[mello yello]

@Terpfan 145662 wrote:

Since we’re on the subject, it’s killing me that I haven’t been able to bike as much with our daughter. How young can you put them in the trailer? Is it 1 year old the regular cutoff? My one day riding last week made me realize I really need (well, want, but feel need is also accurate) to be back on my bike.

Generally 1 year is the cutoff, they have to be able to support their head with the helmet, and be large enough to be securely strapped in the trailer seats without the “infant inserts” which have disclaimers all over them about not being used with a bicycle… at least the Thule one does. 8 months is as young as I’ve ever heard of anyone putting a big, strapping baby into a trailer, but I haven’t been doing this long and probably wouldn’t advocate for that anyway. It’s a judgement call.

[mello yello]

@Emm 145651 wrote:

TODAY’S MORNING COMMUTE WAS AWESOME BECAUSE I WAS ON A BIKE!!!

First commuting ride since hip surgery in late May. The ride was gorgeous, stress free and overall really pleasant going from south Alexandria to SW DC. I got my route right (thanks for all the advice on getting through Fort Hunt and Old Town!!!), and on another positive note the commute took me ~15 min less than anticipated, which was good because it took me 15 minutes longer to leave the house than I expected I’m a little sore, but that’s mostly residual pain from a tough PT session on Wednesday.

I am trying to figure out how I go through rear lights so quickly though, and where on earth my back rack light mounts went (they’ve disappeared off both of my commuter bikes…), so I’m placing yet another amazon order for lights and mounts since not having a rear light at 6:25AM on a busy road wasn’t fun…

Hooray! It will only get better as it turns to later summer and the temperatures only reach the upper 80’s into October!
Boo hiss about the lights. Some brands bounce off more easily than others, I’ve found… including my favorite PB Superflash blinkies. Does your rack have screw holes for a permanent one?

[mello yello]

@KLizotte 145626 wrote:

You’re a hero Mello Yello!

Good thing I spotted it! It was about 14″ x 14″ x 8″ and bright neon yellow! Right next to the path!

I’m sure anyone else would have done the same. Last pannier I picked up I could see the guy who dropped it, made for a much easier return.

[mello yello]

Last night I found a pannier on the ground, on the sidewalk on E. Basin drive between George Mason Memorial and the switchback up to the 14th St Bridge / Mt Vernon. It was right where the sidewealk is heaved and there’s a bit of a ridge. I took it over to the Park Police man in his cruiser parked in front of the Jefferson, and he said it’d be about evens me keeping it or him taking it as lost & found… but that the process for getting it back would be pretty involved if PP took custody of it… So I put the cell phone in my pocket so I could hear it ring, strapped the pannier to my rack and headed home. Turns out, the rider didn’t notice it was gone until he got home, then put his bike on his car and started re-tracing his commute in sections. His wife called the phone at some point and I was able to give her my contact information, and he drove to my house to pick it up. Turns out, it’s a good thing he was able to come get it, because it had things like his work keys and badge, which would have been a big hassle for security. Actually the phone was his work phone too. I’d managed to internet stalk him enough to get his LinkedIN profile, work email, and work phone, and had started to contact him using those venues.

To tie this post into the ongoing discussion theme, dude had a classic dual-bulb halogen L&M setup in the top pocket, waiting for early winter darkness.

[mello yello]

Happy Friday everyone! I’m happy to report that I rode my vintage road bike today, after two years of sitting and getting moved around my garage, and it was just great! Does anyone know the bearded guy in the Mavic shirt who was sitting outside Bicycle Space this morning? He thought it was pretty cool, said he had a 1980’s Bicycling road review of the Soma Competition.

I’m torn – I rarely / never ride it, and it’s too small (57 or so) but it’s so cool and I’ve got a good story of pulling it out of a dumpster that I’m having a hard time even considering letting it go. It’s not good as a loaner with its geometry and friction shifters.

[mello yello]

@wheels&wings 145328 wrote:

Perhaps, but “catcalling” gives guys no credit for saying nice things without ulterior motives. I think some of them just appreciate seeing a person on a bicycle struggling cheerily up a hill. I agree there is a gender component, but there is also a shared recognition that sports are fun and that hills can be steep!

I dunno… I get “you can do it” when I’m at the top of my big homeward-bound climb occasionally… enough to make an impression. Usually people waiting for the bus or just walking around the sidewalk. If you were to do the same ride at the same time of day you might get more of that, but I probably wouldn’t consider it catcalling either way.

[mello yello]

So I was heading down K St in the thru lanes this morning and made a conscious effort to stop at the lights. I witnessed 5-6 red light runners, but nothing I’d consider dangerous. Crikey7, I always start rolling and clipping in when the cross light turns yellow, otherwise I’m tooling around in front of impatient cars. Keep doing what you’re doing and just ignore the occasional hassle.

[mello yello]

@americancyclo 145267 wrote:

So does that mean that Ddot brought in $9million in 2015 from red light running drivers?

Anyone know where i could find a map of all the LPI locations in DC? I saw a post on ddotdish from 2012 that said they had 40 and were aiming for 100. It would be interesting to cross-reference these.

Seems low. The one speed camera location on I-295 alone brought in $7m… but that is built like a 65mph road in MD right before the bridge, not the 50mph road inside the district.

[mello yello]

I’ve heard good things about Wiley X but haven’t had direct experience. They’re more tactical gear and shooting and general sports than cycling.

[mello yello]

that’s an awesome looking bike! I love orange bikes and fenders. Sweet ride.

[mello yello]

38’s are big! I find it does make a difference. I’ve got a spare set of 28’s in slick if you want to try them out for a while. I used to ride 35 Pasella’s, which were nice and kushy but kept me pretty slow. I find that 28’s get me through the road junk just fine, thick enough get me over curbs and the other obstacles on my Anacostia – to – Courthouse commute, and are thin enough to be fast on the nice paved stretches.

That and I’ll echo what others said: As for the bike, hand position, seat position, and clipless. I’m not sure you can swap for drop bars but if you’re running a riser you may consider trying a flat bar. Clipless helps me climb, I can sit on my seat and PULL with my hamstrings. It’s a complete workout. If I want to go fast I just sit and think about pedaling in a circle and feeling the muscles work. Seat position becomes pretty important here… As for training, I wouldn’t know… I only log miles commuting, but I’ve got a couple of areas that are forced sprints because of playing in traffic.

[mello yello]

@hozn 144629 wrote:

After having mine fall apart like that in the street several times, I stopped buying those lights. There are much better lights out there anyway.

Yeah I’ve had them fall apart on me too… a dab of elmer’s on the tabs keeps them together, but still able to be separated to put in new batteries… for $5 and free shipping for the back half, this will make a good spare (or primary, and a better-shape one will become the spare, for when this happens to me). I’ve already got the mounts on all my bikes, and they’re good middle-of-the-road blinkies when they aren’t falling in half.

[mello yello]

Found half a Planet Bike Superflash on my way in. If the back is still attached to your bike let me know! The front is a little worse for wear, unfortunately. I found the batteries too!

[mello yello]

@huskerdont 144565 wrote:

Fixies are great fun and great for the rain since there’s only one cog to clean, but where I live and at my age, I wouldn’t want that to be my only bike. Caveat: I recently took my ratio down from 2.89 to 2.7 to make it a little easier on the old knees; your mileage may vary.

They’ve still got regular tires on them… so watch your speed on the turns, in the rain…

One of these days I’ll finish building my geared bike, but it’s not all that pressing as fixed has gotten me around just fine for years now.

[mello yello]

@Subby 144434 wrote:

The only scientific data I can offer is that Prius drivers are the f%^$ing worst.

hey that’s my wife you’re talking about! let me get the soap…

The only scientific data that I can offer is that minivan drivers are the f%^$ing worst!

[Author]

Posts