TwoWheelsDC
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TwoWheelsDC
ParticipantBoth my bikes have a spare tube, levers, CO2 pump w/2 cartridges, a mini-tool, and a valve adapter in a wedgie bag. When riding my commuter to work or around town, I almost always carry my pannier, which always carries a mini-pump, 10mm wrench (fits my skewers and fender bolts), Leatherman tool, extra batteries, zip ties, bungee straps, and yet another spare tube.
ParticipantI’m not saying this is the quickest route, but I think it’s enjoyable and pretty relaxed…take 4th down to I st SW, then take a right and head toward Maine. Cross Maine and proceed to Water street (at the SW waterfront). Take Water St. to the fish market and then hop on the sidewalk (it was widened to accommodate bikes heading west, so it’s all good to ride there) and then down to Ohio Drive. 4th has a bike lane and is the designated bike route, as is I SW, so it’s pretty stress-free.
Crossing Maine:
Get on the sidewalk here (again, the sidewalk was redone recently, so it looks different than the Street View shot):
Participant@Tim Kelley 22826 wrote:
I was recently horrified to hear that someone I knew was riding with underwear on under their bike shorts. This is a serious no-no for the very reason mentioned above.
Okay, so fess up everyone–is anyone else riding like this? If so, then stop it!!
I will admit that when I first made the jump to bike shorts, I did this a couple times out of ignorance…then I stumbled across a forum topic about it and and had quite the “oooooooooh I see” moment.
ParticipantI have some Endura Humvee shorts…they may be baggier than what you’re looking for, but Endura makes awesome stuff that is reasonably priced and easy to find in area bike shops. Plenty of pockets and vents, and a removable mesh liner with a chamois if you feel inclined to use it (I do). I admit that lycra is my primary cycling wardrobe, but if I have to do anything other than ride from point A to point B, I wear baggies. But lycra works pretty freaking well, especially in the heat, so don’t knock it ’til you try it
ParticipantMy fiance and I got rid of one car, but we still share one. The car we do have gets a decent amount of use, whether it be shopping or the occasional commute, or leisure trips, it’s pretty handy…and I don’t think we would be willing to give it up altogether, since having one car isn’t really a financial issue for us. IMHO, if the car is paid off, it’s probably easier to just keep it so you have it for emergencies and for unforeseen circumstances. Maybe if you lived close to Zipcar or something that might not be the case, but renting a car is kind of a hassle, and you actually have to get to the rental place to begin with.
June 20, 2012 at 12:42 pm in reply to: June 20 – 8:30 am – Ambulance at Lynn and Lee Highway #943495ParticipantIt was a crazy morning…I rode my road bike today and was planning to ride up the Custis, which would’ve put me in the intersection right about the same time you mention. Instead, at the last minute I decided to take the CCT and got caught in the “rescue” activity, even though I’m pretty sure they were hauling a body out of the canal as I rode through. But maybe the person was just unconscious, but I don’t think so. Did you actually see the ambulance stop at the intersection? Maybe it was part of the emergency cavalcade heading to the canal?
ParticipantI only take the Custis out to Lorcom so thankfully I don’t have to worry about this, but maybe tomorrow AM I’ll ride out to the detour area and investigate.
Participant@creadinger 22698 wrote:
Ok, fine! I signed up for Strava… geez…
My commute in southeast up to Suitland, may afford me some record attempts due to the fact that hardly anyone rides there. Less competition = oh yeah! This morning riding up Suitland Rd, I drafted behind a backhoe carrying a concrete casket to the Washington National Cemetery. Otherwise, I guess I can see how I stack up against other 200+ lb people riding steel touring bikes.
Question – given the fact that my commute is in southeast, DC… do you think a Garmin 200 or iPhone will work if it’s in the pocket of one of my panniers? I don’t really feel comfortable displaying expensive electronics in that area.
Also, generally does anyone have a Garmin 200? Recommend it? I’m thinking about upgrading from the ~$25 cyclocomputers that I’ve been using for the past 7 years.
I have a 200 and I absolutely love it. Sure, it’s not as fancy as the 500 or 800, but it was way cheaper…and I don’t worry much about my HR or cadence, so the extra cost wasn’t justifiable. What I love is that it saves me from having to fiddle with my phone and kill its battery, particularly on long rides. I just really hated having to worry about pulling out my phone out to pause the ride or whatever, and if the app crashes, you just lost your ride data. And when I don’t use my Garmin (when I’m running errands or whatever), I always forget to start and stop the app on my phone, but since the Garmin is mounted on my stem, I always remember it. And you don’t have to worry about calibrating it or any of that crap.
Also, the 200 has a basic version of Courses, so you can plot out your ride using the online software, then upload it to your device and it’ll give you rudimentary directions (a line to follow and a direction pointer), and tell you when you made a wrong turn. With few exceptions, this has worked really well for me and saved me from having to constantly pull out my phone and try and figure out if I’m on the right course or not. Definitely makes exploring a bit more fun and less stressful, although you do have to take the time to plot out the course, but that’s kinda fun.
ParticipantThe nice thing about being slow is knowing that I’ll never be a contender for any Strava feat. On one climb, I did notice that I was only one place behind Dirt, but then I realized he probably did it on his fixie, while almost certainly also recovering from a major illness of some sort.
Participant@lordofthemark 22650 wrote:
Would a cable lock be adequate for leaving a bike for a few minutes?
Maybe in some suburban areas where the threat of lurking thieves is low, but in DC, I wouldn’t recommend it…they are just way too easy to defeat. But I live in Ward 6, ground zero for DC bike theft, so I’m a little paranoid.
Participant1. Challenge him to a climb-off
2. Follow up with trash talk
3. ?????
4. Profit!ParticipantYup, these signs are way too close. As someone who drives through this particular crossing much more than riding through it, I’d say NPS doesn’t really understand the problem. Yes, cars do need to be warned about peds, but I think the biggest problem here is the driver 3 cars back that rear ends someone because they aren’t expecting cars in front of them to stop. This discourages people in-the-know from stopping because it’s preferable to inconvenience a ped than get rear-ended. So there needs to be indicators (preferably flashing, to grab attention) at least a couple 10ths of a mile back, so the whole long line of cars understands that traffic may be slowing down.
ParticipantI think I passed this spectacle as it was headed back west on the Custis, maybe 430ish? My only thought was “TdF must’ve just wrapped up!”
Participant@jabberwocky 22435 wrote:
Its a courtesy thing. I know quite a few runners who run on MUPs and they all seem to appreciate it when cyclists announce passes.
Is that because it actually enhances safety somehow, or do they appreciate it because that’s become a normal rule-of-the-road type of thing? If people are acting predictably (i.e. “under normal circumstances”) then a courtesy ding seems redundant. I will admit, however, that I never use the trails for anything other than cycling, so my view is skewed. I’m sincerely curious (as in, I’m not snarking and am really interested to hear people’s thoughts) to know exactly why runners appreciate the signal since, as KLizzotte points out, users should anticipate being passed at any time.
Participant@KLizotte 22430 wrote:
I find it a bit odd that peds are so adamant that we call/ring our passes on the designated MUPs (I’m thinking of the ones with stop signs, yellow lane markings, etc – not the “trail” around the Jefferson Memorial) since cyclists don’t expect or demand that drivers toot their horns when they are going to pass us. When we are on the road we automatically assume that others will be passing us at any time, that it is incumbent upon us to behave predictably and not to move to the left without looking first. Shouldn’t we expect the same behavior from peds? They are walking in a roadway (call it a park or trail but it is essentially a road) and when I’m walking along one I don’t much care if anyone calls or rings since I presume a cyclist can come by at any time and I’m not planning on making any unexpected moves without looking first.
A call or ring may be polite but really what is a ped going to do differently presuming they are already all the way to the right where they are supposed to be? Now calling or ringing is different if the ped(s) needs to move so the pass can be made or when kiddies are around.
That said, I still ring and call my passes but it does seem a bit silly at times given that do we not expect people to signal their passes on a consistent basis in other venues/modes. And if calling/ringing is so important, then the peds should acknowledge that they’ve heard it each and every time.
+1 million
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