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@consularrider 22748 wrote:

I had ridden through about 20 minutes earlier and noticed that the pedestrian lights for crossing Lynn St are still not functioning properly – show a solid red hand all the time.

Sigh. Some drivers are probably thinking “look at all those cyclists running the red while I have to wait here to get to work”.

@consularrider 22766 wrote:

Looks like the answer may have been a cyclist running into the new bollard at the top of the MVT/Custis Trail bridge crossing the GW Parkway according to another thread.

Double sigh.

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Or just create your own segment to be KOM of! (for a day)

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Welcome maverick!

Make sure you join Strava and log all your trips with your electric assist. Fun should ensue.
(KIDDING!)

I like the idea of e-bikes (there is another thread on this somewhere) because it lets you bike when you otherwise might not – due to either your own condition (injury, illness, etc) or weather/terrain conditions. I wouldn’t worry too much about riding on the Arlington trails as long you’re riding safely and sensibly.

As for pedals, I much prefer riding clipped in. I don’t know how that meshes with riding with an electric assist though.

Letting motorized vehicles go first because otherwise they have to stop and start again seems a bit silly. Might as well turn all intersections into roundabouts (traffic circles) then.

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@GuyContinental 22764 wrote:

(doable, yes, practical, no). That said, if you know your patterns and understand the limitations then heck yeah. Just ask a New Yorker or a San Franciscan.

^ This!

I like the idea of not having to own a car, but the convenience/availability of a car that’s already paid off would be too valuable to me. If I lived somewhere more centrally urban things might be different, but there are too many situations where I would want to have the option of a car. I’m more about minimizing car trips – while always having the option of falling back to the car if I need it.

If it were me and I had a 2008 Subaru paid off I’d keep it at least through the coming winter to see how much full-time bike commuting I’d really do.

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Another 5’9″er here riding happily on a 54cm (effective top tube). I think I could go as low as a 51cm and compensate with a longer stem + seatpost.

I have a 56cm hybrid (size – not sure about effective top tube length) which was bought using the “straddle the top tube” method. It’s definitely too large for me to handle as easily, although I use it for hauling kids so it’s not a big deal, and I’ve since switched out the stem, handle bars, saddle and seatpost collar (it’s a QR now because I do change the height depending on my riding purpose).

On the topic of drops, it took me quite some riding to get used to hoods as the main position. I initially didn’t like the braking leverage on them at all but I got used to it. It took me even longer to get used to using the hooks/drops positions, but now I love them. I do actually use all 5 of the positions in that link elcee posted too (as well as one more IAB – “Invisible Aero Bars” – although I rarely ride with both hands in IAB as my bike handling is definitely not top drawer).

One thing about dropbars, they come in a LOT of shapes!
http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/road-drop-bar-geometry/

I have two bikes with dropbars and I much prefer one of them (compact) over the other. I am probably going to change the other one to compact dropbars.

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@GuyContinental 22603 wrote:

I love the “and one other” feature

Same here!

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@thucydides 22571 wrote:

The crossing lights at Lynn were stuck on red when I went through this morning. Not good.

@consularrider 22591 wrote:

Yeah, the red hand was ever present. Right now I can see that at least northbound to the Key Bridge on Lynn, the walk light is again working (I’m two blocks away and can see the signal from my office window).

Saw that too. I left later than usual this morning and it was a m-e-s-s! I was waiting at the back of a fairly large group (~10 cyclists) waiting to cross. About 3-4 cyclists started crossing. Two others stopped dead, seeing impatient looking cars edging up. I stopped. Some cars went. Two other cyclists from behind started going. Some cars stopped. I started going, and didn’t look back. Don’t know if the whole group made it.

It surprises me how often there’s problems with the light, given how essential a piece of infrastructure it is. The crossing is problematic enough when the light works!

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I’m my own main Strava rival.

Most of the segments I create are just on my commute so I can easily check if that “fast” ride in was actually fast by my standards, or just felt fast.

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@FFX_Hinterlands 22513 wrote:

I had the same thought about kid friendliness before the event (I volunteered at the event). I was really surprised at the family-friendly activities, etc, there. The organizer also made it a point to instruct the volunteers that family friendliness was a priority for the event. What did you think?

It was fun! I HAAAATED getting there by Metro (Orange Line transferring to Green Line) esp since it was weekday-rush crowded due to the Nats/Yankees game.
But the beer was excellent, and the Yards Park shallow pool/waterfall was a huge hit with my kids. My son also enjoyed seeing all the costumes, the slinky stairs, the kaleido-telescope, the wavy mirror and watching me try the bikes in the bike pit. The main stage performances were entertaining too (although my kids didn’t have the patience to watch for too long). The food options were a bit meh (although Potbelly was only a block away) – hopefully some of the $ for the $8 hot dogs went to WABA!

I didn’t get in early enough for the bike parade, but maybe next year. I LOVED the Bike Pit.

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@GuyContinental 22380 wrote:

I was thinking about Strava in this context last night- if this guy did hit someone, does his public Strava record (down to the ride title) create a history of hooliganism? Worse, are you Will, now implicated as being the “one other” on the ride (doubtful after a side by side comparison)? Looking closely at my own ride profiles I can see my yields for peds (abnormal dips on downhills), road crossings (down to 4-5 mph or 0) and busy trail days (endless quick acceleration, quick braking and lower times). But I also see crazy data errors (55mph at Brandywine Castle) and overall some pretty fast travel (early in the morning). I like to think that I’m a safe and courteous rider but I’m not sure that my profile couldn’t be spun against me.

To this guy’s credit it looks like post Custis he was on streets (weird route- Cutsis to Bluemont connector trail to George Mason to 4MR, I’ve never even thought about going that way) and he was stopping at lights and crossings.

One plus of Strava is that you can give him some public guilt- rider to rider in his ride comments.

Strava does have the “flag segment as unsafe” option (this segment actually begins before the Lynn St intersection – there is another west-bound Custis segment that doesn’t include it), but I don’t know if I really want to get as involved as that even. I can’t be 100% sure it was the same person who flew by me, although regardless it does seem a bit much to be actually racing a personal TT on the length of the Custis. Obviously the guy is a strong rider, but does he need to be doing it on a MUP that is narrow, hilly, has limited sight lines and often drop-offs/barriers on both sides, for the sake of – a Strava KOM? But one reason I love the Custis: there’s so few stops. Part of me wonders if I’d do the same thing if I had the legs (the other part says “of course not”).

That’s an interesting point on having a record of how fast/safe you appear to be riding. I’m sure drivers would not want any such record. The “one other” on the ride is actually what led me to this ride data (I think a quick look shows I couldn’t have been by him very long – my average speed on the same segment was 14mph – 8mph slower).

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I can see an eight-person team version being fun. 3 hrs/day is definitely doable. I guess when you’re not riding you’re sleeping in the support car?

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Does anyone think this is a bit much? I was riding home on the Custis yesterday when I heard something to my left, and as I turned my head left, a cyclist came whizzing by and kept going. Zero warning or acknowledgment. I was in the middle of the right lane and a bit peeved.

I *think* it was this guy http://app.strava.com/rides/10824777
Riding 22mph average on the Custis, deliberately, just to re-take a Strava KOM with no signalling or warning? Not much margin for error for this rider to hit a pedestrian/runner methinks. Or another cyclist.

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I’m probably going to attend with my family. I also have my reservations about the family friendliness of this event but in any event a visit to Yards Park should be fun.

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Andy Schleck’s just never seemed to have enough heart/daring to me. He’s obviously talented but yeah his TT sucks and I don’t think he actually had a great chance of winning this year’s TdF anyway. I’m being unfair of course, because he’s a top tier pro cyclist and he rode with a fractured pelvis(!), and probably also because he doesn’t seem to show as much emotion as some of the other riders and that’s probably just his personality.

I guess it’s going to be the Wiggins vs Evans show. If Wiggins’ form continues though (esp in the TT stages) it’ll be mostly just Wiggins.

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I’ve tried two or three mirrors.

This one:
@consularrider 22193 wrote:

Another popular glasses mounted mirror is the Third Eye. I used this before I got the Take-a-look, and find that it doesn’t stay on the glasses as well and that the ball joint loosens up over time.

And two drop handlebar mounted ones.

I haven’t found one that’s really worked and haven’t really missed not having the mirror so I still commute mirrorless. Whenever I had a mirror I found myself fiddling with it to try to make it useful, more than actually benefiting from it. The Italian one Dirt linked to looks decent though.

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