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Questions galore from this inquiry.

Will it go on a road bike, gravel bike, hybrid, or MTB?

Do they desire double-sided measurement?

That said, the quick-and-dirty:

If they ride a road bike, the best bang-for-the-buck is the Magene PES P505 Base power meter. It is a crankset that uses the Shimano 24mm bottom bracket standard and 4-bolt Shimano-standard chainrings. It’s rechargeable and takes double-sided power readings via the “spider” that holds the chainrings. One charge lasts a long time. I’ve been running one since May 2024 and even with over 5,000 miles of riding since it’s only needed to be recharged once.

The basic meter without chainrings or BB costs $300. Chainrings are another $80-140 depending on whether you go with Magene’s rings or something else (Shimano rings are pricey but shift much better).

If they ride a gravel bike, MTB, or hybrid your best bet is a single-sided SPD-standard pedal system. Favero makes the best of these, followed by Garmin. The Favero units have a rechargeable battery (completely sealed), while the Garmin pedals use a replaceable battery. Favero pedals are held in very high regard by most people for reliability and quality data. Both Favero and Garmin single-sided pedal sets can be upgraded to double-sided in the future, if that matters.

(Favero’s road pedals are also really great, but the Magene crank-based power meter is every bit as accurate and a lot more affordable.)

FWIW: I run Favero pedals on my gravel bike and they are bombproof. And I used to run a Stages single-sided power meter on my road bike until I upgraded to the Magene unit. Note that Stages isn’t around anymore, though Giant may bring them back in the future… maybe.

I hope this helps!

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That’s the rub of rail-trails: in the end they retain their rail right-of-way and can be reverted.

See the Purple Line reclaiming the Georgetown Branch as evidence.

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Yes, T-9 should go on a clean chain without any of the shipping grease or other lubes on it.

Silca’s Chains Stripper works wonders for this. I use it on all my chains before lubing them for initial use, whether the chains will be waxed or treated with a wet lube like T-9, Synergetic, NFS, etc.

The base lube that chains ship with is, to be blunt, nasty and will end up destroying the chain if left on. It’s really meant to prevent corrosion during shipping and storage before being installed on a bike.

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Just to dust this off a tad:

1. I love Boomer’s setup (the sprayer is good for the initial cleanse), tho I mostly use straight-up Dawn Powerwash in the handy sprayer to clean everything on the bike after a wet/salty ride.
2. My chain lube of choice on bikes that see a lot of this kind of action is Boeshield T-9 – especially if a bike is going to be stored someplace where climate control isn’t likely to happen (e.g. outside, in a non-heated shed, et al). I also use T-9 as a cable lubricant and prep, as well as a frame treatment. Note that on my other bikes I’m a waxed chain kind of guy, but the winter months have me going for T-9 due to its protection qualities on metals.
3. If you want a winter chain lube that lubricates more, look toward either Silca Synergetic or NFS, noting that both will pick up more gunk over the long run.
4. If you don’t want to use T-9 as a frame treatment, use good ‘ol furniture polish spray (e.g. Pledge).
5. This is the big key movement: wipe off your bike immediately after any riding through sustained wet, or through salty stuff, or through mud and muck. Not letting the water and corrosive stuff have time to sit around and have that chemical reaction is key. Really wipe down the chain – wipe it well and make sure it’s dry and relatively clean. And be sure to get at places with bearing seals (e.g. bottom bracket, lower headset junction, pedal spindles, hub ends, spoke nipples) and make sure they don’t accumulate gunk. Old t-shirt rags or microfiber cloths work well for this.
6. After the quick post-ride clean, re-apply chain lube, let it set for a couple of hours (if you can), then wipe off the excess. It only needs to be inside the rollers – tho T-9 will also leave a coating on external surfaces and that’s a good thing.
7. At least once a month: pull out the seatpost, clean it, reapply grease/anti-slip/anti-seize, then put back in and tighten back to torque spec (this will prevent galvanic bonding of post to frame).

That’s about it. My typical post-ride clean takes about 5 minutes, the lube another minute. This simple routine will save a lot of money over the long run in terms of having to prematurely replace parts.

Good luck, y’all!

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It is counted either way, be it clockwise or counterclockwise.

 

OK, looked at both segments and they are both clockwise. And now that I’ve going back through my notes as to why I chose that way it’s because the descent is less technical if done clockwise – i.e. Ross Drive is a far gentler descent than going down Ridge Road, easier on those with less confident descending skills.

 

And yes, that means the climb up Ridge Road is a bit more challenging – but it’ll warm you up and isn’t this whole Freezing Saddles thing full of challenges?

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Listing as a “maybe.” Sadly there are many things on my plate with my ski coaching job and tomorrow is a decision day for the coming weekend. We shall see.

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Nevermind – done!

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I also signed up for FoBAFS status… I hope!

Carol: am I good?

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@cvcalhoun 226589 wrote:

Well, it’s not actually global–it’s only for the DMV area.

Is it, though? There are folks who play who are certainly not located in the DMV. And to quote the post establishing this prize: “It does NOT have to be in Alexandria, because, you know, fairness. It can be anywhere on the globe.” (Emphasis mine, of course.)

@cvcalhoun 226589 wrote:

And this year, we have one for the Ross Hill Loop, which appears to be entirely in DC.

As the sponsor of said prize (for the second year running) I launched it to give DC folk a fair shake at a local prize (to them) and a loop that’s not pancake flat (looking at you, Hains Point). And the prize, itself, isn’t geofenced: anyone can play, even though they kinda, sorta have to ride in Rock Creek Park to make it happen.

As the Pizzaneuring prize says “it can be anywhere on the globe,” so technically a rider could participate only going to pizza shops in Naples, Tokyo, Helsinki, Bogota, or Hoboken.

So to ask the unasked question: are the pointless prizes with no true geographic limitations geofenced? Kinda asking tongue-in-cheek, kinda asking seriously.

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I’m finding the tiebreak bias toward Alexandria a bit off-putting given it is a global contest.

Just sayin’…

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And for those who believe in bad translations, here’s the basic summary:

Good morning! This is the second year Rock Creek Park has sponsored a race for runners completing the Ross Hill Loop. But look beyond that.

It is an 8.6 mile walk that begins at the intersection of Beach Drive and Joyce Road NW and runs in a clockwise direction. So go to the link. Each loop has 264 feet of reinforcement.

Just draw the car.

I’d go by the original directions if I were you…

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Gonna be in the Friend(s of BAFS) Zone this season. I realize that ski season has me on the indoor trainer far too much to be of help to any team.

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@Steve O 225551 wrote:

Because it will serve to answer lots of these types of questions in the future. Instead of giving him a fish, I taught him (and you) how to fish.

…and when I posted that I had checked the calendar and the party wasn’t on it yet.

So I knew where to look, couldn’t find the answer, and came here to ask.

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@jrenaut 225648 wrote:

1st to R is a totally reasonable route, I just don’t like it. I usually do R if I’m westbound though.

I ride this route fairly frequently and crossing to R at 1st is far, far, far lower stress than taking any sidewalk. This used to be part of my daily commute from Dupont to Fort Lincoln, FWIW.

And I’m a rider with a high tolerance for stressful routing, so… there you go!

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I will be there!

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