[Rod Smith]

@SteveTheTech 31741 wrote:

As the days pass by and my legs get back to normal I am thinking I just might be out there again next year. Although at the time I said I would never attempt that gravel mess again today I am thinking I might be.

Are you running 28cs on a road bike? If so what?

There were many people that were out there that I spoke with riding 32s and even as high as 36s with mtb derailuers. I was thinking it would be considered soft to do that but it is smart out there anything goes.

No road bike. Are hybrids allowed? I have smooth tires, Schwalbe Durano on my sporty hybrid, Conti Gatorskins on my work horse.

[Rod Smith]

Cool. I’ll look for you around 8:30?

[Rod Smith]

@bluerider 31576 wrote:

I will be there. The start of the ride occurs right across the street from my house at Walter Pierce Park. I will be on my Blue Norcross EX with my bright blue shoes. Do you want to make a meet up spot for forum members that want to ride together (or at least try to ride together)?

How about breakfast at your place? Just an idea…

[Rod Smith]

Nice thread. Inspiring. You guys are hardcore. I don’t know if I can ride a course as long and steep as that one but I’d like to try. Maybe next year. I like the gravel/dirt. Definitely makes the ride more appealing to me. I’m not saying those sections wouldn’t be hard for me, but I’d like to try. I have very low gearing and 700×28 tires. Getting up the hills wouldn’t be a problem, but making the time cuts probably would be tough…

[Rod Smith]

I’ll be wearing a red DCBCA jersey, white, blue and red Giro Pneumo, gray baggy shorts. Riding a silver Marin Hybrid. Say hi if you see me!

Certifried, I think your average speed estimate is quite reasonable for a rider of your strength. I’ve only done the ride once and I didn’t have a bike computer so I don’t know how fast I went.

If anyone wants to meet up, ride together, PM your cell #. I’d kinda like to meet my arch-nemisis in the National Bike Challenge and longtime internet acquaintance, consularrider.

I’ve paid for the lunch, so I’m planning on taking a longish break at that stop.

[Rod Smith]

I carried four boxes from downtown to 1st NE around 3:35. I’m glad they weren’t ready at 3:20. It was still raining really hard but not torrential, I was lucky to get them across town dry. Double bagged then wrapped in a tarp.

Good deed for the day. I almost rode into a sign on the MBT where it goes over Florida Ave. this afternoon on my way home. It was a “Danger No Tresspassing” sign that had come unattached at the top corners. The sign was connected to the chain link fence by the bottom corners just above a concrete wall which held it horizontally, sticking straight out about three feet into the bike path. It was barely visible, a thin gray line against the gray sky, at eye level. Someone could have got cut bad on that edge. I was riding a little closer to the center than I might have been if there was someone coming the other way. I did not see it until it passed a few inches from my head. I unfastened one of the bottom corners so it hung more vertically. It still stuck out 2 or 3 inches, but I think it’s OK like that. Then I took off my rain splattered sunglasses so I could see better. :p

Enjoyed riding the deep water with my disc brakes and SPD sandals. So glad it was not COLD RAIN!

[Rod Smith]

I don’t know much about fixies but I believe a 48 x 16 (exactly 3:1) can cause the rear tire to wear out faster.

[Rod Smith]

Seatbelt laws discourage driving because they make people think cars are dangerous.

[Rod Smith]

I sometimes take mine off when I’m indoors. I sometimes open the chinstrap when I’m outdoors. If you take yours off you may die.

[Rod Smith]

The first comment was written before I realized you were on an E-bike.

[Rod Smith]

A motorized bike splitting lanes? NO, I do not approve. I hope you get caught.

[Rod Smith]

@jnva 30564 wrote:

So is it legal to travel between lanes of traffic that are NOT moving?

I do this all the time, and the other day I passed a MPD car stuck in traffic. Just wondering if I can be ticketed for doing this.

Not if he’s stuck in traffic!

Splitting lanes is illegal but passing on the right is more dangerous.

[Rod Smith]

@TwoWheelsDC 30839 wrote:

What do you mean “spin statistics”? Sounds like you are espousing a pro-helmet position, which is fine, but are you advocating for mandatory helmet laws? That’s also fine, but I suggest doing some research on Melbourne’s bikeshare system and how helmet laws may have affected its failure. Vancouver is also a good case of a system that is struggling to find a way to launch a bikeshare system whilst having to deal with mandatory helmet laws. Also, at least one study has concluded that mandatory helmet laws tend to discourage cycling with, at best, a marginal improvement in safety…so said laws are actually detrimental to public health.

I’m not trying to be argumentative or anything, but I think this debate tends to stray a bit far into the anecdotal realm (I crashed and my helmet saved me, thus helmets keep you safe), when the actual statistics are inconclusive at best. I, for one, wear a helmet most of the time, since it gives me piece of mind without really costing me anything, but there definitely are times when I need to ride somewhere and don’t want to carry a helmet around. This leads right back into bikesharing, where helmet laws have proven to be a major obstacle for a lot of systems. Overall though, I think the helmet issue is a distraction from the real issue, which is making roads safer. Helmets are just a band-aid on the festering flesh-wound that is our car-centric street system.

While I agree with most of what you’re saying here, and while that the few times my helmet has saved my life are not enough to make a statistically significant study, I find the results compelling.

[Rod Smith]

We can take to the river tomorrow on the group ride. It’s shallow and an easy portage.

[Rod Smith]

My goggles fit better with my ski helmet, so I ride in ski helmet and goggles when it snows.

[Author]

Posts