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@americancyclo 11984 wrote:

I worry that a lot of people feel this way about regular bicycles, and a regular bicycle with an electric motor might not make them feel any safer. Might want to think of ways to address this mentality if you’re going to be trying to sell eBikes.

The only way is better infrastructure. There are stretches of my commute (getting to the W&OD) that nobody getting on a bike for the first time would (or should) attempt. Narrow roads, poor sight lines, high speeds, etc. The bits that exist are great, they’re just not connected.

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battery meter?

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@RESTONTODC 11503 wrote:

I wish the governments builds more trails in Western Fairfax County. There are so many roads without shoulder or bike path.

My wish is that they’d maintain/finish the ones they’ve already got. They’ve repaved route 50 near my house at least 3 times in the last 10 years, but there are crazy gaps in the MUP alongside it. I don’t think they’ve repaved the FFX Co Pkwy MUP since it was built. My favorite is Stringfellow Road–there’s a nasty, bumpy, treerooty trail that simply ends about 200 feet from the FFX Co Pkwy and its trail, where there’s a whole button-activated pedestrian crosswalk to nowhere.

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@acc 11497 wrote:

You’d think it would be simple enough and impossible to get lost on, but there are lots of little off-shoots and I have ended up in places I did not expect

Connecting trails together is not ffx co’s greatest strength. I like the fact that there are so many parks and trails, but the overall system would be better if there were fewer trails with better connectivity. The nature of how these things get created (lots of little parcels signed over in development deals) makes it easier to add land than to buy the connections, unfortunately. I’d love to take my kids to the CCT, but I have not yet found a way to get there that doesn’t involve at least one road I wouldn’t let them ride on.

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depends on the door; the old-style doors had a lip that you could hook onto, but newer doors (where there’s no frame, just glass touching a weatherstrip) are less feasible for the strap-on roof mounts. you can investigate a big strap that goes all the way around the roof. even if you do have a lip, you need to make sure the straps are tight enough that they won’t slack and fall off (in some cases this can include the roof panel flexing).

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the efficacy of that plan depends on what’s on your handlebars

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most lights will run darn near forever in blinky mode (some exaggeration, but still 10x as long as steady mode). once it’s dark enough to clearly see the blinky light on the ground, and too dark to see, switch to full on.

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Yes, Friday. Glad to hear that at least some kids have been taught how to fit a helmet.

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@vvill 11156 wrote:

I was always under the impression that with a proper single-speed/fixed gear bike the lack of a derailleur meant that you have a more exact chain length, thus more direct energy transfer and better pedaling efficiency?

That’s called rationalization. You save a little friction not having to turn the pulleys, but not that much. You also save on carting around the weight of the derailleur. But the driving force is on the top part of the chain, and it doesn’t really notice whether you’re on a fixie or not. The importance of chain length on a fixed speed is more that if you screw it up you cant stop and/or your chain falls off.

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that’s one of those places where it would be really nice if all the fragmented trails were connected. every time there’s new construction, it comes with a little stretch of MUP, but it doesn’t seem to be anyone’s job to make sure they all connect.

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@KLizotte 11123 wrote:

You can get polarized glasses for prescription glasses as well.

I used to work with a guy who’d cuss every time he came inside during the summer because it took a couple of minutes before he could see anything.

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that must be why the trails need bollards

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My gloves have a reflective thumb. I have no idea whether that’s useful.

Ninjas on the trail are bad enough, but lately these idiots have decided that they’re too good for sidewalks and are all over the streets. Bad enough to hit one on a bike, I really don’t want to run over one with a car.

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machined rims? you might have had metal shavings wear off and burn through the pads (which should not happen again with a new set).

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their 1554 is delicious

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