[OneEighth]

ACC-
Rollers would let you train indoors on your bike and would have the added benefit of honing your balance and the smoothness with which you pedal. Another benefit to rollers is that they don’t take much space when you aren’t using them. They do take some getting used to, though.

[OneEighth]

Hey Ellen,
Welcome to the forum.
I rode the Custis from Rosslyn to Glebe Road this afternoon. It was clear. But wet. So, if you ride tomorrow, use a decent light and be cautious on overpasses and any area that looks wet. Your commuter tires should work fine provided you don’t make any sudden changes in speed or direction.
Good luck.
Tom

[OneEighth]

The 4 Mile Run trail was okay this afternoon, but I suspect the raised areas will be very nasty tomorrow morning as they will freeze even if the rest of the trail doesn’t. W&OD was not so promising past Columbia Pike heading West. There were plenty of patches that where the trail was mostly covered and the only mitigating factor was that it was warm enough for my tires to cut through. I highly doubt it’ll be that way in the morning. I really didn’t like the Custis from Westover heading back toward town.

Anyone ride the Mt. Vernon trail this afternoon? I’m thinking of hitting Alexandria (via Glebe Road and Del Ray) before hooking North into DC tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to the duck boards.

[OneEighth]

This morning’s ride on the road from Arlington into DC wasn’t too bad with cx tires. The main roads were a bit slushy at the edges but perfectly passable. The sidewalks on the Key Bridge were completely iced over. Traffic was light, thankfully.
I would be curious about the trail conditions this afternoon.

[OneEighth]

Great idea. My daughter wanted me to say she likes the picture. Needless to say, y’all got our household’s vote.
Hope your son’s design wins.

[OneEighth]

Skreaminquadz—good talking to you and your Surly looked even better in person.
Definitely a tricky ride in spots today.
I’m so glad someone else commented on the wind—thought I was just being a sissy.
Have fun tomorrow everyone!

[OneEighth]

With the heavy build and the cross tires, the 46×17 has worked really well. It is also a good ratio for the hills around here.
It’s 2 to 3 mph slower than my fair-weather fixie, but hey.

[OneEighth]

Thanks.
Actually, I just happened to have the Salsa cap lying around and threw it on because it more or less matched and is nicely made. Frame and fork are Surly. The original idea was to try to build up a beater fixie using as many recycled parts as I could. You can guess how well that went. The Sugino and the tugnut were surplus stuff I had lying around, but pretty much everything else ended up getting replaced with something nicer and newer.
Gearing is 46×17. I actually put an 18 tooth freewheel on the other side thinking I might want it for snow, but I have never used it and have since decided that I prefer the control offered by the fixed cog.
Toupes truly rock.

[OneEighth]

The steamroller is one of my favorite bikes and, if I had to choose, I would keep it instead of any of my other bikes. With 32mm cross tires (with loads of clearance left over) and appropriate gearing, this is the bike I can use in bad weather, on the C&O, or just tooling around with my family on the way to the market (or wherever), or for everyday commuting.
At this point, the only thing I would change is the headset, but the FSA on there now works just fine.

[OneEighth]

Sections of the W&OD were getting very slick about two hours ago—and not just the wooden bridges, which you would expect.
Good luck tomorrow, y’all.

[OneEighth]

Reality truly does bite.
Still, it might be fun to come up with some sort of modified hill ride that is survivable on a fixie (40+ year old knees notwithstanding).
Just a thought. Will have to noodle on this a bit myself.

[OneEighth]

Give a heads-up if you ever decide to attempt this on your steel fixie.

[OneEighth]

26 pounds doesn’t sound bad considering how you’ve got it built up. Very nice. I have a Chris King headset in that color(way) on my fair-weather fixie. Dying to find an excuse to swap in a Chris King headset on my steamroller.
Enjoy riding it in the snow tomorrow.

[OneEighth]

Nice job. Looks good. And just in time for the snow on Tuesday!
Just out of curiousity, what does it weigh? My Steamroller weighs about 22 lbs.
I’m assuming there was a suitable craft(y) brew in the pint glass.

[OneEighth]

Personally, I would focus on the drive train. Check the bottom bracket to see if it creaks—could just need cleaning and re-tightening or could be played out. Not hard to replace, you just want to factor in any such replacement costs. And—sorry if I’m telling you something you already know—if you think you are going to need to replace the chain, count on having to replace the chainring and cassette, too.
Good luck. Hope you both find the perfect bike.

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