[Riley Casey]

I have a 1980 Raleigh Tourist ( that is essentially the same bike I got for my 13th birthday in the 60s ) that I am inordinately fond of in addition to my modern Jamis. Bikes are in the end 19th century technology and are very approachable in that sense. Read and ask questions on the forum, get a good bike repair book and have at it has been my approach.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/oldbikes/index.html
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/623699-For-the-love-of-English-3-speeds…
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/10-Bicycle-Mechanics

Biggest point I would make is to buy a good set of tools. The wrong tool for the job can make an easy job hard and can in the worst case destroy a perfectly good part. Bike tools are cheap compared to many things in life.

[Riley Casey]

I just spent a week riding the cycle track four times a day on a CaBi bike and had no significant issues with cars turning with the exception of one time where I guessed wrong about a green light – turned out to be a left turn light for the cars . The biggest problem I had was south bound trying to locate the walk signals. They are not located a consistent light pole at each intersection it seems. All that being said I tend to wait for lights out in the cross walk where I can be seen unless I’m likely to be in the way of pedestrians. Visibility is 90% of the solution in my experience. I’m always surprised at how invisible a 6’3″ guy in a yellow jacket on a silver bike can be to drivers.

Edit > I probably should have mentioned that I was riding between Florida Ave & P Sts so that is probably not representative of the more office dense area around M St.

[Riley Casey]

The bike house repair clinic on Saturdays at Qualia is very popular and has a good selection of tools on hand.

[Riley Casey]

Now that you’ve tried it on the Metro, how practical is it to take a bike like that on a crowded rush hour train from downtown?

[Riley Casey]

When I lived in Takoma Park, about 100 yards from the Sligo Creek Trail my favorite route into town was via Kansas Ave NW / NE. From say Columbia Heights Metro take 14th north to Monroe, then east to 13th, north on 13th to a right on Kansas Ave. Very nice ride from there all the way to Eastern Ave. You will cross Georgia just a few blocks north of Qualia Coffee if you need a caffeine stop. There are several unavoidable big hills once your in Takoma Park before you arrive at Sligo Creek. I would suggest going left at Eastern Ave and following that to Laurel Ave then right to where it becomes Carroll Ave. Follow that to Old Carroll Ave and turn right down the steep hill to the park. If you cross a large bridge you’ve gone too far and crossed the park about 50 ft in the vertically wrong place. Google maps for bikes is your friend on this ride. All that being said Sligo Creek Trail is essentially Rock Creek Park lite. Closed to traffic on weekends partially but not fully, bad, root damaged paved paths elsewhere + a LOT of jogging strollers.

While I’m not sure how “Mount Rainer and Hyattsville or College Park” relate to Sligo Creek Trail in Takoma Park I feel your pain and anguish about the dearth of good routes to the northeast of downtown.

[Riley Casey]

Nice! Definitely see that coming a ways off – which is a good thing. Of course faster is always better.

[Riley Casey]

Cute but somehow I just don’t see this as an alternative to having a hand pump and a folding bike tool in my pannier.

[Riley Casey]

Probably worth going to the website of the bike maker and looking up the terms of their warranty before venturing into your LBS. Makes it easier to talk on a level footing.

[Riley Casey]

What he said …

@DismalScientist 2811 wrote:

All that may be true. Please wear all the lycra you can find. There’s nothing I like better than watching lycra-clad poseurs eat my dust as this old geezer screams by in street clothes on my 25 year old bike, with shifters on the downtube, as God intended…:p

[Riley Casey]

A few observations in no particular order …
Unless all of your commute is via virtually empty rural or suburban roads and urban bike trails door to door I would stick with bars that give an upright ride. Visibility in an urban setting – you to them and them to you – is paramount.
Always take a dry run of your bike commute on a Sunday morning so that you have the route down pat before jousting with the rabid car commuters.
Used bikes are, how shall I put this, more expendable in a public urban setting.
Once the ride parameters are established and the joie de vivre of biking where once you drove sets in it’s easier to buy up to a bike that fits the needs to a T from a used bike than taking a hit on the investment in a new bike.

YMMV of course

[Riley Casey]

Kate Ryan might be a good first step http://kateryanreports.blogspot.com/

[Riley Casey]

Since your nifty new camera also has audio perhaps you could narrate your turns as you come upon them. Just a thought. It’s actually pretty good view of the ride even skipping ahead on some parts. Thanks for taking the time to create and post it.

[Riley Casey]

I’d love to have the text of that sign as a sticker for my bike. Might have to look into that. Thanks for the image.

[Riley Casey]

A beard and long hair are major comfort additions for winter riding without a doubt!

@BigAgnes 2411 wrote:

He used to be faster when he had a pony tail, though. 😎

[Riley Casey]

I don’t ride out in that area much but I am relatively familiar with much of the drive from Glenmont to Ft Meade and a quick look at the Google maps suggested bike route confirms my thoughts. An awful lot of the available east to west routing is on some very heavily traveled and fairly fast commuter roads. The few stretches of bike path that Google found are not in areas that I know to be particularly dangerous from a knock you down & steal your wallet perspective but the roads and especially the choke points required by those famous rivers of cars I95 , Rte 29 and the BW Parkway could make it a scary ride.

[Author]

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