[thecyclingeconomist]

Again… I never run strobes at night on the path, what’s the point?? It doesn’t’ help me see the path any better than if I just had the light on, and is both annoying to me, and it would be truly annoying to anyone coming towards me… I thought I’d said this above.

Running both my lights as strobes is for daytime-in traffic-save my life from cars situations. But, ironically, I can absolutely verify (with video) that running a single strobe on the path has gotten both pedestrian and cyclist’s attention and helped avoid ANY possibility of a wreck (even at low speed, with earbuds in, it doesn’t matter how much I yell “on your left” or ring my bell. Visual stimulation is required.) So, if it’s dark… I run a flood (aimed right in front of my front tire), and a spot… shooting down path (of course it’s aimed as far right as possible). I’m not TRYING to blind anyone. My point is: I won’t turn my lights off for your benefit at the cost of my own safety.

I run the following Dinotte flood: http://store.dinottelighting.com/dinotte-xml-3-headlight-p174.aspx
I run their spot too: http://store.dinottelighting.com/dinotte-xml-1-headlight-p172.aspx
I run their RED taillight which is MEANT to be aimed down (it creates a bouncing effect that gets drivers attention better, and of course I wouldn’t run white light off the back, it’s not a taillight. The taillight is always on, and always on strobe.): http://store.dinottelighting.com/400r-red-taillight—seat-post-seat-stay-chain-stay-or-rack-mount-p91.aspx

In any event, as a light lover, I think that I’ve stated that I try to do everything on your list. Maybe light-haters and light-lovers can get along after all… as I said, I’m open to the feedback, or I wouldn’t have posted in the first place. I think that commuting over 5-years and having been “scolded” three times isn’t that bad to be honest. But, the negative always sticks out, even among so much positive.

Back to whining: I hate earbuds… they cause so much grief on multi-use paths.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 30718 wrote:

Yup. Depending on the week, I am usually there 2-3 nights per week. Occasionally I get a lap or two in the morning done. I’ve got a few hill repeat loops on small back streets along the way home that add in cardio and leg frying workouts.

I’ve seen and experienced wayyyyyyy too many bad things happening with people training on multi-use trails.. even in broad daylight. Not saying it is gonna happen to you, but I’ve seen it happen to many… some are guys that I know are REALLY good cyclists. There’s just too many things out of our control to do it safely. There’s something to be said for arriving at home to that family safely.

I agree. There are a lot of things that one has to pay attention to on the multi-use paths. I try to commute between 6 and 7am, which helps a LOT! The ride home… well, it’s just not as fun because of the huge mix of people…

So, since this thread has been somehwhat hacked, I’ll try to bring it back to the “whining” issue:

I guess I now have to admit that I’m a whiner. I’d also say that just as in California: my number 1 whine is earbuds. Why go outside if not to experience it! Listen to the birds/water/wind… not some carpy corporate produced music.

Okay… back to work.

God bless, and have a safe ride home! It’s beautiful out today!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 30715 wrote:

Totally understand. I share your hatred of the gym. I know time is a factor too. I don’t have kids, but I usually work 60+ hour weeks and have a lot of other stuff going on. Hains Point works wonderfully for those purposes… Much, much better than the MVT.

Respectfully submitted.

So, you just add a loop along Ohio Dr. to a regular commute?… again my problem is time… it all adds up quickly. I want to be home with my family even more than riding (and I LOVE riding.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 30711 wrote:

One thing that I do is slow down a lot. I don’t mean that as an obnoxious comment… It is something I started doing a while back.

As a father with a history of obesity, this is my opportunity to do cardio. I hate the gym, but I will keep my body in shape for not only my own well being, but for my family. I (fortunately or unfortunately) treat every ride as part of my physical training and maintain a schedule of hard rides/recovery etc.

@sjclaeys 30708 wrote:

Given the darkness and blind corners of the paths and many path users not using lights, I am not sure what “another strategy” would be as an alternative to using lights bright enough to cycle safely. Of course, they should be at the lowest level required, angled down and perhaps to the right, and not in strobe mode, but I do not see any other alternatives. I do have to say that I don’t agree with the cyclingeconomist having aerobars on a hybrid, but that is just my pet peeve about people using aerobars while on MUPs. I guess I just whined then, so I will stop.

I never ride in aero position (on my road or commuter bikes) when in congested situations. When in club-rides or otherwise, you’ve gotta have your hands on the brakes when close to others. My commuter-mtn-road-frankenstein-thing is setup to the same fit as my road bike, it just happens to be a 29er that weighs over 30 lbs., have a kick-stand (heaven’s forbid!) and soak up any bump I ride I could ever ride through (rather than 18lbs like my road bike, which I’d never expose to half the junk I commute through.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

@dasgeh 30704 wrote:

The problem with your logic is that the drivers on a normal two-lane road have car-powered headlights of their own and the road probably has a fair amount of ambient lighting. On a trail, most people have weak lights, and the ambient lighting is usually low. Other trail-users’ eyes are not adjusted for bright light in the way that drivers’ are. So when you ride on a trail with very bright lights, you really are putting others in danger, because you are impairing their night vision for moments after you pass.

I completely understand the value you put on your safety. But your actions are putting others at risk (in a way it doesn’t seem you’ve been considering). Maybe it’s time to consider another strategy?

I get your point… but there are some problems with it too. Also, just to be specific, the “colorful” responses to which I was referring have never been at night from cyclists. Finally, the situation that you cite has occurred VERY rarely. There simply aren’t that many people out riding after dark. When I commute home after 8pm (when night-vision/contrast issues are a definite reality as you state), there are usually less than a dozen cyclists on the entire 6 mile section of the MVT I ride on.

As I have invested in legit lights for year-round use, I am not going to use inferior lights which make it so I can’t safely see my surroundings simply because others don’t have lights that properly light up their surroundings at night. As I said, I’m probably being stubborn on this, but with good reason. I attempt to maintain an 18-22mph avg. on the MVT when safe (yes, I ride for exercise…on every commute. I have a schedule, a goal heart rate, I do sprint intervals, leg-drops etc etc.) Low-powered lights simply do not come close to having enough penetration to make my field and depth of vision sufficient for a safe athletic ride. This is regardless of what other’s lights are like. (I also understand that it’s unfortunately a real investment to purchase a real lighting system. It took me years of slowly wasting money on 100 to 400ln producing lights, only to realize that I needed to buck up and put the money into a sufficient water-proof lighting system. One with a separate flood and spot, casting between 1000 and 2000 effective lumens depending upon the mode.)

I’ve heard it argued that this leads to the “SUV” situation (where everyone keeps buying larger and larger cars to remain safe from being hit by other’s on the road)… but the analogy isn’t appropriate either. I have my lighting system for solo night riding, and don’t “turn it up” because of others on the path/road. The problem arises because of the phenomenon we both allude to: other’s want me to turn my lights off/down. But, the only negativity I was referring to was during morning/daytime commutes when the contrast problem wasn’t an issue. As I said, I try to be cordial and cover them when safe, or turn them off… but when I forget, having the f-bomb thrown my way certainly seems way off-base (am I whining here??… hahaha)

I wouldn’t treat anyone/talk to anyone that way… in any situation. It doesn’t feed any possible conversation/solution… rather in incites anger and defensive posturing from all parties involved.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Got it! I meet the first two qualifications already… I guess I just need to stop in for the early AM caffeine! Thanks…

[thecyclingeconomist]

I was happy that someone posted a link to peterwhitecycles, they have a great set of products. Also, my lighting kits come from http://www.dinottelighting.com. Not cheap, but i get 4 hours with over 1000ln’s on high out of the larger Li/ion battery. You can get an adapter to plug into a usb I believe. Dinotte makes awesome AA compatible models so you can use rechargeables instead of the li/ion.

Another awesome resource: http://www.surefire.com (An avid cyclist: Jim Verheul works there.)

[thecyclingeconomist]

Just perusing this thread: what is the “Coffee Club”… and where does it ride from?

[thecyclingeconomist]

I agree that there are certain spots on the MVT that simply require more caution… the spot just south of Gravelly Point Park while headed south where you have oncoming cars on the right and bike lights on the left oncoming is rough at night. Also, whether north or south, the winding area just south of the airport can be dangerous for sure, but more from a congestion/differential-pace point of view.

[thecyclingeconomist]

I know I’ll get some flack (as a D.C. newb: only 4 months here), and because I didn’t read every response on this thread: but as a daily commuter (365-rain or shine or snow) through the city of Alexandria, up the MVT and in and through the district, I run extremely bright lights both front and back, and in strobe-mode during all daytime hours. I try to remember to turn them off when I hit the MVT, but have often realize that when I do… I forget to turn them back on when I hit the city and really need them on strobe mode. So, rather than turn them off, I usually just try to drop my hand in front of them for oncoming riders/runners when it is safe for me to do so rather than turning them off.

I’ve been commuting for 5 years as a full-timer. Cycling since 1997. Been hit-n-runned once (compound fracture to my left collar-bone)… and that’s all it takes to change mentality on the lighting front. I won’t put my own potential safety, when sharing the road with cars, into jeopardy for the momentary benefit of oncoming cyclists/runners on the path.

For curiosities sake (and to see if some of the rather colorful comments I’ve received were justified), I’ve put my lights next to my car headlights to see if these are “worse” than driving a normal two-lane road, and the answer is…No. Maybe I’m off-base, but my strobes/headlights aren’t any brighter than an oncoming car, and they provide safety for me, as well as those oncoming. Why can’t we simply divert our eyes from the oncoming light? I’ve had at least three roadies throw the f-bomb at me. I must say, it irks me to no end that anyone on a bike would treat any other cyclist that way. Generally, I’ve had nothing but positive from the cyclists/runners in the area… I think that part of the problem is that it only takes 1 rotten apple to sour the whole batch in our mind.

If it’s my rear light… maybe again I’m off-base but, if you can’t muscle up to pass me, then slow down or quit complaining and enjoy the light show. I do ride pretty hard when I commute, as I love cycling, and have used this sport to lose and maintain a loss of over 70lbs. since my flabby height of 274lbs. in 2003. I like the comment above: we each have our reasons for being on the bike. I love cycling in all its forms. Recumbent, road, mtn, tandem etc. I love, promote and support them all. Each bicycle out there is a piece of art to me.

But, back on topic: I guess I’m saying “yes” to your original question… there are a bunch of whiners out there, and maybe I’m being a bit stubborn on the lighting-issue too (I’ll work on that). I guess it’s because I approach my road riding vs. commuting very differently. But, when I observe “cyclists” act like blithering idiots (I guess this is subjective too… but I do video every single ride, so I have proof) in traffic making bad name for us all, I get pretty “whinny” too…

God bless and safe cycling!
~TCE

(P.S. If you see me on my frankenstein-bike-commuter-thing…the bike below with a green water proof Novara panniers attached,…riding improperly… simply remind me of this post… but you don’t have to curse at me… I promise)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1700[/ATTACH]

FYI: the lighting system that makes you visible in day-time traffic: http://www.dinottelighting.com/

[thecyclingeconomist]

What the heck did I just watch…!?!?!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@DaveK 17931 wrote:

“The 29″… can tell you’re from Cali, no one talks like that here. The feedback you’ve already gotten is good but I have an unrelated question – how do you like that Novara 29er? My buddy is planning on buying one with his dividend/20% coupon this year.

Sorry for my very late reply, as the 20% coupon already ended. However, I was one of the 8 reviewers on the actual REI website for the 2012 Ponderosa 29er. I do love this bike. I have it pretty frankenstein’d, as I have Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35″ slicks on it and a rack. I even have clip-on aero bars on it so that I can emulate my road bike position when I am on my commute. The remote lock-out on the front fork is awesome. The stock saddle sucked. The rear derailleur was also a bad one in my opinion (I swapped it out for an XT.) I swapped the cranks out to 170mm for my knee. If he’s gonna use it for commuting, its awesome. For single-track, excellent. For anything with hits over 3 feet, I’d recommend a soft-tail. Here’s a couple better looks at it: http://s776.photobucket.com/albums/yy49/TheCyclingEconomist/Absurd%20Commuter/?albumview=slideshow

Again, thank you to everyone for the information. We’ll definitely be checking out the food scene in Falls Church (my wife is Italian, so a legit cannoli is worth a check.)

Insofar as the “Arlington Bias”… it’s all good. But, I got a better deal on the Alexandria property, and the open greenspace that connects to our fenced yard is pretty awesome for the little one. I also look forward to riding up the Potomac as my commute rather than Custis (I’ve now ridden both.)

Here’s a link to my first ride in the D.C. area: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqqOU-oWtOc

Compared to California, everything is so close. I have to drive 48 miles to get to a Trader Joes from where I currently live.

Here’s where I ended up: 3751 Keller Ave. in Alexandria off of Kings St. just southeast of the 395. So, I’ll have an urban commute up the 4-mile-run Trail, then over and up the MVT.

I spent a week, and finally took a day off to rent/ride the area properly (as seen in the video).

See you all out there on the trails! You’ve seen my “Absurd Commuter” as I call it… and on the road… I ride a carbon Giant TCR: http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy49/TheCyclingEconomist/Bicycles/NewBikeFullyBuilt.jpg

[thecyclingeconomist]

So… I had a nice ride! Here’s a little video of the experience…

CLICK HERE

[thecyclingeconomist]

Well, I rode 5 miles of the Georgetown Branch trail tonight home from the bike shop (rented in Bethesda), and it was nice and flat… though the “rails to trails” hard pack was a bit interesting on 700X23c tires. But… it was fun pretending to be on a cross bike.

I’ll be leaving Silver Cycles a hair after 10 (gotta pick up a pair of shoes since they didn’t have any at Big Wheel Bikes where I rented from)…

See you on the trail!

(Wind where I am from… well, it’s constant and everyday being in the foothills of the Sierras in California: often sustained 15 to 20mph, and it flips from morning to night, so that can be a “joy”)

[thecyclingeconomist]

My problem is that I don’t have my lighting system with me and I am renting from a shop in Bethesda, so I have to have the bike back there by 7pm…

[Author]

Posts