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I use this flashlight and secure it to my helmet with velcro cable ties. It lasts for a very long time on the lower modes, but it does require 18650 batteries and a charger (so added expense). It tops out at 1100 lumens, but I almost never run it anywhere near that bright. Most of the time I run it at 70 lumens, and I’ll boost it up to 670 when I’m in the tree tunnels South of Alexandria on the MVT where I never see anyone else in the evenings.

At the higher levels I can see everything around me like a car running high-beams, at the lower levels, it is good for getting drivers attention and seeing around a curve. I got this light as my primary flashlight, and for that purpose it lasts months between charges. I charge it up 1-2x a week when I use it as a bike light. It fails gracefully, so if you’re using it as a light cannon, it will step down to a lower brightness level instead of just leaving you in the dark. It supplements my Supernova dynamo light, which is my primary source of illumination. I think they also make a version of this with a headband, but I have no idea how well that would fit over a helmet, but that also limits its usefulness as a standalone flashlight. The velcro cable tie hack works surprisingly well.

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The wind this morning seemed to magnify the temperature. It felt colder at 32 this morning than it did back when it was 22. The the relentless headwind definitely kept it interesting …

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There was some frost on the Daingerfield Island bridge and the Dyke Marsh boardwalk on the Mount Vernon Trail. Also, ther was some standing water between the southernmost airport bridge (not the one that also carries the GWP) and the hill just south of it as well as on the MVT as it enters Jones Point Park from the North, both reasonably shallow.

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Signed up for my first year in Freezing Saddles. I’ve commuted in cold weather for several years in the past down to 7°F and in conditions requiring my studded tires, but it will be nice to have another reason to shut up the evil metro rider on my shoulder on the coldest days. This sounds like it is going to be fun.

So the general idea is to motivate each other to bike as much as possible in the Winter, and that there are happy hours. Curious, what are reindeer games and how do the points work? Any other finer points a new person should know?

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@ShawnoftheDread 100808 wrote:

You’ll have to give citations for such a statement. There are always lawyers and pedants, and pedantic lawyers, on the Forum.

Alexandria Municipal Code

Relevant Sections:

Sec. 5-7-32 – Running at large prohibited.
No dog or exotic or poisonous animal shall run at large within the city at any time. (Ord. No. 4520, 2/23/08, Sec. 1)

Sec. 5-7-35 – Keeping dogs under physical restraint.
(a)
Except as provided below, it shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog to permit the dog to be off the premises of its owner unless it is under the control of its owner or a responsible person capable of physically restraining the dog and kept secured by a leash, lead or other means of physical restraint, which leash, lead or other means of physical restraint is not harmful or injurious to the dog. An electronic collar or other similar electronic device does not qualify as a leash, lead or other means of physical restraint.

I think that 5-7-32 covers the fact that it was loose, and 5-7-35, in defining the leash or lead as a “means of physical restraint” would indicate that the leash would need to be held, since without being held, it would not restrain the animal.

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Had a bit of a surprise on my commute last night.

In Old Town I was getting onto a path when I noticed a person who was walking her dog, but not holding onto the leash. The dog was presumably finishing its business on the grass. As I got onto the path the dog went nuts and started chasing me, so I just held a straight line and prepared to speed up a bit if necessary. Then came a first for me — the dog actually ran in front of my front wheel.

Thankfully I was able to remain in control of the bike and not go over the handlebars as I panic stopped into the dog and dismounted. The dog came around behind me after I stopped but thankfully didn’t bite. Shortly thereafter its owner grabbed its leash and thanked me. Not sure what the thank you was for, but just glad the situation didn’t escalate with the dog.

The dog seemed okay and aside from some free adrenaline I am okay as is the bike. In all the years commuting down there, this is the first time a dog has gotten loose and given chase. I am just glad the dog was more curious than violent. Hopefully that dog owner will realize the the leash law requires not just a leash on the dog, but a human holding the other end of it …

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I actually calculated my savings out with metro fare, metro parking, and gas for the distance I would be driving to get to metro one day when I was feeling guilty for dropping some coin on the bike and its accessories.

Long story short: I have nothing to feel guilty about.

The daily cost to take metro was around $14 a day ($4.85 parking, $8.05 Metro Fare Round-trip, $1.10 or so for gas). That ends up being $308 a month or about $3,700 a year. I don’t spend anywhere near that on my bike, even on expensive years usually well below < 1K. When you factor in that it takes about the same time and I don't need to worry about a gym membership, all the more in the cost-effectiveness column. My office even pays me $0.50 a day for biking in as part of our wellness program, so that's $100-$125 more for doing it to defray expenses of maintenance (depending on how many off-days I have to take). If I were to drive the whole way, the daily cost is probably around $25 ($550/mo, $6,600/yr), although I’d probably kill myself dealing with the traffic. All told, all three modes take about the same time to get in, but only the bike makes me enjoy the trip.

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@lordofthemark 100352 wrote:

when I am riding south bound on the MVT, at one of the spots wher the SB bike lane is very close to or pointed toward the NB auto lane on the GW parkway – and the auto headlights semi-blind me, at least when I look back to the (relativel, with my 350 L&M light) dark trail.

I ride with a hat under my helmet and tilt my head so that it blocks the oncoming lights from the cars on those sections. It stops me from getting dazzled and losing as much of my night vision. As a bonus it wicks away sweat in the summer, keeps my head warm in the winter, and stops rain from hitting my glasses when it rains. I use a quick dry hat I got from performance a long time ago.

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@Crickey7 100162 wrote:

Another thing I noticed is that ALL the recumbents seem to disappear when it get cold.

I actually saw one on the MVT this morning.

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The commute started at 16°F and arrived at the office at 27°F, definitely weather that will let you know you’re alive. The new lobster gloves did a reasonable job, sometimes things would get cold, but some squeezing of my fingers got blood flowing again and mitigated it in a few minutes. The boots did their job until about the last 15 minutes and things started to get cold down there. The hot shower at the office felt like stepping on glass for a second, then was wonderful. I got into the racks in the garage and had the beginnings of some icicles on the beard, but they quickly melted in the relative warmth down there.

Yesterday the phone died on the way into work due to the cold, so I put in my trunk bag and I got in with over a half charge, so that might be where it lives in the winter. After yesterday I made it a point to count cyclists and I was surprised how many I saw. There was 1 on Sherwood Hall Lane, 30 on the Mount Vernon Trail between Dyke Marsh and 14th Street, and 16 more that I saw once I got into DC. That’s twice as many as yesterday’s informal count on the MVT which blew me away. That said, I was a few minutes late this morning, maybe that did it, or maybe people really wanted in on this weather

There was lots of ice around, but nothing unavoidable with the biggest patch coming on the path that connects Old Town with Jones Point Park that always has the puddle. Dyke Marsh was freezing up, as was the beach by the power plant which had dramatic curls of ice going over the driftwood sitting in the tidal zone. Dyke Marsh bridge and the Daingerfield Island bridge had a beautiful covering of crystalline frost that crunched under my tires. Aside from the cold, it was beautifully sunny and as pleasant as one could expect.

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I’ve done the full thing fully loaded on 700x38s twice and many subsections both loaded and unloaded over the years. My tires are more slick than knobby, so you should be fine. The only thing that might give you a challenge is if it has rained and you’ve got fenders. I did a out and back winter camping trip a few years ago and the mud kept packing between my fender and wheel, a prescription for misery. Knobbies should make dealing with mud a lot easier than my (relatively) slicks, and 38s are plenty wide.

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I didn’t do an exact count, but I saw around 10-12 or so cyclists on the MVT from Dyke Marsh to the 14th Street bridge. Quite a few people on foot, too, including a bunch of Army guys on a timed run. One of them had a buzz cut and no hat, he didn’t seem to mind though.

I remember when I first started bike commuting in earnest many years ago times when I would be the only person on the trail for the entire trip with weather like this. It is good to see more people refusing to let the temperature keep them inside.

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I have some studs, but I only put them on when the snow and ice are out. From what I’ve read, keeping them on all the time can cause some of the studs to pop out and/or wear down quickly. That said, on icy roads, there is nothing like them.

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BMWs take the top spot, then Mercedes, and then luxury and sports cars in the >40k bracket. It was a sports car that hit me recently while in a bike lane (he was at fault). Thankfully he stayed at the scene and I had an eyewitness who corroborated my story — still got pretty banged up though.

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There are some panniers out there that seem to fit the bill, but I can’t vouch for their effectiveness: here, here, here, here, and while I was searching, I found this discussion from the past here (the two wheel gear bag seems well regarded).

I usually either clothes roll or fold, but some level of wrinkling seems inevitable unless you’ve got the proper tools.

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