[OneEighth]

There is an older guy I see fairly often on the MVT and 4 Mile Run who drapes a safety vest over his backpack. Not sure how well it works because I don’t recall ever seeing him in low-light conditions.
The billowing effect would drive me nuts…

[OneEighth]

I have also noticed more bicycle police at that intersection but haven’t seen them pulling any cyclists over.

[OneEighth]

Very glad you came through it as well as you did. And the helpful response you got from strangers is the best part.

[OneEighth]

@OneEighth 6992 wrote:

I don’t think tire size really plays that much of a role.

I’ll explain.
Most riders aren’t pushing the performance limits of their tires. They generally aren’t slipping because of sudden changes in power or because they are dragging a knee through the corners.
More likely, they are slipping because they ride over wet leaves, painted surfaces, or wet metal (manhole covers, expansion joints, grates) at an unfortunate angle. Different tread, lower pressures, and/or wider tires won’t really make a difference here.
Now if you are riding through snow, sleet, mud, grass, or on an unpaved surface, that’s an entirely different matter. Wider, lower pressure tires yield noticeable results for pretty much everyone in that case.
I’m not saying that people shouldn’t switch tires if it makes them feel safer. By all means. Frankly, if you feel safer, you will probably be a lot less jittery and tight on the bike. And being smooth and relaxed will go a long way to keeping the shiny side up.
Cheers.

[OneEighth]

The only data I have on either bike is my wristwatch. It beeps every minute and I figure my speed based on cadence. I actually made a chart giving cadence:mph for each bike. Both are fixed gear (46:17 and 48:16) so it’s pretty straight forward.
Normally, I’m spinning between 85 and 95 which puts my speed between 18.5 and 22.5 depending on the bike.
I tend to ignore the effects of traffic on average speed as they are a matter of chance rather than a measure of fitness.

[OneEighth]

Really sorry you ended up hurt. Painted surfaces are often more slippery than the asphalt, though an oily patch on asphalt can make you plant, too.
I don’t think tire size really plays that much of a role.
Another thought from my days on a motorcycle—cold tires and new tires are treacherous.

[OneEighth]

30 mph. Not bad. Or was that other traffic?

[OneEighth]

South Glebe Road to South Walter Reed Drive, down the hill and take a left on either the W&OD trail or on South Four Mile Run Drive, pick up the 4-Mile Run trail (by the intersection where South Four Mile Run Drive t’s onto South Shirlington Road) and take it to the Mount Vernon Trail, head north on the MVT to where the trail splits to cross the 14th Street Bridge.

[OneEighth]

There is lots of fantastic riding around Charlottesville. I remember the hills… Heading out backroads towards Crozet is nice, too.

[OneEighth]

Seems like the easiest and most cost effective fix for this intersection is to prohibit right on red and extend the early walk signal. Adding a redlight camera would help reduce the adjustment period.

[OneEighth]

Yeah, I think you’ve got about 10 years on me. Does make a difference.
But someone did call me “sir” when passing today and that’s gotta count for some old-guy points.
My old Langster had a Sugino 75 crankset on it and felt a bit close together. I switched it out for a SRAM Omnium which I like so much better that it carried over to the new Langster build. Oddly enough, though, the Sugino crankset feels great on my Surly.
It’s probably all in my head.

[OneEighth]

Actually, 50:19 is not a painful ratio. I figure you would have to spin somewhere right around 100 in order to hit 20mph. Most of the hills around here should be pretty easy with that ratio, too.

[OneEighth]

This is the work of a weight-weenie.
Pretty soon this will become a unicycle.

[OneEighth]

For what it’s worth, both my fixies have Velocity wheelsets. One bike with deep-Vs and the other with Chukkers. Both have 32 spokes and get used regularly for commuting. I’ve had no problems with either set and both take a pretty good pounding on a regular basis. I’m perfectly comfortable hopping curbs with the Chukkers, but they are heavier. They are also lovely in snow with fatter cx tires.
Depending on how crazy you want to get with spokes and hubs, you can get them for decent prices on ebay.

[OneEighth]

Thanks for joining the discussion, Tim.
Two quick corrections—
1) The stop sign is only for northbound trail users and is, honestly, not relevant to this discussion. The wooden decking is slippery everywhere it is in use along the trails.
2) Several years ago, there was a move to paint the wooden decking and it was definitely not non-slip. More like glossy finish exterior grade paint. Made things considerably worse wherever it was applied. I suspect I was not the only one who wrote to NPS and told them to quit while they were ahead.
That out of the way, I appreciate that you have made yourself available through the forum.
Cheers.

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