My Evening Commute

[phog]

After a hot day, it was raining at 6:20 PM when I was making my way to the MVT after taking Memorial bridge. Three guys were walking abreast and taking up the whole trail, so the cyclist in front of me went onto the grass to get around them and I did the same. He then wiped out spectacularly on the wet grass, slamming down onto the grass then somehow bouncing back up to his feet. The guys were said things like “nice save dude!”. The cyclist was good-natured about the situation, all things considered.
On the Custis Trail there was a downed tree spanning the width of the trail, and the hefty branch is at “head height”. ‘Hope people see it in time after dark…

Edit- I should have posted it under “trail conditions” and I see it now has been, here:
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?14719-July-2019-Road-and-Trails-Conditions/page6
Too heavy to clear manually; a chain saw will be required.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I drove to work yesterday. I never do that. It was awful, terrible, painful, slow and expensive. $25 to park for the day? At that rate I’ve saved $100,000 over the last 20 years (I know, I know, parking didn’t cost $25/day in 1999, but I’ve been bike commuting since ’93 so it’s a wash). An hour to get to George Mason and 50? I’m home with a beer by then on a normal day. Driving is for suckers and last resorts.

[KWL]

@Brendan von Buckingham 192807 wrote:

I drove to work yesterday. I never do that. It was awful, terrible, painful, slow and expensive. $25 to park for the day? At that rate I’ve saved $100,000 over the last 20 years (I know, I know, parking didn’t cost $25/day in 1999, but I’ve been bike commuting since ’93 so it’s a wash). An hour to get to George Mason and 50? I’m home with a beer by then on a normal day. Driving is for suckers and last resorts.

I regretted every time I drove to work during the past 10 years. The worst day on a bike is still better than in a car.

[huskerdont]

@KWL 192834 wrote:

I regretted every time I drove to work during the past 10 years. The worst day on a bike is still better than in a car.

Ten years straight for me now, with my first day at work here being the only time I drove in.

I suppose, technically, that the day after my knee surgery when I got dropped off was sort of cheating, although I was a passenger. Still, I hated it so much that I rode the bike the next work day.

[ChristoB50]

A very nice Thursday commute home with a friendly twist. On my extended route home, my turnaround point to leave MVT was cutting through LBJG to the Pentagon, then take Boundary Channel Drive under 395 to Long Bridge Dr into Crystal City to 12th Street to Eads back to 4MR…
As I pulled out of the LBJG Virginia-side parking lot, I spotted a kitted-out cyclist in the distance, but bearing down on an intersect with me. I watched in the side-view mirror as he gained on me (I bike home on the e-bike mostly without assist nowadays, but when in a roadway like Boundary Channel, I take Level 1/lowest assist.) As we passed the 2 flag poles / ceremonial stairs leading down to the marina on the left, he said something I couldn’t make out, from behind me. I kept pedaling, figuring I was probably in for a snarky “cheater!” comment (as the only times that’s been shouted my way, it has always come from fully-kitted, fully-tucked, racing/road cyclists flying past me.)
But happily, instead, he just started chatting… Asked if I was commuting or just riding for fun. Remarked on how blissfully smooth Boundary Channel Dr now is under 395 since the repaving (amen!) Then asked if “that was an electric bike?” So I relayed the Reader’s Digest condensed version of my decision to buy an e-bike given my physical state back in March 2018, and the 50 pounds lost & 6,500 miles biked since then, etc., and then the recent re-introduction of my ’92 Bianchi… We continued chatting all the way down Long Br. to 12th Street, where he had to go left while I went right. I can’t recall encountering such a friendly cyclist (ie, while in sustained motion — the forum Coffee Clubs here are full of them, of course!) before…!

[Steve O]

@ChristoB50 192850 wrote:

I can’t recall encountering such a friendly cyclist (ie, while in sustained motion — the forum Coffee Clubs here are full of them, of course!) before…!

So did you invite him to coffee club?

[ChristoB50]

hehe… we didn’t stop chatting long enough to change topics, and then suddenly we had to part ways at the green light…

[Emm]

@Emm 191924 wrote:

I had my first ever completely aborted commute today which was sad. But I am really grateful that bikes can go on metro, and that DASH buses have bike racks.

While leaving work, I noticed this massive inch or so long bulge before I even left the parking garage. I immediately got off the bike and took the metro and bus home. It was screeching so loud against the frame while I walked the bike through the Pentagon metro/bus bay that I deflated the tire almost completely so I wouldn’t have it burst and cause an “incident”.

How on earth does something like this happen? The tire was already pretty chewed up and having issues sealing up all it’s punctures (thanks DC streets!), so I had already ordered a new tire and planned to get it installed Friday. So timing wise this isn’t the end of the world, but it’s definitely frustrating.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20204[/ATTACH]

Fun fact: This happened AGAIN. This time to the front tire, so of course it’s out of warranty :mad:. I’m replacing it, but the staff at the bike shop wasn’t helpful on figuring out new tires since I’m not sure I trust this model anymore. They claim it might just be a “bad batch” since the front tire and failed rear one were bought together. I’m not happy though.

[drevil]

@Emm 194220 wrote:

Fun fact: This happened AGAIN. This time to the front tire, so of course it’s out of warranty :mad:. I’m replacing it, but the staff at the bike shop wasn’t helpful on figuring out new tires since I’m not sure I trust this model anymore. They claim it might just be a “bad batch” since the front tire and failed rear one were bought together. I’m not happy though.

Look at the bottom pics of this writeup:
https://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/sealant-failures.htm

Then google “Tubeless bike tire bulge”.

[phog]

That’s the kind of tire herniation that usually happens to the sidewalls of old dry-rotted tires. Unless it was inflated WAY over capacity, or the tire torn internally by hitting a hard rut, I’d say it’s a defective tire, especially if it was the same brand twice in a row.

[Sunyata]

@Emm 194220 wrote:

Fun fact: This happened AGAIN. This time to the front tire, so of course it’s out of warranty :mad:. I’m replacing it, but the staff at the bike shop wasn’t helpful on figuring out new tires since I’m not sure I trust this model anymore. They claim it might just be a “bad batch” since the front tire and failed rear one were bought together. I’m not happy though.

I can not tell from the original picture, and am too lazy to look back through the thread for confirmation, but those look like Maxxis Ramblers. I have had two have this problem now that were purchased at the same time. The replacement for the rear that Bikenetic got replaced under warranty is still going strong. The front got a bulge back in August (about a year after the rear). I replaced it with a WTB Resolute that I won at GRUSK a couple of years ago. I like it so far and will be replacing the rear with the same in the near future (mostly because the front is now tan wall and I hate that they do not match).

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

Sorry to hear that happened again to your Ramblers Emm. My TCX had ramblers that came with it and they flatted more than a few times so I replaced them at about 3k miles with Donnelly Strada USH tubeless at Birru’s recommendation. I really love these tires. They have much less aggressive tread in the middle section so are better for pavement riding (which we tend to do more of around here right) Ive also put 7K miles on them since then, and I’m probably just lucky but – zero flats – not one.

[Judd]

@LeprosyStudyGroup 194236 wrote:

Sorry to hear that happened again to your Ramblers Emm. My TCX had ramblers that came with it and they flatted more than a few times so I replaced them at about 3k miles with Donnelly Strada USH tubeless at Birru’s recommendation. I really love these tires. They have much less aggressive tread in the middle section so are better for pavement riding (which we tend to do more of around here right) Ive also put 7K miles on them since then, and I’m probably just lucky but – zero flats – not one.

I also am a fan of going to Conte’s in Old Town and buying whatever Bill recommends.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Emm]

@Judd 194246 wrote:

I also am a fan of going to Conte’s in Old Town and buying whatever Bill recommends.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So these are the WTB Riddlers. They were what Bill recommended. Or actually maybe Brian first… But they’re from Contes. And Bill is on vacation

I ordered another of the same one, since overall they ride well. But I am interested in changing them out, since I have had some leakage issues as well.

[josh]

@Emm 194249 wrote:

So these are the WTB Riddlers. They were what Bill recommended. Or actually maybe Brian first… But they’re from Contes. And Bill is on vacation

I ordered another of the same one, since overall they ride well. But I am interested in changing them out, since I have had some leakage issues as well.

Not much in the way of tread, but I like Rene Herse tires (formerly Compass). I’ve used the standard casing Barlow Passes (38mm width) and they’ve been great. hozn is a fan as well.

[Author]

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