[NicDiesel]

@brendan 84288 wrote:

Heading south from 14th St. Bridge towards the airpart yesterday…for a moment, the smell of bar-b-que was really nice…and then it was sewage bar-b-que. And that was a couple hundred yards up the river from the porta-potties, so I stopped using my nose. The combination of good food smell plus…that…made it so much worse.

I will never understand why on the weekends tons of people set up RIGHT NEXT to the Portajohns for their picnics and plane watching. Vomit city.

[NicDiesel]

I got a set, delivered, for $112 today from Pro Bike Kit thanks to an extra 20% off coupon. They take a while to deliver to the central and western US but they’re pretty quick on east coast delivery.

[NicDiesel]

Just be glad you didn’t end up spending the night at 1901 D Street SE.

[NicDiesel]

Today I pulled the trigger on a set of Ortlieb panniers so I can start going grocery shopping now that the ice and snow is all gone. Oh yeah, and I plan on using them when I ride up to Duluth this fall.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5416[/ATTACH]

[NicDiesel]

@Subby 83620 wrote:

F that old guy. You should have pepper sprayed him.

As much as I normally support this form of response, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you really want to spend some time down at 1901 D Street SE.

[NicDiesel]

@thefalcon3a 83575 wrote:

This is where I figured I was just dealing with a crazy old man and should move on, but a younger guy with a stroller then joined the argument, saying something about how bikes have to follow rules at intersections just like everyone else. We weren’t at an intersection… There were people crossing the path from the parking lot to get to the shore of the creek, but it was just grass, so I would think bikes get the right of way there.

Just be glad you didn’t end up in Gitmo or have traffic laws cited at you (true story).

I had run-ins like this happen a couple of times when I’d ride down the MVT towards Mt Vernon and was just as bewildered. Like a few people have mentioned, some people just don’t like cyclists and want to bitch to any cyclist that stops and interacts with them since it gives them the opportunity to blast someone on two wheels. Truth be told, when I rode in the DC Vortex I did a lot of yelling at cyclists like this old dude but it was mostly at the Cat 5 wannabes blazing the MVT like they were 30 seconds ahead of Tom Boonen on the Paris-Roubaix.

[NicDiesel]

@dplasters 82984 wrote:

I accidently saw Premium Rush a few weeks ago when my wife found out that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in it.

You know, I thought that “Quicksilver” with Kevin Bacon and Louie Anderson(!) was bad, “Premium Rush” was worse, which is really saying something.

Getting back to bike recommendations – definitely check out the Specialized Tricross and Allez Comp models. Before I bought the Cross Check I almost bought a Tricross Sport Disc but I needed to save as much money as I could on the complete since I had to have a super strong wheelset built. The standard Tricross should be around $1,000 but you may be able to find a closeout of last year’s model for ~$800. Here are the current versions of the Tricross – http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/tricross. The Allez line is also really nice too and is a little cheaper, but the components aren’t as nice and I don’t think you get both sets of brakes (hoods and center bar).

Single speeds are great but if you’re going to be in any traffic or dealing with hills you probably really want to go with gears. The one thing I will say, and I say this from experience, is make sure you get something that fits right and does everything you want it to do. The last thing you want to do is get a bike, start riding it regularly, and then discover it’s the wrong size or that you really wanted something with a more relaxed fit (i.e. geometry). Also, don’t be afraid to try out tons of bikes to figure out what it is that you like and don’t like. At the $1000 price point there are a ton of great bikes out there, finding what fits you and your needs will be the biggest challenge.

Good luck and welcome to a wonderful world!

[NicDiesel]

@dplasters 82965 wrote:

Just want to point out that I never said anything about a fixie. although I get that I may be splitting hairs on SS vs fixie. I will have brakes etc, I like being alive and well. Just looking to not spend so much and not purchase more bike than I need.

Just kidding around boss, no worries. Most of the fixie riders I see around town here in the Twin Cities have ridiculous calves and are in killer shape, hence my joke.

@dplasters 82965 wrote:

Freshbikes terrifies me. All I ever see there is super expensive Cannondale stuff. Sub 1k is a must.

Have you considered Spokes? When I was ultra-ultra-heavy (vs. my current state of just ultra-heavy) I didn’t want to go to any LBS but had to if I ever wanted to ride a bike again. My wife wanted to get a bike in the hopes of getting my active again and we stopped at the Spokes on Lee Highway in Fairfax. I don’t know if he’s still with Spokes or not but a guy named Carl really made my wife and I (both large people at time that a LOT of LBS wouldn’t help) feel welcomed and spent a lot of time with us to get a good bike for my wife. He also got me to bring my old crappy MTB in for a quick tune up which helped me get back on the bike.

When I killed that old, crappy MTB bike (definitely DO NOT get a MTB) I remembered my experience with Carl and checked out their store in Alexandria on Quaker Lane. For $950 (it was on sale) I rolled out of the store on this bad boy that I put 2,500 miles on before I got the right sized frame:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5308[/ATTACH]

I can’t speak to everyone’s experience with Spokes or any of the other LBS, but as a super size rider (~400lbs) during my tenure in DC I never had a bad experience with Spokes, I can’t say the same about some other shops that shall remain nameless.

[NicDiesel]

@dplasters 82965 wrote:

Just want to point out that I never said anything about a fixie. although I get that I may be splitting hairs on SS vs fixie. I will have brakes etc, I like being alive and well. Just looking to not spend so much and not purchase more bike than I need.

Just kidding around boss, no worries. Most of the fixie riders I see around town here in the Twin Cities have ridiculous calves and are in killer shape, hence my joke.

@dplasters 82965 wrote:

Freshbikes terrifies me. All I ever see there is super expensive Cannondale stuff. Sub 1k is a must.

Have you considered Spokes? When I was ultra-ultra-heavy (vs. my current state of just ultra-heavy) I didn’t want to go to any LBS but had to if I ever wanted to ride a bike again. My wife wanted to get a bike in the hopes of getting my active again and we stopped at the Spokes on Lee Highway in Fairfax. I don’t know if he’s still with Spokes or not but a guy named Carl really made my wife and I (both large people at time that a LOT of LBS wouldn’t help) feel welcomed and spent a lot of time with us to get a good bike for my wife. He also got me to bring my old crappy MTB in for a quick tune up which helped me get back on the bike.

When I killed that old, crappy MTB bike (definitely DO NOT get a MTB) I remembered my experience with Carl and checked out their store in Alexandria on Quaker Lane. For $950 (it was on sale) I rolled out of the store on this bad boy that I put 2,500 miles on before I got the right sized frame:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5307[/ATTACH]

I can’t speak to everyone’s experience with Spokes or any of the other LBS, but as a super size rider (~400lbs) during my tenure in DC I never had a bad experience with Spokes, I can’t say the same about some other shops that shall remain nameless.

[NicDiesel]

@DismalScientist 82955 wrote:

Before considering a fixie, you should ask yourself whether you possess the appropriate ironic facial hair.:rolleyes:

Don’t forget the ridiculous calves too.

[NicDiesel]

@krazygl00 82927 wrote:

I like these rules! Am I crazy for believing they’re not entirely incompatible with the other rules?

THERE ARE OTHER RULEEZ?!?!?!!!?!11?!!

What is this madness you speak of?

[NicDiesel]

@Fast Friendly Guy 82884 wrote:

Hello, my name is David, and I’m a recovering scofflaw-aholic.1. I DO call my passes, ring my bell, and when I suspect an upcoming Crazy Ivan, I use my police whistle.. and then I only pass when I think it’s safe (which I hope is what you also think is safe–but it’s hard to know).

One of the only things I miss about the MVT is the dude that looked like a heavier David Ortiz that was always blowing a police whistle at clueless tourons and needledicks that were in a state of complete oblivion. Good to see someone else is carrying on that tradition.

[NicDiesel]

@Tim Kelley 79897 wrote:

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/kristin-butchers-guide-to-introducing-people-to-bike-riding-without-ruining

I find walking around grocery stores and other shoppes with my helmet attached to my bag is usually the best way to introduce people to cycling. People, for reasons lost on me , always seem to want to tell me that they should “give cycling a try” when they notice it. I think the extra 150lbs I routine carry around helps break the ice. YMMV, of course.

[NicDiesel]

@jrenaut 82718 wrote:

Anyway, entirely pleasant. Of course, afterwards I was told by a local that the road I took for about half my trip is not somewhere anyone should ever ride a bike. I did it at 930AM Sunday, though, so I didn’t have any trouble. Chicago does have some nice bike infrastructure, and I saw a lot of cyclists despite the cold and wind.

This had to be a northsider that told you that, probably a Cubs fan. Even the parts of the city north of 35th street (US Cellular Field) and east of Humboldt Park that used to be “rough” are pretty much honkytown now. Were you down in the loop or on the northside? The ride down Lake Shore Drive is really great, even better during the three weeks of spring or early September.

I still say if CaBi/Divvy/Citi/NiceRide could get a fourth gear on those bikes they’d be perfect.

[NicDiesel]

@vern 82452 wrote:

Kansas City Monarchs baseball cap worked just fine in today’s conditions on what was a good, fun ride. I’ve got an appointment with the optomotrist in 2 weeks to look into getting contacts again. Thanks to all for your suggestions and advice.

I have really screwy eyes (terrible astigmatism in my left eye) and have a really hard time finding contacts that will fit. If you decide to go the contacts route make sure that you give the trial pair they give you a thorough test ride before you order a full set. I can’t really drive or ride at night with my glasses so I usually go with contacts and a pair of wraparounds like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5217[/ATTACH]

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