[paulg]

I agree and don’t like the bollards on MVT at the Wilson bridge either. There should be another way to stop vehicles from using the trail.

Having said that I have contacted the Potomac Bridge crossing folks a couple of times about trail issues underneath the Wilson Bridge at the end of South Royal st. and so know at least one reason why they really don’t want cars etc. going under the bridge and it’s for homeland security. I guess they really don’t want someone putting a truck bomb under the bridge, hence the bollards. I’m not saying I agree with these reasons, fears etc. but I believe that’s why the bollards are there.

I will say though the bollards slow people down as they come down the ramp before making the turn under the bridge which is a blind curve.

Paul G.

[paulg]

@GuyContinental 19811 wrote:

I may have encountered this guy (or more likely his brother given the distance) yesterday as well- EB WO&D right after Maple, I passed a ped gaggle that was owning the right side of the trail. Runner hugging the middle of the WB side (earbuds in of course) not only doesn’t yield but scrunches up his face, mouths f*you, gives me a double finger and actually makes himself wider by throwing out his arms while stepping more into the center of the trail. Trail was otherwise clear (and as wide as the WO&D gets) and I wasn’t riding at all aggressively.

I thought about turning around and eating one of his earbuds… That might make an impression.

I may be reading this wrong and please forgive me if I am but it appears that to pass the pedestrians you moved to the left side of the trail which was being occupied by the runner coming toward you. It also seems that you expected him to yield to you even though you were on his side of the trail. I’m sorry to have to say this, but in that situation (again if I’m reading it correctly) I wait for the trail to be completely clear on the left side before I make the pass. Why should someone yield (biker or runner or whatever) when someone coming at them has decided to make a pass and is now on their side of the trail. They shouldn’t have to in my opinion. I don’t condone the finger gestures etc. but I can see the runners point.

[paulg]

I’m a big mountain biker. A couple of little kids tends to make it harder to ride MTB though with the time commitment so commuting has been my riding of choice for the last couple of years.

If I race it tends to be MTB, such as Wilderness 101 and Cranky Monkey 12 hours.

If i have the chance of a longer ride at a weekend it’s going to be MTB as well.

I’ll add an endorsement for MORE and the work they do with the local trails.

[paulg]

Someone asked about ‘what to do with the towel’ which I’m presuming is a large cotton towel that’s great at soaking up water but not very good at drying quickly.

I use a camping ‘pack towel’ such as these:

http://www.rei.com/category/4500614

They may be small but they soak up the water nicely and they wring out very easily ready to dry another body part, they are also small and can be hung up in the same space as your shorts or shirt.

I’m an under the desk man. The towel and wash cloth go behind the desktop computer which has a constant breeze of warm air from the fans running inside.

[paulg]

Brad from the Potomac Crossing Consultants called me back on Friday (same day as my email to them) and after I didn’t respond to him he called me again today, which is good service in my opinion.

He said the utility pole in question that causes the pinch point is only temporary and should be gone within two weeks. Which is great news!

The completion of the final asphalt to the trail under the bridge, which should iron out all the bumps and steps, will be done in mid May he says, so we are nearing the end of the construction.

He noted that the trail will have anti vehicle bollards, which I know us bikers don’t like but it’s to stop cars from getting under the bridge, which poses a security risk to the bridge. Apparently TSA mandated it.

I’m looking forward to seeing it all completed.

Paul G

[paulg]

I’ve been using http://greenlightride.com/ for logging my miles and commutes, it has teams and competitions etc.

I wonder why the league they didn’t team up with these guys who already had a site that works.

[paulg]

What all of us needed was some tandem strategery.

I raced my ass off and loved every second of the scavenger hunt. For the first 3 laps I had no idea about the van, picking up envelopes and I still couldn’t tell you where the u lock toss thing was! I was having too much fun whizzing around the columns in my Jeans on my red Surly cross check with fenders and rack.

It was a great fun event. I picked up 23 points and felt quite please with myself. The winners on the tandem got 39 points. I lapped them twice.

I think it’s just awesome and exactly what the event was about that a couple crusing around on a tandem dressed in fox hunting garb beat the pants off everyone else. Great stuff. So how did they do it? Well I presume each person got a card each lap and each person played all the games on the way around. Might be a bit slow but double the points each time. Nice job!

Next year I’m doing it on a tandem for 3 (anyone know what those are called?). triple the points triple the fun.

Thanks to the organizers. I’ll be back next year.

[paulg]

I posted my question on Friday but didn’t get a chance to read the responses until now on Monday morning.

Thanks for giving me a good laugh at the start of the week.

So in summary: I think I’ll keep moving, make lots of noise, maybe flap my arms, and buy a Labrador!

I’ve started to see foxes more on that section of trail so maybe some law of the jungle will help out too.

Thanks again.

Paul G.

[paulg]

That same closure was on again today at around 8am. Both ends either side of the power plant. I came from the south. They had signs up with the detour route and a person at each end to help people. I wondered allowed if they could have put the signs further up the trail but in the end it was only 20 feet to back track and cross the rail road tracks and take the alternate route.

On the plus side there is a usable detour and they had gone to the expense of putting up a person at each end, probably for enforcement but probably also to help.

They seem to be putting in a sandbag dam under the power plant walkway in the river. Must be to drain the area so they can maintain something below the water line. Judging by the mud on the trail they must have been transporting the sandbags by truck which drove on the trail .

[paulg]

I loved my old Shimano sandals. It’s a great feeling to be riding around in the summer without the need to wear socks but still be clipped in.

It loos like the SD-66 is the closest to this older design with the 2 straps. I agree with DSalovesh that the 3 strap ones kind of miss the point of wearing sandals as they cover up your feet too much.

The shimano ones I had were stiffened quite nicely which reduced a hot spot at the cleat but they were easy to walk in.

Price point made a sandal for a while but I don’t see it on their site any more. Nashbar has an own brand

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_169948_-1___

It looks very similar in construction to my price point ones but it has an enclosed toe.

Heres looking forward to the warm weather! Although I can’t complain too much about this winter though can we!)

Good luck.

[paulg]

I use winter bike riding shoes – warm and quick to put on but can be pricey.

This thread had some good discussions on warm gear too:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1321-Q-about-Winter-biking

[paulg]

I think Bus and Bike lanes could work quite nicely but enforcement has to be implemented, and lots of people will moan like mad.

Interestingly DC already has at least one lane that I know of. See here a picture of 7th and F NW.

http://g.co/maps/4wyf6

Pretty obvious form the picture that cars are ignoring the signs. I don’t know if there is a time specified for only bus and bikes so the cars might not be in the wrong but I think it’s a 24/7 deal. My experience driving on this road is that many vehicle drivers ignore the signs on the road.

And being a Brit I can say the dedicated bus an bike lanes do work for getting cars out of the downtown areas and allowing quicker and more efficient bus travel. The buses don’t get held up in other traffic as much. It works for bikes too.

One nice thing that was installed near my shared house at Nottingham University UK was a dedicated bike crossing ‘Hawk’ type signal that had detectors under the tarmac that would detect a bike and change the lights to stop traffic and allow bikes to cross. No stopping the bike and shuffling over to the push button that’s attached to the lamp post 10 feet away in the grass verge that’s now mud from all the people who step there to press the button!

This view shows the very intersection still working well after 20 years!

http://g.co/maps/spn2y

You can see the cuts in the path for the detectors. (remember we drive on the left over there).

Now wouldn’t that be nice over here??! Maybe at the Mount Vernon Trail crossings of the GW parkway perhaps??!

[paulg]

Pet peeve of mine too. I’m a Civil Engineer and I know how a hole and patch in the road should be done correctly but it so often isn’t. The hole should be back filled in layers usually max 12 inches, usually new backfill and not the rubbish they dug out of the hole. Each layer should be compacted properly before moving to the next layer.

The blacktop should then be replaced in the same configuration and layers as required by the governing authority, or at least to the same standard or higher than the surrounding blacktop of the road. Doing it this way means it won’t sink as vehicles drive over it, and it should maintain a smooth transition to the surrounding road.

So that’s the theory but what usually happens is that the rubbish dug out of the hole is pushed back into the hole in one 3 to 4 foot layer and compacted at the surface effectively leaving un-compacted dirt for 2 or 3 feet. The blacktop is whatever they have on the truck at the time. The inspectors for the governing authority are either not called in the first place or too spread out to be able to inspect the work as it’s happening. The patch is driven over and sinks as the dirt eventually reaches some kind of consolidation. Freeze thaw and rain then go to work on the poor blacktop, breaking it up.

There are always exceptions and I’ll admit I’ve seen it done properly too.

What you can do is call up the governing authority and make a complaint. Someone is paying the contractor to do this work and that payment can get withheld if they don’t do a good job. I’m afraid I don’t know who is responsible for the section you were on

Sorry to hear about your fall, I hope you are alright.

[paulg]

This little stand at only $15 will let you stand the bike up and turn the cranks forwards or backwards. You have to be a little careful as it’s no dedicated work stand but it’s fine and it’s also good for storing a bike rather than leaning against a wall.

I always do it outside. Use a citrus de-greaser and a cog and brush chain cleaner and a hose with water. You’ll need to do it a few times. Maybe someone can weigh in on washing this stuff down the drive to the drain. It’s a small amount but I’m not sure of the environmental effects.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_147182_-1_202642_10000_202580
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172864_-1_202642_10000_202589

I mainly don’t worry about cleaning between the rear gears except to scrape the gunk off the rear mech jockey wheels. Gloves are good but a good citrus de-greasing hand cleaner also works.

I also like the approach by CCrew and have done that too. You just need a little more mechanical knowledge and definitely gloves for getting the power link off unless you have the pliers.

The last option is to have a dirty bike and a clean bike. One for wet and tooling around and one for dry Sunday best! ….. I wish.

[paulg]

If I’m using the Handlebar light, and if I can, I will put my hand over my light to shield it from on coming trail users but this puts me at a disadvantage when a bike with similar lights is coming at me. I now have one hand on the bars going into a dark pit of danger in the shadow of the oncoming light! Some times I can do this but other times I just don’t feel comfortable losing that 2 hand control and not knowing what’s up ahead.

With the helmet light I keep both hands on the bars and look off to the side away from the oncoming trail user. Seems to work. Anyone got experience of approaching someone who does this?

The helmet light is great in traffic as I can spotlight the drivers parked at intersections looking like they are ready to pull out on me. Flashing the light in the drivers direction gets attention better than a static handlebar light that can get lost in the surrounding glare of other lights.

[Author]

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