[OneEighth]

I ride regardless. I just take it easier (assuming I can afford to do so) and keep the route direct.

[OneEighth]

35 mph on the Custis trail?

[OneEighth]

I would strongly advise against riding on Washington Blvd below where Route 50 crosses. High speeds, lots of traffic, no escape route.

[OneEighth]

I think everyone should read this thread as context for the thread on drafting.
If I’ve got a tag-along, I’m much, much more conservative in my riding on busy sections of the trails.

[OneEighth]

I get tag-alongs fairly frequently. As long as they don’t do something annoying or dangerous, I don’t mind and, in fact, make the most of it—having someone on my tail helps me stay focused on maintaining my cadence.
There are really only two things that piss me off:
1. Riders who don’t notice the lack of derailleur and rear brake and consequently don’t give me the room I need to slow down, and
2. Riders who get delusional from drafting, hop out front and force me to pass them again when they fail because they don’t have the legs and lungs.

That said, I prefer to have someone let me know that they are drafting me(just in case I don’t notice) and I appreciate when they offer to take point for a bit (though I generally don’t want to draft anyone).

[OneEighth]

Was it a taxi?

[OneEighth]

Welcome to the area and the forum, Nicole.
Quite a few of the folks on this forum ride every morning and evening as they are commuters. Depending on where you are, you might very well pick up a riding buddy just by tagging along on someone’s morning commute. If you are close to DC, you can always hit Hains Point in the mornings—there a loads of folks riding circles out there pretty much every day when the weather is nice.
You may want to give folks a bit more to go on, though, if you are looking for something other than a group ride—e.g., where you are riding, how far you are looking to go, avg. speed, etc.
Cheers.

[OneEighth]

Sounds like you’ve got enough information there already to call both his employer and the authorities responsible for the trail. Could have been from the power company.
On the bright side, at least you now know that you’ve got that pedal-thing down.

[OneEighth]

A 42-tooth chainring paired to a 17-tooth cog will definitely make going uphill fairly easy. Downhill while using the fixed cog in that ratio will give you a nice workout if you are trying to control your descent (advisable). You won’t go very fast on the flats with that ratio, but you will definitely have a lovely spin workout. (My steel-frame, bad weather fixie is geared 46/17 which is totally fine on most of the hills around here but requires a cadence around 93 to hit 20 mph.)
This bike does come with front and rear brakes. I would advise you to keep the front brake. Don’t need the rear if you ride it fixed—just make sure you check your chain regularly to make sure it’s properly tensioned and clean.
If it makes you happy, go for it.

[OneEighth]

And not to be confused with any other holes you might come across while using the trails.

[OneEighth]

Honestly, I think modern clipless pedals are much easier to use. I am assuming, of course, that the cleats and pedals are clean, well-maintained, etc.
No comparison to when road shoes had wooden soles, cleats that fit over the lip at the trailing edge of the pedal, and you had to cinch down the strap to keep your foot locked in. Now those were a lot more interesting to get out of in a hurry.

[OneEighth]

As I said in my first post, it’s already dangerous enough out there with folks who have achieved the cycling equivalent of being promoted to their level of incompetence.
And, yes, I see your point about being careful what you wish for. That crossed my mind right from the start. But how many pedestrians are going to distinguish between e-bikes and regular bikes when they feel threatened by dangerous riding on the trail?
Anything that adds to the perception that cyclists and other trail users cannot share the trail hurts us.
So, the question really is, how do you safely integrate e-bikes into the current trail users?

[OneEighth]

I’m okay with someone like Dirt cruising along the trail at 20+ mph because he’s competent. You generally don’t have the ability to hit and hold higher speeds unless you’ve spent a good bit of time in the saddle and have, consequently, developed a skill level commensurate with your strength and endurance. I think it’s also fairly safe to assume a certain level of commitment to cycling and good cycling practices/manners when you are spending that kind of time on it.

That’s simply not the case with e-bikes.

[OneEighth]

I have a thought on e-bikes. Namely, that they, just like gas-powered mopeds or any other motorized vehicle, do not belong on the trails.
It’s already dangerous enough with people who occasionally outstrip their skill-level and commonsense on downhills. No need to exacerbate things.

[OneEighth]

I think that trying on a number of different shoes before ordering is a very good idea. I also think that shopping through places that have free return shipping is a good idea if you are going online. endless.com comes to mind, but their Sidi selection is a bit limited at the moment.
Don’t underestimate the stress you will put on your feet if you ride regularly and hard.

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