[TwoWheelsDC]

PLEASE take these things! I really need to get them out of the way.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Emm 198503 wrote:

When did you move to Parkfairfax?!?!? I just moved out last week. I love it there.

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Officially moved just a couple of weeks ago! My S/O bought a condo there this summer, so I moved in when my lease in Navy Yard was up. Could do without having a killer hill (Martha Custis) as the last 1/4 mile of my commute, but other than that it’s good.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Judd 198473 wrote:

Sounds like some good stuff to donate to Sarah Bee’s charity bike yard sale.

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I’ll let Leslie grab what she needs and then Sarah can have the rest!

[TwoWheelsDC]

Spray generously with WD-40 to clean out the dirt and/or rust and get the key in and the lock moving. Let sit for a bit to let the WD-40 evaporate, then use actual oil/lube for long-term lubrication. Depending on how gunked up it is, just using lube and not bothering with WD-40 may be sufficient.

I’m a fan of Tri-Flow spray as my non-drivetrain lubricant.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@phog 195456 wrote:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20567[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]20569[/ATTACH]

Since you posted this, I think I now see you more days than not on my commute (usually in the vicinity of Westmoreland and Fairfax Dr on my e-bike).

[TwoWheelsDC]

@run/bike 196852 wrote:

Honest question: how do you convey to the front strobers that they ARE a legitimate safety hazard on the trail after dark. I’m not advocating an expletive-laden tirade or anything, but a kind (and firm) “Please turn off the strobe!” in the roughly two seconds that you’re passing them seems pretty reasonable to let someone know they’re really not being cool to their fellow trail users. (I’ll admit to deploying this a few times recently after dark on the Custis, where the strobe effect bouncing off the sound walls was completely blinding) Passive aggressive? I don’t know. Again you only have 1.5-2 seconds of interaction in passing. You could always stop and block their path to convey your request, but that could be perceived as, you know, aggressive-aggressive.

I’m also pretty sure strobers know exactly what they’re doing. It only takes one encounter with someone running a front strobe for any normal person to be like, “yeah, definitely shouldn’t do that to anyone”. And a strobe being a strobe, there’s no way for the operator to claim that they didn’t know it was in that mode or forgot to switch it to solid. Dude, you KNOW.

NOTE: When talking about strobes I mean legit bike lights operating in strobe/flash mode, not those 3 lumen planet bike blinky lights. Run those bad boys all you want in whatever configuration. We’re cool.

Well, I think yelling in any fashion is useless, simply because the other rider–particularly one who is unaware enough to run a front blinkie in the first place–isn’t likely to understand what’s being conveyed. I *assume* that people yelling at me at night are yelling at me to cover my front light, but very rarely am I able to fully understand whatever it is they’re yelling.

But to the bigger question, I just don’t know. Sometimes I’ll very deliberately cover my face to demonstrate that I’m being blinded, but obviously a rider has to have some level of situational awareness to get what I’m doing. But as you said, it’s frankly hard for me to understand how someone running a front blinkie on the trail doesn’t realize it’s suboptimal, even just from a forward visibility perspective. Then again I have, no shit, been yelled at by riders (for not covering my light) who cover their handlebar-mounted light but are running an even brighter helmet-mounted light at the same time…some people are just self-centered f&*ckin’ idiots.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Hope the cyclist is okay! And just in case people need reminding…DO NOT CUT BLIND/LOW VISIBILITY CORNERS. Just slow down and stay in your “lane.”

[TwoWheelsDC]

I’m Marc,

Pretty much all of my BAFS miles are commuting miles. I ride both an e-bike and a road bike, depending on my mood…but most winter days the e-bike wins out. My commute is about 12.5 miles each way. I don’t really take BAFS all that seriously and tbh it doesn’t really provide any extra motivation for me because I’d be riding every day regardless…but my commute is generally enough to keep me in the middle of the pack mileage and points-wise. I’ve been doing BAFS since the beginning though, so that’s what keeps me coming back. I can’t promise I’ll be doing any group rides or social stuff, but I also won’t rule it out…the joys of being an extreme introvert.

Oh also…I was most recently living in DC, but just moved to Alexandria, so I am now Team VA I guess.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Relwal Noj 196738 wrote:

I went running through the Wilson Blvd/W&OD Trail underpass during the great weather on Sunday afternoon and discovered that the newly restored trail was completely covered in thick mud again

It was there yesterday morning but cleaned off as of this morning (and actually probably last night, since I didn’t notice it during my PM commute).

[TwoWheelsDC]

@buschwacker 196570 wrote:

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

I use a See.Sense Icon2 for my rear light and control it through my Garmin. What I like is that you can set up the blinking modes through your phone, control the brightness of each mode, and see your battery level at a quick glance. Also, it’s so much easier to turn it on and off for transitions from trail to road without having to try and grab under you butt or dismount. It also has a “brake mode,” which I think uses an accelerometer to change the light when you brake.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Yelling at fellow cyclists about lights is just super unnecessary and like the most passive-aggressive thing you can do as a trail cyclist…it’s the car honking of trail usage. You’re a bully if you do it and I always make a wish that people who do it to me ride over shards of glass immediately after.

To the light issue…Front strobes on the trail are really the only thing that bothers me. Obviously people are different, but rear blinkies aren’t bothersome to me and my commute goes from street to trail to street so many times I’m not going to waste time futzing with my rear light every time I transition (although I do have an ANT+ light on one of my bikes that I do turn on and off). I’m very much anti light-covering, and am willing to die on that hill, with the caveat that people should always run their headlights on the lowest setting, and pointed as far dowward as is safe. If you really struggle with people’s lights in your face, riding with a cap can help.

[TwoWheelsDC]

W&OD east of Banneker is totally fine, just a few things to watch out for:

-the drainage areas on the western side of the Carlin Springs underpass (to include the ever-present puddle) will be frozen solid Thursday AM

-there will be some ice in the Wilson underpass, but it’s mostly narrow streams of runoff;

-the bends by the Banneker basketball court, and particularly the detour to Roosevelt/Sycamore, were icy AF even at 8pm tonight, so they will be even worse tomorrow

-several of the bridges through Glencarlyn are snow-encrusted, but not particularly slick

[TwoWheelsDC]

@phog 195416 wrote:

I’ll be taking a motorcycle I also ferry bicycles on my MC and need to do the odd one-way bicycle commute.

Slightly off topic, but gonna need some pics and additional info on this please

[TwoWheelsDC]

Interesting…crossing Sycamore at 19th with the two-way PBL seems fine to me. Maybe the signage headed west just needs to be more clear?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@LhasaCM 194847 wrote:

The main Strava club is open to all but that’s only one part of the registration process. There tend to be a lot of people from outside the area each year who join the Strava club because they sign up for lots of clubs regardless of location, but do not actually sign up for or participate in FS. In my view, the fun is meant for people in the DC metro area (plus some former participants who have moved away but still join in the fun from afar).

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There are also a few BikeArlington peeps/BAFS alumni who moved away but continue to participate in BAFS and on the forum.

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