Washington Area Bike Forum - Bike to Work Day

More kids this year!

Tim Kelley — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:49:55 GMT

An interesting take away from BTWD this year was that there seemed to be more kids tagging along with their parents on the way to school or day care. Usually it's just one or two kids the whole morning, but today at Ballston there must have been about a dozen kids who came by!

This pleases me greatly.

Afternoon pit stop

jopamora — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:25:18 GMT

The two I know of are the Tri360 one off the W&D and the one in Columbia Heights across from DCUSA. Are there any others out there?

Bike to Work Day Final Numbers

Tim Kelley — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:25:03 GMT

From MWCOG:

"Our regional goal for Bike to Work Day 2013 was a 10% increase over last year, that would have brought us to 14,000. We beat that by another 600 to reach 14,600, a 15% increase!"

Thanks for coming out everyone!!

A vision of the future

dagamon — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:37:39 GMT

So many bikes. It was incredibly awesome.

BTWD pictures thread?

Greenbelt — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:25:49 GMT

I didn't see one already, so I'll start with a few blurry eyed cell phone shots from the Greenbelt/College Park convoy.

Attached Thumbnails

others going from old town to DC / Northwest or near there

streetsmarts — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:13:43 GMT

anyone else riding from Old Town to Foggy Bottom or anywhere near White House, etc.? I'm new and will be at Old Town pit stop at 7 am.

Some basic tips for BTWD -- feel free to pile on more thoughts or argue with these!

Greenbelt — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:23:40 GMT

Comfort

Padded shorts are a must for longer rides. Most bike seats (usually called "saddles") aren't very comfy. A simple way to help prevent a sore butt is to use padded shorts (the pad is called the "chamois"). Note, try not to "sit" on your saddle when riding, but rather use it as a "perch" more than a resting place.

Saddles come in different bottom sizes and shapes. Note, just because you have a big rear on the outside doesn't necessarily mean you have wide "sit" bones and need a wide saddle. It varies person to person.

Finally, if you're prone to chafing (this is especially an issue if you ride in heavy rain or when it's really hot and sweaty out), there's a product called Chamois Butt'r that works miracles. Apply to potentially affected parts and glob it directly on the chamois too. It feels gooey and fun!

If you don't like the look of riding in tight padded shorts, just wear another pair of shorts over the top. The spandex-under-gym-shorts look is cool.

Carrying Stuff

Backpacks are easiest. Many commuters use "panniers," which are essentially saddlebags, although you don't mount them on the saddle, of course, but on a "rack" either behind your seat above the rear tire (best) or in front of your bike above the front tire (careful -- it can be a little wobbly with lots of weight in the front). There are also basic baskets and crates that can be mounted pretty easily, especially if you have a rack. Be careful they don't interfere with your pedal stroke or bike handling.

Bike "jerseys" (shirts with pockets in the back) are really handy for carrying small stuff: wallet, keys, phone, snacks, sunscreen.

Flat Repair

Flat tires are a fact of life for urban commuters, especially if you run narrow, higher-pressure tires. Most bike tires are marked something like 700x35, which is the diameter and width in millimeters. Some commuter and most mountain bike tires are marked in inches, usually 26" by 1.5" or something like that. Sometimes 29" by something. So jot down your tire size and get a spare tube or two in that size.

I prefer to carry a portable air pump, which mounts on my bike's "frame." Some riders use CO2 cartridges to re-inflate after fixing a flat tire, but that can be tricky if you've never tried before.

On BTWD, it's almost a sure bet that someone will be around to help you fix a flat if you need it. But if you're planning to commute every day, it's a good idea to practice. There are lots of videos on the web that show how.

Water and Food

Do not underestimate the amount of water you'll need, even on a cool day. Bring at least one water bottle if your commute is more than a couple miles, and two if it's more than 10. Water bottles fit in "caddies" attached to your bike's frame, and can also be carried in your back jersey pockets. I dislike processed energy bars, but it's better to have one handy than to "bonk" (suddenly run out of energy) when cycling. Of course, BTWD pitstops will have fruit, bagels etc.

Rain

BTWD goes on rain or shine. If it rains, you'll get wet. That's not a problem for you, since you can get a shower or wipe up at work, but it can be bad for your work clothes, work shoes, laptop, if you're caught in a sudden rainstorm. So put them in plastic grocery bags if there's a chance of rain and you suspect your backpack or panniers aren't waterproof.

Route question: how to get across Roosevelt bridge, DC to Rosslyn

aljones — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:08:30 GMT

I have a reverse commute tomorrow, from Farragut West, down the National Mall, to Ballston, ideally across Roosevelt Bridge to I-66 bike trail. Is there a way onto Roosevelt bridge from DC (near the automobile E Street/I-66 westbound ramp?) and from the bridge onto the bike trail? Or do I have to detour down to the Memorial Bridge and all the way back north to Rosslyn? If the latter, how do I find the I-66 trail in Rosslyn from the Mt Vernon Trail? Never tried this before.

Happy BTWD Eve!

KelOnWheels — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:41:09 GMT

I was just thinking this morning about how there will be people doing BTWD for the very first time tomorrow and it will be all new and scary and fun and awesome for them!

I'm a little jealous ;)

Bike 2 work Bethesda to ft belvoir.

Tamikuwait — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:46:52 GMT

Leaving earlier then group commute. Looking for partner for capital crescent trail.

Fort Belvoir Bike to work day riders

ejwillis62 — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:11:46 GMT

The post paper has contacted me about Bike to Work day, does anyone know of anyone else who bike commutes to Fort Belvoir? or anyone who might be riding on to Fort Belvoir for Bike to work day?

Pentagon Metro to Jefferson Memoral, about 7:15 AM

lordofthemark — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:51:59 GMT

Commuting newbie.

I will be taking my bike on the express bus from Annandale, to Pentagon metro on BTWD. Will ride across the 14th street bridge to Jefferson Memorial, where a retired former coworker will meet me, and ride in to Canal Park together (I've only done a test ride across DC once, and he used to commute regularly. ) He wants to meet at 7:45, so I will try to get to take the 6:40 bus (oy!) which should get to Pentagon around 7:10 to 7:15. Leaving me abundant time to cross the bridge.

If there are others gathering around there to do the crossing, I wouldn't mind joining them (though they may find me going painfully slowly up ANY grade). Don't want anyone going out of their way though.

Alternatively since probably few are doing the bike on bus to the pentagon thing, can I assume there will be lots of people crossing the 14th street bridge? Actually Im not sure why Im even asking that - I guess there would be lots of such people at that hour in May even if it wasn't BTWD.

Best Route from CCDC to Dupont Circle?

CCDCBiker — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:30:36 GMT

Anyone have advice for the best (and easiest) bike route from CCDC to Dupont Circle for a new biker? Should i just take Connecticut all the way to Dupont, or go through Adams Morgan (which is the way the Bike to Work route seems to take)? Thanks in advance.

Greenbelt/College Park/Hyattsville convoy thread

Greenbelt — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:46:02 GMT

Hi, this is Jeff and this year I'm leading the Greenbelt convoy down to Freedom Plaza/downtown DC.

I've had several questions, so I figured I'd start a thread for people to get information, and also to make suggestions (this is the first year I've done this)!

Here is the main route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2176630

Here is the main cue sheet: http://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/wp-...llege-Park.pdf

Note I said "main." That's because we're planning two groups, an "express" route straight from Greenbelt to DC via Hyattsville, and a "main" group that goes from Greenbelt to College Park, and then to Hyattsville, and then downtown. I'm leading the "main" group and my wife Laurie is planning to lead the "express" group. She's also going to turn around and head back to College Park after, so she could also help guide people who are just coming down for the ride experience, but then heading back again. (She's heading back along the same route to Proteus bike shop in College Park, where she works.)

The ride starts at the Greenbelt pitstop at 7am, which has ample parking and is a good place to join up (please get there a little early to get your shirt etc.; I'd like to leave on time if possible).

We plan to roll through the Lake Artemesia parking lot at about 7:15 am, which would be a good place to join up.

At Lake Artemesia, we're planning to split -- the "express" group will head straight downtown, passing the Wells Ice Rink parking area about 7:20 or 7:25 (another good place to join up), and passing the Hyattsville pitstop at Magruder Park at about 7:40 (yet another good place to join up).

The express group should get to Freedom Plaza pitstop downtown at about 8:20 or 8:30 or so.

The "main" group would go to the College Park pitstop at city hall on Knox Road. We'll probably get there about 7:30. We can point out other routes directly to UMD Campus (the Paint Branch trail) along the way for people who are splitting off to go to work at UMD.

We'll leave the College Park pitstop at 7:45, pass the Hyattsville pitstop between 8am and 8:10, and get downtown to the Freedom plaza pitstop a little before 9am (which is about when it will be starting to close).

I'm assuming that both groups will take a pretty moderately slow pace. It's certainly possible that we could get delayed. So plan on taking your time and tell your employer that you might be a little late!

Remember, this is a convoy, but not necessarily a supported ride. Plan on thinking through what to do if you have a flat tire (usually people can help, but you'll need a spare tube!) or if you need to bail out (Metrorail doesn't allow bikes until 9:30am, but you can put them on Metrobuses any time). If you haven't ridden in a while, it might be wise to take your bike our for a spin, check air in the tires, lube the chain etc. ahead of time!

I'll stop there and maybe add more comments to this thread during the week. All questions or comments welcome.

-Jeff

Here is a video I made this winter that shows quite a few parts of the route:

Not Getting The Idea of Bike to Work Week

sjclaeys — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:29:24 GMT

I felt the need to share this. As a Hill staffer, I use the House Staff Fitness Center to change when commuting by bike. I was excited to see that the gym decided to recognize bike to work week by having a competition of how many miles one can ride this week. However, on further inspection, I found that they are only counting miles ridden inside on a stationary bike!