[PotomacCyclist]

When I started cycling again as an adult, I started off with a triathlon bike, apart from stationary bike workouts. I haven’t had any real issues with the saddle. I guess it’s a typical racing/triathlon saddle. You can and should put your weight on the sit bones on a road/tri saddle. Hamstring and lower back flexibility make it easier. Core workouts help too. You also put more of your weight on the handlebars, which is different from the upright riding position of a hybrid bike.

For longer rides, I try to shift my position from time to time. Sometimes I’ll sit a bit off-center, so that I’m almost “sitting” on one of my thighs, not on my seat. Even if I’m trying to hold an aggressive riding position, I will sit up now and then to stretch my back and legs. Just moving around can help during longer rides. Shifting hand position helps to relieve pressure on the hands and shoulders.

Last winter, I switched up and did a lot of riding on the upright, Capital Bikeshare bikes. I found some aspects of the upright position more comfortable, but some were less comfortable. One problem is that all of the weight was going onto the sit bones, instead of being balanced between the seat and my arms/hands.

When I switched back to the triathlon bike in the late spring, I had to go through a brief re-adjustment period. Any change in riding position will put stress on different parts of your body. It will also require slightly different pedaling movements, with a different emphasis on the quads/hamstrings. So any change will require a brief adjustment period, whether you’re going from upright to forward position, or vice versa. At least that has been my experience.

[PotomacCyclist]

Good thing that the helmet took most of the damage. But I second the suggestion to continue monitoring her in case there are any complications from a brain injury. I hope she recovers quickly from this.

[PotomacCyclist]

I usually slow down to a crawl at Gravelly Point. Way too many children AND adults just wandering back and forth between the asphalt and grass. Glad to hear that the girl wasn’t seriously hurt (I hope).

The MVT in general is not a great place for tempo and speed workouts. It’s just too narrow, and many sections have blind curves. I ride more slowly on the MVT than on other routes.

[PotomacCyclist]

Here’s the link to the BikeArlington webpage to download the PDF version of the map:

http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/maps-rides/

Looks good. It’s helpful to see more of the connections with Fairfax and Alexandria.

[PotomacCyclist]

@RESTONTODC 5213 wrote:

Alright, I’m making up a list of threats. Here are some of them.

Water bottle from high rise
Sink hole on Custis trail
Passing without calling
Cyclist drafting from behind (this doesn’t bother me unless it’s dark.
4 year old kid runs out of nowhere

more?

Meteors, volcanoes and killer tornadoes.

I’ve ridden past the Concord many times and never had problems before. I’ll continue to ride there. But I’ll definitely look up before passing the building from now on.

Hopefully any negative publicity from this incident will help to deter that individual or copycats. If they throw bottles frequently, they’ll get caught sooner or later. I’m hoping sooner, and before anyone gets injured.

[PotomacCyclist]

I think NPS does this every year before the Independence Day celebrations. But it does seem early to close off the park now.

[PotomacCyclist]

The City Hub-Revolution Cycles in Crystal City has various casual group rides, often combined with another activity like a Nats baseball game or visits to the local monuments and memorials.

[PotomacCyclist]

I hope you’re able to track down the truck driver. That’s a dangerous situation.

Last year I saw a police car on Four Mile Run Trail. The officer wasn’t chasing anyone. He (or was it a she? – don’t remember) appeared to look lost. He drove along the trail for quite a distance.

[PotomacCyclist]

Jump on it the way that people jump on grenades in war movies. Take one for the team!

[PotomacCyclist]

If you can’t attend the meeting, you can provide input at the Capital Bikeshare Expansion Crowdsourcing Map. Add new locations for stations within the target area or vote and comment on previously submitted suggestions.

http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/bikesharing/expansion-crowdsourcing-map/

[PotomacCyclist]

TheWashCycle has included some of these trail connections in his end-of-year bike wish lists, so the ideas are out there. I think the NPS controls most of the area north of the park. They haven’t always been so accommodating for cyclists. (They are the reason why there are no CaBi stations on the National Mall.)

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t think anyone pointed out the difference between road bike shorts and triathlon shorts. Regular road bike shorts tend to have a thicker pad than tri shorts do. Some like this but some don’t. I bought a couple of regular bike shorts when I first started riding as an adult a few years ago. I found the pad to be too bulky for my liking. I switched to triathlon shorts with the thinner pad. It provides enough comfort for me without that diaper feeling of the bike shorts. I haven’t touched the bike shorts in about two years now since I switched to tri shorts.

Some find that tri shorts don’t offer enough padding for longer rides, but I’ve managed to do many long rides in tri shorts. (My longest ride was over 100 miles in the tri shorts.)

Unless you try both, it’s hard to say which will work better for you. See how it goes with your current bike shorts. If you find the pad to be too bulky, then you may want to look into getting some triathlon shorts.

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t remember if this was mentioned, but a bento box is a nice and inexpensive addition to any bike. It’s simply a small polyester fabric container that attaches to the top tube and the head tube with velcro straps. It’s a very convenient holder for a temporary tire boot patch, antiseptic wipes, Kleenex pack, ID, keys, gels or other small items. It’s more comfortable than putting a lot of stuff in a back pocket. They have a fold-over top that closes with velcro. Some versions have waterproof tops so your items don’t get soaked in rainstorms.

They usually sell for $15 or less. You can move the bento box from bike to bike easily. You can use it for items that you need to grab quickly, unlike items that you store in an underseat bag. It really makes riding a lot more convenient and comfortable.

[PotomacCyclist]

@jrenaut 4828 wrote:

It looks like Giant makes fenders for the Defy. Note to Giant – how about a prominent link from the bike info page to the bike accessory page?

I guess the next question is, what should I be doing to clean the bike after riding in the rain?

I like to lube and clean the chain and derailleurs soon after riding in the rain. With a separate cloth, I’ll wipe down the braking surfaces/tire rims (but without any lube!) to get grit and dirt off of them. There tends to be a lot more junk on the rims after riding in the rain.

[PotomacCyclist]

@DaveK 4827 wrote:

I had a road bike that wouldn’t fit Raceblades (long story) and Revolution took them back no questions. It pays to buy from a good local shop sometimes.

I bought the fenders at HTO, the same place that I got the mountain bike. (Well, actually I won a gift certificate to the store so I hardly paid anything for the bike, just $99 for a new bike.) I think I asked if the fenders were compatible with that model of bike before buying. HTO doesn’t have refunds on their bike equipment, partly since they aren’t a bike-specialty store. I don’t go there that often for bike gear. Other than the mtn bike, I tend to focus on triathlon equipment, which HTO doesn’t really cover.

[Author]

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