[Rootchopper]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]713[/ATTACH]

[Rootchopper]

Sorry to hear about your mishap.

Here are some thoughts.

If your tires have minimal tread they are more likely to slide. Opt for something with a little grip if you plan on riding the trails around these parts.

Sometimes the shaded area of trails have a slick coating of algae or moss or something. When wet, it’s like ice.

It was 37 degrees but it could have been 31 if your crash location was in the shade all day. You could have hit ice. Not much you can do for that.

Lance was right, it’s not about the bike. If bike age had anything to do with it my 18 year old commuter would have killed me a long time ago.

The only broken bone I’ve ever had was my pinkie. The doctor put it in a half cast (half length-wise) that went halfway to my elbow. I could still move my pinkie but the cast protected it from any more hits. It worked well. No surgery for me. It took a few months to fully heal. Pinkies aren’t all that important. Gerry Garcia played music professionally with 9 1/2 fingers. I continued to ride but that was using a recumbent. Any other bike would have been impossible.

A wise man once told me the secret 2 words to a happy marriage. Yes, dear.

Heal fast. Spring is nearly here.

[Rootchopper]

I also have a set of insulated boots that go over my regular cycling shoes. They are Performance’s house brand. I bought them one size too large (otherwise they are impossible to get over my Lake mountain bike shoes. They work quite well down to the 20s. Above 45 I leave them off.

For days with a range of weather, bring different stuff for your evening commute. For example, in the morning I might wear a balaclave and in the evening, if it’s warmer, I’ll wear a buff.

[Rootchopper]

Dang, you are off to an impressive start! I agree that there seem to be a lot more bike commuters this January than last but you really have to attribute much of that to the weather. It’s been downright tolerable.

You’re riding faster than me and I’ve been at this quite a long time. Keep in mind that you’re going to work! If it was “play” it would make sense to rush. No worries. Enjoy the ride. As someone else said, after you’ve been at this for a while you’ll stop paying attention to your speed. As for me, between the sunrises, the ninjas, the sunsets, the monuments all lit up, the bald eagles, the great blue herons and so forth, I see no reason to rush. (It helps that my boss is also a bike commuter.) In a month or so you’ll be slap happy with all the flowers and songbirds.

I don’t agree with the idea of putting a rack on any old racing bike. You may find the chain stays are too short for panniers. It’s incredibly annoying to be hitting your heels on the panniers all the way to work. Also, I found the rear wheel on my old Trek 1200 (bought in the late 1980s) was really not up to loaded commuting. (How I hate the sound of a spoke breaking!) Your hybrid is a terrific choice.

Keep at it and welcome to the party.

[Rootchopper]

Two articles of clothing that I wear a lot are my holey sweater and my Buff neck gaiter. The holey wool sweater is a really old sweater that I use as an insulating layer between my base layer and my shell. It’s holey because it has a few holes in it that render it unsuitable for off-bike wearing. The wool is soft and not at all itchy. And since I already had it, it was free. You could probably pick up a comparable wool sweater at a a thrift shop.

I have several neck gaiters but my favorite is made by a compant called Buff. A neck gaiter is a fabric tube that can be worn as a hat, a head band, or a face mask. Sometimes I wear them with a head covering. I like the Buff brand the best because it is very thin and is useful from about 30 degrees to 55 degrees. I bought mine at CityBikes in Adams Morgan.

[Rootchopper]

Ann

Be glad you have hair to mess up. We in the fifty something male cohort long for the days of helmet hair.

As for the hills, can you route your way around them? A straight line doesn’t necessarilly mean the best route. I regularly take a steep down hill on the way to work, but avoid it in favor of a long, gradual uphill on the way home. It adds about 1/2 mile to the ride.

As for the fun, have you noticed the sunlight creeping into your morning and evening ride? Soon you will hear the birds coming back from their winter hideaways. And the trees will start budding. And the flowers blooming. And you’ll smell the change of seasons too.

Keep at it.

P.S. I saw a bald eagle on the wing flying across Roaches Run near National Airport this morning.

[Rootchopper]

If your shifter’s cable is routed underneath the bottom bracket, it might be getting hung up on some gunk down there. Check to see if the cable is moving freely. If not, clean the area and lube the chain so that it slides freely.

[Rootchopper]

The blood in your toes keeps them warm. If you over stuff your shoes with extra socks you will restrict the blood flow to your toes and make a bad sitaution worse. Try one pair of wool socks and loosen the laces on the front of your shoes to widen to toe area.

[Rootchopper]

It was probably me you saw taking the pictures. Here’s my blog post about it from last week:

http://rootchopper.blogspot.com/2012/01/remembrance.html

What I was photographing yesterday morning was an addition to the mmeorial. Someone left a typed note, held down by a tree branch. The note was in sanskrit. That pic is here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rootchopper/6728567669/in/photostream

[Rootchopper]

I missed all the fun yesterday due to family obligations but I was out there today in my Charlie Brown cycling kit. Normally I am passed by a dozen cyclists on my way to work. Not today. Only 3, and all after I crossed Four Mile Run on the Mount Vernon Trail. When I got to the Rosslyn connector, however, the same group of bike commuters that I always see was coming down the hill. A tough bunch, for sure. As it turned out I was late getting to the office because it took so long to get all the clothes off. I am looking forward to tonight’s balmy ride home.

[Rootchopper]

Liz
The key street is Royal Street. At the southern end of Royal Street the off road MVT begins again. It goes underneath the Beltway at this point. The Wilkes Street tunnel pops out on South Royal. The alternate trail that you have to salmon on pops out on North Royal. (North and South indicate where you are relative to King Street, BTW.)

Once you get it all figured out, the folks doing work on Jones Point Park will put in a new detour to confuse you all over again.

[Rootchopper]

Liz
At the fork bear left for the river route. This keeps you along the river until it curls back to the railroad tracks on the south side of the power plant. Go about a hundred yards and cross the tracks at the first street intersection. Take an immediate left to continue on the trail along side the tracks. When you reach a T intersection take a left. This puts you onto Union Street. Stay on Union beyond all the businesses and take a right into a park to go through the Wilkes Street tunnel At the far end of the tunnel take a left onto South Royal Street, which eventually gets you to the Beltway underpass and the off street trail.

One of the problems in Old Town is the trail is supposed to go all the way to the southern end of Union Street then go off road into Jones Point Park. The park is currently under renovation so the trail is closed at that point.

South of Old Town the trail follows the Parkway on the river side for about 3 1/2 miles until it dumps out onto a street. Just follow the street up a short hill and take a right over the stone bridge. On the far side of the bridge take a left onto the trail From this point on the trail is continuous all the way to Mount Vernon.

[Rootchopper]

I support WABA and its mission but I didn’t sign last year and won’t this year.

I thought New Year’s resolutions are intended to change behavior not continue it. From my perspective, the WABA resolution, in effect, is asking members to resolve to stop riding irresponsibly. I’ve been riding responsibly for basic transportation since 1978. Signing this pledge seems kind of inane to me.

I think the purpose is for WABA people to be able to offer up a factoid at public meetings (“600 WABA members signed the pledge…”) Instead of signing a WABA pledge, I sign a WABA check. Seems to me that WABA has plenty of more meaningful factoids. The number of people who contribute, directly, through CFC, through United Way. The number of people who volunteer. The number of people who support WABA sponsored events, etc.

[Rootchopper]

If you are willing to wait a few months, you could give them a ride on the Erie Canal. The section between Lockport and Rochester is beautiful and, of course, flat.

[Rootchopper]

There are bike racks in the parking lot to the left of the buildings. The last time I went by there they were filled up with rental bikes. Looks like Bike the Sites in Old Town is doing a brisk business.

[Author]

Posts