[txgoonie]

@vvill 19924 wrote:

There was a runner on the street salmoning (even though I’m pretty sure there is a sidewalk?).

Isn’t the runner actually in the correct spot, i.e. running against traffic? Salmoning is really a term reserved for bikes going the wrong direction, no? I’m not saying that moving into the road was the correct thing for her to do, but at least she put herself in the right position to be able to see what was going on.

[txgoonie]

jabber knows quite well my MTB credentials – i.e. I stink, or, to put it more optimistically, I’m learning. But he’s helping me

[txgoonie]

@eminva 19796 wrote:

My friend won a Cannondale bike frame in the raffle!

That’s awesome! I was SO jealous of the raffles (sadly as an official helper (I was the one running around handing the merch out) I was ineligible).

I used my hatred of Columbia Pike as an excuse to take the long way around to the theater and try my hand at the Walter Reed hill for the first time. In 80-something degree weather. That was fun:rolleyes:

Anyway, thanks for coming out!

[txgoonie]

Always uncomfortable on long trips. Let’s face it – we were not meant to sit that long. No idea if this is related to your issue, Tim, but it seems like a lot of passenger car seats have been set up by somebody to be really slack, like a lounge chair, and have zero lumbar support which inhibits good posture. When your pelvis and shoulders roll forward in a lazy posture like that, it is bound to affect your lower back. I’m terrible at remembering this, so putting something like a rolled up t-shirt (or a for-real lumbar pillow) behind my lower back forces me to sit up and engage the abs. Takes more energy but ultimately results in less discomfort.

I also have super tight hamstrings and sciatic issues, so I’ll bring a tennis ball (or TP Massage Ball if you wanna be fancy) with me to sit on and do a sorta mini ART massage of my legs.

[txgoonie]

Got a bell today in Crystal City!

Beautiful day – lots of cyclists out. Many are still rolling right past the pit stop, though. Folks must not love bagels as much as I do;-)

[txgoonie]

People amaze me, mrkenny83. Her for being so oblivious. You for letting it go with a wave. That’s zen. I don’t think I’d be quite so enlightened.

[txgoonie]

Got my blinkie light – yay!

The CC BID table was full of bagels and coffee, and cyclists were riding right by! Take a second, Crystal City folks – get yourself a bagel. You earned it!

[txgoonie]

I’d be looking for a freight train coming if I heard that.

[txgoonie]

@Dirt 19361 wrote:

I don’t have the audio turned on, so I have no idea what this guy is saying. I will say that he’s got really huge arms and spectacular tattoos. There’s some value in that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-fG76hbx2w&feature=fvst

Ha! When I was teaching myself to wrap bar tape, I clicked on this video simply because I thought the Leopard Trek-ish bar tape color was awesome (and it wasn’t 10 minutes long). Turns out the video told me everything I needed to know. Except I like to put the finishing tape so it’s partly on the handlebar tape and partly on the bar. I like the idea of it being “sealed.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7TJ_hz_JSM

I happen to like Fizik handlebar tape, too — the suede-y, soft kind, though.

[txgoonie]

PotomacCyclist covered the important issues, so I’ll just give anecdotal info.

I had a short stint with both triathlon and clip-on aerobars, and the setup never felt quite right to me. Road bikes really weren’t made to be ridden with clip-ons, so any adjustments you make will be something of a compromise. In order to get truly aero and have the hip and arm angle recommended for max comfort, power and lung capacity, I had to shove the saddle all the way forward. And mess with seat and bar height. And cleat position…It was a major undertaking to make it work. Anyway, I hated the resulting super twitchy handling, and the compromise just wasn’t worth it to me. And as Dirt kinda alluded to, the aero position is for long stints in that one position, so it’s not exactly ideal for things like climbing and sprinting.

That said, I do like to have them during the winter when I’m riding the trainer and perfect fit and handling aren’t such a big deal (cuz I can’t ride those things straight to save my life).

I have a bit of a short body, so I like more compact aerobars. I had Syntace C2s (too long). Profile Design Jammers fit much better.

[txgoonie]

@Mark Blacknell 19307 wrote:

In fact, given their – in my view – very poor judgment in using National Harbor as a race location*, I’m inclined to think this cluser()@# is almost entirely their own fault.

+1 Anyone who did the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k in December might say that the cancellation of a National Harbor race is a blessing in disguise.

[txgoonie]

Fitting is a hot topic for me at the moment b/c I’m in the market for one, as well. What I’ve learned through some really robust discussion on the topic with friends who race: fitting is certainly a precision exercise, but it is part art. Different fitters will ask different questions and, sorta like doctors, make different recommendations than other fitters for the same problem. They each have their own philosophy and will fit individuals within a general framework. But in general, any fitter will almost certainly make you more comfortable and more efficient than you were when you went in.

These are the recommendations I’ve collected for myself so far, so this may be a good starting point from which to start asking more questions. FYI, none of them are cheap.

Clovis at Freshbikes and Tom at Plum Grove have high marks, especially for mountain bike fits

Josh Frick at CycleLife

Andy Cicero with Rise Above Cycles (This is probably who I’m going to see for my road fit as a handful of experienced roadies I know have been fitted recently and were blown away by how much more power they were getting after seeing him.)

To echo what others have said, don’t be surprised by having to buy a few new components on top of the +/-$200 you’ll spend on the fitting itself.

[txgoonie]

Those look super nice. The zipper there is key! I’m also relatively new to the world of bib shorts, and, while I do love the feel of them, a standard pair (i.e. no fancy schmancy zipper) makes nature breaks for the ladies a major pain in the @$$.

[txgoonie]

Funny, I thought I was the only one, too:-) I can remember doing it as a kid, but it’s just gone now. I practice it from time to time on my commute — one hand completely off the handlebars, the other lightly holding on, lifting it off for as long as I can control the bike.

It’s kinda like driving golf balls for me — some days I have no idea what I’m doing right, but it just seems to click; other days, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t do it. Perhaps with more practice.

[txgoonie]

@KLizotte 18861 wrote:

I’ve seen a beaver twice recently along the MVT near the 14th St bridge. I suspect that because of the drought drying up the nearby swamps the beavers have been forced to look for new homes.

I’ve seen him, too. This photo is from November.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]975[/ATTACH]

[Author]

Posts