Arlington for decades, you’ll get even worse stories (and speculation), I bet.

I have lots of experiences and opinions (positive and negative) about lots of shops across the DC area, but it’s only Big Wheel Bikes that gets my open disgust.

[Mark Blacknell]

Just a few additions:

1) Freshbikes is a great shop for the people in its target demographic. Outside of that? Ugh. They’re still my road bike shop, but I wish that second part would change (that’s a short version of my Yelp review from years ago).

2) You should alway support Bikenetic. They’re special. (And not in the short bus way. You know, despite them having a short bus.)

3) If anyone takes anything away from this thread, it should be to never ever ever support Big Wheel Bikes on Lee Highway. Ever.

[Mark Blacknell]

On behalf of WABA, thanks to everyone who came out to ride. And extra thanks to folks like Dana and Kathy who were out there standing around in cold rain all day so the rest of us could enjoy the ride.

On behalf of myself – I think this was a good start to an event that could serve DC well in the future. Yes, lots of logistics lessons to be learned (I think I started shaking my head at what was to come about 2 miles into the ride, as the lanes narrowed). And the kid’s participation and cost of registration/inclusion issues are clearly on the list for next year’s edition. I am generally optimistic about those outcomes.

(The self-selection of pace corralls was interesting. Runners might be used to it, but I’m pretty sure that 95% of people who use bikes have no idea whether or not they could hold a 18mph pace vs. a 12mph pace. I started well up front (as a strategy to avoid the inevitable cluster)(@ry that comes with big ride starts) and had planned to drift back and chat with friends, but as I saw more of the course – yeah, no, we kept on moving. Well, until we hit the police escort, which was rolling along at . . . 14mph. And then stopped b/c the head of the ride was running into the tail. C’est la vie.)

[Mark Blacknell]

@Mikey 108971 wrote:

Anonymity fosters contempt. The same anger being lobbed from the faceless realm of comments sections is the same anger drivers feel behind windshields. Very few lurkers would slither into a public forum and spew such vitriol if they could be seen. We have images of who these trolls are in our minds right- white male late 30s overweight, lacking success with the ladies, perhaps owning large collections of Japanese anime. I bet we are wrong, the average troll wants you to see them that way, so you don’t realize they Are people in your everyday life. It’s probably Nancy from the PTA or Tom whowe son is on your son’s basketball team who jumps all over every word you post online And calls you horrible names.

Well.

[Mark Blacknell]

@PotomacCyclist 108923 wrote:

But is this a regular column? The Progressive Voice has been a series of guest posts about various topics. It doesn’t indicate that this is a regular feature.

What did I just say?

More seriously, if folks here want to demonstrate that it’s a topic that deserves a lot of attention from ARLnow, go forth and engage.

[Mark Blacknell]

Thanks to all who showed up and an extra special thanks to Bob for an excellent write up for those who couldn’t make it.

[Mark Blacknell]

Just to be clear, if you prefer to work the Rosslyn pit stop with that cast of characters, we can make it happen! There was (as is perhaps clear) a little bit of confusion about who’s recruiting for what.

(And many thanks to everyone who’s already been in touch with me about volunteering.)

[Mark Blacknell]

I would like to thank all of the HELPFUL people for the responses I’ve gotten to this thread on volunteering for the Arlington Fun Ride.

To be clear, I do encourage volunteers for the Rosslyn location. I just suggest earplugs and the ability to close your eyes and pretend like you didn’t just see that.

[Mark Blacknell]

@baiskeli 65403 wrote:

Yeah, what if people can’t volunteer for the Fun Ride because they’ll be busy volunteering for the Fun Ride? That could be a problem.

That would be an excellent problem to have.

Speaking of problems, do I need to post photos from this weekend of the kind of people who will be at the Rosslyn station?

[Mark Blacknell]

First come, first served, Ms. Worzella.

[Mark Blacknell]

@ebubar 62618 wrote:

Missed connection from the Fiat 500 on North Glebe Road a little north of Marymount University. Luckily a cop saw the whole thing (or so I thought). He pulled me over for not hugging the curb while i’m riding. When I hug the curb cars don’t give me any space when passing and try to squeeze through. I tried to explain this to him, but he wouldn’t hear any of it. I tried to clarify what I should do, but he just wanted to lecture me. I may look like a 20 year old college kid joy-riding on my bike, but i’m a 30 year old professor of astrophysics trying to get to work. Treat me with some respect and have a conversation with me so I can clarify what you expect me to do. This is a 4 lane road (2 each way). It is unsafe for me to hug the right curb since it encourages cars to be in the lane with me. I ride far enough to the left (about 1/3 into the lane) that if they want to pass me they should use the left lane. This seems reasonable to me for the low traffic times that I plan my commutes. I’m riding in a position that I deem as safe (according to VA’s bike laws, “Bicyclists operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place under conditions then existing shall ride as close as safely practicable to the right curb or edge of roadway.”) and i’m not impeding traffic since they can get around me.

I really don’t think I was in the wrong here. Its consistent with the REI cycling skills course I took (I think). Happily he just gave me a warning, but the comment “these roads are dangerous enough without you people on them” was uncalled for.

From now on it looks like i’ll get good at climbing and just brave the hills of Military Road on my way to Chain Bridge from now on, but this seriously shows me why more people don’t bike. If you follow the law, you’ll get hit. If you follow what’s safe, you’ll get ticketed (potentially).

The situation, as you describe it, puts the ACPD officer in the wrong. I would follow up with both ACPD Chief Doug Scott’s office, as well as let the County Board know that your experience with the ACPD as a cyclist is discouraging. Let us know what you hear back.

(Careful, though – it was an encounter with a similarly uninformed ACPD officer years ago that kicked me into high gear when it comes to cycling advocacy.)

[Mark Blacknell]

Ugh. Thanks for letting us know, Bob. I hope the rider’s okay.

I ride through there frequently, and it’s a tricky intersection. Speeds can be high, sightlines low, and people generally don’t expect bikes around there. Definitely a “take the lane” sort of place. (And it’s also super important to pay attention to the lights, esp. if you’re on the sidewalk. Everyone gets a turning arrow, which can lead to unexpected pedestrian crossing priorities/conflicts).

Right now, the WABA Crash Reporter is only set up to take reports from those directly involved. If that changes, I’ll post up here (frankly, I’ve not completely thought through the cost/benefits of adding witness reports).

[Mark Blacknell]

Glad this worked out. Yes, insane to check Zipps in a softsided bag.

For future reference, I recommend bikeflights.com. And if you live in Arlington, I recommend the dumpster behind FB for bike and wheel boxes on demand. I’ve used both, frequently.

[Mark Blacknell]

@viennabiker 59720 wrote:

Only problem? You arrive just a little bit–well sweaty. (For me it’s about a 13 mile ride.) Not a big issue, but it’s enough that when I go through security, I set off the scanner. Poor TSA guy has to pat me down each time.

That’s an excellent point to note (and reason to take it easy on the way in). I’ve done the same, but when I explain that it’s because I rode my bike there, they’ve sometimes just skipped the patdown. (And when they don’t, well . . . it never goes well.)

In addition to the spaces noted above, it’s also possible to park right next to the doors at the southern end of B Terminal. It’s just outside of the roof line (of course), but it’s a very visible area – it’s my preferred spot. (My least preferred spot is the one just off the trail at the northern end, among employee parking. I’m sure that most people working at DCA are very nice people, but with the high correlation between airport baggage handlers/TSA agents and criminality . . . )

Finally, this is the piece I wrote about parking at National. There’s a very good map linked in the comments – http://clarendon.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/planes-trains-and-bicycles

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