[paulg]

Dear Team Doozy Dozers

Sorry for only just signing up (20 mins ago) but I was away for the weekend. I like the name, I’m a civil engineer so anything that digs up dirt is good for me!

Looking forward to motivating and riding as much as I can. I’m hoping to ride 3 to 4 days a week (12 mile commute) and have the studded tires which I used for the first time last week.

Paul

[paulg]

@cyclingfool 104123 wrote:

On the ride home last night, after battling rutted ice for the few miles of MVT from 14th St to 4MR, I literally sang the praises of Arlington when I saw how clear 4MR was. Like, I was literally singing, “I love you, Arlington!” No one else was around to hear me, which I’m thankful for, but had there been someone, I think they would have understood my motivation and not thought any worse of me.

I was singing the same “I love Arlington” Song last night too after battling up the MVT from old town. Here is my picture of the transition from lovely cleared trail to MVT taken at around 5pm on Tuesday Jan 6th.
All other trails in my commute are cleared – 4MR, Wilson Bridge, MVT through Old town and the roads.

Come on National Park Service, you can do it… plow the Mount Vernon Trail please!!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]7369[/ATTACH]

[paulg]

Thanks to Arlington County!! When I rode home last night and turned onto the Four mile run trail at the airport I was so pleased to see the brine stripes down the trail and then this AM at 6:45 the trail had already seen the plow. Great stuff.

Thanks to everyone who helped to get this achieved.

Now we just need the National Park Service to do the Mount Vernon Trail….

[paulg]

A couple of thoughts:

1. Zip ties might be better than steel p clamps which could have a tendency to gouge into the soft carbon fork

2. Or you could get these fenders which could work, Planet Bike Speedez Road Fender
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-SpeedEZ-Bicycle-Fender/dp/B000C17NKW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I’ve had experience of the MTB version of these and they do the job. Zip ties are needed to stop them flapping around.

[paulg]

I drove through there last night around 6pm and between 23rd street and 18th streets there was what appeared to be a county pick up truck with yellow lights flashing patrolling the North bound lane and a police car with blue lights flashing patrolling the south bound lane. When I say patrolling it seemed they were pulling up behind cars parked/stopped in the bike lane to help clear the bike lane. It was a little difficult to tell as I was driving through and couldn’t stop, but the bike lanes were clear of cars except for the the two that were being asked to move along.

If that’s so then thanks to Arlington Police and County for helping enforce the great new bike lane.

[paulg]

Tricky one. I know you said you didn’t think it was chain alignment but have you checked it using the following methods? Measure from center line of chain to center line of bike frame at the cranks and again at the rear hub, the measurements should be the same. Or stand behind the bike and look along the chain to see if the rear sprocket is lined up with the front chain ring. If it’s off you can either change spacers/washers (if it has any) on the rear wheel or change spacers (If it has any) on the bottom bracket. Rear wheel option is easier.

However, if the bike just started making this noise it’s doubtful the chain alignment is the problem as that won’t change over time.

Did you lube the chain to eliminate that option as you note in your post?

Have you tried changing the chain tension to eliminate that option? Perhaps less tension?

Sorry I’m not much help.

[paulg]

I commute regularly through there and am interested in helping out.

I’ll send you a private message through the forum.

Paul G

[paulg]

@Dirt 88869 wrote:

Easy one.

Rather underutilized bit of DC bike infrastructure.

Suitland Parkway trail?

[paulg]

I hope the trail is still in fairly good shape after all that concrete has been dropped on it. It didn’t look like they put down any kind of protection for the trail such as a layer of sand, and the excavators they used to demolish the bridge were fairly hefty and would have tracked all over the trail area.

I guess we’ll have to see, but I would think we’ll see some damage to the concrete trail surface. I suppose as part of the master plan the trail will be replaced?

Looking forward to this opening up again, although I have to admit I do enjoy riding up and down the zig zags. It’s a been a great bike handling exercise.

[paulg]

I think I know what you are trying to do. Before inserting axle into hub you lock the cone and the locking nut on to the axle on the drive side, then put in the new wheel bearings into grease in the freehub to stop them falling out, you can then insert the axle from the freehub side to sit the cone against the bearings. Now you thread the cone and locking nut to the axle that protrudes on the NON drive side (after putting in new bearings in grease) and do all you axle adjustments on the NON drive side where you should be able to access, with cone wrenches, both the cone and locking nut.

This article is great for cone adjustments.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

Hope that helps.

[paulg]

I’ve used a Feedback Sports Classic Stand for around 10 years now and highly recommend it.

http://feedbacksports.com/shop/Classic-Work-Stand-P4C1.aspx

Pros:
1. Three legged stand is very stable.
2. Clamping mechanism is very robust and easy to use with one hand. It slides closed first then a quick turn of the screw applies whatever clamping force you want, which is useful if in a pinch you need to clamp the top tube rather than the seat post.
3. Very easy to pack up small, just two quick releases to collapse the legs and a screw of the head to bend it down to fit in the bag
4. Nice high wear anodized finish has kept mine looking as good as new after 10 years and I’ve dropped all kinds of stuff on it.
5. The bike can be swivelled around easily when clamped on the stand, up down, swivel left right and tip front wheel up or down. Very stable.
6. Nice red color…. it’s my favorite!

Cons:
1. Struggling here to think of any. I guess it’s expensive at around $200 but that’s the same price as the higher end Park stand. This was one purchase where the phrase ‘the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten’ holds true for me.

Thanks for starting the thread, you’d have thought we would have discussed this before.

[paulg]

Again thanks for all the advice on this.

I thought others might be interested in this rack that I found:

http://www.parkabike.com/ecoflex-sustainable-bike-rack#New+EcoFlex+Bike+Rack

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5093[/ATTACH]

It’s made out of reused cable from the San Francisco cable car system, according to the video at the link.

Only trouble is they aren’t available until 2015. Shame.

We went with posts with the round circles with a bike inside and sent the architect the layout page from the Arlington County bike parking guidelines.

[paulg]

Thanks very much to everyone for the links and advice. Much appreciated. I have some good stuff to go on now.

Paul

[paulg]

Thanks to the folks on here who have been in touch with the contractor, and have helped get the detour signed and safety issues sorted out (reflectors on gates) etc. Very much appreciated.

I was concerned that travelling East on 4MR and wanting to get on Mount Vernon Trail traveling South I would be out of luck if I was pulling the bike trailer with the kids as I’d have to negotiate the zig zag switchbacks or take a long detour…. but… this weekend I successfully came down the zig zag switchbacks on my Surly Cross check towing a double wide chariot bike trailer. I took it slowly round the bends with my feet down but it is doable! Other longer bike combos might not work but my combo did. Take it wide with the bike in the bends and that allows enough room for the trailer to follow.

Just wanted to let others know it was possible. What I did notice was that at the bottom where you join the 4MR trail the sight lines are poor. I had to lean over the bike to make sure I could see if the trail was clear. It’d be a good idea to give people some room at that entrance when riding on 4MR.

[paulg]

@Dirt 79441 wrote:

Thanks! Cool that people know about it. I know it was near the Law Enforcement memorial for a while, but found its place down south.

Tell me about your commute! From where to where. I’m spending time around different places and exploring people’s commutes for some WABA stuff that I’m doing. You can send it via private message if you prefer.

No problem! It’s a great commute with lots to see. I start at South Arlington near the Water Pollution Control plant, Eads and four mile run and end up at DC Water Blue Plains – 5000 Overlook Avenue, it’s 12 miles exactly and takes me around 50 mins average. 4Mr to Mount Vernon to Wilson Bridge and then Oxon Cove trail to shepherd parkway, under 295 to my destination.

As for the route I thought I’d add it to the ‘Where do you ride’ section so others can find it. Here is the link:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?6667-Wilson-Bridge-to-Oxon-Cove-(DC-Village-Naval-Research-DC-Water-etc-)&p=79454#post79454

Paul

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