[Steve]

This doesn’t affect me, but I did have a though about a way to approach them about this. First, it should be noted that they are doing this because of budget constraints, not just to be difficult.

That being said, different bases surprisingly often have different rules about entering base. Some places CAC cards are necessary, sometimes just ID, and sometime permits for that base (like the Navy Yard, you have to have special Navy Yard stickers to drive onto base). I wonder if base security would work with the cycling community and find a way to register bikes for base access in off hours. Perhaps people could apply for a Ft. Meyer decal for their bikes that would allow a just a driver’s license and the decal to obtain access from 6pm-11pm (Wright Gate). I imagine that it is open to DOD badge holders only a this time because it takes much less time to let those people on base and doesn’t involve screening at the gate. A pre-registered bike might also mean that they don’t have to do that screening process.

Just a though on a possible question to ask them if people need access to the base.

[Steve]

I can’t help, other than to say if someone steals your bike from a courthouse….well that’s bold.

[Steve]

I’m at just over 18 miles for the round trip. It takes me a little over 40 minutes to work and around 50 on the way home (uphill, and slightly longer to stay on MUPs). I can’t believe some of the commutes just posted. That is really impressive.

I don’t think you need to feel bad or justify anything to yourself. Ride when you want to ride. Don’t when you don’t. I think it’s important to enjoy yourself. Until recently, I rode to work maybe one day a week at most. A number of factors have led to me riding in a lot more, but like Dirt said, most of us started riding to work only sometimes, and probably in nicer weather. If you want to get yourself to ride more, my suggestion is to just try the two way commute on a Friday. We tend to feel a little less rushed on Friday, and are generally happy that the week has come to an end. If you know the weekend is on the other side of the commute home, maybe you’ll find it a little easier to try, and perhaps the full bike commute will be easier than you think.

[Steve]

@rcannon100 43162 wrote:

True. But what’s your point. Just bc Arlco’s smart growth strategy is founded in large part on WMATA, doesnt mean WMATA doesnt suck. .

Side note: What part of Lee Hwy is metro accessible??? Two points, but not the hwy itself (Rosslyn and EFC). Lee Hwy does not enjoy the benefits of the subways system.

Steve, you live in Ballston right. That means WMATA = subways system for you, right.

I stand by my observation: the more likely you are to rely on the bus part of the system, the more likely WMATA is not an option (as also reflected in that study that buses suck just about as much as cars do).

My point is if Metro (or WMATA) sucked so bad, then the smart growth around its infrastructure would not continue to thrive. But it has, and it continues to grow, because people continue to want to use it.

I guess it depends on the definition of accessible. I would say under a mile is accessable, and a healthy part of Lee Hwy is within that distance from Rosslyn, Courthouse, and Clarendon. Some may argue that more like .75 miles is accessible, which is probably a fair argument, but still, a decent part of Lee highway can get to those stops within that distance.

Yes I live in Ballston. I’ve also lived in Clarendon and Crystal City. In CC I used to take the bus a fair amount for grocery shopping, because that was my best option. I’ve never argued that the bus system was great, but I think a lot of it is due to traffic in the area, and the fact that we don’t provide the right bus infrastructure (dedicated lanes). That part is not WMATAs fault. Folks that use the more specialized bus services (ART, Circulator, etc) actually tend to say very good things about it.

Also, you started this thread with a post about MetroRail service, not MetroBus. So I think commenting on what makes MetroRail service good is fair of me.

[Steve]

I personally prefer naming the storm “SnowMyGod.”

[Steve]

@TwoWheelsDC 43149 wrote:

I think the complaints are directed against Metro the organization and not Metro the system.

That’s a fair distinction. Though I don’t think Metro the organization is nearly as bad as people make it out to be, but still, I see what you are saying.

One thing I am always curious about is the financial details of European systems. Everyone loves the systems of Barcelona, Paris, London, everywhere in Germany, etc., but I wonder what their funding levels are compared to Metro, and if their financial losses are much greater. Some of those countries fund public use much more than we do here, so it might not be a totally fair comparison. Again, I don’t know on this one, I just am curious about whether or not this has an effect each time I ride a system in another country.

[Steve]

@rcannon100 42892 wrote:

Arlington aggressively follows smart-growth while people who live in Loudon and work downtown call for Arlington to get paved (widen 66 – to become another 395).

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Arlington’s smart growth strategy primarly centered on the Metro system that this thread was started to hate on? Isn’t most of the mixed zone, high density living along the R-B corridor, and somewhat in the Crystal City/Pentagon City area, with now parts of Lee Highway (the metro accessable areas, primarily) and Columbia Pike trying to move in that direction?

[Steve]

@bobco85 42976 wrote:

This is what I had in mind, a modification of dbb’s design.

Here’s what I came up with:[ATTACH=CONFIG]2387[/ATTACH]

Considering that the path would be mostly used by cyclists who would inevitably cross the street diagonally, I changed the crosswalk with that in mind. There would also be no reason to have the middle crosswalk, so I photoshopped that out. I also sent the path around the tree, whatever that weird gas line looking thing is, and the gutter drain. My only concern would be with the sight lines for people traveling westward.

I’ll be honest, I actually think moving the crosswalk east makes for a pretty unsafe crossing. There aren’t good sight lines for cars or cyclists there. The cars are going fast at that point, because many are going up onto 395, but the point of choosing is pretty late into that turn. I ride this part every day, and just don’t see it as being safe to cross at that new point. I also don’t understand the salmoning that takes place up East Basin, but that’s just me. There are places in the city that have hard 90 degree turns for cars, which helps slow them down. Cyclists and peds tend to support that kind of measure. Well this is a highly trafficed tourist area, lots of activity, etc. I think it is reasonable that the trail forces us to slow down there and not be rolling down the hill at full speed to get a diagonal crossing onto a busy MUP. We probably shouldn’t be carrying full speed thru this area, which is why I think it’s fine to cross early, make a right turn, and head up the trail. Bigger than the speed though is just where the proposed new crossing would be in terms of sightlines and car interaction.

[Steve]

I only have road, so that’s what I rode. There it was flurrying hard, but so windy I don’t think it should accumulate. Paths and all were very clear with no ice or anything. Pretty dry conditions.

[Steve]

1. Bike
2. Metro

And until recently….

1. Metro
2. Bike

It actually really bothers me, all the Metro hating that happens on the forum. I think Metro is great, and is an invaluable asset to cycling in DC. I don’t think it’s the best run organization ever, don’t get me wrong. And I don’t think the bus system is nearly as good as the train system, though local ones like ART and Circulator seem much better (I know there aren’t wmata, at least I don’t think they are). But I think a lot of the bus problems are heavily attributable to the terrible traffic conditions, and the fact that locally we make no provisions to benefit the bus, like bus lanes. Thos who use metro on the weekend probably hate it, because of the service interruptions. Those who use it occasionally probably find it inconvenient. But everyday commuters probably find it to be more on time, more reliable, and easier than driving. I’ve been a full-time metro’er for probably 3 of the years that I’ve lived here, and honestly can’t think of a time that I was very late for work or school during that time.

If we use a Dr. Gridlock piece about people being “trapped” underground, then I think we should post his cycling articles too, to find out how awful cycling is. Maybe we can share his outrage that cabs aren’t allowed to u-turn on Penn, “even without bicycle riders around.” To call that a massive failure of metro last night…I mean take a picture of the beltway every day this week. My guess is it will look similar, the difference being that metro doesn’t look like that every day.

The VAST majority of car-free folks in DC (or at least non-car-dependent) are those that use public transit. I believe that our transit system creates a culture that alternative methods of commuting are acceptable and supported. Without the metro, my guess is 66 would have two extra lanes, Wilson/Clarendon Blvds would look like 50, etc. The ways in which this benefits cycling are numerous. It takes cars off the road, makes it easier for governments to promote “road diets,” and helps provide a safety net for those that say, “I need a car in case of rain/sleet/snow.” Who knows, without metro maybe #bikedc would look more like #bikeloudon.

Rant over….

[Steve]

Lube in the contact points seemed to do the trick. I appreciate all the help. Over the weekend I had planned on cleaning my whole bike anyways, so I think I’ll follow Pete’s advice then and remove the brake and pads for a real cleaning to make sure it’s a longer term solution. Again thanks.

[Steve]

One quick follow up question:

Two mentions of Tri-Flow. I have some ProLink chain lube at home. Would this work the same, or are these different types of lubricants?

Thanks.

[Steve]

You people are awesome!

Using some of Dickie’s advice, I went out and did some trouble shooting. I released the quick release and manually closed the brakes, and they had a similarly hard time re-opening. This leads me to believe that it is not a cable/housing issue, but rather friction at the pivot points themselves.

As correctly guessed by Pete, these are Tektro dual-pivot brakes. I’m going to try to clean the brake well when I get home and lube the pivots and see where that gets me.

I really do appreciate the thoughtful reponses. Huge help.

[Steve]

@Dickie 42488 wrote:

Hey Steve.

Are you brakes caliper or cantilever style? Whenever I have had a sticking brake pad it has almost always been with cantilever brakes. Last week I had a similar issue as you described. When I took a close look I noticed my pads had worn enough that they were not hitting the rim in the same spot anymore, causing the pad to ever so slightly bind/grab the rim, almost as if the pad was getting pinched between the rim and the tire. A quick adjustment of the pad and it worked fine again. When the pad sticks,does it take just a small amount of pressure to release it, and does the spring then work as normal? If so, the spring is not the problem. In terms of lube I always use Tri-Flow, and I apply it as you mentioned. I also use it on the springs and pivot points on the brakes themselves. Hope that helps.

Thanks, Dickie. Mine are caliper. I think they are contacting the rim ok. The problem exists even when I’m not moving, so I don’t think it is the pad just sticking to the rim. It seems more like the whole brake isn’t opening back up. I just have to pull the brake open lightly to get it to open back up, like it’s just stuck a little bit. Perhaps tonight I’ll try cleaning the brake well and lubing the pivot points. My guess is all the rain in the last few weeks has created some friction (I don’t have covered bike parking at work, so it gets wet).

[Steve]

Work was lame today. So I left early. Because that’s what you do when work is lame and it’s 65 degrees and sunny in January. Problem is I had a little bottom bracket/crank arm problem in the morning that was significantly worse on the way home. It was grinding to the point that I thought a bearing had corroded in the bb. I managed to make it back to VA and up to Revolutions. The mechanic (Mike, I believe) took a good amount of time with my bike, got it diagnosed as loose crank arms, not a bad bearing, fixed me up, and put me on my way. It took him a while and he didn’t have to fix it right then and there, but he did. I think it’s because he could tell it was my commuting rig and wanted me to have it back. It made my day, and since I had left early, it still gave me the time to get in an extra 12 miles and try to help pull Team 2 out of the cellar.

Today was a good day – Ice Cube

[Author]

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