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Is there some weird wind tunnel effect on Four Mile Run Drive going NW between 395 and Columbia Pike? The afternoon wind always seems to be at its most brutal in that stretch heading west in the afternoon/evening.

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Thanks Pete – was kind of fretting over what I was going to do when it was too hot for my balaclava.

Got one of these wicking caps from Waltz:

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Finally got to ride out to Sugarloaf this weekend and took a few. It was a gorgeous ride from Virginia.

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M Street in the morning could not be easier. Afternoon is a different story. Not sure why that is.

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@ShawnoftheDread 46201 wrote:

Which direction was he heading? Almost done or just starting?

Headed away from DC, so I am guessing he was just starting. Plus he was pretty chipper.

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@jabberwocky 45993 wrote:

One of the more ballsy things I’ve ever seen a cyclist do was block a motorist who tried to use the W&OD between Maple and Church street as his personal “traffic escape route” (Maple was backed up, so he seemed to figure he could drive up the W&OD real quick to get to Church). A cyclist coming the other way refused to let him through. The dude was shrieking that he was almost to church, and it would be easier to go forward than back up, and mister ballsy cyclist flat out refused to move. After a few minutes of engine revving and yelling, impatient driver dude ended up backing up to Maple (he had quite a crowd at this point).

It was awesome.

Like.

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On the C&O this afternoon I passed a guy pushing a double wide baby stroller packed with gear. He said he was walking across the country!

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I think we have roadside assistance as an add on through our car insurance. I’ve used it close to ten times over the last 15 years and it’s always been reliable.

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@vvill 45152 wrote:

105 is more than serviceable, and on paper it’s a decent deal if you want full carbon. Don’t believe BD’s list prices though.

Just bear in mind that you can’t test ride it, and you obviously won’t have any LBS support included – any adjustments you have to get done will have to be paid for out of pocket. Warranty claims won’t be fun either.

Also in terms of specs: the wheelset isn’t great, the fork is not full carbon, and the seatpost/cockpit are just Fuji house branded aluminum. Brakes/cranks are not part of the 105 groupset. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with all that, but they perhaps don’t justify the carbon frame.

I think Performance is a decent place for a good value non-exotic road bike (Fuji/GT/their house brand/etc), especially when they have sales.

I’ve found that it’s better to get what you want and spend a few dollars more than get something just because it’s good value. It depends a bit on how much riding you do.

Component upgrades are expensive, although they’re cheaper if you do them as part of the point of sale at a LBS. I also imagine higher end shoppers on BD would be more likely to buy a bike there for the components and sell off the frame.

Okay – well that’s all pretty important. Definitely having second thoughts now. Thanks vvill.

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Is the Fuji I listed considered an entry level bike? I know it is entry level priced, but I figured that it was marked down so heavily because it was a 2011.

I was a little more concerned about the components because I don’t how much better Ultegra is than 105, etc.. A friend of mine said its probably better to get the bike with the good carbon frame and less expensive components because you can always upgrade the components down the road.

WIFE WANTS TO WAIT TIL I GET HOME FROM WORK TO TALK ABOUT IT.

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This is an insanely good deal, right ($1300 for an all carbon road bike)?: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/fuji/fuji_sl1.htm

The blue one is beautiful and I want to pull the trigger. Before I do I want to get feedback on the bike and components from anyone here.

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Completely agree about this morning. Not sure what it was, but it made me really happy. Sometimes bike commuting is a slog. Sometimes it’s rapturous. This morning was definitely the latter. On most of the WOD up until Columbia Pike I was just riding hands-free, snapping pics with my phone. So great.

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For the longest time I just thought this was a community art project of some sort. I like knowing that it is actually a fort. Who doesn’t like building forts?

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On the way in via WOD/4MRT/MVT I would say it is 50/50 that anyone rings a bell or calls out a pass. And the whole “covering your light” thing? Yeah almost no one does that.

I should probably start saying something.

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I was on and off last year, but have made it a priority this year because I really have no excuse. I have my own office and our building has locker room/showers. The biggest deterrent is when I have youth sports stuff starting at 4p, but my boss is pretty cool about leaving early.

I have three routes, all are from McLean to near 15th & New York. Riding in is a piece of cake – Chain Bridge is 9.5 miles, Custis is 11.5 and WOD/MVT is 15.4 miles. I greatly prefer the latter if I can get out the door by 630am – it usually takes a little over an hour and the Bluemont Junction stretch puts me in the best mood ever. Going home via Custis is the WORST so I try to never do that. Best way is Chain Bridge, but that means I do 41st Street every day (which will probably add 5 years to my life). I also like doing the 15 mile stretch home, but I don’t always have time for that, as it takes a little longer.

I have spent a ton of money this year on winter commuting stuff – bike shoes, bike shoe covers, snow tires, winter tights, socks, sock liners, pedals for said shoes. My most important item though is probably my ELITE balaclava -I feel like I can commute in any weather with that thing on. It keeps my face totally warm. If I am properly attired, I can deal with anything.

EXCEPT FOR WIND. That takes a special mindset.

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